It
is 2018 and we have been told that drugs are bad for us for many decades. From
Nixon’s Anti-Drug Initiative in the 70s to Nancy Raegan’s “Just Say No”
initiative, The War on Drugs runs deep in many families for decades. From the
rise of the incarceration rate to the low cost and available of drugs, we see
that it is an epidemic and the Government’s failure to address the problem the
right way.
Drugs
have many uses for people. It can help people with their anxiety issues, heart
problems and can be used in a recreational manner. However, people nowadays
just want the “high” that is provided. One such example is the THC in
marijuana. It gives that feeling to users that they are calm and their
conscious is clear. On the more potent side like meth or heroin, it wrecks the
body in ways that you can’t even imagine.
The
Federal Government operates their prisons with a smear of business. We have the
highest incarceration rate in the Nation! If you look at in from the Federal
side, there are more people incarcerated for drugs than other offenses such as
murder, fraud and other offenses. We are spending literally millions of dollars
each year to keep nonviolent drug offenders in prison when they should be in
rehab getting the help they need. With all that money, don’t you think the
Government should spend it on important things like education, infrastructure
or healthcare? I mean think about it. Without a proper infrastructure, people
can’t get to medical facilities on time. That means people could die in traffic
or elsewhere because the roads are undriveable because of the lack of funding. I
look at it from one problem leading to another.
American
Guardian, 2008, lithograph, Roger Shimomura
This picture here gave me
an immediate spark. In here, you see an American serviceman, mounted on a
machinegun while using binoculars overlooking a camp from below. This image
directly links to the Japanese Internment Camps during the 40s. During this
time, the U.S. Government rounded up hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans
all around the West Coast, in fear of them joining up and revolting on behalf
of the Japanese Empire. How does this image relate to my project? The
presentation of the camp reminds me of the prisons in America today. The
machine gunner? Think of it as the prison guard with his weapon over watching
the nonviolent drug offenders below. From both perspectives, you might ask the
question, “Are these people really dangerous to society?” No matter what answer
we may have, the Government always have the last word on deciding who is
dangerous or not.
In this picture you can
see that it is all out warfare between farmers. In the description, it said
that the farmers would kill the varmints who raid their crops. However, they
too might be the varmints themselves. For some reason, I think about the class between
people and law enforcement. Sure, you can argue that too many people especially
their family members are in prison serving a huge number of years for marijuana
use, but does it really require violence? The Criminal Justice System have too
many issues to begin with. There should be a component of the system where
people are respected and cared for right? That’s not the reality today. There
are strong hostilities between people and law enforcement and they forget who
they are fighting for. It is the people are locked up behind bars because of
their drug addiction. Violent clashes won’t solve today’s problems.
The
Project to Dismantle the Enola Gay, 2018, reeds, branches, wire net, Spanish
moss, wood, paper, clay, India ink, canvas cloth, net, string, Gaku Tsutaja.
In this piece, the Enola
Gay is shown, surrounded by a net and branches. Under the table, there is a
spider of some sort lurking from below. In historical context, the Enola Gay is
the actual American bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
Why did the United States do this? They calculated the estimated amount of
losses if they were to invade Japan. After loosing over 150,000 men from Iwo
Jima and Okinawa, they would lose over 1.4 million people if they invaded
Japan. Dropping the atomic bomb killed over 100,000 people. This relates to my
project through trauma. After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so many
families were torn apart for years. Same goes for those who stay in prison for
so long. The families of the inmates can’t be with each other all the time. The
children are also affected because they miss their loved ones and that they
might outgrow them after long periods of time. The problem persists after the
initial event.
In Seeing Power, I noticed an invent that is relatable to
the current situation with the drug addicts. Chapter 6 talked about “The Story
in New Orleans” In here, Nato Thompson talked about Post Hurricane Katrina New
Orleans. In here, Thompson talked about how the city made so many promises to
people on getting food, clothing, FEMA assistance and other forms of aid.
However, that never happened. I see that with people who are struggling with
the drugs. I am pretty sure that when they do make it to rehab, there is a high
chance that either they will discontinue the treatment or fall into relapse.
In the Interventionalists, “The God Bless Graffiti” on
page 47 shows a link on what I am doing for my project. Everyone has their own view
of Graffiti. Some may think it is the destruction of property to a work of art.
Either way, if you do Graffiti on provide property, you are “vandalizing” the building.
On the drugs side, some people say its good or some say it is bad. At the end
of the day, the Government will try to demonize it and throw prison time for
anyone who illegally uses drugs. God Bless Drugs.
The second thing I found was, “The Disobbedienti” on page
54. We see that there is civil disobedience on this piece of art. Everyone is
shown with riot gear, gas masks and homemade shields. Sounds like a riot. On my
side, I can’t help but think about the people who are protesting to have their
loved ones released from prison. Whatever the argument is, they just want them
to come home. People feel angry that their loved one is “state property” and that
they are ruined for life. That needs to change.
The last one is, “The Surveillance
Camera Players” on page 58. The point of this piece is a sign of protests the
invasion of privacy. I see the connection here. Organized crime wants to do things
discretely. Keeping the attention away from rivals and law enforcement is good
for business. On the other hand, you have the Federal Government such as the FBI
and DEA snooping around social media, stakeouts and by other means to gather as
much intelligence and evidence as possible. Organized crime does not like that.
How do they protest that? With violence. A lot of the people involved are short
tempered and wants immediate results.
“America’s Wars on Drugs” (2017) Mini-Series
“Imprisonment” (2017) “The Daily Star
“Nonviolent
Drug Offenders” (2015) WNPR
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