The strength of consumer culture: the recent development of the city’s commerce is remarkable. New shops are more aware of trends and niches. Taking night life as an example, there is a rampant supply of bars offering boutique products, such as premium-quality beers. Moreover, a new and huge shopping mall has opened its doors in the southern part of the city, which is considered to be more peaceful. It seems to me, by talking to people, that they now aim to belong to social groups which are able to take advantage of this growth in the offer of new and better products and services. They forget, perhaps, the other dimensions of life.
I believe in the transience of such fetishism. When clear signals of mitigation of social inequality in Brazil appear, other forms of individual and collective expression tend to emerge.

The disappearance of kindness: the traffic in Porto Alegre is an expression of the individualistic greed that prevails among the inhabitants of this emerging metropolis. It’s all about a dispute to arrive faster, earn faster which follows a ruthless pragmatism in relations between people. There is no reason to thank somebody if we won’t see the person anymore.

Inefficiency, though: everybody runs, but arrives late. Each service takes twice as long as it should.

The seeds of good news: in the political arena, some initiatives deserve attention. There is a councilman who promises to spread environmental awareness in the city, a strong investigation against corruption in the state government, an amazing campaign regarding safety of pedestrians, and the intensification of civil society movements. I’ve attended to a seminar named “Creative City”.
The arts seem to be a little more present. Bienal do Mercosul is coming soon.

These new vibrations, combined with the flourishing economy, make me believe: it is a good time to be here.

This text was originally written in Portuguese.