McCay Blog Prompt for Easy Rider and Trainspotting

Choose one scene from the target film for your class and analyze how it reveals the political message of the movie. You should clearly state what you think the political message of your film is and do a mise-en-scene analysis to support your conclusions.

Vucic Traffic

As far as I am concerned the war on drugs is already lost. With nearly half of all high schoolers having tried weed at least once, I highly doubt that the government will ever be able to have control over illegal substances. The war is lost simply because there is such a high demand for drugs and there is so much money to be made off of them. Its also ridiculous that the government can tell us what we can and cant put into our bodies. They claim that it is to save us from ourselves but that was never the job of the government when it was created. The key concept to understand here is that, as long as there is a demand for it, there will always be someone supplying it. Trying to take out the suppliers of drugs does not get rid of the demand. There will always be money to be made as long as the demand is there and, in the scene where Ruiz talks with the DEA agents, Ruiz explains that taking out one drug trafficker will not solve anything because the demand will still exist. Also, the war on drugs to some extent has only made the problem worse. It has perpetuated “drug related” crimes because the more the government has cracked down, the more the underground market for drugs has grown. The black market has and will always exist and though it is a pessimistic outlook, the war on drugs is hopelessly lost.

Vucic State of Play

The problem with major corporations today is that they have a disproportionate amount of influence on our political system. Corporations and the financial power that they have can through huge sums of money behind political campaigns, asking in return for certain privileges or benefits that can be given to them. Political candidates who receive large amounts of funding from corporations then feel obligated to help them out when they are seated in a position of power. What can further complicate things is that in some instances, like PointCorps. in the film State of Play, can act as monopoly’s, gaining more and more power and money with each other smaller corporation it sucks up. PointCorps. acts as the major corporation in the film and we find out much about it in the scene where Cal and Della interrogate Dominic, a member of PointCorps. Essentially what we discover is that PointCorps. is so powerful that they are able to hire spy’s to kill people who pose a threat to the future of their corporation. Corporations are able to provide large amounts of money to political campaigns so it would seem only natural that a candidate would pay more attention to them then to the regular person. The problem is that whats best for the corporation is not whats always best for the nation as a whole. Its a very slippery slope because many politicians rely on the backing of corporations in order to get elected, knowing that without their help they wouldn’t stand a chance. This is the reason for the recent campaign spending acts that have been passed by the supreme court to try and put a cap on this problem.

Rivera: American History X

American History X is a film which presents to the audience a very disturbing view of the effect hate groups in America. The film is about a man who forms a white supremacy group in his neighborhood, and his younger brother who follows in his footsteps. Ultimately the older brother, Derek learns the error of his ways, and tries to help his younger brother, Danny, see the same light. Throughout the film the audience is exposed to intense scenes of racist acts including dialogue, violence, imagery, and propaganda. There is one scene in the film, I believe, that encompasses every intent the film is meant to portray.
The film is not shown in chronological order, segmented with black and white flashbacks told through Derek's perspective. It is interesting to note that Derek is associated with a white-supremacy group who hate blacks, and all of his flashbacks are in black and white. This use of color shows two things: the first of which is that the division between the two colors was in his past, that is why this color scheme is only used in flashbacks. The second intent is to how Derek viewed the world at that time in his life; We often refer to this color scheme as "black and white" but in reality, there are varying hues of gray, which is the predominant color. This represents that although Derek believes the world to be as simple as a separation of black and white, he is ignorant to the gray areas of the world. The scene I am speaking about involves Derek as well as a group of other racists attacking a Korean-owned convenience store and assaulting the employees. The individuals attack the black cashier and lay her on the counter covering her in food while stating overly-racial and disgusting remarks. This scene to me encompasses everything the film is trying to portray.For the most part of the scene, the camera is at a very intimate level, making the assault very uncomfortable for the audience, but adding to the feeling of dominance the audience expects the white supremacist to be feeling. It is in black and white, and there is a group of white men encircling a black woman, whom they are assaulting. The men are certainly the dominant in the frame, leaving the black woman as the contrast. The arrangement of the men symbolically represents a state of power and superiority over the woman, who lays there defenseless.
This film does a great job of delivering to the audience a message about the importance of recognizing the issues and difficulties hate-related crimes can bring. The sense of comradeship the white-supremacist feel is an enticing and dangerous aspect of the film. However, I feel as though the film is quite exaggerated, and therefore, quite unrealistic. For starters, the article we read states that most hate groups rarely commit any major crimes against other races, and even went as far as to say that a majority of members do nothing more than read the literature. In doing so, I feel as though it unintentionally feeds into the same stereotypes the film tries to portray as dangerous. As the article states, the black and white characters in the film are text-book cut-outs of their stereotypical basis. Not all white-supremacists are rednecks, and not all blacks speak in slang, are always aggressive, and are uneducated. The film seems to feel that in order to show the affect hate can have on a group, it must first represent the "ideal" characters to fit the stereotypes to place in the film.

Peterson State of Play

Corporations are more than capable of undermining a democracy. They have so much control over the public and their actions. They also have their say so in democracy. The most ironic thing about corporations being able to undermine a democracy is that the government is basically the reason for the all the power that the corporation has. The reason a corporation has so much power is because they help the government. They help fund their campaigns with all of the money that they possess. Then if the politician that they are backing gets elected they have to repay the corporation for helping them out. This is when they are granted with their power. The corporations that have a lot of backing from the government then begin attempting to create monopolies. Once they have enough control, they begin really influencing the people. Like in the movie, PointeCorps uses their power to threaten others. If someone was doing something that they did not like or something that went against them they would hire someone to track them down and basically act as surveillance on the "enemy" and then they would eventually kill them. This is a perfect example as to how corporations have so much power over the public and how they are able to undermine democracy. This also shows that with too much power comes trouble. Corporations become big headed and believe they can do whatever they want. Also, it is all about the money, and if you get in their way they will try to find a way to take you down.

McLemore American History X

White supremacy is a belief that is very attractive to many lower class whites who have to deal with integration in their neighborhoods. This is an unfortunate truth. The movie American History X shows many of these young white troubled Americans an easier way out. It introduces the idea that they should create their own gang, that they are superior to other races, and that violence is necessary for them to be safe. Derek even says that they created their white supremacist gang because the blacks had their own gangs. One scene in particular would be rather appealing to poor white Americans. When Derek and his family have dinner with Murray it is scary how much power he has in that scene. He is allowed to speak openly and freely and completely dominate that scene. Derek is the center of the scene. Anytime anyone else wants to talk Derek cuts them off and once again becomes the center of attention. He even gets violent with his sister when she opposes him. This touches on what was said in the reading about American History X. This is one of the times in the movie that a hate crime is not an extreme act of violence. Derek is simply allowed to put his ideals out there in an aggressive fashion. Now his anger eventually does lead violence, but before that he was basically given a podium to throw out ideas to millions of Americans.

Cassimere; Traffic

The War on Drugs is not winnable on any level. If enough people want to have access to something, there are people willing to provide it for them in order to make a profit, regardless of the legal consequences or legal status of the product. The people who run the drug cartels that smuggle drugs across the American border for distribution only care about the money they will be making from it. An example of this in the movie would be the Mexican Military General Salazar, who was using his position in the military to aid his drug trade. If someone has a strong addiction to a substance, they will do anything it takes to get it. This is especially apparent in the movie Traffic when Caroline runs away from rehab and is sleeping around with drug dealers, most likely in exchange for drugs. She essentially gives up her whole life, friends, family, and school, so that she can lie around and get high all day. Of course in the end, she joins a support group and gets clean, but in reality that doesn’t happen for most people who have serious drug problems. As far as the social level goes, if there are drugs out there, at least some people will try them and most likely influence other to do so as well. There will always be groups of teenagers who experiment with drugs, and drug dealers to push drugs on them. The War on Drugs will most likely never be won.

Nguyen State of Play

Corporations that act as an individual are able to ignore restrictions that would normally be placed on a business to ensure the safety of its workers and the interest of other businesses. Many corporations, that gain the status of an individual, promote and sponsor government officials that are favorable towards them. Corporations are able to run the country indirectly or at least able to get away with some actions that are not exactly considered righteous. If this is the case, a corporation that is regarded as an individual could potentially harm others because of its money, power, and influence. If a senator obtained his position by campaigning using a corporation’s money, then that senator has to answer to that corporation, in a sense. It is like the saying, “You scratch my back, and I scratch yours.”

A chilling scene in the movie was of the empty office of Point Corp. It made everything seem a creepy because the company claims to have an office and workers, yet no one is there. The lighting in the offices of Point Corp was bright giving the indication that the plans of Point Corp was slowly surfacing and that Della was getting closer to uncovering the story. Point Corp is making a profit from war by dealing with foreign countries against the U.S. One could go as far as to say that it is treason.

Democracy is often defined as a government by the people for the people. If a corporation with unlimited funds is considered a person of its own, the amount of influence the corporation has almost no boundaries. A business’s goal is to make money. In some cases, a business will do this by any means.

Wilson Traffic

I think that the war on drugs in unwinable simply because of the intelligence of the drug using population. As shown in the film, dealers are coming up with more and more ways of shipping drugs into or out of the country to keep them untraceable. That scene shows a lot about the intelligence of drug dealers, because the dolls are almost completely untraceable to cocaine, yet still they move the product across lines.

On an individual level, scoring drugs is way too easy because of how unenforced the "War on drugs" is on that low of a level. all of the money on the war on drugs is going to stopping it higher up on the chain, like large amounts coming across the boarder, but on the street level, drugs are still highly attainable. socially, there is a draw to drugs. there are people who are desirable as friends, and there are desperate people willing to do anything to gain acceptance that they will turn to drugs, and be accepted because of it. we see the social side of drugs in the film when caroline's friend overdoses. they are in a social setting, conversing and having a good time, free basing cocaine and snorting heroin! it because of all these reasons that i feel the war on drugs is unwinable.

Parsons: Traffic Blog

I do not think the war on drugs is winnable for many reasons. One drugs are so embedded in to our culture that the demand for drugs will never go away. Unless the National Government wants to arrest every dumb teenager who tries drugs and any person who makes their families living off drugs then drugs will always be in our society. There is also the problem that drugs come from other countries, such as Mexico, that the United States can never cut themselves off from. Mexico is (physically as well as economically) attached to us, and unless the United States government wants to sever all ties with the corrupt Mexico government our country will never get away from the supply of drugs they offer.

I think a scene in this movie that is key to show that the war on drugs can not be won, is the breakfast scene where the witness, Eduardo Ruiz, is sitting with the DEA agents Ray Castro and Montel Gordon. Eduardo is obviously angry that he was arrested, but he is also angrier that he is being forced to rat out the drug cartel he works for. He has to testify against a business man in California who is being charged with drug trafficking from Mexico. His life is in danger, and later in this scene he dies because Catherine Zeta Jones’ character gets the drug cartel to kill him. In this scene Eduardo tells Ray and Montel that even though he is helping them bring down one drug trafficker in the United States, nothing will change because there will still be people demanding drugs and there will still be someone supplying it. He tells the DEA officers that even they are working for the cartel because everything is society is linked to drugs. By the DEA bringing down one cartel, they are just allowing the other one to become stronger and make more money and have more power, therefore even the US government is helping fund the drug trafficking between the US and Mexico. This is such a great example of how our society is connected with drugs. The business man in California has tons of money and is a good member of society, but he is doing illegal business and if he is ever put in jail his money, drug money, will not be going in to the economy and the economy will suffer. Everything is our lives is connected with drugs somehow, and that can not change unless radical, drastic measures are taken by the government.

Bone Traffic

The social and political levels are too rampant to control, and they are always lost. The war on drugs is only slightly winnable on a personal level. The social impact of drugs permeates the media and pop culture to the point that it is ingrained into our society. Almost every popular movie involving teenagers displays them smoking pot and drinking alcohol. This movie shows the teenagers of wealthy suburbs going far beyond the normal ‘its fun to do drugs’ attitude that most movies like Superbad, Dazed and Confused, and Pineapple Express. The wealthy teenager is the only one who is reached on a personal level. She is used to show the dark and discussing side of chemical dependences that our media likes to make ‘cool’. She is saved from the world of drugs and prostitution with a wealthy persistent father and drug rehab. This scene shows her father coming into the sleazy room to find and comfort his naked drugged daughter on the bed. She wins the war on drugs because of the people around her and her privileged life. The war on drugs is lost politically because of how the government cannot control the different cartels in Mexico that do business with America. The cartel in Mexico holds all the power, even over the Mexican government. Del Toro’s character is a police officer and genuine good character who wants to help the people of Mexico not live in fear of drug lords. He gets roped into the generals path, and this gets his partner killed. In the scene the two men dig their own graves and only the partner is shot. The political and social wars are lost because of the complex layers of the drug trade. People become involved with drugs because of social or political reasons. America fights a losing battle on the war on drugs.

Armentor Traffic

The war on drugs is a political crusade that initially had good intentions, but with years of mismanagement and overspending translating to little results, the war has now turned into a useless and dangerous mess. The war on drugs has been lost, this verdict being apparent a number of years ago. Experimentation with Marijuana in America is at an all-time high; and while the government attempts to eliminate the supply of drugs by burning crops and raiding medical marijuana dispensaries, the truth of the matter remains that the accessibility of these drugs has completely undermined the governments futile attempts. Of the more henious attempts by the government to quell drug usage is this issue of raiding medical marijuana dispensaries. To hassle sick people, take their medicine, then put them in jail is the epitome of disgrace that this war has become. One of the biggest problems with the war on drugs is that although many consider the war a complete failure, the DEA has yet to change its message on the issue. Instead of trying new ways to combat drug usage like setting up health clinics or taxing the products, their mantra of "Drugs are bad, and we're gunna arrest you" has been their guideline.

Another big problem with the war on drugs is that it assumes that everyone involved, dealer or consumer, is a criminal. But the reality of the issue is that people turn to selling drugs out of necessity. This statement is supported during the scene where Robert Wakefield and Seth are prowling around the ghetto looking for Caroline. Seth tells Robert that the low incomes of people in the slums forces them to turn to the drug trade in order to make quick money to support their families. But the War on Drugs and the big whigs who run it fail to see this side of the story. They remain obssessed with the initial notion that drugs should be eliminated from society. With that said, their task is a futile one. The availability of drugs is in no way a reflection of the governments efforts to stop it. Already trillions of dollars have been spent on this unsuccessful and misguided war, a war that either needs to be halted or undergoe major redirection.

Leary Traffic

The war on drugs has been a huge problem for a very long time now. Personally, I don’t believe that the war on drugs is winnable for the social or political levels but I do think it could be winnable for the individual level. The movie, Traffic, showed how these levels are winnable or not winnable. Many characters in the movie were doing everything and anything they could to stop the war on drugs or at least help it. The scene at the beginning of the movie were the two Mexico cops stopped the truck full of drugs is a good example of this. These cops helped stop a huge distributer of drugs which in all helps contribute to stopping the drug war. Other characters were contributing to the war on drugs and making matters even worse. For example, this happened in the scene when Mrs. Ayala decided to help her husband get out of jail and do whatever she could to help him. This in fact worsened the drug trade because her husband was in the trading business and made it so that the trade continues. From the social and political aspect, I don’t think it is possible to win the drug war and stop it for those reason. It just doesn’t seem possible since so many people are involved and violence it brought into it if sellers or buyers are trying to be stopped. On the other hand, it might not be easy for the individual to stop doing drugs but it is definitely possible. I think that if the individual wanted to stop doing drugs then they could with some willpower. You see this in the movie with Caroline and her drug addiction. The scene where she is being sent to rehab for the second time describes this because she is attempting to get better and stay off the drugs individually.

Nguyen Traffic

The war on all drugs is not winnable because banning all forms of drugs will do nothing but cause more problems. The approach of the government should be regulating rather than illegalizing it. When the government banned alcohol, people brewed their own or found a way to get it into the country. The problem became so horrific that the ban was lifted. They should do the same for drugs because it is just draining the government’s resources while producing little results in comparison to the problems the situation creates. It is a fact that in America it is more difficult for a student to obtain alcohol than it is to obtain illicit drugs. If the government regulated drugs like alcohol, then it would be more difficult for people to obtain it and it would ruin the street drug market.

The scene with Seth and Caroline going to buy drugs demonstrates the ease of the whole process. The two are strolling down the sidewalk having fun. They do not seem scared or worried and just enjoying themselves. Then, we find out they were walking into a rundown building to buy drugs. The process is quick, easy, and casual. Even though the government is struggling and fighting hard on this problem. This scene shows that all the efforts of the government have little effect. The scene is dim overall to show the slight dark side of the purchasing of illicit drugs, yet it was a bright dim because Seth and Caroline are so comfortable with it.

Brennan Traffic

The "war on drugs" is not winnable on any of these three levels (social, political, and individual) because there is absolutely no way to contain this epidemic. In my opinion, the concept of the "war on drugs" is not a real one. The term war involves two sides fighting for something; it is a one way street.

If I had to choose one of these levels, in which the war on drugs is winnable, I would have to say it is on the individual level. It is possible for an individual to get help when needed, but if no one is there to support them (like Caroline's father Robert), it is not possible for the individual to achieve her goal of quitting drugs. On the social levels, drugs have become an epidemic. People make a living by selling and distributing drugs (like Carlos Ayala), and sometimes their close friends and love ones have aboslutely no idea. Money is so valuable in today's society, that it is impossible for us to win the "war on drugs" on the social level. On the political level, it is too difficult to even imagine. The border is not even close to being up to par, and it is impossible to patrol all areas of the US Mexian border at once. Yes, presidents and congressmen may strive to build a better border, but druglords and dealers alike will find a way to sell their drugs and obtain their reward.

In the film Traffic, the scene that best represents my opinion is the scene where Robert Wakefield is at the party with the congressmen and senators. He discusses the topic of the war on drugs with different individuals, and almost, if not all of them, state the same thing: It is not possible to win this war on drugs, but it is possible to alieviate it, and maybe lessen the intake of drugs in schools. The only way to "win" this war is to "win" it in America. There is no way the American politicians and leaders can even put a dent in the masses of drugs in Mexico. It is a hopeless battle, which will never end.

Cawley Traffic

America is constantly concerned over our supposed “war on drugs”, however many do not understand that this is a war that will never end. However you look at it, be it social or political it is impossible to stop users from replenishing their supply. There is no way to control such a thing in a society even with the technological advances that have occurred over the past few years. In the film Traffic, this fact is proven multiple times. The head of the so-called “war on drugs” is constantly suffering due to the fact that his daughter is a drug addict herself. The Mexico story displays this even further. The character of Javier, a cop, cannot escape the impeding nature of the drug trade. He nearly enters it himself after his partner gives away priceless information over the status of a certain drug lord who was believed to be dead. In the story revolving around the DEA and the Ayala’s, Mr. Ayala is obviously guilty of trading and selling drugs. He is however declared innocent simply because the lead witness of the case is killed. All must realize these three examples are solely three experiences of the drug “problems” we have in this entire world. There are countless other instances that occur every day. Either way you look at it, and whether one is against drugs or not, all must agree that too much time is wasted on this war on drugs. Nothing can happen for there is simply no way everyone across the nation and globe will suddenly decide to stop using and/or selling.

Motsinger- Traffic

Politically I definitely do not think it is possible to end the war on drugs. I say this because the American government gets tons of money from illegal trafficking of drugs. Since they can sell drugs to rich teens, drug dealers don't have to worry about being arrested, because these buyers won't be arrested.

Ending the war on drugs socially doesn't look too promising either, due to the fact that selling drugs is a quick and easy way for teens to get money. Take Mexican male teens for example-- the Mexican economy is awful so joining an illegal trafficking group is one of their only options that will allow them to move up in social status.

Individuals that have been negatively affected by illegal drugs may rally against drugs, along with relatives who support recovering family members. Seeing the corruption first hand in the trafficking system could most definitely turn an individual away from supporting illegal drugs. Although these are all steps in the right direction, it still isn't enough to squash drug trafficking and end the war on drugs-- that being said, it appears that this "war" on drugs will never end, so long as people are able to make a profit off of illegal drugs.

Lighter - War on Drugs

The war on drugs is not winnable because there is too much profit to be made for the drug dealers and too much enjoyment for drug users. It does not matter what boundaries or restrictions the government or police officers do to try and prevent this war because drug dealers and users will do whatever it takes to make money or use drugs. This movie fuels the fact that this war on drugs cannot be won. People will go to such great measures for drugs and this movie demonstrates many ways. The Wakefield family is a perfect example of what someone will do for drugs. The daughter, Caroline, runs away from treatment and has sex with a drug dealer to get drugs. Helena Ayala also does whatever it takes to free her husband who is being charged with drug trafficking. She hires a hit man to kill the police officers that are trying to watch over her and protect her from danger. She also brings cocaine across the boarder to get money to hire the hit man. Although the government will continue to fight the war on drugs, the idea of them winning the war is completely hopeless.

Curtis Traffic

The war on drugs is most winnable on the social side. A drug being used as social recreation, whether those drugs are marijuana or cocaine, is arguably the most complex aspect in the war on drugs. Kids are easily influenced by what their friends do; if all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you? The answer, sadly, is yes. The teenage mind is easily malleable. The brain of a teen between the ages of 12 and 16 lacks the proper development of the frontal lobe, which means that the brain has not completely matured. With this in mind it is easy to see how teens can be pulled into the world of drugs.

16-year-old Caroline Wakefield was a bright, straight-A student, with a dark secret: she was a drug addict. Wakefield came from a distinguished family, her father was an Ohio judge who headed the President’s Office of National Drug Control. Caroline was greatly influenced by her peers, and boyfriend, who participated heavily in drug use. Their recreational drug use was extraordinarily dangerous and threw Caroline into her world of addiction. Her parents sent Caroline into rehab, but after her escape, she dove into the seedy drug world and went as far as prostitution. It was a slippery slope: because of her friends’ influence, Caroline became a drug addict; because of her drug addiction, Caroline was sent to rehab; because she was in rehab, her need for a fix increased; because she needed to be high, she traded sex for drugs and/or money to buy drugs. All of this was a social aspect of the war on drugs.

Eventually, Caroline’s parents do put her back into rehab and, apparently, help her overcome her addiction. But that is only after Caroline’s father coaxes Caroline’s boyfriend into helping him find Caroline’s dealer. He breaks the barrier of the social contract Caroline, her boyfriend and their drug dealer have, thus making great progress in the groups social recreational drug use. This is the first defense on the social side of the drug war, getting kids to understand what is wrong with drug use and getting their friends to understand it as well. I believe it is totally winnable if the children have heavy parental influence, or if their friends aren’t completely jaded by the “fun” of being high. Of course, the idea that kids will stop doing drugs overnight is a ludicrous one, but it is possible to win the social side of the war on drugs.

McLemore Traffic

The war on drugs has long since been a losing fight in America. Every illegal substance that America has demonized is used daily, probably in every city in America. The government spends billions on this war on drugs but there is no profit to gain. This “war” only tears apart families, waste tax dollars, and waste the time of DEA agents. This is not to say that these illicit substances are necessarily good things. Many drugs, especially cocaine, heroin, and meth, should never be used, but making these drugs is not the way to solve the problem. Addicts do not get help in jail; prison simply becomes a brief rehab. Once let back on the streets many of these addicts have not been given the skills to learn to avoid these substances. This creates an endless cycle of arrest imprisonment. The only way to truly try to prevent drug use is to educate the community. Drugs cannot be demonized, because for many that only makes them more appealing, almost like reverse psychology. If people are told the truth about many drugs, effects, side effects, and other things of the sort, then they go into drug use as an informed person making a knowledgeable decision, and with deal with the consequences of using that drug. There are several particular scenes that show the uselessness of a war on drugs, but the most compelling argument is the character, General Salazar. He creates such a good argument because it shows just how high up drugs go. Even those paid to get rid of drugs somehow fall under its influence. Salazar never explicitly used any drugs in the film, but he became part of the distribution. Although this film is fictional, imagine how many real DEA agents are like Salazar, even if there are only a few, that’s all a cartel would need to keep up their criminal activities.

Peterson Traffic

The movie Traffic is a perfect depiction of the war on drugs and how it effects people socially, politically, and individually. I also believe there are many examples that prove that the war on drugs will never be won. Drugs are too prevalent and provide satisfaction to their users and distributers which causes the whole cycle to continue. I believe that individually one can control their addiction and whether or not they will participate in using illegal drugs but other than that, I do not believe the war on drugs will come to an end any time soon if at all.

One good example of the war on drugs being a never ending cycle is the Wakefield family. The daughter Caroline is addicted to drugs and the father does not find out until after one of her friends overdosed on drugs. He then begins to attempt to "clip her wings" but Caroline's drug use just gets worse. They try to send her off to rehab, but she steals her parents money and runs off. This is where you begin to see her doing whatever she needed to do to attain her drugs including trading drugs for sex. Her father who works for national drug control begins to search for her and then realizes all of the problems and issues that are an effect of of the war on drugs. This family shows all different kinds of evidence as to why the drug war will continue. The entire family is involved the father is mad at the mother for keeping the daughters drug problems from him and the father is upset with his daughter. Also, I am sure it does not look good on the head of the national drug control to have a daughter that is out selling herself for drugs. This entire situation brings down the whole morale of the family. Situations like these will continue to uprise due to the war on drugs.

Innella Traffic

The war on drugs is one that will not end and is likely a losing battle. Drugs have been a huge market for profit for many years and that is not going to change any time soon. It is a market in which one can be their own boss and no tax is taken away from their profit. The biggest appeal of this market is the fact that there is never a loss of demand for drugs. There are always junkies and users that are willing to do almost anything for their fix. As awful as that is, it is true. Yes laws are getting stricter and stricter on drug users and suppliers, but the suppliers are getting smarter. They are finding new ways in which to hide and smuggle the drugs into the country. One scene where this is shown is when Helena Ayala goes to one of the major drug dealers in Mexico. She approaches him because her husband had formerly worked for him. She says that before her husband was incarcerated he was working on a project called "the project for the kids" in which cocaine is high pressure molded into a doll. When the doll is put in water, it dissolves into pure cocaine. The cocaine is odorless so it cannot be smelled by patrol dogs, making it basically impossible for the smuggler to be caught. This just shows how smart the dealers are getting. It is getting to a point where it is uncontrollable by law.

Simon Traffic

Drugs are apart of the everyday life. Whether you use them yourself, or you know someone who does, drugs are everywhere. The issue of drug usage had become more prevalent with in the past few years, and it shows. Movies like Traffic have begun to show the true implications of how one person's drug use can affect so many others around them. Like the story of Caroline Wakefield, she was a very privileged young girl that felt the need to rebel, and since her father was leading the attack on drugs, what a better way to do it. Caroline began like most young people do. She began with simple drugs with her friends because she felt "cool". Soon Caroline was in over her head. She was heavily addicted to drugs and she did anything she could to get them, including; stealing money from her family, running away, and eventually she began trading sex for her "fix". Caroline began to realize that she had a problem, but by that point it was far too late. She needed help.

When someone becomes addicted to drugs, or anything for that matter, they eventually affect those closest to them. Most of the time they do not mean too, but they honestly can not help it. They do anything to get their drug of choice. That is someone that most people do not realize. By making the choice to do drugs you are ultimately going to involves those you love. The war on drugs is a major political issues, but I feel that it is also for the most part a very personal war for millions of people around the world.

Rivera: Never-Ending Traffic

The answer to "Is the drug war winnable?" depends on which war exactly you are speaking about. There is the war America faces within American individuals, our addictions. Then there is the physical war between police forces and drug cartels, which more often than not, innocent civilians are strongly affected by. There are also political and social aspects that must be considered when discussing such a large scale problem.
I do not think there will ever be a difinitive end to the drug wars. I think saying there will be an end is like saying we can overcome every disease known to man. Maybe the idea seems plausible; maybe one day we could find a way to stop everyone's addictions, maybe we can find a way to form vaccine to every illness-they would still be there, but we would have built a wall between us and them. However, it will never be this easy. First of all, many people are currently focused on the issue of marajuana's legality; this is not the only drug in the world, nor is it the one I think should be the issue. As mentioned in class, the mob was formed as a result of the prohibition era. The government could stand to gain a lot with the legalization of marajuana. For a long time I was really against the idea of legalization of MJ, then I realized it might as well be legal when everyone in my class (except us lonely three) has smoked it. My point is that keeping pot ilegal has no purpose; those who really need it and try to obtain it legally have no hope, and those who just want to get high do it anyways.
The driving issue over the drug wars is simple. America has the highest number of drug users in the world. Mexico, the number one drug distributor for the US, knows this. At one point the President of Mexico was quoted in blaming all of Mexico's current cartel violence on America, saying that we have allowed them to gain power through the strenght of our addiction. I do not think that we can ever kick the habbit of addiction in America, and that is the only end to the social and individual drug wars America faces. Even if the governemnt legaleized pot, the heavy drugs (cocaine, heroine, etc) are still out there and being used-there is certainly no reason to legalize those. We will face this issue for a very long time, because there will always be money to be made in selling drugs to Americans.

Turner Traffic

The war on drugs is unwinnable on the individual, social, and political levels. The movie Traffic supports this. On the individual level, there is no way to stop individual’s desire for the effect of drugs. There will always be people seeking the effects of drugs and these individuals will almost do anything to access these effects. This is supported by the Wakefield story. Caroline has a drug addiction and runs away from her house, steals her parents money, moves to a bad part of town, and trades sex for drugs.

Socially, the war on drugs is not winnable because kids in lower classes believe that drugs are the only way for them to make a living and make a lot of money. In the movie, Robert Wakefield takes Seth Abrahms into the bad part of town to find his daughter. Wakefield says to Abrahms, "I can believe you took my daughter to a place like this." Abrahms says that the drug trade in this part of town is a flourishing business and that young white people will continue to buy drugs from young black people. This is endless because there will always be a demand for drugs and so suppliers will continue to sell the drugs.

Politically, the war on drugs is unwinnable because the more money governments put into stopping drug cartels, the more money the cartels will spend on killing enforcers and smuggling. Also, by taking down individual cartels, the government is strengthening others. There are so many cartels and they have so much money, that they are impossible to infiltrate. The scene that best illustrates this idea is when Eddie Ruiz is talking with Montel about what little will be accomplished by his testimony. He tells Montel that his efforts are "futile". He says that if he wasn’t caught, people would have "got high who are getting high anyway" and Montel's partner would still be alive. Eddie also says that the only reason the police were able to get to him is because they were tipped off by another cartel, which makes that cartel stronger.