Racism and the Drug War

Written by Rizoh. Posted in Chin Check

Published on August 06, 2008 with 23 Comments">23 Comments

I’m sure the producers of this documentary set out to initiate a well-intentioned discussion on the drug war in America, but it reeks off a blatant attempt to sell some DVDs by sensationalizing a serious issue like racism. Those who encountered 17th century slavery didn’t even have to commit any crime in order to be enslaved.

I haven’t seen this film in its entirety, but from what I can tell they failed to recognize the stark differences between pre-civil war era slavery and the ugly circumstances surrounding today’s drug war. Drug use is a choice. Slavery is not.

TRU

Rizoh

Rizoh is the most powerful man in all the lands. He lives in Houston where he earned a BS in Nerf Herding. He's the founder of The Rap Up, the editor of Roc4Life.com, and is in the Grammy-awaiting band Pervertable Disciples.

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  • bull

    damn that last scene was crazy to watch

  • bull

    damn that last scene was crazy to watch

  • big tay

    yeah this smells like conspiracy theory bs

  • big tay

    yeah this smells like conspiracy theory bs

  • your missing the point

    your obviously missing the point…why would they make a comparison to pre-civil war era slavery? from what i gather they are exposing how jails are big business. in all facets, driving a free legal labor force. although your argument drugs are choice. they are put here by the government to drive buisness (incarceration)

  • your missing the point

    your obviously missing the point…why would they make a comparison to pre-civil war era slavery? from what i gather they are exposing how jails are big business. in all facets, driving a free legal labor force. although your argument drugs are choice. they are put here by the government to drive buisness (incarceration)

  • http://my.rawkus.com/profile/Rizoh Rizoh

    they are put here by the government to drive buisness (incarceration)
    —————————-

    and the government forces people to take them?

  • http://my.rawkus.com/profile/Rizoh Rizoh

    they are put here by the government to drive buisness (incarceration)
    —————————-

    and the government forces people to take them?

  • Rico

    No one forces people to take them but they do… even all of your favorite rappers! Why should people go to jail for smoking weed when they can buy liquor at the corner?

    Watch the whole documentary, it’s not even about slavery, it’ll make you think!

  • Rico

    No one forces people to take them but they do… even all of your favorite rappers! Why should people go to jail for smoking weed when they can buy liquor at the corner?

    Watch the whole documentary, it’s not even about slavery, it’ll make you think!

  • Peezi

    Thanks for posting this information…this is something ALL black & brown folk should watch in its entirety and you can catch it on airing on Showtime in September. It is much deeper than racism, more like modern day organized slavery from our goverment…it’s disgusting and will make you think twice about CHOICES we make…xo

  • Peezi

    Thanks for posting this information…this is something ALL black & brown folk should watch in its entirety and you can catch it on airing on Showtime in September. It is much deeper than racism, more like modern day organized slavery from our goverment…it’s disgusting and will make you think twice about CHOICES we make…xo

  • http://my.rawkus.com/xn/detail/u_3ktey6bund47l Nancy Byron

    Why do people always scream or assume conspiracy theory whenever the government enters into a discussion? If you have not become aware over the last decades that this, and every government has lied about so very many things, blatantly, and with total disregard, even when American lives are in danger, you have been living in a bubble. There is THEORY to this. Facts are facts and you can Google them yourself instead of assuming things. THe US has the highest rate of incarceration in the world – FACT! 1 in every 100 Americans is in jail or in the system – FACT! The MAJORITY of them are black and brown people – FACT! Private prisons are companies and corporations that kose money if they are empty; just like a hotel or any commercial property – FACT! Extremely high penalties for NON-VIOLENT drig offenses, and tougher laws on immigration are filling up those jails at an unheard of rate – FACT! The sticks for those companies that built and run them are selling at very high prices – FACT! Legal drugs (alchohol and cigarettes), Prescription drugs kill hundreds of thousands a year and no one goes to jail – FACT! Weed (which I do not smoke) kills no one – FACT! YOu can molest a child and go to jail for a couple years but have some rocks and go to jail for 20, especially if you are black – FACT! Now where does the conspiracy part come in?

  • http://my.rawkus.com/xn/detail/u_3ktey6bund47l Nancy Byron

    Why do people always scream or assume conspiracy theory whenever the government enters into a discussion? If you have not become aware over the last decades that this, and every government has lied about so very many things, blatantly, and with total disregard, even when American lives are in danger, you have been living in a bubble. There is THEORY to this. Facts are facts and you can Google them yourself instead of assuming things. THe US has the highest rate of incarceration in the world – FACT! 1 in every 100 Americans is in jail or in the system – FACT! The MAJORITY of them are black and brown people – FACT! Private prisons are companies and corporations that kose money if they are empty; just like a hotel or any commercial property – FACT! Extremely high penalties for NON-VIOLENT drig offenses, and tougher laws on immigration are filling up those jails at an unheard of rate – FACT! The sticks for those companies that built and run them are selling at very high prices – FACT! Legal drugs (alchohol and cigarettes), Prescription drugs kill hundreds of thousands a year and no one goes to jail – FACT! Weed (which I do not smoke) kills no one – FACT! YOu can molest a child and go to jail for a couple years but have some rocks and go to jail for 20, especially if you are black – FACT! Now where does the conspiracy part come in?

  • http://my.rawkus.com/xn/detail/u_3ktey6bund47l Nancy Byron

    Further, I was told that this subject was not appropriate for a Hip Hop site as it is not Hip Hop related…..ummmmmmmmm…….here’s how it IS Hip Hop related. Young people, many of whom are growing up in circumstances you cannot even imagine, are told by the people they admire, through music and videos that selling drugs and killing people is a GREAT way of life. Mostly they don’t have the correct family support to teach them otherwise effectively. They are also told that they must have bling to matter. How, and where do you get bling if you grow up in the hood? People don’t sell drugs folks. They sell themselves. I have NEVER heard of a crack sale. A weed sale. An all rocks must go sale. Prohibition does not work. It didn’t work the first time around and it is NOT working now. People want to get high. Whatever your choice of substance, legal or otherwise, that should be your choice. Just as many people fuck up their lives on alcohol and pills as heroin and coke. The fact that they are legal doesn’t make it any better or their choices any wiser.
    Wake up people. Sometimes choices are dictated by your surroundings, your birthright, your educational opportunities.

  • Peezi

    Cheeaaa, ON POINT Nancy…couldnt have said it better myself!!!!

  • Ryan

    Go Nancy!!

  • http://my.rawkus.com/profile/Rizoh Rizoh

    @Nancy,
    If this wasn’t a discussion I thought we could have on a hip-hop site then why did I post it here? I only took exception to posting this video on the other site, where I have editorial supervision. In a way, I see how it relates to hip-hop but I’d have to come up with a better explanation for my editor who will ask me why I chose to post a video that has no direct relationship to our scope hip-hop coverage. Another thing: we’re not allowed to embed videos there.

    I even pointed Stacy to the appropriate sites within the network that would be more than willing to cover this topic. Those sites speak to an audience that looks forward to this type of coverage and probably have a bigger reach than my little rap site. That’s just how the rules work over there. Sorry that I couldn’t help further.

  • http://my.rawkus.com/profile/Rizoh Rizoh

    One more thing. I understand that it’s hard to be objective when you’re directly involved with a project and I see where you’re coming from. However, I don’t appreciate taking my words out of context to make it seem like I’m oblivious of the plight of blacks in America. I’m a black man, so I should know. What I said is that I’m not a fan of the documentary’s tactic of sensationalizing racism and comparing drug war to slavery.

    I never used the word “conspiracy” or “theory” in my post. Is the government involved in some of these dealings? Absolutely. Is there racism in the justice system? Without a doubt. But that’s not the point I was trying to make. Throwing the word “slavery” around loosely is the only thing I took exception with, if you read my post carefully.

    I also went on to say that I can’t call it, since I’ve yet to watch this film in its entirety. Of course, it wouldn’t be fair to judge the whole movie by its trailer.

    Also, I don’t buy the argument that rap music is to blame for all the world’s ailments. I’ve been listening to hip-hop since I was 10 or 11 and have never sold crack or robbed someone for bling just because some rapper told me it was the cool thing to do. If we’re going to take it there, I’ve seen worse in movies than I’ve heard in songs.

    Just calling it how I see it.

  • http://my.rawkus.com/xn/detail/u_3ktey6bund47l Nancy Byron

    Riz babe. You are taking things very personally that are not directed at you nor were an attack, on anyone. If you read above, you will see that there is a conspiracy theory comment. EVERYONE is entitled to their views, thoughts and opinions and I thought this was a board where people could freely voice them. I did not, in either of my posts, call anyone out by name. I didn’t even mention the comment you posted about this being a blatant exploitative attempt to sell DVD’s, although it offended me. It is how you feel and I respect that. The above comments are how I feel. As for the rest of it, I don’t see how the buying and public trading of lives and labor for profit, for people of any race, can be sensationalized enuff. Again, my opinion. You know I love and respect you, and your opinion, or we would not keep coming to you for it. We never asked you edit, or redact your opinion of the project even though we don’t agree with it. I hope you see the difference.

  • http://my.rawkus.com/profile/Rizoh Rizoh

    Nancy, I definitely wasn’t trying to take it personal and now see that you were responding to big tay above. Sorry if I came off a little confrontational.

  • http://my.rawkus.com/xn/detail/u_3ktey6bund47l Nancy Byron

    No harm, no foul babe. Just so you have some background, Kevin Booth spent 4 years, and his entire life savings to make this movie and practically sells it out of his trunk. He comes from a WHITE-as-hell Republican family from Austin, TX. It is not a subject matter that people take seriously and he has no real reason to care about black or brown people or their plight, being far removed from it. This shit is truly how he sees it and there is ample evidence in valid news mediums like USA TOday, US News and World Report, Newsweek, CNN to support the statistics with regards to race and jail sentences. 1 in 100 people in this country are not hardened criminals yet are in jail. They very well may be by the time they get out. The USA has more people in jail than either Russia or South Africa. Sad days indeed. All said with love…….Nancy xo

  • http://my.rawkus.com/xn/detail/u_3ktey6bund47l Nancy Byron

    Further, I was told that this subject was not appropriate for a Hip Hop site as it is not Hip Hop related…..ummmmmmmmm…….here’s how it IS Hip Hop related. Young people, many of whom are growing up in circumstances you cannot even imagine, are told by the people they admire, through music and videos that selling drugs and killing people is a GREAT way of life. Mostly they don’t have the correct family support to teach them otherwise effectively. They are also told that they must have bling to matter. How, and where do you get bling if you grow up in the hood? People don’t sell drugs folks. They sell themselves. I have NEVER heard of a crack sale. A weed sale. An all rocks must go sale. Prohibition does not work. It didn’t work the first time around and it is NOT working now. People want to get high. Whatever your choice of substance, legal or otherwise, that should be your choice. Just as many people fuck up their lives on alcohol and pills as heroin and coke. The fact that they are legal doesn’t make it any better or their choices any wiser.
    Wake up people. Sometimes choices are dictated by your surroundings, your birthright, your educational opportunities.

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