The Gazeta (ES) - 19/11/2011

The Minister of Labor hitched a ride on a plane, but "forgot". Other members of the first federal echelon fell because they tried to hide relationships that put them in check. In the streets, protests show that the population has revolted and wants rigor against corruption.

But, in the end, is this evil far from us, rooted in the Central Plateau? It is not difficult to find, near us, anyone who criticizes corruption in Brasilia, but ask for a dental appointment voucher to deduct from the income tax - a form of evasion. Or, a neighbor who complains about politicians, but makes electricity cat at home or in his trade.

Experts heard by A GAZETA estimate that the corruption that surrounds the Esplanada dos Ministérios is the same that allows people, day by day, to disrespect the pedestrian crossing, buy pirated CDs or pretend to sleep when they occupy a bus seat, denying a seat the elderly or pregnant women - who often stand in the capacity.

“There is in Brazil a culture of leniency to transgressions. People know what is right and wrong, but they think if others do, why can't I? Small crimes generate corruption and form a vicious circle ”, points out retired diplomat Roberto Abdenur, president of the Brazilian Institute of Ethics in Competition (Etco).

What Abdenur calls transgression is not always visible on the streets. Possibly you know someone who tends to “download” music or movies from the internet without respecting copyright. Or are you going to say that no friend has that “special selection” of songs on pirated CD? They are common cases, but they circumvent laws.

“Corruption comes from the fact that you place your will on current social rules. Whoever worries about corruption should be concerned with maintaining any and all rules, even the simplest ones ”, points out the Constitutional Rights master Júlio Pompeu, professor at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES).

Last year, Brazil lost about R $ 35 billion to piracy (including the sale of pirated CDs), in unpaid taxes and losses for companies, according to the Brazilian Association to Combat Counterfeiting (ABCF). A survey by the Etco Institute points out that illegal trade reaches R $ 850 billion a year, or 30% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Data from the Brazilian Association to Combat Counterfeiting (ABCF) point out that between 2006 and 2009, Brazilians bought the equivalent of 47,4 thousand kilometers of pirated CDs and DVDs (such as those in the photo opposite). This "mileage" would be achieved if the media were placed side by side. In the State, the hole created by the so-called “cats” of electric energy draws attention. Data from EDP Escelsa, a concessionaire serving 67 municipalities in Espírito Santo, indicate that the theft of electricity through clandestine connections last year absorbed more than 54 million kilowatt hours. It would be enough to supply a city with 300 thousand homes, like Vila Velha, for example. To combat the problem, the company must spend R $ 35 million. precisely the passionate judgment of values. “The way we judge ourselves is very different from the way we judge those who are distant. When we judge our conduct, we are condescending to mistakes; when we evaluate the other's error, we are more demanding ”.

On the internet, it is not difficult to see the comparison. How many are not tempted to resort to social media when they see a blitz to warn friends that they are going out to the bar? It sounds silly, but the decision can (literally) change the course of other lives.

Robson Loureiro, coordinator of the Center for Studies and Research in Education and Philosophy at Ufes, sees these cases as follows: “If each one chooses to do what he wants, just for the satisfaction of a particular will, we would hardly be able to live in society. Ethics requires patience, criteria and comparison ”, he highlighted.

Still in traffic, there are practical examples of people who do not compare to others. From the classic “paradinha” in front of the children's school in double file, to the parking space for the elderly and disabled, or for the ambulance space (as in the photo above), everything is “possible” on the streets.

According to the Brazilian Traffic Code, these absences are considered serious. Therefore, drivers should be fined R $ 127,69 and lose five points in the driver's license. It is not uncommon that, when caught, these offenders appeal to the old excuse that the error “was only for five minutes”.

For Abdenur, in cases like these, there is a clear explanation: people are sure that they will circumvent the rules and will not be punished. “The feeling of impunity fuels corruption and small transgressions. In extreme situations, you see people who drink, run over people and are released on bail, ”he criticizes.

The case is different, but earlier this month a businessman from Vitória went behind bars after the police found irregularities in the light connection in his restaurant. Worse, he had been arrested before for energy theft. Last time, he paid R $ 1 bail and was released.

Professor Robson Loureiro's perception is that people do not seem willing to think about the harm that they themselves can cause to others or to social interaction when they commit crimes.

“There is now a certain facility in weakening the ability to conduct choices based on reflection. Society has a hard time dealing with freedom ”, says Loureiro.

Professor Júlio Pompeu makes another point: the demonstrations against corruption raised the banner of morality, but they tend to be fleeting, as they lack, according to him, an ideological basis.

“These demonstrations seem to me more against the political class than with corruption. Nobody complains about everyday mistakes, like breaking the bank line. And whoever complains is seen as boring ”, he concluded.