Gérson
In the 1970s, Gérson was featured in a TV commercial for cigarettes in which he quoted the following sentence: "I would like to take advantage of everything to progress". From this came the lei de Gérson (Gérson's Law), which has since been associated with the common disregard for laws and regulations in Brazil. In the 70's and 80's it was generally accepted to cheat, cheat or take advantage of any situation. Even a quarter of a century after the Law came into being, it still applies to some situations in Brazil. However, corruption and extortion is slowly starting to decline with the emergence of so-called watchdog agencieswho monitor compliance with laws and regulations. Afterwards, Gérson reacted disapprovingly to the image he had painted in the advertisement.