According to the reflections of Adorno and Horkheimer (1985 [1947]) on the “cultural industry” and Guy Debord (1967; 1987) on the “society of the spectacle”, cinema disseminates and legitimizes the values and morals that neoliberal society wants to see perpetuated. However, as Walter Benjamin (1994 [1935-1936]) rightly stated, it also illuminates many aspects of social contradictions, even legitimizing the dominant ideology. Considering this dual aspect of cinema and transposing these reflections to soap operas, the objective of this article is to reflect on how Avenida Brasil (João Emanuel Carneiro, TV Globo, 2012) represented elements of suburban popular culture, of a wealthier social class and of poverty, based on the image of the landfill. Finally, a discussion will be held on the possibilities and ways of appropriating “telenovelas” with due care for the teaching of the humanities, social sciences and, above all, history, in order to promote the development of a critical attitude towards these spectacular images.
