Poverty & Meth: The Unseen Reality in Arkansas Rural Communities - Essay Sample

Introduction

The documentary tells much about poverty due to the unavailability of economic opportunities in Arkansas communities that are in a rural area. In these communities, many people are losing their jobs at the same time; there is a massive amount of a drug called methamphetamine that is brought to these communities. In the film, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) talks about some years back during the days of meth. It was surprising to see a pound in some instances, but now, pound shipments ranging from 40 to 50 can be witnessed entering Arkansas within a week. Therefore, the crisis that is in these communities is overwhelming since it has gotten to its pick.

This documentary was made on the 27'Th of November 2017, and it was filmed in central Arkansas. This documentary focuses on examining the impacts brought by the heroine in Arkansas. Young people are battling heroin addiction in the United States of America. This paper, therefore, aims at addressing the sociology presentation of race, crime, and justice in the media.

Crack Wars of the 1980s

The documentary showcase how America is strongly attracted by tales of dealers, gangsters, killers, and hustlers, but when there is fall out of such issue, you find that in rare cases, America is prepared, inclined or equipped to deal with such elements which are very common in real life. Currently, rappers like Jay Z, 2 Chainz, Migos, and Pusha have made themselves and others millions of money just by composing songs about crack cocaine. During the early '90s and late '80s, sales and the use of drugs proved to be a treasure for Hollywood, cable television, and recording industry. During the '80s, cocaine was considered as a club drug that had been glamorized in New York City clubs and California by celebrities in the Hollywood sector. This documentary was made in the 1980s, and it was filmed in Los Angeles, and it covers the most terrifying and dangerous society of trade. It examines the most potent hallucinogen that was known by man. Most parts of the film are based on a doctor who conducted a 5-year study on the impacts of drugs the way it changed the mindset of people.

Role of Race in Meth Storm

In this film, fighting illegal drugs was engineered to monetize and criminalize people of different color and the poor, and this where racism is portrayed. The racism that is evident here is the blacks who are the victims of discrimination. Since the war on illegal drugs started, American politics, in some instances, have contributed to racism trough leadership. The political succession by the white has led to other races considered to be inferior. The other aspect where racism is portrayed is in the prison industrial complex. (Murch, 2015)The war on illegal drugs has contributed to racism by providing a new form of enslavement whereby black men are disproportionately arrested and convicted to serve jail terms. Just after entering prison, these prisoners are forced to work, and they are given no wages. Sometimes they are paid, but the wages are still low though the organizations they're working for are making a profit of multi-million dollars. Slavery in America still exists, and those who have continued benefiting from it are business owners and rich people, and this is as a result of back men who are disproportionately underpaid. Prisons that are private are the ones that have contributed to slavery in prisons.

Another aspect where race is seen is in terms of wealth distribution. The gap has become a barrier to that black Americans to advance in terms of the economy. When an opportunity arises, they continue to remain stacked since they lack the capital necessary for investment. The wealth gap that has been witnessed from generation to another is engineered by the prison industrial complex and the war on illegal drugs that is driven against the blacks. Black Americas are most likely to spend seven times more than the whites in prison. After finishing their terms of imprisonment or in case they are released, they face other financial barriers, discrimination, and restriction of employment.

Role of Race in Crack Wars of the 1980s

The United States of America, since the 1980s, has made several laws and initiated various strategies to deal with the distribution and the use of illegal drugs. However, the way the fight against illicit drugs is debatable since the war has been focused primarily on black Americans, and this is how race is portrayed in this film. (Reinarman & Levine 2017). Relative to the number of blacks in America among the drug offenders and in the general population, they are disproportionately arrested and sent to prison. Some of them are given heavy drug chargers. Public officials who have made disproportionate incarceration and arrest against the black Americans found on drug-related offenses are untroubled. Most of these officials are not questioned for practicing racism. Instead, they are appreciated in harsh measures that they are taking on the blacks.

Although whites are rarely touched as compared to blacks when it comes to the war on drugs, those who support the drug war may not see discrimination against race because they believe that the role of the drug law enforcement agencies is not to harm blacks, but it is seen to be protecting minorities from violence, harassments, and addiction. In this film, black Americans are the ones who are portrayed to be the victims of drug offenses, and they end up facing many problems because of the mistreatment that they get. The role of choice comes up when Donna Warren, a 53-year-old lady who lost her 31-year-old son to crack cocaine. Warren involves herself in a case filed against the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). Warren makes allegations against the government officials for failing to stop the influx of cocaine into inner-city areas.

Race Comparison Between the Two Films

In both films, the blacks are undergoing a lot of discrimination. They are arrested and convicted disproportionately (Revier, 2018). The white Americas consider blacks as inferior and always found on the wrong side of the law since they are used to engaging in drugs. Also, the system is discriminating against the blacks since the law enforcement agencies are not fair to the blacks, although it is seen by the public to be protecting the minorities.

What brings about a contrast in the two films is that in the Meth storm film, after the blacks have been convicted, they are subjected to slavery by being forced to work while in prison. In the crack of wars, prisoners are not obliged to work.

Law Enforcement in the Films

Law enforcement agencies are evident in both films. Agencies like the CIA (Central Intelligences Agency) conducts investigations in drug-related crime, and when they have collected enough evidence, they then make an arrest. The tactics that were is used by law enforcement agencies like the police service in the film are, for instance, raiding some places suspected to be occupied by drug dealers. In most cases, the police come in contact with the dealers, and they usually find themselves in positions where they cannot escape. The only thing that they do is to surrender. I find this tactic active though I notice some differences in the ways drug dealers are treated. The white policemen are encouraging racism by harassing black offenders. The evidence that I drew from the films is that the ones were contributing to the increase of drugs are the rich people; they are the ones who are bringing drugs to the country. Since the poor in the films had no jobs, they became prone to drug dealing, and they ended up becoming addicted.

Theories

Biological and Biosocial Theories

This type of theory argues that every individual is ''born criminal'' and cannot be stopped from committing a crime. Whether physical or mental disability, criminals, in most cases, find it hard to learn to have self-control. A few numbers of modern criminologists take into consideration the genetic predisposition, but the problem is that they look at the social environment of an individual instead of focusing on immutable traits.

Example

In the film of crack wars, crime occurs, crime is seen when people are engaging in drug clubs. Just as it is stated in this theory that everybody is ''born a criminal'', the crime extends even to the music industry and Hollywood movies.

Social Learning Theory

This type of theory states that people engage in noncriminal or criminal behavior, depending on the environment that surrounds them. It further states that people learn criminal behaviors; hence, it can be neutralized by creating a social environment whereby criminal behavior is not tolerated.

Example

In the film of Meth Storm, the crime occurred because of the surroundings or the environment that the people of central Arkansas were in. The level of poverty was high due to the lack of jobs; hence, people engaged in drugs, and they end up becoming addicted.

Labeling Theory

In this type of theory, the application of a label is proposed. In that, if a youth is informally designated as a ''trouble maker'' or 'bad kid,' then it will have a long-term effect on that particular person. Some research has shown that labeling may have a certain impact on an individual. Formal labeling, for instance, has shown a particular effect on youths' employment opportunities, futures, and education.

Example

In the film of African American Rollin drugs, crime is a crime that is evident in adolescents. Just as labeling theory states that if a child is labeled a 'bad kid,' then this will have a long-term effect. In this film, Adolescents are seen drinking and taking drugs, which continues to up to their adulthood.

Conclusion

In conclusion, race crime and drugs are rampant, and for the three aspects to end, the government and its agencies should collaborate with the people without discriminating against them against their race or ethnic group. Law enforcement agencies, in some cases, cause crime because when they engage in racism, then some of the people get desperate and end up becoming drug dealers. What we can do to reduce drug addictions and violence it to ensure equality among all the people and end all forms of discriminations including racism.

References

Murch, D. (2015). Crack in Los Angeles: Crisis, militarization, and black response to the late twentieth-century war on drugs. Journal of American History, 102(1), 162-173.

Reinarman, C., & Levine, H. G. (2017). The crack attack: America's latest drug scare, 1986-1992. In Images of issues (pp. 147-186). Routledge.

Revier, K. (2018). Film review: Craig Renaud and Brent Renaud (dirs.), Meth Storm.