You do realize the people that have these opinions are not the same people that did that back then? Very weird to say people can't have a current opinion that differs from other people in their country hundred of years ago. People today know better because of the mistakes from the past. Just as people in the future will learn from us.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If you made a mistake in the past, and recognize that it was a mistake, that is even more reason to criticize someone to not make the same mistake. Besides, even if it is hypocritical, are they wrong? Imo these hypocritical Europeans are still making a very valid point that Brazil should listen to.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Is it fair for a well off nation that have exploited its natural resources and benefited immensely from it to tell a not so well off nation to not do the same thing as they did whilst the well off nation hoards all the wealth gained from said resources?

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Being well off or not has no bearing on the merit of the statement itself. Implying that it does would be illogical. What Europe is telling Brazil is important. Trying to cut down on the importance by saying Europe is more well off than Brazil is basically an ad hominem argument.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

You're missing the point. I have no idea how you got the idea that I'm trying to cut down the importance of what Europe wants. All I'm saying is that it's entirely unrealistic and unreasonable for a poor country to halt its progress without any aid from a more rich country, especially from the one demanding the change.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Why don't we replant our forests though. Less cities, more forests.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Ah yes the "it happened in the past so now it's good" argument. Classic

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Anyone can criticize anyone for anything. That's the nature of speech. Thr problem is doing so isn't necessarily *useful*. *Brazil* isn't cutting down the rainforest. The federal government and educated people in the major cities are overwhelmingly against the practice. The problem is the people who live in the area are dirt poor, and have little or no other recourse to get ahead or even stay afloat financially. No one is going to choose to starve to death so the rest of the world can survive a little longer. You cannot solve the rainforest problem without solving the problem of what else these people are supposed to do to survive.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

So nobody should learn from their own mistakes and try to tell other people what happened, why it's bad and that they shouldn't do it?

by Anonymous 2 years ago

The problem is that other nations give aid to Brazil in return for not cutting down the forest. As well, the forest is deemed so important as to be a global issue. Your analogy would be more accurate if "you" were creating noise after agreeing not to for a small fee from each neighbor, and the noise made your neighbors' houses unselleable, with you asking for more money each time

by Anonymous 2 years ago

i've never heard of this argument but quite likely deforestation in Europe happened in times that weren't sensitive toward the environment, while in Brazil it's now, so yours is just bad "whataboutism" (and i don't want to defend Europe by default...)

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Never understood what's wrong with this argument. Everything makes sense relatively. It's like criticizing Brazilians for exhaling CO2, and when they point out that other people also did that, you call it whataboutism

by Anonymous 2 years ago

so go on and accuse of slavery every nation of the planet to excuse the fact that you are the only nation that still has slavery nowadays, because in the past every nation had it duh!

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Two wrongs doesn't make it right!

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Terrible argument, OP. The European forests were cut down long ago, whereas Amazon deforestation is happening now. Obviously we know more today than we did in the past, and ignoring that you're basically making an argument akin to "you had slaves centuries ago, why can't I have them today?" Progress doesn't work that way.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I'm my country, Italy, forests doubled in the last 80 years, +20% in the last 10 years alone and now they cover 40% of national territory. You should study more.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

This is like saying that the US can't criticize the human rights violations and genocide in China because they have also done the same in the past. They have learned from their past mistakes and become better because of it. So, they have the right and obligation to condemn others for repeating the same mistakes.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Past mistakes?

by Anonymous 2 years ago