Drug trafficker songs in Mexico kids' book
Mark Stevenson
Associated Press
Feb. 27, 2005 12:00 AM
MEXICO CITY - Mexico's school libraries are stocking a book that includes the lyrics of "narcocorridos," folk songs that glorify drug traffickers, causing a storm of criticism in a country where the drug market and its violence have become part of life in thousands of communities.
Opposition activists are incensed that the administration of President Vicente Fox, which has declared a "war on all fronts" against drug gangs, allowed tens of thousands of copies of the book 100 Corridos: The Heart of Mexican Song to slip into grade-school libraries.
The book, printed by a private publishing company but bought in bulk by the government, contains lyrics for songs like The Red Car Gang, which describes Mexican cocaine smugglers shooting it out with Texas Rangers.
Some education officials tried to depict the scandal as an example of overly zealous censorship of a song genre that for centuries has celebrated outlaws and the common man. They noted one of the best-known and oldest corridos, La Cucaracha, also contains references to drugs.
Associated Press
Feb. 27, 2005 12:00 AM
MEXICO CITY - Mexico's school libraries are stocking a book that includes the lyrics of "narcocorridos," folk songs that glorify drug traffickers, causing a storm of criticism in a country where the drug market and its violence have become part of life in thousands of communities.
Opposition activists are incensed that the administration of President Vicente Fox, which has declared a "war on all fronts" against drug gangs, allowed tens of thousands of copies of the book 100 Corridos: The Heart of Mexican Song to slip into grade-school libraries.
The book, printed by a private publishing company but bought in bulk by the government, contains lyrics for songs like The Red Car Gang, which describes Mexican cocaine smugglers shooting it out with Texas Rangers.
Some education officials tried to depict the scandal as an example of overly zealous censorship of a song genre that for centuries has celebrated outlaws and the common man. They noted one of the best-known and oldest corridos, La Cucaracha, also contains references to drugs.
posted by Loretta Nall at
2:28 AM
1 Comments:
This article was very interesting and it brought to mind a very common American teenage "song making" activity: The parody.
If the Mexican children are singing folk songs about rich and glamorous drug runners then I am sure our teenagers will soon be creatively changing our "National Anthem" to reflect our own "Drug War" culture.
I'm no Weird Al Yancovich, (nor am I a teenager) but I did get as far as the Title, the Songwriter and two end of stanza lines:
The "Blood Spattered Banner" by
Frances "Caught with Kilos"
...Oh! say, does the "blood spattered" banner yet wave
O'er the land of "the pee" and the home of "the slave"?...
The Star Spangled Banner is about a battle anyway and reading over Frances Scott Key's words, it could almost be a "drug war" battle in its original form!
I am sure our D.A.R.E. educated and fully drug tested teenagers would have no trouble coming up with the rest of the words for a parody of this nature.
Zen
http://profiles.yahoo.com/zen4usa
zen4usa@yahoo.com
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Anonymous, at 3:34 AM
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