After mapping political polarization online, researchers Pablo Ortellado and Márcio Moretto Ribeiro stated that right-wing and left-wing people seem to exist in “wholly different universes” on the internet. In a phenomenon which is not exclusive to Brazil, social media has become a battleground and political differences have evolved into aggressive polarization. Within this strained political environment, there are a few groups looking to make an easy buck.
If it has now become cliché among leftist militants to wear t-shirts emblazoned with the faces of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, or other communist symbols, right-wing Brazilians are also starting to display their political beliefs on their clothing, and online far-right merchandise retailers are thriving in Brazil’s rising tide of conservatism. These stores began to emerge in 2014, a year in which Brazil witnessed its ugliest and most aggressive presidential campaign to date.
The stories behind those e-commerce “conservative clothing” spots are familiar. Most got the idea when looking for – and not finding – merchandise for their own use. “We made Bolsonaro-themed t-shirts to wear at rallies, and people wanted to buy them from us,” said the owner of one such shop in January.
Celebrating torturers
While many famous conservatives are celebrated, none has the star appeal of Jair Bolsonaro, the...
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