The Mexican cartels influence has become a notable topic in films, novellas, documentaries,

shows, music, and popular art. The rise of new vocabulary, where common nouns are given a
prefix of “narco,” is further proof of cartel influence; words such as narcoculture, narconovellas,
and narcoreligion are commonly used along the border. In Mexico, cartel lifestyle is glamorized
and masculinity reigns. Even news media report cartel activity, usually at the command of cartels,
using fantasy as a mask to distorts the real violence. Newspapers in Mexico sensationalize cartel
violence to a public that has already been desensitized by the number of daily occurrences. In an
effort to be profitable, media mixes cartel violence with images of half-naked women and stories
of sex and betrayal. This combination of sex and violence sells well enough that it has become
central to Mexico’s movie industry.
Narcocinema plots center around macho drug lords and sexualized young women who desire
men for their money and power. Similar to the news articles, films are loaded with superficiality
and do little to investigate social issues stemming from cartel violence. Part of the problem is the
notion that anything other than sex and violence is simply not as appealing to a Mexican public
that has grown up on machismo. Mexico has somehow negated the majority of positive
connotations of machismo in favor of negative ones such as sexism, chauvinism, and
hypermasculinity. Mexican music, film, and television are filled with these ideas. In music, the
genre known as narcocorrido has exploded in popularity on both sides of the border. Narcocorridos
are ballads of drug trafficking that glorify drug cartel culture and activity. They are part of a steady
stream of pornographic violence affecting generations of Mexican youth who feel it is cool to
subjugate women, kill, and become drug lords.
Issues ranging from immigration to border security are politically charged and highly
controversial, causing journalists to toe the line between political parties. Although United States
journalists do a superb job of covering societal issues caused by Mexican drug trafficking, there is
still a notable trend of sensationalizing sex and violence as a means to sell stories. The media, both
in the United States and Mexico, caters to the desire for sensationalism. The Significance of
Narcocorridos and the meteoric rise in popularity is testament to the appeal of the criminal
underworld. Narcocorridos are proof of Mexican drug cartels’ powerful influence in society and
culture. The history of narcocorridos shows why and how cartel influence has flourished in
Mexico. For years, drug cartels severely handicapped Mexico’s political, social, and economic
progress. They have caused violence and widespread corruption in all levels of government. All
of this being said millions of people on both sides of the border still view drug cartels with
admiration and enjoy listening to their exploits.

Although the U.S. continues to be the main consumer of drugs supplied by Mexican cartels, the
number of consumers in Mexico has increased significantly in the last three decades. Illegal drug
use rose among the urban population from 1988 to This increase in drug use in Mexico has resulted
in corresponding health and related social issues. Drug users are considered at high risk of health
issues such as HIV/AIDS because of a number of factors. In addition to risks associated with
sharing injection equipment, burns and sores caused by drug use have been known to transmit
blood-borne infections. The geographic and social landscape along this area is characterized by
poverty, drug, use, prostitution, and mobility.
These are only some of the results of the drug war on culture. I am not sure that any amount of
money or fame would lead me to participate in such lengths. I would have to argue that if I grew
up in the conditions mentioned above my answer may be different.