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Brazil’s Other Olympic Spirits: Anger, Anxiety and Indifference

Related Topics: Anger, Anxiety, Brazilians, Apathy, Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO — How do Brazilians feel about their big Olympic moment?

First there’s the anger: Rioters pelted the Olympic torch relay with rocks as it approached Rio de Janeiro, while bumper stickers have rearranged the Olympic rings into a four-letter word.

Then there’s the anxiety: With gallows humor amid a crime wave and fears of terrorism, a bingo game is circulating for people to wager on which day during the Games an attack will occur.

And the indifference: The media giant Globo won’t even bother to broadcast the Olympics during the coveted Sunday afternoon slot, opting instead for domestic soccer.