The assigned readings for this week remind me of a course I took last year called Anthropology of Drugs (ANTH 203), where we studied the socio-cultural meanings and constructions of drugs. One of the most important things I learned through this course is that the classification of substances as drugs is highly dependent on cultural, political, economic, and social contexts. I l learned that in essence, drugs, like all other things in our societies, are socially constructed.
This means that while something might be viewed as a dangerous substance in one context, it might mean something completely different in another context. For example, while the classification of cocaine as a drug is not likely to be subjective (it is universally viewed as a stimulant), whether or not coca leaves are viewed as equivalents or extensions of that drug depends on the interpretation of the material.
According to the readings, while coca leaves were considered an illicit substance by American, Peruvian, and Bolivian governments, it was considered to be the complete opposite by the people that used the leaves every day. From social gatherings to everyday jobs, the plant is essential to life, just like coffee or tea are essential to many cultures around the world.
In the context of Indigenous rights issues in Latin America, I interpret the decision of those governments to demonize coca leaves, destroying or extorting harmless quantities of coca plants, as an attempt to damage Indigenous cultures and ways of life. To me, removing regular civilian access to this plant is equal to banning Indigenous language or rituals.
Further, I feel like these campaigns were such fake public displays of action against the narcos. Instead of focusing on political corruption, national poverty, and general crime, all conditions that have contributed to the emergence of drug cartels, they targeted the people who were not only the least powerful but probably the least likely to retaliate with violence.
Gaining insight into the hardships marginalized people have to go through in countries with powerful cartels, I can understand why some have glorified it through songs like corridos. While there is an appeal to powerful cartel members, just as there is an appeal to American gangsters, and many Mexicans genuinely enjoy corridos like Americans enjoy rap, I feel as though the widespread popularity of corridos is in part due to a fear of standing out as a rebel in one’s own community against a cartel. Maybe people feel that if they do not listen to and enjoy that type of music they will be viewed as rebels against the powerful mobsters in their communities, and subsequently put in danger.
However, the glorification of murders is also not exclusive to narcotraficantes or American gangsters, it exists in multiple forms around the globe. For example, suicide bombers are often martyred in the Middle-East and serial killers are sometimes made into celebrities (e.g. Ted Bundy). I feel as though logic is the least important part of why corridos glorifying narcos are so popular. It seems as though it is more of a simple attraction to radicality and violence in general, which is often expressed through various forms of media (e.g. action movies, violent video games, war-based reporting, etc), that makes people interested in the content of corridos and perhaps narcoculture in general.
Discussion question: Why do you guys think narcoculture and corridos are popular?
Hi!
Great post 🙂
I too felt that there were strong connections between the banning of the coca plant and the general suppression of Indigenous culture. It is such a great point that those who the war on drugs targeted were people who could not retaliate with violence. To answer your question, I think a lot of people are attracted to the subversive and dangerous (or at least what society deems to be so). It is different and counter-culture. A form of rebellion.
Hey!
I have almost a million opinions on Narcos, but you said something that is key, and I would like to touch on it a little more. I think calling these campaigns (War on Drugs) a fake public display is really important, mostly because it provides the illusion of helping. As I said in class, the best way to manage drugs is to first get rid of stigma as well as decriminalization.
Hi Magalee!
I posed a very similar question in my own post this week haha. I really really enjoy your take on the subject though, and I think it’s so cool that you have the experience from that other course to draw from. I was particularly struck by what you said about how the campaigns against all forms of coca are a fake display of action. I completely agree. Instead of trying to actually fix the source of the problem, they tried to simply cut off the source of the drug. I feel like as a human race we should know better than that by now. They didn’t even try to separate the uses, to get to know the ways that the people were using the coca in their daily lives in a way that didn’t harm them or others. They just banned it all. I think it’s also important to note that even the people in charge of cutting it down were said to be chewing the coca while they worked. I wonder if any of the ‘higher ups’ knew or cared about that.
Hey Magalee!
I really enjoyed your insightful blog. It was interesting to see that you made the point about how plant is represented in this section “while coca leaves were considered an illicit substance by American, Peruvian, and Bolivian governments, it was considered to be the complete opposite by the people that used the leaves every day. From social gatherings to everyday jobs, the plant is essential to life, just like coffee or tea are essential to many cultures around the world.” A point that I have thought of as well.
To answer the question, narcoculture and corridos, in some cultures, are somewhat a ‘hell’ of a business, and also its embedded within the subculture. (**I feel that it is very much Mexican lifestyle 😉 ) To be honest, I am not very much knowledgeable about narcoculture, but I am learning much from this week’s reading and your post!