What is Brazil waking up for?

Many of my Brazilian friends which study here in Brunel with me are right now at Parliament square to protest against last days' happenings in Brazil. And when they left, I have to answer the question I've been trying to answer to myself these days: why I'm not going? I don't have a precise answer to that, but I have some things in my mind that doesn't make me feel like going. I believe the point here is the contrary: why are my friends and millions of Brazilians (in Brazil and in the world) going to streets?

"Vem pra janela" or "Come to window" - A way of showing that you want the protests occur in peace!
Picture from Carmina Nascimento.

I think each of my friends would give a different answer for that question. Corruption, police violence, precarious hospital structures and overpriced expenses at World Cup projects would be perfect examples. I have to say that I agree with all of this reasons, but not with how the things are being carried. Many or maybe most of that crowd (and I don't really know if my friends are one of those or not) are there because... because other friends are going, it would seem cool in a picture on Facebook or maybe they will be in a picture that will be in a history book some years after. Others know why they are there, but if each one is there for a different reason, how would it work?

Besides that, how many of those people who are creating this beautiful moment in Brazil history really behaves in their everyday lives in accordance with what they are yelling for? How many of those who shout out against corruption would validate their transportation ticket if there was no control when entering a bus or give the money back to a salesperson that gave them a wrong change? Which ones of those that are claiming respect from the police do respect their neighbours or people with a different coloured skin? Perhaps many do that, but I'm completely sure that a huge amount of them doesn't. Many of them drink and drive, hush money into policeman hands to avoid a fine, or teach their kids to retaliate when their friends hit them at the school.

I might be insanely wrong with my point of view, but this is what I see: plenty of empty attitudes creating a beautiful but completely unfocused protest, while what many and many of those people really need is to change themselves. If the people really change, and really wake up, then Brazil would have changed and will be able to turn the page to a different story!

PS.: If you are not a Brazilian or are not following the news, you can find a lot of information about what has been happening, so it's pointless for me to reproduce here what you can easily find at BBC (this is a good start: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22946736) or other website you like.