𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦(@OopsGuess):I used to think “America’s backyard” was merely a geographic description. For many Chinese, it means little more than a sphere of strategic proximity — the way we speak of island chains or surrounding seas. Then a Brazilian friend objected to the phrase very strongly. And I understood why. To Latin America, “backyard” is not geography. It carries the memory of a continent treated for generations as someone else’s subordinate space — invaded, coerced, sanctioned, manipulated, and denied full sovereignty. So when Lula says: “Brazil is no one’s backyard,” he is not arguing over vocabulary. He is rejecting the vocabulary of empire itself. He is rejecting dehumanization. Latin America is not anyone’s backyard. It is not a strategic annex. It is not a buffer zone. It belongs to the people who live there. And perhaps that is one of the deepest meanings of the Global South: not replacing one master with another, but finally rejecting the idea that anyone needs a master at all.

2026.09.22 20:24

I used to think “America’s backyard” was merely a geographic description. For many Chinese, it means little more than a sphere of strategic proximity — the way we speak of island chains or surrounding seas. Then a Brazilian friend objected to the phrase very strongly. And I understood why. To Latin America, “backyard” is not geography. It carries the memory of a continent treated for generations as someone else’s subordinate space — invaded, coerced, sanctioned, manipulated, and denied full sovereignty. So when Lula says: “Brazil is no one’s backyard,” he is not arguing over vocabulary. He is rejecting the vocabulary of empire itself. He is rejecting dehumanization. Latin America is not anyone’s backyard. It is not a strategic annex. It is not a buffer zone. It belongs to the people who live there. And perhaps that is one of the deepest meanings of the Global South: not replacing one master with another, but finally rejecting the idea that anyone needs a master at all.

Nina🐝@papel_em_branco

2026.01.06 19:12

Thank you, Corrine. Yes, it's offensive to all of us; every leader in the Global South is fighting to shed this label, from Lula and Gustavo Petro to Maduro and us, the people We're shouting that we are not a backyard. Terms like "near seas" or "island chains" refer to distance, not animals. A backyard is where dogs and slaves sleep; if it rains, the dog goes inside, but the slave does not. This name is rooted in slavery, and that is exactly why the Americans use it. I researched how the Chinese were called by the Japanese and found the term "Maruta", a log or piece of wood. It might not seem offensive on its own, but in the Chinese memory, it hurts deeply because it refers to a crime, just as slavery hurts us. Since the Chinese were also exhibited in human zoos, I thought the term "backyard" would be understood in Asia for what it truly is: dehumanization. Fortunately, the Chinese government is taking a stand, and this is fundamental to our struggle, to be seen as partners and humans, not as property belonging to a master. (This is a backyard)

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