Sociological Imagination
Drug cartels and drug trafficking don't necessarily have a time period because they both existed before 2006 but didn’t start getting out of control until 2006. The time period would basically be like now. At that time you can say people who belonged to the narco society valued riches, power, and luxuries. The people who weren’t part of the narco society or culture valued safety, peace, and justice. A value is something that means a lot to someone or something that holds a lot of meaning to someone because of its worth. It is something that they treasure very much and find very useful to them. Some of the things that the narcos valued were money, power, and honesty.
Based on those values the narco society had certain norms that were accepted by everyone in that society. Norms are something that is usual behavior in a society or to a certain group or culture of people. Norms are also supposed to be accepted by their specific culture. The norms for the narco society in 2006 and to this day have been to kill, torture, and kidnap people. Another norm for the narco society is to stay loyal to your leader and be ruthless. Some of the norms for the people who didn’t belong to the narco society were the complete opposite of the narco’s norms. For example it was a norm not to kill, torture, or kidnap people for revenge. Three norm violations that are associated with my issue are the selling of narcotics, the killing and torturing of people, and exploiting people. Something that can help determine if you have violated some of the norms for their society are sanctions. Sanctions can either be negative or positive forms of approval or disapproval for breaking a norm or following the norm. There two different types of sanctions, formal and informal. Informal sanctions are sanctions like judgmental looks or frowns or something that is verbally or physically done to you. Formal sanctions are like getting arrested, killed, handcuffed and stuff along those lines. Two informal sanctions for my issue are getting judged for what the narcos do and having people not wanting to be near the narcos in any way. Two formal sanctions associated with my issue are getting caught and arrested or getting killed.
Informal sanctions are intended to make the narcos feel bad in way. Like if they aren’t liked in that society. Formal sanctions are intended to keep the narcos and future narcos from doing that type of activity that they are known for. All types of sanctions are either meant to show you that you’re doing something good and you should keep up the good work or to let you know that you are doing something that everyone is against.
Conflict is when there isn’t stability within the society and everything and everyone seem to clash with one another. This theoretical perspective connects with my fire project issue because the whole drug war is all one huge conflict between the cartels. The different cartels could be identified as the “groups in competition”. The groups in competition would be: El Cartel de Sinaloa, El Cartel de Guadalajara, El Cartel de Tijuana, El Cartel de Juarez, Los Caballeros Templarios, La Familia Michoacana, Los Zetas, El Cartel Del Golfo, and many more. Those are the groups in competition because they are all competing against each other to see who can get the most territory, who can be the most powerful, who can be the richest, who can have the most allies, who are the most notorious, and who sells the most drugs in Mexico and the US. The cartels started all because of competition.
All competing groups are trying to preserve the same things, being known as the most powerful among all of Mexico and having control over a lot of territory. In Michoacan to assure themselves of obtaining power the cartels are taxing families for every kid they have, every car they own, the amount of land they live on, the amount of cows they have. They are also taxing butchers and vendors selling on the streets. The cartels tax the butchers about 15 pesos for every pound of meat they sell and same thing for the vendors. In that situation the group that is in “power” are Los Caballeros Templarios and they are constraining the indigenous people and people living in Michoacan.
This theoretical perspective is the best lens to apply to my issue because we need to be able to see that the conflict between the cartels is also causing conflict to the world and the surrounding people. It is also the best lens to apply to my issue because the whole drug war is a huge conflict so that makes it easier to view my issue through the conflict lens. I also believe that it was the best lens to apply to my issue because drug cartels and drug trafficking are all revolved around this big conflict of whose cartel is better, more powerful, and who owns more territory.
Based on those values the narco society had certain norms that were accepted by everyone in that society. Norms are something that is usual behavior in a society or to a certain group or culture of people. Norms are also supposed to be accepted by their specific culture. The norms for the narco society in 2006 and to this day have been to kill, torture, and kidnap people. Another norm for the narco society is to stay loyal to your leader and be ruthless. Some of the norms for the people who didn’t belong to the narco society were the complete opposite of the narco’s norms. For example it was a norm not to kill, torture, or kidnap people for revenge. Three norm violations that are associated with my issue are the selling of narcotics, the killing and torturing of people, and exploiting people. Something that can help determine if you have violated some of the norms for their society are sanctions. Sanctions can either be negative or positive forms of approval or disapproval for breaking a norm or following the norm. There two different types of sanctions, formal and informal. Informal sanctions are sanctions like judgmental looks or frowns or something that is verbally or physically done to you. Formal sanctions are like getting arrested, killed, handcuffed and stuff along those lines. Two informal sanctions for my issue are getting judged for what the narcos do and having people not wanting to be near the narcos in any way. Two formal sanctions associated with my issue are getting caught and arrested or getting killed.
Informal sanctions are intended to make the narcos feel bad in way. Like if they aren’t liked in that society. Formal sanctions are intended to keep the narcos and future narcos from doing that type of activity that they are known for. All types of sanctions are either meant to show you that you’re doing something good and you should keep up the good work or to let you know that you are doing something that everyone is against.
Conflict is when there isn’t stability within the society and everything and everyone seem to clash with one another. This theoretical perspective connects with my fire project issue because the whole drug war is all one huge conflict between the cartels. The different cartels could be identified as the “groups in competition”. The groups in competition would be: El Cartel de Sinaloa, El Cartel de Guadalajara, El Cartel de Tijuana, El Cartel de Juarez, Los Caballeros Templarios, La Familia Michoacana, Los Zetas, El Cartel Del Golfo, and many more. Those are the groups in competition because they are all competing against each other to see who can get the most territory, who can be the most powerful, who can be the richest, who can have the most allies, who are the most notorious, and who sells the most drugs in Mexico and the US. The cartels started all because of competition.
All competing groups are trying to preserve the same things, being known as the most powerful among all of Mexico and having control over a lot of territory. In Michoacan to assure themselves of obtaining power the cartels are taxing families for every kid they have, every car they own, the amount of land they live on, the amount of cows they have. They are also taxing butchers and vendors selling on the streets. The cartels tax the butchers about 15 pesos for every pound of meat they sell and same thing for the vendors. In that situation the group that is in “power” are Los Caballeros Templarios and they are constraining the indigenous people and people living in Michoacan.
This theoretical perspective is the best lens to apply to my issue because we need to be able to see that the conflict between the cartels is also causing conflict to the world and the surrounding people. It is also the best lens to apply to my issue because the whole drug war is a huge conflict so that makes it easier to view my issue through the conflict lens. I also believe that it was the best lens to apply to my issue because drug cartels and drug trafficking are all revolved around this big conflict of whose cartel is better, more powerful, and who owns more territory.