Many news headlines around the world use the term narco culture to describe the drug trafficking, the rich and powerful drug lords, the violence and murders happening in the communities of Northern Mexico. I used to think narco culture is caused by greedy drug lords, but after reading Shaylih Muehlmann’s When I Wear My Alligator Boots ethnography, I realized that drug lords are one of many byproducts of narco culture caused by the shared experiences of the men and women living in drug trafficking communities of Northern Mexico. Narco culture is a term that cannot be described in words. It is something that can only be experienced through participant observation and the cross examination of research associated with the study of narco-culture. Since 2005, Muehlmann has spent many years conducting fieldwork on several fishing communities in Northern Mexico. (Muehlmann 2014:11) These communities are at the center of the drug trafficking economy and they are used as pit stops for transporting narcotics to the United States. (Muehlamann 2014:5) From my perspective the reason Muehlamann chose these specific sites to conduct her research in are due to the media’s interpretation of narco culture. Muehlmann 's main argument in her research is that “narco culture” does not represent the media’s interpretation of a romanticized lifestyle of the rich and powerful drug lords. (Muehlamann 2014:7) She states that narco-culture represents the everyday lives of men and women in drug trafficking communities and not the lifestyles of the rich and powerful drug lords. (Muehlmann 2014:11) Throughout the When I Wear My Alligator Boots ethnography, Muehlmann supports her main argument by describing key features associated with the formation of narco culture. She states the formation of narco-culture is caused by the economic changes of the Northern Mexican region, the cultural symbology of narco culture, the gender roles of men and women associated in “narco culture”, and the calculated risks these men and women The media does not report on the everyday lives of ordinary people living in drug trafficking communities because the media is concerned with coverage of famous drug lord who use violent tactics on innocent people to protect their drug trafficking endeavors. In order to study a particular culture like narco culture, it is important to understand that every individual has a distinct role within the culture and it cannot be examined solely on several individuals from one social class. After reading the ethnography, I realized that one of the reasons Muehlemann conducted research on narco culture was to focus specifically on the economic opportunities available in the drug trafficking industry based on gender differences. Women are not represented in narco culture as much as men in the media. However, it is important to understand that women in narco culture have important roles in the drug trafficking industry. Women associated with narco culture are more economically and emotionally vulnerable than men. This vulnerability is due to the high rates of incarceration and deaths of males. Coming from a traditional Mexican household, I learned that men are often the economic provider for their families. Women who lose their husbands or any male kin will lose their main source of income and
Medina states, “Gang rule is absolute and young people are extremely vulnerable to forced recruitment into the gangs. Adolescents are continually intimidated and subjected to violence, pressurised into joining the gangs or working for them as drug pushers or in other roles” (Medina). This fear dynamic is used in order to promote corruption within the system of migration. The migrants that decide to escape are forced to encounter constant dangers while migrating. Medina states, “Fear of deportation is largely behind the failure to report crimes; in order to get their destination, most migrants will continue on their journey as soon as possible, leaving the experiences behind them, shrouded in silence” (Medina). This silence thrives on the system of corruption which implicates Mexico’s passivity to protect migrants from violence. Overall, this represents enduring the consequences the migrants face and the perseverance to
Moreover, there is an array of cases regarding drug use: those who do not use drugs; those who became addicted after entering prostitution; those who resort to prostitution to support the habit; and those who are primarily addicts and exchange sexual favors for cocaine. The society is largely male-dominated, with pimps and fixers controlling the women and who they interact with; there are also numerous cases of violence perpetrated by pimps as well as customers. Another theme that is revealed is the dynamic of escaping prostitution and how these
In the 1970’s Patricia Adler and her husband infiltrated a large drug smuggling and dealing ring located in Southwest County of southern California with the intent of learning more about the covert group. In Adler’s book Wheeling and Dealing: an Ethnography of an Upper-Level Drug Dealing and Smuggling Community, she delves into the multifaceted lifestyle and activities of those in the Southwest County drug world. In this paper, I will look into the factors that initiated their entry into the drug world, their activates that facilitated their smuggling and dealing of drugs, and their exit from the drug world, while applying multiple theories to explain their illegal behavior.
The exploitation of and war on women's bodies in Juárez was set in motion long before they began being murdered in large numbers; it was instigated in the maquiladoras were they were working. Juárez is a popular site for US Fortune500 companies to place factories that have very law cost and optional taxes. The more than 500 maquiladoras operating in Juárez have drawn an influx of Mexicans who hope to get rich quickly. While the workers in maquiladoras are better of financially than they would be anywhere else, the maquiladora environment and cities are far from ideal. Maquiladoras employ mostly young women.(2)
...any innocent people. The narcocorrido has only made the narcoculture more popular. The young generation that listen to this music gets influence easily and make them want to be like these drug lords. They want to live the exotic and luxury lives these drug lords live. They identify themselves more by changing their clothing and cruising the streets with expensive cars. This is affecting the social lives of many people. People do not want to travel the beautiful country of Mexico anymore because of this danger. Mexican citizens fear easy things like going grocery shopping because they do not want to be involve in a confrontation between cartels. The young generation gets manipulated by the narcocorrido lyrics. All they see are the riches, but what they do not see is the violence. They can be living in paradise or can simply be the ones suffering from decapitations.
Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, is a well-known transnational criminal organization (TCO) originating from El Salvador. They are specifically targeted for its involvement in transnational criminal activities including drug trafficking, kidnapping, human trafficking, sex trafficking, and many more. It is certain that there are more transnational gangs other than MS-13, but the reality of these gangs impact society, and their neighborhoods, more than one can imagine. There are underlying realities “that make it difficult to generalize [the gangs].” The one of many underlying realities is that each neighborhood level gang group of transnational gangs, particularly MS-13, has a “great deal of autonomy in the relationship it maintains with other organizations.” The second reality factor is that gangs, especially MS-13 in El Salvador are in a state of turmoil. The third reality factor is that the gangs in Central America differ from each other in significant ways. Although most gangs are involved in human smuggling and drug retail, MS-13 has a solidified relationship with “transportista networks and are reaching out to Mexican TCOs.” These realities can be analyzed with Taussig’s notions and theoretical framework of space of death.
Patty Kelly’s article, “Enough already, it’s time we decriminalize prostitution”, takes the reader into a fascinating behind the scene look into one of Mexico’s legalized brothels. Although it is apparent that her research and investigation into this social experiment are well defined, it is too narrow a focus to gather all the required information to support her argument. Kelly begins with a half hazard analysis of Elliot Spitzer infidelity, then continues down the path that is far too laser like to see the overall effect on these women; failing to see these prostitutes as real people with hearts and souls. Instead, she produces an impression that the prostitutes are just commodity, bought and sold on the open market, lacking feeling for their plight. In Kelly’s investigation, she neglects to create an entire picture of what decriminalizing prostitution will cost humanity due to the fact that her investigation ignores society’s accepted understanding of what problems are produced by, or result from prostitution. There was absolutely no research cited that relating to sexual addiction, the effects on the prostitutes’ emotional and physical wellbeing, or even the acknowledgment of the organized criminal element behind prostitution.
The show Narcos is a story about the uprising of the a Colombian cartel drug lord Pablo Escobar. What caught my eye in this show is the three different variety of costumes he wears as he goes through four stages in his life. In his first and fourth stage he was a humble person he did not care to show off his money, he wore clothes of an ordinary man. In his second stage money became his priority this is when Escobar began to buy expensive jewelry and clothes to show his power and wealth. In his third stage Pablo wore clothes of a businessman; in this stage he was trying to become the president of Columbia, so he had to represent himself in a professional way. All these costumes Escobar wore throughout the show were design by Bina Daigeler.
Over the last several decades, violence has consumed and transformed Mexico. Since the rise of dozens of Mexican cartels, the Mexican government has constantly been fighting an ongoing war with these criminal organizations. The cartel organizations have a primary purpose of managing and controlling illegal drug trafficking operations in Central America and South America to the United States. Violence on a massive and brutal scale has emerged due to the nature of the illegal drug trade. Because the drug trade is vastly widespread, cartels are often fighting one another and competing in business. Mexican authorities count at least 12 major cartels, but also talk of an untold numbers of smaller splinter groups. (Taipei Times). Five cartels from Mexico have risen to become the extremely powerful amongst all the drug organizations operating in Mexico. The Guadalajara Cartel, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Tijuana Cartel, the Juarez Cartel, and the Gulf Cartel. These organizations, along with other distinguished Mexican cartels, have plagued Mexico with violence, terror, and fear due to the essence and nature of illegal drug trafficking.
Beith, Malcolm. “The Current State of Mexico’s Many Drug Cartels.” Insight Crimes. n.p., 25 Sep.
Drugs seem to be an issue everywhere. Just like alcohol, the drug trade is not a primary issue for one race. Drugs serve a heavy impact to all those involved. Drugs are not just reserved to those that use them, but also to the manufacturers and distributors of the drugs. An excerpt from Anderson (1990) involves a former dealer describing the drug culture. He states, “The way I see it, there’s top dogs, middle dogs, and low dogs. The top dogs are the guys with the money, dudes with the cars…the middle dogs are the ones who sell drugs for the top dogs…and they sell it to the low dogs” (p. 7). However, it does not stop there. Drugs also affect the family and friends of those involved. Many residing within areas centered on drugs often times express feelings of anxiety and fear. Wacquant (2007) states that petty theft, drug use, the resale of stolen goods, vandalism, and alcoholism are the most visible form of delinquency (p. 208).
“Mexicans smugglers have long trafficked homegrown heroin and marijuana to the U.S. But in the 1980’s, mexico also became the primary route for colombian cocaine bound for the U.S” (Bates). According to Bates, when Guadalajara’s leader was arrested in 1989, the groups remaining capos, including a young Guzman divided up its trafficking routes, creating the Sinaloa, Juarez, and Tijuana Cartels.
Potter, George Ann. “Is the War on Drugs Bringing "Dignity" to Bolivia?”TheWashington Report on the Hemisphere. Vol. 19.11. July 30, 1999.
Beith, Malcolm. (2013, September 24). The current state of Mexico's many drug cartels. CTC Sentinal
Anaesthesia .Narco-analysis means psycho-analysis using drugs to induce a state taking to sleep. Narco-analysis is used as tool for criminal investigation. The accused, witness or suspect is given chemical drugs like sodium pentothal by the police or investigating agencies to make him fall in a hypnotic state so as to make him reveal some information which may be reluctant to reveal while in conscious state. The Narco analysis test is based on the principle that a person is able to lie using his imagination and, under the influence of certain barbiturates, this capacity for imagination is blocked or neutralized by leading the person into a semiconscious state. It becomes difficult for the person to lie and his answers would be restricted to facts he is aware of.