An investigative look at America’s war on drugs and its impact on the criminal justice system. Director Eugene Jarecki was Bill Maher’s first guest on Real Time tonight with a message that’s been obscured for decades: The so-called War on Drugs is effectively a War on Minorities, and the causalities of that war are predominantly young Black men
The House I Live In won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance 2012, and will open in limited release on October 5, 2012.
, with a focus on the experiences of Nannie Jeter, a former employee of filmmaker Eugene ‘s family.
@ Antoinette
I will happily be condescending to you. You are wrong. You are the problem. Don’t push your morality onto other people. As a human being I have the right to ingest any substance that I so desire, so long as I don’t do harm to others.
Maybe you should read up on Prohibition? Turns out everyone doesn’t think like you and trying to force them to behave as you wish doesn’t work out so well.
If I choose to smoke rocks in my own home, it’s nobody business but mine. We already have laws against violent crime. America doesn’t need drug laws, we need treatment.
The billionaire with a coke habit isn’t in jail. I’d say that’s a fair measure of suffering.
You’re entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts. The Failed War on Drugs damages our country and wastes our money. It’s time to stop it.
“We don’t say no, we’re too busy saying ‘Yeah!'” NWA
Execute all the drug dealers? Should we start with all the pharmacists who have wrecked a million lives with Xanax refills?
@Matt&Ryan I agree with you both!
@Antoinette, a wise one would think that the fact that you’ve been living below the poverty line your whole life, including up until now, is even more so a reason of why you should want to watch this documentary. This film is not about the “war on drugs” nor is it a drug movie. I’ve seen this film and it talks about exactly how the system keeps people like yourself below the poverty and imprisoned.
I don’t know what your own goals in life are/were for yourself, but coming from a poor background, I’ve never met a clean and sober person such as yourself who has been content with living below the poverty line.
The same ignorance that allows you to say (even if in jest) that you’re going to go kick a drug addict is the same ignorance that allows so many people to get caught up in the system this film is talking about. Just because you’re drug free, please don’t think that you don’t fall into the statistics. One could argue that the drug dealers that you would have executed is actually doing more for the country than you are.I pray that you aren’t African American (I proudly am) because then you would really need to be slapped! But I digress….
“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.”
Yeah, I said maybe it’s true that you’ve lived in poverty. Maybe your making it all up. I have no way of knowing if you’re telling the truth or not. If you choose to base your argument on what is supposedly personal experience, than you should expect people to question how valid it is. In no way, am I trying to educate you, or make you see the error of your ways. You clearly have your mind set on how you see the issue. I’m giving my own view which is informed by both the news media and personal experience. If you choose to interpret that as being condescending than it seems to me that you have a pretty limited understanding of how a rational discussion works. You’re entitled to your opinion, just as I am entitled to tell you that you’re wrong. Well, I’m not sure of how I’m supposed to respond to you kicking a drug addict. All I can say is you must be a pretty sad individual if a post on the internet elicits that kind of response from you.
Again you’re making assumptions and clearly did not read properly.
Many people, both rich and poor have drug problems, but it is the poor ones with little education who suffer the most because of it.
Do you generalize for a living? You’re great at it. How do we know some billionaire isn’t suffering the most from drugs? Is there a suffering test?
I made no assumptions about your economic background.
I said you generalized about people from my economic background. Reading comprehension. And the fact that you were explaining to me about people who are poor and/or unemployed means that you assumed that I wasn’t or didn’t know anything about those types.
Maybe that’s true
Nice. I never even said I was successful you jerk. I said I’ve been below the poverty line my whole life. My whole life includes now. This is why I know you’re not paying attention. I admit to my faults. I’m not a liar. “My attitude” is not callous. I pay attention to life and I’ve formed my opinions based on it. I don’t read or watch things and then assume that that’s how it is. And I don’t go around schooling people who don’t have the same opinion that I do. But thank you very much for your crappy analysis. I needed someone to tell me who I am today.
Just for that I’m going to go kick a drug addict. There are plenty in my neighborhood to choose from.
But before you call someone out for opinions you don’t think they’re allowed to have, maybe you should check yourself first.
I’ll mention again: 80 million Americans smoke a joint and don’t have any problem at all. It’s just the poor guys who get caught selling a joint whose lives are destroyed by the “drug war.”
@ Antoinette
I made no assumptions about your economic background. You said “It’s not that difficult to not take them in the first place”, which implies that you yourself have not had any difficulties with drugs. Many people, both rich and poor have drug problems, but it is the poor ones with little education who suffer the most because of it. I’m not questioning what experience you have with being below the poverty line or unemployed. Maybe that’s true and you’ve pulled yourself up by your bootstraps out from poverty and lead an enriching life. If that’s the case, then good for you. But, your attitude in regard to those who might not be so successful seems pretty callous.
@Matt I’ve been below the poverty level my whole life and I’ve been unemployed plenty. I never drank a drop of alcohol and have never taken illegal drugs. I don’t even like taking medicine. Amazing how you could tell so much about me from the one sentence response I made and how you generalize about people from my economic background.
As I said “The House I Live In” is my second favorite Frank Sinatra song. I was lucky enough to hear him sing it at Radio City Music Hall when I was in college. If you know the lyrics it’s a patriot song about the melting pot that is America. I’m assuming this film is not going to be happy sunshine and using that title is probably meant to be ironic or sarcastic or some nonsense. The way they play a Johnny Mathis tune in a horror movie. So I have no use for a film such as this based on that, because it just pisses me off, and the fact that I’m already clear about my views on the subject. I’ve thought about it, watched plenty of docs in the past, I have people in my extended family who’ve gone to prison for being drug dealers and I did a dance that day. As far as I’m concerned drug dealers should be executed. Just so you understand my exact feelings on the subject.
But I guess I shouldn’t have used the words “drug movie” because it’s neither a movie or about drugs. I’ll try to remember not to do that.
@ Antoinette
I find it funny that you would think to label this as a “drug movie”. The trailer clearly shows that both drug use and the war on drugs are serious problems which effect everyone. I’m sure for you it’s not difficult at all to “Just Say No”, but for many people who deal with poverty or unemployment it’s not that simple.
I’m sure for you it’s not difficult at all to “Just Say No”, but for many people who deal with poverty or unemployment it’s not that simple.
Let’s not forget.: There are quite a few millions of Americans NOT in poverty or unemployed who enjoy a joint now and then. By and large it doesn’t land them in prison for 5 years. Not if they’re white.
It’s not about legalization. Let’s start with not ruining the lives of young black men because they’re caught with a couple of blunts.
Tens of millions of wealthy productive members of white society are free to catch a worry-free buzz because a million less fortunate black guys are in prison.
Americans of all races use drugs at roughly the same rate, but “in some states black men have been admitted to prisons on drug charges at the rate twenty to fifty times that of white men.”
I don’t think you have to be a fan of drugs to care about that.
Cannot wait to see this…
Looks great. I’m in.
They named a drug movie after my second favorite Frank Sinatra song? Pfft.
I didn’t watch that but Bill Maher has always been a fan of legalizing drugs so this is to be expected. I’m not a fan of that idea. It’s not that difficult to not take them in the first place. But don’t ask me. I’d bring Prohibition back lol.
After listening the discussion on Maher last night, I’m watching for this one.
Why is it that problems can’t be dealt with in a realistic manner? We always have to declare war on them and cause all kinds of damage to innocent people. War on drugs, war on terror… how about war on bombast?
Had my eye on this for a while. It looks good.
Those bloody Jareckis. They’ve yet to make a bad film among them.