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Law in Contemporary Society
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Armory and Favelas: Asking Questions-- By SimonYang - 24 May 2025Armory Raises Questions and ConcernsThe concept that law students might not know how or which questions to ask initially felt foreign to me. However, the deafening silence in a room full of aspiring lawyers when asked about how Armory, a chimney boy, acquired legal representation swiftly opened my eyes to this reality. Above all, I was frustratingly alarmed that I had never even thought to ask that question. If I were completely oblivious to such an obvious question, how am I supposed to ask the "important" questions as a law student? Naturally, I turn my focus to the process of how we form our questions. As such, a reflection on my decision to pursue law, built upon my previous series of questions arising from my quest for practicality, serves as an answer to this uncertainty.Why Law? - "Theory" and "Practicality"The answer to why my lack of curiosity about Armory bothered me so much roots itself in my answer to the question: “Why law?” My aversion to theory and thirst for practicality helps answer this fundamental question. As an economics major in college, I realized far too quickly that the study of economics relied too heavily on theories and assumptions and did not align with the world. I thus turned to law to satisfy my need for practicality. My quest for practicality over theory came from the peripheries of Rio de Janeiro: the favelas. Working at a non-profit that worked to shift the media narrative for favelas, I got to interact with community leaders from favelas, heard their stories, and appreciated the society they had proudly constructed for themselves when those of the city continued to shun their existence. This experience convinced me that the study of cultural history and the dissemination of such information to the public could eventually foster a better public understanding of the favelas. Bolsonaro’s rise to power soon shattered my hopes. As bullets rained down from helicopters; as heavily armed vehicles began trampling on the narrow streets of favelas; as more people around me warned me to stay away from favelas – I began to question what use history and advocacy was in the face of an authoritarian man who too easily brought hell upon thousands of people. My process of forming questions lay in the fundamental struggle between theory and practicality. My disillusionment with theory naturally raised questions rooted in my desire for practicality. As such, to better understand how to develop the correct questions in law school and life more broadly, I reflect upon the dynamic between theory and practicality through the lens of urban history within the scope of the favelas.Favelas: "Practicality" in the Peripheries of "Theory"The origins of favelas and countless other peripheral settlements reflect the tension between practicality and theory: the very dynamic I must understand to know which questions to ask. Brazil’s national fixation on “modernizing” their cities, as evident from moving the capital to Brasilia full of modernist architecture, to the more recent endeavors to construct modernized Olympic cities for the 2016 Olympics, has always resulted in heightened levels of adversity towards the favelas. The architecture of Brasilia, the more modern buildings of Rio tailored towards tourists, represent the nation’s ‘theory’ of what their cities should look like. Compared to the theory of the cities, the favelas represent “practicality.” This practicality is rooted in survival: those building upon the cluster of houses on the hills do not do so with a lofty theory of what the area should look like; rather, the expansion of favelas is rooted in the need for survival – the most fundamental form of practicality. Compare the Cathedral of Brasilia, a representation of what Brazil imagined their capital should look like, to Rocinha, the largest hill favela in Rio. The perfect symmetry of the cathedral, paired with its pristine uniformity of white, theorizes what the imaginative city of Brasilia was meant to represent: a nation priding itself on its modernity and order. There is no such uniformity of color or symmetry in Rocinha. Every house is painted in different hues of color. There is no calculated symmetry. The cluster of houses is highly practical – it best serves the immediate needs of those driven away by the theory of order. Yet which of the two reflects the nation’s culture more accurately? Despite the past desire for modernism and order, no one could confidently say that the cathedral better depicts Brazil’s history and identity. The favelas, as expressions of practicality, challenge the notion that calculated design equates to cultural or societal authenticity. They demonstrate that survival-driven improvisation—though unplanned and chaotic by theoretical standards—can create communities rich with identity, vibrancy, and cultural relevance. As such, practicality, especially the kind that arises as the result of marginalization by theory, represents an unfiltered reality shaped by necessity, resilience, and adaptation. While theory aspires to construct idealized visions of order, practicality often emerges from the lived experiences of those excluded from such visions. It is within this tension that questions of priority and value arise.From the Favelas to Law SchoolThis tension between practicality and theory mirrors my own internal struggle as I navigate law school. The theoretical framework of law—the carefully architected doctrines and principles—offers an order that can feel disconnected from the complexities of real-world challenges. The chaotic yet deeply human practicality of the favelas reflects the lived realities that laws aim, but sometimes fail, to address. As I continue my journey through law school, I aim to bridge this divide. I need to approach classes and cases not just as exercises in mastering theoretical constructs but as opportunities to uncover the practical implications of those constructs. The question is not merely "What does the law say?" but "Whose reality does the law serve, and whose does it ignore?" It is through grappling with this dynamic—of theory and practicality—that I hope to develop the ability to ask the right questions.You are entitled to restrict access to your paper if you want to. But we all derive immense benefit from reading one another's work, and I hope you won't feel the need unless the subject matter is personal and its disclosure would be harmful or undesirable. To restrict access to your paper simply delete the "#" character on the next two lines:
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