Brazilian woman snubs American tourist, put message on Facebook and receive praise

While Rio de Janeiro breathe the Olympic Games, it seems that not every resident of Rio has been taken by the spirit of the Olympics. One example was the Brazilian Juliana Lima, who gave a testimony in her account of Facebook and eventually became the target of criticism, jokes and compliments.

According to the post of Juliana, a foreigner with a shirt printed with the US flag, approached her asking, in English, how to arrive at the Botafogo subway station. She  continued the dialogue in Portuguese and he asked if she couldn't speak English. Juliana replied that "dominated" the language, but the correct was speak in Portuguese, because they were in Rio de Janeiro.

Quickly, Juliana's post became a phenomenon in Facebook (and, of course, in Twitter). The main criticism for the girl's reaction was the fact that English is usually the exhaust for any tourist anywhere in the world where there isn't known the local language. Even the Brazilians when visiting other countries, they speak English.

Juliana's post in full

"Juliana, there are smarter ways to express nationalism. To require that people to master our language to come to our country isn't even nationalism, is arrogance", said a netizen. "Anywhere it is so, is not only in Rio. In Europe the language that people use to communicate is English, because like it or not, English is an almost universal language. The problem is that almost no one is well educated to get out of their own box and help others", pointed out another person.

And there was, of course, who defended Juliana: "I don't know you, but I understand her, until because when we go to the United States we have to speak English, 'cause we're judged when we do the same?".