Cartel Land

 

1. Being in Mexico the drug world is not foreign or is it not common for people to work in the drug industry to help support their families. Very rare do people want to stand up to these powerful cartels due to the power that they have. As sad and scary as it might seem, if the cartels see someone trying to stand up and stop their ways of doing things, it usually does not end well for the ones rebelling. Jose Manuel Mireles a very known doctor in Michoacán, Mexico. He was not making money a doctor should make, but he was not like a common Mexican home, where they live pay check to pay check and money is always a struggle. A scene that moved me was the scene where Jose Mireles took up the challenge to give up his career of being a doctor to rebel against the cartels that would taking over his hometown, sometimes killing innocent bystanders from crossfires against rival cartels, and Jose had enough! This scene made me feel curious because Jose had the money to move somewhere else, somewhere safer but yet he stayed to fight, but what made him stay? This scene made me think what I would do if I were in his position, would I stay and fight or would I go.

2. My parents being from Mexico always mentioned the dangers of the cartels and how they operate. I never knew that the cartel issue was really that bad until I saw this documentary and what had to be done to make a small dent in this cartel situation. What took me off guard was the amount of people who would actually volunteer to rebel against these powerful cartels. The amount of people who were willing to put them selves through the suffering the fear of maybe not surviving a full day. It completely caught me off guard because I don't think I would sacrifice myself for a cause that will never stop. The cartel and drug world is a never ending cause that will always continue.

3. There are a few questions I still have about this film such as, why would some of the people who were rebelling against the cartels, soon joined them. What caused those people to change that drastically, was it the fear of not being able to beat them so they join them. The feelings that I had watching this film was a very emotional but also very angry. An emotional feeling was formed for the many families who suffered a loss of someone trying to rebel against the cartels. Not only were they trying to save a problem that will only get worse, but they were standing up to people who are very dangerous. I was angry because of the people who switched sides knew how the rebellion people worked and how they operated which gave them a up hand. No feelings like this have ever been felt, and I don't think they will ever be felt unless someone who is close to me switches up to someone I dislike.

4. Doing research on this topic might affect the way we think about this topic. My thought has already been formed but by reading research on this topic I believe my thought could be swayed. Not only will my mind and thought will be changed but they next time I watch this film it will be through a different thought process. The ones who will read the summary will also read a summary with research, altering the story.