Opinion

A look to the future and the future of the center

Technological development has trampled everything humanity was once used to. Knowledge multiplies at an astounding pace and breaks paradigms in the economy and in society. This time, the reallocation of labor is not the question, commerce and services have simply been reinvented into a quick sequence of clicks straight from one’s living room sofa. Obsolescence is on the horizon, and even Uber—the last resort of the desperate worker—will eventually replace their labor force with self-driving cars. The precarity of employment takes away people’s income and their pride, and this fear and resentment have overflowed into politics.

In 2019, the election of the year before needed to be decanted, as the country recovered from the jarring victory of Jair Bolsonaro. But time waits for no one and the delay in presenting answers and alternatives to what is on show has contributed to the accentuation of Brazil’s polarization. Standing on opposite sides, Mr. Bolsonaro and former President Lula are on the stump, nothing has changed in Brazil’s electoral outlook.

The fact is that the so-called “center” in Brazilian politics has not established itself. It still lacks meaning, discourse, and a face. Unable...

Carlos Melo

Political scientist and sociologist, professor at São Paulo's Insper Business School. Follow his blog

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