The Jeitinho in Everyday Life

The art of the jeitinho can be observed in people’s homes and the streets, in favelas and middle-class residential buildings, in government offices and slum-upgrading project sites. It forms part of the cultural fabric of Brazil.

If a policeman stops someone, that person might ask him if there is a way of making a jeitinho or an exception. If a performance is sold out, someone might ask the host if there’s a jeitinho for him or her to go in. If someone wants to get off the bus when there’s no bus stop, that person will ask the bus driver if there’s a jeitinho for him or her to get off.

But you have to know how and when to ask for a jeitinho. As Fernanda Carlos Borges explains in The Philosophy of the Jeito (2006), you have to ask humbly and kindly, as if you were just presented with an unexpected dilemma. This is key if you want to master the art of the jeitinho.

The Elusive Jeitinho

In Brazil, there is a unique way of doing things. It is known as the jeitinho. The jeitinho refers to the Brazilian art of cutting corners, bending rules, finding loopholes, making exceptions, improvising solutions and negotiating what is ‘non-negotiable.’

The jeitinho is a way of getting what you want or getting out of a tricky situation through wit, charm, improvisation or as the Brazilian anthropologist Roberta da Matta has famously proposed “knowing the right person.” Brazilians use the jeitinho when making room for one more person at the dinner table, getting off the bus when there is no bus stop or obtaining passports through despachantes, magical middlemen who cut through bureaucratic red tape with lightning speed.

The jeitinho, however, is not to be exclusively associated with illegality (i.e. bribing). Rather, it is an everyday technique that facilitates life and renders formal situations informal. It is simply a faster, more efficient and often more personable way of getting what you want. Understanding the practice of jeitinho is crucial for understanding how business, government and everyday life operates in Brazil.

In the following posts, I will explore the subtle power of the jeitinho.

No “No” in Brazil

In Brazil, “no” is a very rude word. From an early age, Brazilians are taught to avoid saying “no.” This is why they have devised a “no” that is cleverly disguised as a “yes.” When you invite Brazilians to dinner, they will usually accept–even if they have already made other plans. Some will even agree on a time knowing very well in advance that they will not be able to attend.

Maybe Brazilians simply have another outlook on life, one that views life as inherently unpredictable, so unpredictable in fact that they might just make it to dinner after all–3 hours after your scheduled meeting! Unpredictability is at the heart of everyday life in Brazil. That’s why you should always say “yes,” even if it’s a “no” disguised as a “yes.” Because you never “No.”