The double-faced law

Abstract

In every country, behind the official law composed of the Constitution, statutes, rules edited by the Executive branch, and legal precedents, there is also another concealed regulation, based on the structure of ruling powers within society and legitimized by social mentality. Such duplicity of legal systems has always existed in Brazil. Apart from the official law, which follows valid civilization standards of countries that we consider to be culturally more advanced, there is a tacit law in force, whose role is to protect the interests of dominant social groups. This article illustrates this twofold reality of Brazilian law with the historical cases of slavery and democracy. In order to change this social structure, whose appearance does not reflect effective reality, the author highlights the need for a wide and continual denunciation of its illegitimacy.