Recently when re-watching 'Mestre Bimba, capoeira iluminada', I looked at all the people that pay respect to Bimba, and thought about the myriads of people that live in his shadow; it dawned on me - if Bimba was alive, these same people would hate him! They respect him because he is dead, and therefore harmless.
Bimba was a revolutionary; he did his own thing, disregarded the capoeira of his own time as folkloric and useless; created a new style by throwing out the crap he didn't like(Atenilo), little dancing and posturing and co (Moura); he strengthened, molded and de-pretified capoeira.
Do you think if Bimba was alive today, he'd go along with all the happy people that pay lipservice to him and live off his legacy? Oh no sir. He would be subverting the status quo, regadless of all the optimistic, easygoing people who are happy with it. Bimba is a legend because he broke the status quo; he'd be doing it again.
Let us look at what he did - the de-pretification of capoeira he did in the 1920-1932; the throwing out of folkloric, pretty crap. Since that time, about 100 years have elapsed; and capoeira accumulated new load of folkloric and pretty crap. Today, it could use a pretty good depretification;without the slightest regard for these who leech on the status quo: The academics with their cartoon theories of discrimination and emancipation; the mediaheads who use the label of 'capoeira' to sell their junk; the whole feel-good establishment.