“The carioca is cool. At least he thinks so. He is always out-smarting the competition. He is better that all other Brazilians, even if poor, because he lives in the most beautiful city in the world (he does!) and the carioca women are the best (who knows, they may be!), and he has the best beaches and most of all, he has the only real, true, authentic samba (he is probably right again). At least that is the basic stereotype. Actually the archtype of the carioca is the malandro. This is a sly, fast-talking, hip guy that knows his way around and lives an extreme bohemian life style of late nights, wine, women and song (actually, beer). The 1930s and 40s were the great era of the malandro, always dressed in white suits and hats, enjoying the arts and the pleasures of the flesh. When I think of malandro I always remember Moreira da Silva and Chico Buarque’s “Opera do Malandro”. There is a movie version and I recommend it. Nowadays, the word malandro has a much worse connotation, being associated with crime and cheating. Back to the carioca. Urban folklore says cariocas always begin a sentence with “seguinte” (it follows, its like this…) and everybody is “bicho” (guy, kid, animal, whatever). Also, cariocas have a tendency to use profanity and employ words with a sexual connotation: ferrou, cacete, fudido, caralho, puta merda, putz grilo, etc in everyday conversation, even more than other Brazilians. Many times I have heard it said that Carioca só fala besteira (Carioca only talk nonsense or rubbish). The reputed violence of Rio is alluded to by the word “presunto” meaning “ham” but any dead body, usually a victim of gang warfare or police death squads (Esquadrão da Morte). I remember using it myself after walking around a dead body at the corner of the road where I lived (”Tinha um presunto na esquina”). Sad. Anyway , the carioca is relaxed, and loves to sit in the bars or sidewalk cafes, drink beer, eat bolinho de bacalhau, watch the girls go by and maybe engage in some light-hearted paquera (hard to translate, but sort of hitting on the girls for a date). If things are slow, he will start a batucada, a samba drumming-type rhythm using anything available on the table, or traditional, a matchbox. That, in a seashell, is the carioca.”

O texto acima foi extraído do site brazilbrazil, sob responsabilidade de John Deal, um americano do Arizona, “terra de cowboys, sol e cacto”, segundo ele mesmo. Estes clichês dizem muito sobre o que somos mas também dizem muito sobre aqueles que nos vêem deste modo.