I must admit, before reading Shaylih Muehlmann’s chapter “A Narco without a Corrido Doesn’t Exist”, I had not yet heard of narco-corridos or the extensive cultural popularity they have amassed. Of course, although I am somewhat familiar with the history of the War on Drugs, and the nature of cartels, it is fascinating to me how quickly I have dangerously come to associate the word ‘narcos’ with the pictures of glorifying and distorting television series’. I guess this is, in essence, what Muehlmann is trying to convey- the associative power of popular cultural mediums. The way in which songs, movies and television can become vehicles for communicating some sort of uncensored truth, despite the lenses that are worn when writing them or directing them, is undeniable. The power of the role played by narco-corridos seems to lie in their separation from the state, and the transparency with which they can musically reflect a violent reality for the ears that listen to them. 

Muehlmann made a point of being careful not to make a link of causality between the songs and the violence they sing about, but rather to understand the music as representative of “the powerful potential of media circulation” and its ability to “heighten awareness of violence and censorship” (104). What struck me most, due in part to the similarity of my own reaction to Muehlmann’s, was when she described the decapitation in the video her friends played for her to watch. It was fascinating how, what many might perceive to be a desensitization to violence created by these corridos, in many cases, has been quite the opposite- an understanding of it. The awareness her friends had, in this moment, for the violent reality of cartels, painted their engagement with the music earlier on in the chapter as an active act of reflection, rather than passive dismissal. Through watching the video with open, unflinching eyes, it seemed as though they understood that in order to engage with the songs, they had to accept what they were about. Sold in roadside stalls, the circulation of videos capturing similar atrocities performed by cartels further demonstrates the accessible and uncensored nature of these, more informal, means of popular communication.

I found myself swiftly moving to Youtube after this reading, to listen to a few narco-corridos myself. What was fascinating, and a point noted by Muehlmann, was the unified sense of pride and Mexican patriotism the songs seemed to evoke in the comment section. Despite the themes and events the lyrics emerge from, it must be acknowledged there is a universal and undeniable appreciation for something as accessible and culturally binding as music.