Rui Patrício, partner at Morais Leitão, signs the article “Sweeney Tontos”, published in the weekly newspaper Nascer do Sol, where he reflects on the limits of freedom of expression, humor, and the growing culture of political correctness.
In the article, Rui Patrício comments on the criticism directed at actress Sydney Sweeney following an advertising campaign that used the play on words between jeans and genes. For the lawyer, this episode reveals a trend toward the overvaluation of feelings and the loss of contextual understanding, factors which, in his view, lead to “unbearable correctness” and the risk of ridiculing freedom itself.
The author acknowledges the seriousness of racism and the need to fight it, but warns against the excesses resulting from censorship of artistic or advertising expressions, reminding us that “unlimited freedom can lead to its own destruction, but it is also necessary to have limits for the very limits.” For Rui Patrício, humor — even when uncomfortable — is one of the costs of free coexistence and of democracy itself.
The article concludes with a call for perspective and the ability to laugh, including at ourselves, as a way to strengthen freedom and avoid dangerous paths for society.
Read the full article in the attachment below.
