Ethnocentrism, Class Discrimination, and the Historical Shortcomings of America's War on Drugs
Ethnocentrism, Class Discrimination, and the Historical Shortcomings of America’s War on
Drugs
Ethnocentrism, Class Discrimination, and the Historical Shortcomings of America’s War on Drugs In the mid to late 20th Century, the United States experienced several states of Cultural Revolution. The Civil Rights Movement, the Women 's Movement, the anti-War Movement, and the increasing presence of a widespread, politically active and highly vocalized youth counterculture which led the United States government to feel that maybe they were losing control of their population. The white, upper class men, who for centuries had subjugated the political realm, began to feel their grip on power slipping. By targeting drug use, the government would be free to deal with minorities, especially African Americans, Hispanics, and left-wing radicals, all while claiming that they were defending our country and our borders from the international drug trade, as well as ridding our streets of drugs and drug-related violence. Many in governmental positions were nervous, assuming that if drug use became widespread they would no longer be able to control a newer, freer thinking society. With the launch of the War on Drugs by President Richard M. Nixon in 1972, the United States government and unwary citizens alike were embarking on a journey of clandestine, institutionalized race and class-based discrimination in order to ensure that the preponderance of governmental power would remain where it had securely been held long before the adoption of capitalism; with elite white males (Dalton, Elias, & Wandersman, 2007; Macionis, 2009). Following President Nixon’s declaration of War on Drugs in 1972, ensuing policy has included President Ronald Reagan 's militarization of the War on Drugs, the 1998 Souder Amendment to the Higher Education Act, and the prosecution of citizens in states such as California, where marijuana has been legalized, with federal crimes (Dalton, Elias, &
Drugs
Ethnocentrism, Class Discrimination, and the Historical Shortcomings of America’s War on Drugs In the mid to late 20th Century, the United States experienced several states of Cultural Revolution. The Civil Rights Movement, the Women 's Movement, the anti-War Movement, and the increasing presence of a widespread, politically active and highly vocalized youth counterculture which led the United States government to feel that maybe they were losing control of their population. The white, upper class men, who for centuries had subjugated the political realm, began to feel their grip on power slipping. By targeting drug use, the government would be free to deal with minorities, especially African Americans, Hispanics, and left-wing radicals, all while claiming that they were defending our country and our borders from the international drug trade, as well as ridding our streets of drugs and drug-related violence. Many in governmental positions were nervous, assuming that if drug use became widespread they would no longer be able to control a newer, freer thinking society. With the launch of the War on Drugs by President Richard M. Nixon in 1972, the United States government and unwary citizens alike were embarking on a journey of clandestine, institutionalized race and class-based discrimination in order to ensure that the preponderance of governmental power would remain where it had securely been held long before the adoption of capitalism; with elite white males (Dalton, Elias, & Wandersman, 2007; Macionis, 2009). Following President Nixon’s declaration of War on Drugs in 1972, ensuing policy has included President Ronald Reagan 's militarization of the War on Drugs, the 1998 Souder Amendment to the Higher Education Act, and the prosecution of citizens in states such as California, where marijuana has been legalized, with federal crimes (Dalton, Elias, &
References: Dalton, J. H., Elias, M. J., & Wandersman, A. (2007). Community Psychology: Linking Individuals and Communities, (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Fellner, J., & Mauer, M. (1998). Losing the Vote: The Impact of Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States. Washington, DC: Human Rights Watch & The Sentencing Project. Haney, C., & Zimbardo, P. "The Past and Future of U.S. Prison Policy: Twenty-five Years After the Stanford Prison Experiment," American Psychologist, Vol. 53, No. 7 (July 1998), p. 718. Harrison, P. M., & Karberg, J. (2003). Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2002. Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice. Macionis, J. J. (2009). Society the Basics, (10th ed.). Upper saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice.