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posted by martyb on Sunday April 23 2017, @03:01PM   Printer-friendly
from the older-and-less-gullible dept.

AlterNet reports

Twenty years ago [1997-04-21], one of the most memorable ads of all time was launched, when Rachael Leigh Cook and her frying pan starting smashing up eggs in her infamous "This is Your Brain on Drugs" ad.

Today, Rachael Leigh Cook, her frying pan, and eggs are back but this time in a new ad that slams the drug war and its racist enforcement.

The new video, made by Green Point Creative, opens with Cook and her frying pan. She holds up a white egg and explains that it represents one of the millions of Americans who uses drugs but never gets arrested. She then picks up a brown egg and says, "This American is several times more likely to be charged with a drug crime." [Screenshot]

The animated ad, narrated by Cook, then shows what happens to the brown egg that is arrested and funneled through the criminal justice system. The ad highlights a range of harmful collateral consequences that result from drug arrest, including the loss of student financial aid, hindered job prospects and broken up families. The add[sic] contrasts the white egg's family that was never arrested, despite also using drugs.

The ad ends with Cook looking into the camera, holding her pan and [...] a smashed egg, and saying, "The war on drugs is ruining peoples' lives. It fuels mass incarceration, it targets people of color in greater numbers than their white counter parts. It cripples communities, it costs billions, and it doesn't work. Any questions?"


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Monday April 24 2017, @01:49AM (4 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday April 24 2017, @01:49AM (#498613) Journal

    The prison industry. I'm not the only person who has pointed out, and bitched, about the incarceration of human beings for profit. The system is inherently wrong, and to make things worse, it is biased against black people. In effect, we have a modified slavery system, in which very rich white folk can continue to profit at the expense of mostly young black males.

    While America beats it's chest, and tells the world that we are the best country on earth, blah blah blah, we have more prisoners than any other nation on earth.

    This page shows incarceration rates, by state, in the US, as well as by country - https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/2016.html [prisonpolicy.org] Our best state, Mass, is only better than 8 other countries. Most of our states are worse than ANY other country in the world, and the US is the worst of all countries. The most backward, oppressive nation in the world has better incarceration rates than either the US government, as well as better than 33 of our individual states and/or the District of Columbia.

    Think about those numbers for a moment. Out of every 100,000 people who live in D.C, 1196 are imprisoned. That means that about 12 out of every 1000 little school children has a future that leads to prison.

    Which is easier to believe: That we are the worst people in the world, or that our "justice" system is the worst in the world?

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  • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday April 24 2017, @08:19AM

    by kaszz (4211) on Monday April 24 2017, @08:19AM (#498705) Journal

    It's probably a "sponsored" justice system perhaps soon followed by a private police [soylentnews.org] system where the Chinese model of you're accused equals guilty. Add some Canadian blasphemy [wikipedia.org] law and those cupola inspired moon choped in half may get their chop-chop practice legally.

    The private prison roots are slightly interesting. Jack C. Massey with a degree in pharmacy got rich with founding Hospital Corporation of America in 1968. He invested together with Vanderbilt University and the Tennessee Valley Authority in Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) in the 1980s. CCA was founded in 1983 by Thomas W. Beasley a military and Juris Doctor together with Robert Crants a military and MBA which met each other as roommates in the military. The modern era of private prison started in 1984. The mix of pharmacy, military, juris and business spheres can make for an interesting mix. But seems the home for these kind of enterprises is in the military and political spheres. Something that can become a solid positive feedback system with less then pretty effects given sufficient time.

    Seems as long as you have the money to sponsor a few high position politicians you have more or less free rein. Systematic surveillance compromise comes with a military connection.

  • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Tuesday April 25 2017, @01:55AM (1 child)

    by hemocyanin (186) on Tuesday April 25 2017, @01:55AM (#499120) Journal

    very rich white folk can continue to profit at the expense of mostly young black males.

    Under the 13th Amendment, the enslavement of prisoners is legal. So indeed, you are correct there.

    Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

    Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.[1]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution [wikipedia.org]

    • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Tuesday April 25 2017, @09:47AM

      by kaszz (4211) on Tuesday April 25 2017, @09:47AM (#499208) Journal

      Abolished as official practice, reintroduced as allowed as punishment. Only to combine it with customized law application. Success..

  • (Score: 2) by Kromagv0 on Tuesday April 25 2017, @01:55PM

    by Kromagv0 (1825) on Tuesday April 25 2017, @01:55PM (#499293) Homepage

    Out of every 100,000 people who live in D.C, 1196 are imprisoned.

    That seems like a reasonable number for D.C, but the problem is that it is the wrong 1196.

    --
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