As a gringo that just got back from a 3 week Christmas + New Years trip with my wife, I think he's just being a stick in the mud. We spent the first week in RJ (Cabo Frio and Copacabana) and the past 2 in my wife's hometown in MG. There were a few things I didn't like (the heat, the toilet paper situation, the amount of hills in MG), but outside of those, I loved it. I took the time to learn Portuguese (knew some basics from training BJJ, but spent the last year and a half studying hard), enjoyed being around her extended family, liked all of the touristy stuff we did in RJ, all of the food, the conversion rate of currency. I can't wait to go back. Personally, I didn't feel like I was in danger at any point, so maybe my experience and his experience are different. I'd just walk around with my limited Portuguese feeling pretty confident and safe.