For my reaction paper, I chose to review the movie Traffic, a movie highlighting the international drug trade, released in 2000 and directed by Steven Soderbergh. Traffic makes a point throughout the movie, that whether the actual drug and its effects, the power that comes with being a major distributor of the drug or the money and wealth that come with selling the drug, people have specific motivations for being a part of the “war on drugs.”
The first motivation Traffic highlights is that of the actual drug. The scenario follows white, suburban politician, Robert Wakefield, as he is appointed the new drug czar. He believes he can end the war on drugs by simply working with Mexican authorities. Wakefield has a very conservative viewpoint on …show more content…
Toward the beginning of the movie, the politician’s daughter Caroline is doing drugs with her friends when one of them overdoses. He falls to the floor, unconscious and near death, but in the room full of teenager’s their first reaction is to assess how much trouble they will be in before helping the boy. I say this not to criticize the United State’s policy on drugs, but I do believe it says something when a group of teenagers is (at first) willing to watch their friend die in front of them from an overdose, rather than face the legal consequences that comes with illegal drug use in America.
I also believe it is important to point out that Caroline wasn’t exactly the “typical” drug user. She is a suburban, white, straight-A student who becomes a frequent user of cocaine. I thought this was an extremely interesting choice the director made because drug addiction is so often put off onto the communities of African Americans and Hispanics, that people never look at White Americans as heavy drug users like they do people of color. I think this was a great point for the director to make because it shows the audience that despite stereotypes, anyone can become a victim of frequent drug
The first motivation Traffic highlights is that of the actual drug. The scenario follows white, suburban politician, Robert Wakefield, as he is appointed the new drug czar. He believes he can end the war on drugs by simply working with Mexican authorities. Wakefield has a very conservative viewpoint on …show more content…
Toward the beginning of the movie, the politician’s daughter Caroline is doing drugs with her friends when one of them overdoses. He falls to the floor, unconscious and near death, but in the room full of teenager’s their first reaction is to assess how much trouble they will be in before helping the boy. I say this not to criticize the United State’s policy on drugs, but I do believe it says something when a group of teenagers is (at first) willing to watch their friend die in front of them from an overdose, rather than face the legal consequences that comes with illegal drug use in America.
I also believe it is important to point out that Caroline wasn’t exactly the “typical” drug user. She is a suburban, white, straight-A student who becomes a frequent user of cocaine. I thought this was an extremely interesting choice the director made because drug addiction is so often put off onto the communities of African Americans and Hispanics, that people never look at White Americans as heavy drug users like they do people of color. I think this was a great point for the director to make because it shows the audience that despite stereotypes, anyone can become a victim of frequent drug