Genaro García Luna said that recovering the social base in favor of the state is necessary, now that drug traffickers has succeeded in creating a counterculture that drives the belief that the capos are a model of success.
First, I wonder if this represents a post-election nod from Calderón's team toward his critics, who have long argued that his strategy lacks a broader, sociological focus. This is the second time in recent months that a high-level cabinet officer has addressed the issue, and García Luna's remarks seemed much more accommodating to an alternative approach.
Incidentally, it would be interesting to see a detailed sociological study of the nature of that counterculture, specifically with regard to what motivates Mexico's young delinquents. Is it more about a lack of opportunities in high-crime areas, or a belief that a kingpin's existence is the essence of the good life? When you read about the dead-end youths in Juárez, it makes you lean toward the former explanation. Then again, Jesús Blancornelas' articles on the narcojuniors favor the latter reason. Other writing leaves the reader with the impression that it's a combination of both. Anyway, lots of people talk about the absent social element of Calderón's drug strategy, but it's not clear exactly what addressing the social issues involved in Mexico's drug trade entails.
2 comments:
I always remember the great opening line of Martin Scorsese's gripping Mafioso film 'The Goodfellas', when Henry Hill says, played by Ray Liotta:
"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster."
This film tends to support the kingpin thesis, at least in Brooklyn in Scorsese´s imagination
Definitely true. I'd say that most gangster movies from States are more about the allure of the fast life than a lack of alternatives. I guess it's kind of hard to separate the two issues, but you read about the Sierra of Chihuahua and Sinaloa, where the only jobs that aren't eking out a survival involve growing or trafficking marijuana.
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