Bolsominion Explained

Bolsominion (from the English minion)[1] is a pejorative term used by opponents of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to refer to a segment of his supporters.[2] The word is an amalgamation combining the first half of the surname Bolsonaro, and the word minion ("servant", "follower"), which is also the name of the characters in the Despicable Me franchise.[3] The term gained prominence in Brazilian media with the rise of Bolsonaro throughout his 2018 presidential campaign.[4] [5]

Ideology

In general, bolsominions are described as extreme right-wing people who are uncompromising, reactionary and adept at military intervention to solve problems related to public health, education, security.[6] They often use the term "esquerdopata" (pathological left) to refer to opponents, which is a term used on the internet to treat leftist ideology as a disease (psychopathy), to which its opponents usually respond by using the term "direitopata" (pathological right) to designate them.[7] They see the relationship between military intervention and morality as closely linked factors and they are, in general, antagonistic to agendas considered progressive.[8]

Many are also supporters of the Trump administration.[9]

Use

In 2019, federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro celebrated his 35th birthday with a party themed around Minions, the characters from the Despicable Me franchise, which was reported as referring to the term Bolsominion.[10]

See also

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Significado de Minion (O que é, Conceito e Definição). 2020-08-20. pt-br. Significados.
  2. News: Layton. Matthew. Amy Erica Smith. Smith. Amy Erica. Analysis In Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro's victory may mean further shifts in tolerance and moderation. en-US. Washington Post. 2020-12-01. 0190-8286.
  3. Web site: A formação e a grafia do nome bolsomínion - Ciberdúvidas da Língua Portuguesa. 2020-09-09. ciberduvidas.iscte-iul.pt.
  4. News: 2018-09-21. Jair Bolsonaro: Why Brazilian women are saying #NotHim. en-GB. BBC News. 2020-12-01.
  5. News: Phillips. Tom. 2019-07-03. 'A bad trip': Jair Bolsonaro's first six months leave even the right dismayed. en-GB. The Guardian. 2020-12-01. 0261-3077.
  6. Web site: Bolsominions: quem são e do que se alimentam. 2016-04-27. 2020-09-09. pt-BR. Extra Online.
  7. Web site: Bolsominions: quem são? Onde vivem? Do que se alimentam? Como se reproduzem?. 2017-11-21. 2020-09-09. pt-br. Socialista Morena.
  8. Web site: Na caverna do mito. Fernandes. Peterson. 2019-05-27. 2020-09-09. en. Medium.
  9. News: Churrascaria nos EUA simboliza divisão de brasileiros sobre Bolsonaro. pt-BR. BBC News Brasil. 2021-01-09.
  10. Web site: Eduardo Bolsonaro ganha festa com o tema 'Minions' em referência a 'Bolsominion'. 2019-07-11. 2020-11-21. pt-BR. Amazonas1.