A Pundit’s Solution to Fixing Drug Violence in Mexico Essay

Thomas Friedman, a biweekly column contributor for the New York Times, is a pundit who throughout his career has made some bold claims about controversial issues in the news. Bestement and Gutherson argue that a pundit is merely â€Å"one who gives opinions in an authoritative manner†, and that while they may speak convincingly, their skills as pundits lie in â€Å"their ability†¦ to learn quickly about the broad contours of a wide range of subjects, and to project confidence and authority in talking about them† (Bestement, Gutherson 2005; 2,3). Since a pundit is one who uses existing prejudices to explain complex issues to large audiences in a concise and very generalized manner, inaccuracies are frequent in their arguments; but these inaccuracies†¦show more content†¦The prohibition of drugs such as cocaine, opium, and marijuana is rooted in the racism and xenophobia of the people of the United States. It was â€Å"believed that cocaine consumption by the black community could make them disregard the barriers that society had established between different races†, while Chinese were â€Å"portrayed as assiduous opium smokers† and Mexicans were â€Å"labeled as avid marihuana smokers† (Recio 2002; 23,24). These faulty conceptions of the minorities in the United States resulted in â€Å"a new perception†¦that drug consumption could not be morally accepted and therefore its use should be seriously restricted† (Recio 2002; 24). Medical professionals in the United States were strongly opposed to an all out ban of these drugs, but eventually the United States congress passed the Harrison Act. This act was initially designed to limit the availability of these narcotics by requiring a prescription from a physician to obtain them. Later, United States congress passed the Volstead Act, which prohibited alcohol. In 1922 the Harrison Act became a totally prohibitionist piece of legislation (Recio 2002; 25, 26). Immediately after the Harrison Act and the Volstead Acts were passed, illegal drug traffickers took the place of physicians in providing narcotics to the people who wanted them (Recio 2002; 26). In order to prevent this, the United States government decided that if the country producing drugs