Representation Of The War On Drugs In The Film The House I Live In
“The war on drugs has made government more powerful, citizens less free, and has not helped users or addicts” – Victor Mitchell. The war on drugs have created big life changes to people in the United States. It is not a war that can be fought with guns, knives, swords, and shields but it is one that is fought mentally and emotionally by many Americans every day. Although in this war, the number of casualties will be determined by whether or not the law passes to legalize marijuana.
The film, The House I Live In, shows you the real problems of the war on drugs and how exactly it affects a person and the people around them. According to the film, the United States has the biggest drug industry and has cost more than 1 trillion dollars and have had more than 45 million arrests. Statistics have shown that between 1973 and 2009, the nation’s prison population grew by 705%, resulting in more than 1 in 100 adults behind bars (War On Drugs Statistics). The purpose of this paper is to explain how the film demonstrates how U. S drug and alcohol problems have influenced people’s lives in a negative way.
Primary Themes Addressed in Film
The House I Live In by Eugene Jarecki, shows the real impacts on drugs in society. After the death of his housekeeper’s son, he went in depth about how the war on drugs affects Americans every day. One major theme would be that people would use and sell drugs to support their own habits. In the film, it shows that people would go to extremes to get their drugs and they did not care who they got it from. In the 1990s, poor whites and gays were usually associated with methamphetamines. According to the statistics throughout the film, blue collar workers were most common for being sentenced for meth. They would lose their job, do meth, and then turn around and sell it to support themselves and their lifestyle.
Another major theme in the film is the class and racial discrimination. Many people say that police play the race card when it comes to drugs, saying that blacks (African Americans) are more likely to be punished harshly for having/using drugs. It is seen in the film that the poor black community are the ones are the most disadvantaged because just like in today’s society, people pull out the black card for a lot of things. For example, if a black person gets pulled over by a white cop, ‘Oh, you pulled me over because I’m black’. Lastly, a theme that really stood out to me was the sentencing and how it was done. For example, Kevin Ott was given life without the possibility of parole for having 3 ounces of meth on him. this is because he was in Oklahoma and the state of Oklahoma has a 3 strikes law even though the offense is not a violent act. I do not think it is fair that he gets life without the possibility of parole when some rapists and child molesters receive less time. Yes, I understand that they need to be punished, but some of those people could have been at the wrong place at the wrong time and therefore, I do not think they should serve life in prison. Another example of this would be when a nameless inmate shouts, ‘Just wipe me out straight off the map for nothing. 57 years for a small rock. I wanna know why I’m treated like I murder somebody?’. Hearing this sentence, I think there should be difference sentences depending on how much of that drug you have on you.
Relating Film to Course Material
One of the topics we covered in class that relates to the themes within the film would be the conflict theory. The conflict theory states a couple different things. These things include; power differentials between groups in society, crack epidemic, drug dealing is more attractive as ‘employment’. This relates to the theme of class and racial discrimination in the terms of juvenile gangs. For example, Dennis Whidbee and his son, Anthony Johnson, who were both former drug dealers. We see from Dennis that drug dealers are seen as the ‘leaders’ of the community and when they went through neighborhoods, they would but kids ice cream and sometimes help people pay rent and buy food for their families in need.
Another topic we discussed in class that I feel relates to the actions in the film would be when we talked about how some people who sell drugs or use drugs view that as employment and how it is ‘attractive’. Some drug dealers think that because they sell drugs and make all this money that women will automatically be attracted to them. Others may have the mindset that they can simply “buy” anyone they want, not necessarily in terms of prostitution but just saying that ‘I’ll give you this amount of money if you do this for me or if you pretend to be my girlfriend/wife’.
Lastly, a topic that fits perfectly into this film would be the topic of addiction vs. dependence. People who use drugs have to have it and if they don’t they go crazy. They try and stop but their bodies are used to having it all the time that they are immune to it and crave it when they don’t have it. For example, Nannie Jeter’s son was involved with drugs that soon led to an addiction that sadly led to his death.
Overall Reaction to Film
The film really opened my eyes as to how bad this war on drugs really is and how bad it affects the people, not only using drugs, but the people around them. The war on drugs has cost a fortune, created prison overcrowding, and has ruin the lives of many people. It makes the United States look bad as a country to see that we have the highest drug use rates in the world. Young Americans use and abuse drugs and sadly, spend the rest of their lives sitting in a prison cell. Who would want to sit in a cell for the rest of their life eating the same cafeteria food slopped onto a plate and looking at the same four walls 22 hours a day? I certainly would not. These poor kids choose drugs and throw away a life that could have been successful. There has been word that people should be able to grow and distribute marijuana for their own personal use.
In my opinion, I think that should be alright if it is a small amount. However, if it is a large amount of marijuana, I do think that should still be illegal. I think there should be limits set as to how much one person can sell and be in possession of. This film has opened my eyes to the fact that it is just a reoccurring cycle. For example, people are caught, arrested, sent to prison, get out and end up going right back in for the same offense. They try to get a job, but in reality, it is really hard to integrate yourself back into the community with a drug possession/drug related charge on your record. Not a lot of business want to be associated with that nor do they want their employees associated with drugs. Seeing all these people in jail makes me think about their children, if they have any, because if they see all the things their parents have done throughout their lives, they may be susceptible to pick up those habits and follow in their footsteps in the future. Watching this film made me feel like I was in another world. I did not realize how big of an effect the war on drugs had on us and our society. I was not aware of how harsh the sentencing law were for drug offenses and how much time was spend in jail/prison. It makes me sad to think that those people had nowhere to turn and felt like they had to use/sell drugs to get by. It really makes me appreciate what I have and all the family support I have.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the film, The House I Live in, shows us that we are definitely not winning the war on drugs. After 40 years of struggling with this ‘war’, it has accounted for over 45 million arrests, has made America the largest keeper of prisoners and has damaged a lot of households. Yet today, drugs are cheaper, purer, and easier to get your hands on. Mike, a prison guard in the film, says “you can’t get elected or stay elected unless you take the stance tough on crime. ” Mike then points out that you can’t be the first one for leaner sentences or else you’ll be out of a job and that there’s people doing a whole lot of time for not enough crime. ” This just goes to show that not a lot is going to change with the war on drugs. In my opinion, I think in today’s society, people just turn their head to the problem and just pretend it is not there. This film really hit a soft spot for me because my uncle was in a gang and could not get out of it. He was into the hard drugs and became addicted to them. He did them whenever he could with whoever would do it with him. My uncle was always getting into trouble with the law. Being in the gang and doing all the horrible drugs he did turned him into a different person. He wanted to turn his life around and better himself not only for him but for his family as well. He tried to leave the gang and clean himself up with treatment centers. Sadly, he was shot and killed in a gas station by another gang member. Some people think that they are only hurting themselves by doing drugs and selling drugs but, it takes a toll on everyone close to you. My siblings and I lost an uncle, my dad and aunt lost a brother, and most importantly, my grandparents lost their son to drugs. The war on drugs has had a negative impact of the lives of many. “Just Say NO!” – Nancy Reagan
