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Michelle Maldonado

Joanne Robinson

HTLH 1050

March 8, 2020

International Connections Paper

Cartel members look for an easy way out they feel overpowered by making those less of

them feel week and used. Pablo Escobar and Joaquin Guzman both gave money to the poor,

many villages and cities saw them as heroes. Pablo was always in the public eye he was part of

the government for some time until he was kicked out. The only reason Escobar and Guzman

had so many followers was because of money and also because they had leverage against so

many families. Lower end economies tend to have more exposure to drugs and are more likely

easier to persuade or force to the drug trade. Pablo and Chapo held power over so many people

they were feared by many and killed those who didn’t. Parents are always going to do what’s

best for their children, sure certain religions don’t have an effect on the choices of the parent’s

morals go out the window when in fight or flight mode. If someone is threating a loved one or

ruining your chances of trying to succeed and make a living for you and your family, you might

have no other chance but have to do what the cartel members want. The saddest part is that

people are still killed, raped, and paid poorly to grow cocaine or other narcotics. Typically, with

genders cartel members are going to want the men to do the grunt work they would have them

making the drugs while women work as maids or do housework. Women are seen as the weakest

link to many societies I think it has a lot to do culture even thousands of years ago women were

always seen as gathers never hunters. Not saying women are lesser than men we are equal or

superior in some instances. Knowledge is always key to any situation, if you have no escape you
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need to become one of the best to help provide more for your family and hope they can escape

the mayhem. You may be one of the smartest people in the village sadly there is always going to

be an issue preventing escape, there is a reason why they pay the famers .18 cents an hour. They

stop all other work, so farmers and the villagers have no other option but to join, they destroy

crops and get in the way of making a normal or legal living. Cartels have this god complex they

have the power to do anything and bend the will of anyone who blocks the vision. I believe race

and privilege go hand in hand, sadly the darker your skin tone the more you’re susceptible as a

target, take Mexico for instance. You have hundreds of thousands of different race relations. We

have grown so much as a nation, but things don’t always change for each area. To some looks

are everything, complexation is everything in a perfect world everyone would be treated the

same sadly that’s not always the case. People are more liked and respected with a certain race

type, others end up trying to fight to make enough to support a family or family members are

taken away to become wives to other cartel members.