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New Head Of Brazil's Human Rights Commission Known For Racist, Homophobic Rants

O ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO( Brazil)

Worldcrunch

SÃO PAULO - The election of a new President of the Commission for Human Rights and Minorities in Brazil's Chamber of Deputies typically wouldn't make much of a splash. But the brand new President, Marco Feliciano, an evangelical pastor, happens to already be well-known for making racist and homophobic comments.

Strange profile indeed for such a posting.

O Estado de São Paulo newspaper reports that in 2011, Feliciano's statements on Twitter on homosexuals and Africa became well-known across Brazil. He wrote that “rotten feelings” between same-sex people leads to “hate, crime and rejection,” and that African descendents are “cursed”.

[rebelmouse-image 27086396 alt="""" original_size="440x352" expand=1]

(Desciclopedia)

“Africans descend from an ancestor cursed by Noah. This is a fact,” he wrote. “Noah's curse on his grandson, Canaan, lingers in Africa, therefore leading to all the hunger, diseases, ethnic wars.”

André Moura, leader of Christian Party, to which Feliciano belongs, told O Estado that the comments shouldn't affect his new role. “These opinions do not mean he will be biased leading the commission," he said.

Felicano told O Estado.“Africa has a spiritual problem. We can fight it with prayers. It could have happened to another continent, but it did there. I just mentioned a religious text to those who want to learn it. The rest is people's evil character,”

Deputy Nilmário Miranda, who was Secretary for Human Rights in Brazil's previous government, admits the situation is problematic. “His statements go against his work in this commission,” he says. Felicano defends himself saying the commission has spent too much time on gay-related issues, leaving aside other minorities such as children and native Brazilians.

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Ideas

Inside Ralston College, Jordan Peterson's Quiet New Weapon In The Culture Wars

The Canadian-born psychologist Jordan B. Peterson is one of the most prominent opponents of what's been termed: left-wing cancel culture and "wokism." As part of his mission , he serves as chancellor of Ralston College in Savannah, Georgia, a picturesque setting for a unique experiment that contrasts with his image of provocateur par excellence.

Photo of Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan B. Peterson greeting someone at Ralston College, Savannah

Jordan B. Peterson at Ralston College

Sandra Ward

This article was updated Sept. 21 at 5 p.m. with corrections*

SAVANNAH — Savannah is almost unbelievably beautiful. Fountains splash and babble in the well-tended front gardens of its town houses, which are straight out of Gone with the Wind. As you wander through its historic center, on sidewalks encrusted with oyster shells, past its countless parks, under the shadows cast by palm trees, magnolias and ancient oaks, it's as if you are walking back in time through centuries past.

Hidden behind two magnificent façades here is a sanctuary for people who want to travel even further back: to ancient Europe.

In this city of 147,000 in the U.S. state of Georgia, most locals have no idea what's inside this building. There is no sign – either on the wrought-iron gate to the front garden or on the entrance door – to suggest that this is the headquarters of a unique experiment. The motto of Ralston College, which was founded around a year ago, is "Free Speech is Life Itself."

The university's chancellor is one of the best-known figures in America’s culture wars: Jordan B. Peterson. Since 2016, the Canadian psychologist has made a name for himself with his sharp-worded attacks on feminism and gender politics, becoming public enemy No. 1 for those in the left-wing progressive camp.

Provocation and polemics, Peterson is a master of these arts, with a long list of controversies — and 4.6 million followers on X (formerly Twitter), and whose YouTube videos have been viewed by millions. Last year on Twitter he commented on a photo of a plus-size swimsuit model that she was "not beautiful," adding that "no amount of authoritarian tolerance is going to change that."

A few years ago he sparked outrage with a tweet contesting the existence of "white privilege," the idea that all white people, whether they are aware of it or not, have unearned advantages. "There is nothing more racist," he said than this concept. He was even temporarily banned from the platform for an anti-trans tweet.

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