Flávio Bolsonaro rides a Tyrannosaurus rex, armed with an assault rifle and chasing LGBT people through the streets. Elsewhere, he terrorizes women, exploits workers, burns down the Amazon rainforest and replaces it with McDonald’s restaurants. These are just some of the increasingly absurd and hilarious scenes from ‘Bolsonaro Hipotético’ (Hypothetical Bolsonaro), a viral meme sweeping Brazilian social media ahead of the 25 October presidential runoff against left-wing incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The AI-generated videos and images portray an almost cartoonishly evil Bolsonaro, supposedly responsible for every catastrophe imaginable; other versions depict him abolishing women’s voting rights, destroying Brazil’s public healthcare system and establishing a dictatorship. The joke is deliberately obvious: right-wing users are ridiculing the apocalyptic predictions made by Lula supporters about what would happen if the Bolsonaro family returned to power.
Although earlier versions circulated before October, the trend gained momentum following Bolsonaro’s upset victory on 4 October in the first round of the presidential race. Bolsonaro Hipotético spread across TikTok, Instagram, X and Reddit, while an entire fan-made website was launched to collect the best memes. The phenomenon broke into traditional media only recently, with Metrópoles publishing an op-ed on Tuesday, 13 October, calling it the campaign’s most entertaining gag.
Unsurprisingly, Lula supporters have been less enthusiastic about Bolsonaro Hipotético. Many accused those who tried to enjoy life with a little joy in it—hardly a usual characteristic of leftists—of ‘making light’ of Flávio’s father Jair Bolsonaro’s political record and his attempt to overturn the 2022 election results. On left-wing Reddit forums, users have urged others not to engage with the meme, arguing that it trivializes genuine political concerns.
The backlash, yet again unsurprisingly, produced even more Bolsonaro Hipotético content, mocking the increasingly furious responses from leftists.
The meme went viral just as Lula switched his tactics for the runoff to what advisers described as a ‘strategy of fear’, which fundamentally consists of telling voters that Bolsonaro would abolish everything good in Brazil, beginning with potential cuts to social benefits. Unfortunately for him, Bolsonaro Hipotético addresses that messaging precisely, turning it against Lula and transforming increasingly dramatic warnings into yet another opportunity for ridicule.
Serafim on X (formerly Twitter): “O FLÁVIO HIPOTÉTICO ATACA NOVAMENTE! KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKEU QUERO O BOLSA DINOSSAURO KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK pic.twitter.com/i4BOmiYkBv / X”
O FLÁVIO HIPOTÉTICO ATACA NOVAMENTE! KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKEU QUERO O BOLSA DINOSSAURO KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK pic.twitter.com/i4BOmiYkBv
Bolsonaro, whether riding on the back of a T-rex or not, leads virtually every poll ahead of the 25 October second round. The latest BTG/Nexus survey, published on Tuesday, puts him ahead by 52 to 48 per cent, fitting a broader pattern seen in polling averages over the past week. His backing is particularly strong among evangelical Christians, with more than 70 per cent supporting the challenger.
Related articles:
The post ‘Bolsonaro Hipotético’ Takes Over Brazil, Turning Lula Campaign into Meme Fodder appeared first on Hungarian Conservative.