Atuando conforme as “regras do jogo” : discursos de neutralização e tolerância social

Abstract

This paper deals with white collar crimes, paying attention to neutralization techniques commonly used by people who commit this kind of crime when seeking acceptance or social tolerance in its practice. This essay brings, at first, a definition on what are white collar crimes, who are its perpetrators, which are the criminal theories that approach this theme and what are neutralization techniques. After that, it performs an analysis about the contribution of neuroscience to the understanding of human behavior towards situations in which honesty, morality or empathy are confronted. It seeks to understand if the outrage to moral and ethics principles is a caracteristic of individuals to whom the practice of white collar crimes is a way of life or if anyone is capable of perform conducts seen as dishonest and illicit. In a third step, it focuses on the rules transgression culture that is spread in Brazil (the Brazilian “jeitinho”- the workaround way to fix things and survive), pointing to social and historical issues that could make it easier other people’s tolerance to this behavior. Finally, this essay analyses speeches addressed by white collar crimes perpetrators in testimonies and inteviews in which they admit comitting crimes, but neutralize thier acts, presenting excuses with the intention of being understood by society.