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Is Musician El Pity Responsible for Argentina's Drug Problem?

Author: JasonLancaster
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Cristian "el Pity" lvarez is the leader of the Argentine rock band Intoxicados, and he has been the focus of controversy surrounding Argentina's rising drug problem. El Pity's lifestyle, his music, his addiction, and the powerful influence he has on the lives of the young people that follow him have made him an icon for drug use. El Pity, who has been personally struggling with drug abuse for a long time, always asks his audience not to follow in his footsteps, expressly saying that he does not think it is ok for anyone to do drugs. But to many, El Pity's words don't match his actions.

Over the last decade, the number of Argentines taking drugs like marijuana and "paco" (Argentine slang for freebase cocaine), have increased dramatically. Many blame this rise in drug use on popular culture -- specifically, the music of Intoxicados. They argue that the rise in drug use is partially caused by music that glorifies drugs. Musicians, like El Pity, supposedly glorify drug use with their music and behavior, and they are idolized and emulated. These critics might be right -- El Pity's band name "Intoxicados" is Argentine slang for getting high.

There can be no doubt that El Pity is a powerful influence on Argentina's young people. Anywhere you travel in Argentina, you're sure to hear a song by El Pity's Intoxicados playing as someone's ringtone. El Pity isn't just a one-hit wonder -- he's been popular for many years. You can often find the logo of El Pity's old band, Viejas Locas, spray-painted onto walls and buildings all over Argentina. You can hear his music played in popular bars and nightclubs. Walking the streets of Buenos Aires, you'll see people wearing Intoxicados or Viejas Locas shirts. El Pity is commonly featured in popular newspapers and TV shows. He's a media favorite. With El Pity's popularity and high profile, it's easy to believe El Pity is a major influence on young people.

Unfortunately for El Pity, drug abuse is a part of his life. He's had a well-publicized arrest for possession, and there's popular footage of an obviously high El Pity bragging about the amount of drugs in his pocket as he's being interviewed. El Pity often speaks out against drug abuse, and he's often quoted at concerts as saying "lets hope none of you will ever be addicted to something." El Pity works to stop drug abuse by recording anti-drug messages and public service announcements. While El Pity has a drug problem, and he struggles with abuse publicly. But do his actions glorify drug use, or is he a role model against drug use?

In an internet interview, Pity said he did not encourage, and that he did not want, young people to emulate him. But can his message really be that clear? Teens seem to ignore his messages discouraging drug use -- they consume more and more drugs every year. Unfortunately, it seems that many young people don't understand the seriousness of drug addiction. While El Pity achieves international fame and success as a drug abusing music star, teens all over Argentina become addicted to all manner of drugs. Schools don't teach about drugs and drug addiction, and it seems that parents and other family members are ignorant of the drug problem, or they tend to avoid the topic. When teens do find out about drug addiction, it is usually too late.

Drugs shouldn't be popular, but it seems that most teens view drug use as popular behavior. Many young people enjoy listening to songs that glorify drug use -- and most of these songs are by El Pity and Intoxicados. While El Pity's doesn't personally encourage drug abuse, his songs are definitely viewed as pro-drug use. It's certainly not clear that El Pity's music has caused Argentina's drug problem, but it is evident that his music is popular with drug abusers. The association of a popular musician with drug abuse, combined with parent's lack of awareness and poor educational efforts, has created a situation that does little to discourage teen drug use.

El Pity was once quoted as saying that he wanted to be the "last intoxicado" -- the last person to be high on drugs. Unfortunately, his efforts to publicize his own drug abuse have served to glorify drug use. You could say that he's more likely the first Intoxicado, because his influence has helped to create an entire generation of "intoxicados".

About the Author

Author: Jason Lancaster is a student of Argentine affairs and has a tonos site featuring tonos para moviles. You can learn more about Argentina on Wikipedia.