Important Quotes from "Chasing the Scream"

"Massively increase prison sentences for alcohol dealers until they were all locked up. Wage war on booze until it was only a memory"(Hari, pg 14). The reason why I think this quote is important is because I think the author is trying to draw similarities between the war on drugs and the prohibition. The was that Harry went about dismantling the use of alcohol has transformed into how the country is now fight to "end the use of drugs". I think it is important to draw similarities like the author is doing, because it proves that the so called war on drugs has always been around and has simply developed into the big machine that it is now.

"He believed the two most-feared groups in the United States- Mexican immigrants and African Americans- were taking the drug much more than white people, and he presented the House Committee of Appropriations with a nightmarish vision of where this could lead" (Hari, pg. 15). I found this quote very interesting because it cleared up a lot of my questions as to where the assumption that African Americans consumed more than white people originated from. This is also a great example of an early case of cognitive bias. This bias would set the climate surrounding the war on drugs and how it pertained to people of color, especially African Americans, in the United States.

Harry couldn't control the flow of drugs, but he was discovering he could control the flow of ideas- and it was not only scientists Harry believed he had to silence" (Hari, pg. 18). In society, we currently have the problem that people in power tend to abuse their power. Something that has been seen in the war on drugs crusade, both now and apparently then, is that people that have a higher standing in society state things that are often taken as facts by the rest of society. This phenomenon also plays a huge part in the cognitive bias against African Americans.

"'Where else [but in the Bureau of Narcotics] could a red-blooded American boy lie, kill, cheat, steal, rape, and pillage with the sanction and blessing of the All-Highest'"(Hari, pg. 29). Again, the parallel in today's society and how it was back then are present in this. The government and lawmakers are putting up a front that they are doing what is best for society, but behind the scene
s they are actually making all of the trouble themselves.

"Billie didn't blame Anslinger's agents as individuals; she blamed the drug war itself- because it forced the police to treat ill people like criminals" (Hari, pg. 31). I choose the quote because this is still an ever present issue that ties into the prison system. A large majority of the people in prison today are there because of drug charges. I'd say a large majority of them are drug addicts and also in some sort of poverty. Instead of the government funding rehabs to get these people well, they throw them into prison, which in turn benefits them.

"Some 22 percent of addicts were wealthy, while only 6 percent were poor. They were more sedate as a result of their addiction, and although it would have been better for them to stop, they were rarely out of control or criminal" (Hari. pg. 36). This quote shows the extreme proportions that lawmakers, Harry Anslinger especially, blew the use of cocaine out to be. They, again, used cognitive bias to make the general public believe that all forms of the drug are deplorable, when in fact it could have been saving people. This cognitive bias allowed the people to stay in fear and thus lead to Anslinger being able to continue his mission.

"The drug dealer could now charge extortionate prices. In the pharmacies, morphine had cost two or three cents a grain; the criminal gangs charged a dollar" (Hari pg. 36). This is an element of how the war on drugs works today. The drugs are placed in these poverty stricken neighborhood and once the people in the neighborhood are hooked they are force to choose between getting drugs the legal way or the illegal way. 9 time out of 10 the illegal way is the cheapest way.

"The world we recognize now- where addicts are often forced to become criminals, in a desperate scramble to feed their habit from gangsters- was being created" (Hari, pg. 36). In continuation from my previous quote, these poverty stricken people choose the illegal, cheap way to get drugs. This forces all of these people, who are now addicted to these drugs, to become criminals just so they can feed their addiction.

"'The United States government . as represented by its [anti-drug] officers', Henry explained had just become 'the greatest and most potent maker of criminals in any recent century'"(Hari pg. 37). This quote basically sums up how the government, the people who are supposedly here to stop the crime, are the people who are making it themselves.

"Harry worked very hardtop keep the country in a state of panic on the subject of drugs so that nobody would ever  again see the logical contradictions" (Hari pg. 41). This moral panic allows whoever is running it to say or do whatever they want, under the guise that they are the savoir of whatever is creating the "panic". If you keep the people afraid, they will follow your every command, and that is essentially what Anslinger was successful at doing.

What Really Led to the Civil War?

When posed with the question, "What have I been taught about the Civil War prior to this class", it made me realize that knowledge that I have received on this topic was not extensive at all. It was very hard to conjure up the little bits of information on the Civil War from my high school/middle school years, let alone the true information. From what I do remember being taught, the whole war started with Abraham Lincoln. I'd always been taught that he wanted to free the slaves in the south and that he was the saving grace. This warped story of how Lincoln abhorred slavery and was only focused on freeing slaves was something that was taught throughout middle school and high school, so that was all I knew. Even media emphasized slavery as being the cause of the Civil War.
In actuality, I've learned from this class that Abraham Lincoln couldn't have cared less for the slaves, let alone their freedom. The war fought for many reasons, but above all I was fought for power. The North saw that the South was gaining power and wealth at a rapid pace and decided to impose tariffs on the products they were exporting and the Northerners were the only people profiting off of said tariffs. On top of this the Tenth Amendment, stating that any power not given to the federal government is given to the states, was also a major cause for the war. Lastly, the Election of 1860 could be seen as the last major component that led to the war. In the election, Abraham Lincoln became the President of the United States. This election is what led 6 states to secede from the union. This subsequently led to the Civil War.

Madame America

The poster that I chose to write on is entitled "First Lady Michelle Obama as Madame America". This poster depicts Michelle Obama in a full superhero suit standing in front of the White House in a very strong and powerful stance. The main thing that stood out to me within this poster is Michelle herself. What with recent events, the Obama's leaving the country in the hands of an incapable man, this poster struck a cord with me as it relates to the events of now. Now, more than ever, the lives of people of color all over America are being tried because of the election of our new president. One could say that because of this event, America could use a superhero of sorts. The main reason why I chose to write about this poster is because Michelle Obama has always been a huge inspiration for me personally, as well as millions of other young girls. She is a symbol of strength and a reminder to always stay focused on what's important and let everything else fall to the wayside. She's a prime example of the woman I want to become when I get older; a capable woman who can hold her own in society.
As what as what the poster means, I think that there are an array of ways you can interpret it. For example, although the poster is not directly referencing Donald Trump and the peril that he is, and will, put this country though, I think that is what it is implying indirectly. It alludes that America is in a position that requires a savior and Michelle Obama is the savior we need. It can also be related back to a time when Obama was still in office. Although Barak was the face of the nation, Michelle still had her own place in it all, working to change legislations and being the keystone speaker at hundreds of important events. In other words, Barack may have been Captain America, Michelle was Madame America; doing her own superhero work too. Even just looking at the poster from a racial and gender standpoint alone, it could also portray the strong black woman that is the backbone for all of America.