8List.ph
  • News
    • Showbiz
    • Opinion
    • Sports
    • Profiles
    • Weird
  • Adulting
    • Career
    • Money
    • Health
    • School & Learning
    • Relationships
  • Pop
    • Movies & TV
    • Music
    • Books
    • Games
    • Theater
    • Retro
    • K-World
  • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Beauty
    • Food & Drink
    • Nest
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Pinoy
  • Videos
    • Slam8ook
    • Isabuhay Ang Panata
    • 8list Plays
    • Archives
      • 8List Asks
      • 8List Explores
      • 8List Presents
      • 88 Seconds
      • 8secs
      • Filgood
      • Kaya Today!
      • Pagsubeks
      • #8MinutesWith
      • YOUth DECIDE
      • Str8 Up with Delamar
      • Toughest Job 2016
  • Breathe
  • About
  • Sitemap
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
  • Archive
  • Bitesized.ph
  • Windowseat.ph

 

 

 

8List.ph is published by ID8, Inc.

Subscribe
8List.ph
8List.ph
  • News
    • Showbiz
    • Opinion
    • Sports
    • Profiles
    • Weird
  • Adulting
    • Career
    • Money
    • Health
    • School & Learning
    • Relationships
  • Pop
    • Movies & TV
    • Music
    • Books
    • Games
    • Theater
    • Retro
    • K-World
  • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Beauty
    • Food & Drink
    • Nest
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Pinoy
  • Videos
    • Slam8ook
    • Isabuhay Ang Panata
    • 8list Plays
    • Archives
      • 8List Asks
      • 8List Explores
      • 8List Presents
      • 88 Seconds
      • 8secs
      • Filgood
      • Kaya Today!
      • Pagsubeks
      • #8MinutesWith
      • YOUth DECIDE
      • Str8 Up with Delamar
      • Toughest Job 2016
  • Breathe
  • Pop

Pablo’s (Almost) Back! | Lessons on the War on Drugs from “Narcos”

  • Posted on Aug 12, 2016Aug 12, 2016
  • 0 minute read
  • Carljoe Javier
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

Pablo’s (Almost) Back! | Lessons on the War on Drugs from “Narcos”

Aug 12, 2016   •   Carljoe Javier

narcos-header
Via Netflix

Pablo’s (Almost) Back!
Lessons on the War on Drugs in “Narcos”

By Carljoe Javier

Moments from Volleyfriends UAAP Volleyball Kick Off SHAD

Narcos is a Netflix original drama about the “Colombian War on Drugs.” The show is centered on the activities of the infamous Pablo Escobar, those who support him, and those who would dare oppose him. It is a gripping, often unsettling, illustration of what happens when a state falls into the hands of gangsters and criminals, and the drastic, equally immoral steps some will take to combat them.

As we are barely into our own War on Drugs, with the first season being such a hit (and season two coming very soon!), I have these key takeaways from the show which we might be able to apply to our own local context:

8. You can kill the criminal, but criminality will evolve.

narcos-8

Via Giphy

Lots of criminals get shot. Lots of bad dudes working in the drug trade get what’s “due” to them. Their deaths are often grisly and violent. But at the same time, in a heartbreaking scene, one of the lead DEA agents shoots and kills an underage kid. And really, that’s who will die most in a “War on Drugs”: the small fry. The expendable kids slinging on corners or making deliveries. The big bosses are too smart to put themselves out on the streets.

What’s worse is that even if you kill big time criminals, then they will just change their systems and keep going. It’s a sad state to think that there will always be criminality. But the truth of the matter is until we address the root cause of most criminality (poverty), then it will always be there. Right now, the kids of the people Escobar used to work with are running the drug game. Meanwhile, Colombia is appealing to the international community to help them find a better solution than the war on drugs.

 

7. High-level criminals are smart.

narcos-7

Via Giphy

It’s not like we needed this show to know this, but Narcos gives us a glimpse at the kind of brains it takes to make it to the highest levels of organized crime. It isn’t just manufacturing and selling drugs. We see the supply chain of production, but more importantly we see how there is a brilliant distribution system in play to move the product. How does it cross the border? How much does it cost? How much do you need to spend to transport? To pay people off? At all levels you see crucial business decisions being made.

So obviously, if drug lords are smart enough to engage in an incredibly volatile and dangerous industry, then they are probably keeping tabs on police movement against them. Which brings us to our next point.

 

6. The cops can be bought.

narcos-6

Via Giphy

Again, not a truth that we did not already know. But what Narcos does so well is it shows us some cops who can’t be bought, and how difficult it is for them to work when so many are on the take.

Moreover, it humanizes cops who are in on the take. Sure they are terrible people who are contributing to the corruption in their country. But they are also husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, who are trying to care for their families. They fear for their own lives. And when it is much easier and much safer to be in the pocket of drug dealers, then you can see why they do it. This also shows how heroic it must be to simply say no to the money, especially when not only your life, but the lives of your family would be put at risk, too.

 

5. Drug dealers love their moms (and kids), too.

narcos-5

Via Daily Mail UK

Pablo Escobar is shown to be a committed family man (while also having an affair and being pretty demented). He loves and cares for his mother. He takes care of his wife and you can see him playing soccer with his kid. While ordering people killed. But hey, don’t we work sometimes when we are with family too?

It’s a humanizing portrayal, and something we might forget when we are killing suspected “drug personalities.” These people aren’t always seething evil. Like most of us, they are different people in front of their family, at the office, with friends, whatever. I have to admit, given the deeds that the narcos commit, it’s easy to wish death upon them. Then you see Pablo dealing with very relatable disappointments, and imagining him not just as this evil drug dealer, but as a human being. Even if you know he would never choose mercy or decency, you have to ask yourself, shouldn’t we be better than them? It’s a very difficult question to ask. One that I don’t have the answer to. But I’m glad Narcos is asking it.

Pages: 1 2


1 2Next page
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
Carljoe Javier

Previous Article
  • News

This Week in Weird News: Olympic Weirdness Edition

  • Posted on Aug 12, 2016Aug 12, 2016
  • Kevin Christian L. Santos
View Post
Next Article
  • News

Recent News Headlines Imagined as Horror Movies

  • Posted on Aug 12, 2016Aug 12, 2016
  • 8List and Aldrin Tirones (Illustration)
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Pop

8 Big News the PBB Housemates Don’t Know About Since Entering Bahay Ni Kuya

  • Posted on May 15, 2025
  • Meryl Medel
View Post
  • Movies & TV
  • Pop
  • Showbiz

8 Iconic Housemates from Pinoy Big Brother’s Early Years

  • Posted on Apr 15, 2025
  • Juan Miguel Severo
View Post
  • Pop

8 Highlights of the 97th Oscars, from Glorious Performances to Awkward Speeches

  • Posted on Mar 4, 2025
  • Juan Miguel Severo
View Post
  • Pop

8 Reasons We Need To Talk About Alex Calleja’s Latest Netflix Special

  • Posted on Feb 17, 2025
  • Tim Henares
View Post
  • Pop

Pokémon Fun Day: When, Where, and What You Can Expect at This Exciting Event for Fans

  • Posted on Feb 12, 2025Feb 12, 2025
  • Meryl Medel
View Post
  • Pop

The Gr8est of 2024: 8 Hilarious Memes That Made Us LOL

  • Posted on Dec 2, 2024Dec 2, 2024
  • Edgardo Toledo
View Post
  • Pop

Crush ng Bayan! Manny Jacinto’s Pinoy-Coded College Grad Pic Has Everyone Swooning

  • Posted on Nov 12, 2024Nov 12, 2024
  • Kyzia Maramara
View Post
  • Pop

8 OG YouTubers We Grew Up with and Where They Are Now

  • Posted on Oct 29, 2024Oct 29, 2024
  • Ina Louise Manto

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get the l8est delivered right to your inbox.

8List.ph
  • About
  • Sitemap
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
  • Archive
  • Bitesized.ph
  • Windowseat.ph
Your daily dose of entertaining, useful and informative lists.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.