Barra Da Tijuca - Criticisms

Criticisms

The influence from different countries is criticized by many Brazilians, especially concerning the 88-foot-high replica of the Statue of Liberty in the New York City Center. Barra also has replicas of many international architectural icons like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Tower Bridge of London, and the Eiffel Tower of Paris (all found in the Barra World Shopping Center). With such an international influence, Barra can be defined as having the Miami or Los Angeles lifestyle mixed with the abundance of international architectural icons as Las Vegas. While Rio's traditional neighborhoods recall Lisbon, Barcelona or Rome, the atmosphere in Barra da Tijuca is more like that of North American cities like Miami or Los Angeles. While that sort of thing may be common in the rest of South America, it has not always been so in Brazil. Brazilian traditional high society has had an ambivalent attitude toward the United States but adores all things European, especially French, which helps explain the profusion of luxury beachfront apartment buildings in neighborhoods of old Rio that have names like Cap Ferrat and Château d'Amboise or that honor French cultural icons like Mallarmé, Baudelaire and Degas. Although such influences from European countries are appreciated by the Brazilian traditional high society, to the "guardians" of the traditional values in Rio de Janeiro, similar blatant imitations of and homage to the United States (i.e., replica of the Statue of Liberty) in Barra come as an affront. One of the reasons for such attitude towards all things "North American" might be the perception of the Brazilian social elites that the United States government supported and profited from the dictatorship of the Brazilian military government from 1964 to 1985. While the generations that grew up during the repressive regime still feel some animosity towards the United States, the same cannot be said about Brazil’s youth.