Drug Culture In The Other Wes Moore

Throughout this essay the sociological imagination is used to analyse the historical, cultural and structural reasons for drug use and abuse. Within this parameter the sociological imagination is applied, using studies research conducted in the United Kingdom, Australia, Russia and the United States. The sociological imagination was defined by Charles Write Mills as a ‘quality of mind’. (Mills quoted by Germov, Poole 2007: 4 ) It is stimulated by an awareness to view the social world by looking at how one’s own personal problems and experiences form a relationship to the wider society. In Victorian society the majority of people believed there was no ‘drug problem.' (Berridge, 1999) The substances used in Britain at the time like opium

This is written as if not a call to action, then a call to galvanize. The purposes of this report is to enable readers to through empirical and contextual description see the war on drugs for what is really is: a public relations ploy whose end results are not fighting drugs, but

Individually, we create a metaphorical puzzle as we reflect on our life. These puzzle pieces represent all of the small-scale decisions we’ve made. Inside of those decisions, also consists of other people and how they influenced our upbringings. When this puzzle is put together, all of these decisions create one large picture. Specifically, Wes Moore’s “puzzle” obtains unfinished than other people, these pieces may not fit particularly well with other pieces, and they may never will. The reader may never perceive why Wes made any of the poor decisions he has made in his lifetime, nevertheless, there’s one large section of the puzzle that holds together–this would be Wes Moore’s influence from drug abuse. The idea of drug abuse continues to be frowned upon by other people. However, what most people may not understand is that there’s an addiction that comes with it, not an addiction to the drugs specifically, though an addiction to the lifestyle that came with it.

The perspective showed in this book is cultural, as their environments have shaped Wes Moore and the other Wes Moore as well as their nationality and social community. Even know both Wes Moore’s grew up in fairly similar ways their choices are the one thing that made them different in the end. This book explains how both boys are surrounded by older kids that have surrounded themselves with drugs to the point where they wouldn’t know another way to live. From this both Wes Moore’s are already immersed into the drug culture and environment that all it takes is one wrong decision for them to be like the older kids. Being African American in the late 1990’s has a big impact on the way people

After reading The Other Wes Moore, I have realized that the two Wes Moores had similarities in their lifestyles especially in their neighborhoods. Although they were living in similar neighborhoods, their outcomes of how their life ended up being were different. One Wes ended up in jail serving a life sentence for killing a police officer in an armed robbery. The other Wes became a Rhodes Scholar, business mogul, army officer, and White House Fellow. I think the way they lived and the people that were in there lives manipulated how their lives would end.

Firstly, drugs ruin lives and need to always have an opposing force attempting to eradicate their presence. In Laffey’s article, he describes a neighborhood that has been corrupted by the drug game. He watches as dealers, buyers, decoys, and normal families, go about their lives at night. Laffey oversees and organizes a team of other police officers to bust everyone involved in the sale and buying of these narcotics. The entire neighborhood is run down and can be traced to the presence of illegal substances in the area. Laffey also gives readers the story of a father that used far less money to feed his family, than he used to satisfy his drug use. Proving, that drugs have the power to tear apart families and ruin the lives of everyone close to the addict. It is because Laffey and his team are constantly trying to interrupt the transactions, that the community is not run down any further.

Instead of confronting their problems, people choose narcotics to escape reality and finding content in what they consume. In today’s society, if reality won’t suffice, anyone can just find a new

With the 1950s coming to a close we see a transition and change in how addiction and treatments are seen. Drug culture had been hidden away from view during the 1950s, and only once again came into the view of the American people with the rise of the left counterculture which would seek out new experiences through the use of substances such as marijuana and LSD. Fortunately various doctors and psychologist had been honing their skills and learning new techniques for treatments. Great strides had been taken in reducing the number of addicts and treating those who are addicted through the use of treatments, such as medication and counseling, therapy and detox both at home and in state run institutions.

More than 50,000 deaths in America each year are caused by drug overdoses. Americans for years have abused drugs despite the fact that they are illegal to sell and use in the United States. In Shakespeare 's time as well as present day many illegal substances have circulated throughout history and are able to affect and alter personalities and decisions made by those in society. Notwithstanding the fact that these substances and drugs are illegal those who feel that there is no other way to go about a problem or their life will do what it takes to obtain these substances that they believe will cure their problems without thinking about the consequences. Through the use of these illegal substances, one can become irrational and ignorant

Much like today 's war on drugs, the uprise of drug users in the seventies sparked much controversy in both normal American lives as well as those of the celebrity status. Countless studies of the time analyze class, age, gender, location and many other factors to try to determine a trend in drug abusers. In one article, two spectrums of drug abusers were identified. One spectrum was of young heroin users who have shown to statistically engage in illegal endeavors while the other spectrum is that of middle-aged southern whites (Ball, 1965). Drug addiction has also coincided with changes in society; at this time technology had recently

Adam’s biggest struggle, without a doubt, in his whole lifetime was his addiction. It all started when he reconnected with a girl named Cindy that he had known in high school at a party. Adam was attending college but then he decided he needed a break. After Adam made the decision to quit school “he began to party away his paychecks from All Service Electric and was soon learning the ropes of the drug world in and around Hot Springs with Cindy as his partner and guide” (Blehm 44). Blehm states that “at first Adam stuck to marijuana and alcohol, but then Cindy introduced him to crystal meth, followed by her drug of choice, crack cocaine.”

In Clockers by Richard Price there is a dominant theme of addiction and violence. Everyone in this novel seems to be addicted to drugs, even though Strike doesn’t consume the drugs he himself is addicted to the money he makes off them. It is the drugs that seem to keep the majority of the characters going. Everyone in Dempsey seems to have some sort of connection to drugs. The novel describes a lot of this drug culture in a way which you see how uniquely drugs pertain to a majority of the characters. Drug culture can be seen in even the people of the projects are addicted. [Without the addicts and dealers that they compare themselves, they would be forced to admit they were just as “bricked up with pain” as those they condemn. They need the

Drugs have been influencing the ideas, culture, and music of America for ages. Illicit narcotics have left the Union in a state of immense debt. Anti-drug policies have been dumping billions upon billions of dollars in prevention, punishment, and rehabilitation. From the roaring twenties, to the prohibition, drugs have always been fought (Bailey). Most times, the drugs start off as medicines and end up being harmful (Morris). Perhaps, the most prominent and influential eras of drug use in America are the two decades of the 60’s and twenty years later, the 80’s. It may very well be that these two decades molded America into what it is now.

Within “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” Raoul Duke and “Easy Riders” Wyatt and Bill take drugs frequently to escape from reality. Where they want to escape from what is seen as be socially accepted by society, and the picture of the American Dream. By taking on the road in order to achieve freedom and make their own version American Dream which is different from the pre-war era, through the use of drugs. That the American values disposes those who use drugs through shunning them from society, as they do not follow what is expected of them. Such as having a stable job, a house within the suburbs, and a perfect

In recent years across the United States and in many other nations as well, drug policy and the rationale behind these policies have started to undergo a tremendous shift. This change in public policy is visible to most through the ongoing legislation across America regarding the legalization of medical marijuana in 23 states, and recreational cannabis use becoming legal in 4 states as well (Hanson, 2015). This shift in public policy marks a significant turning point in the view of drugs and drug culture in the United States and reflects increased public knowledge of the less than desirable affects of the “drug war” mentality.