Resumos
To better understand the widespread perception of misgovernment and helplessness in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic, this article examines two historic moments referring to the interface between plague and helplessness, from the psychoanalytic and political perspectives. Firstly, it addresses the intertwining between Freud’s life and work, culminating with his experience during the Spanish flu pandemic, in 1920. Secondly, it analyses the measures put in place to combat the coronavirus pandemic, since March 2020, which — until the moment I am writing this article (January 2022) — killed more than 600,000 Brazilians and left more than five million families around the world in mourning. This paper asserts that the feeling of helplessness unveils a state of denialism and misgovernment, which calls into question the Brazilian rule of law.
Key words:
Psychoanalysis; politics; grief; helplessness; misgovernment