Musician El Pity Profits From Argentina's Drug Problem

More and more of Argentina's young people are becoming addicted to drugs, and many feel that musician Cristian "el Pity" lvarez, leader of Argentine rock band Intoxicados, is the source of the problem. His lifestyle, his music, his well-publicized drug use, and his iconic influence have placed El Pity at the forefront of drug culture. El Pity has been personally struggling with drug abuse for a long time, and he always tells his fans not to make the same mistakes. El Pity has always said that he does not think it is ok for anyone to do drugs. But to many people El Pity's warnings against drug use don't match his actions.

In the past few years, the amount of adolescents and young children in Argentina who take drugs like marijuana and "paco" (Argentine slang for freebase cocaine) has substantially increased. Many people believe that this dramatic rise in drug abuse is related to popular music that young people listen to. Musicians like El Pity are idolized, and their drug use is emulated. El Pity and his band Intoxicado seem to glorify drug use - in fact, the band's name is slang for getting high.

There is no doubt that El Pity and his band Intoxicados are very popular in Argentina. Anywhere you go in Argentina, you're sure to hear one of his songs playing as someone's ringtone. El Pity's notoriety has been growing for a long time -- you'll find the logo for El Pity's previous band, Viejas Locas, spray painted onto nearly all the walls in Argentina. In bars and nightclubs, you'll hear his songs. When you're out in public, you'll see several people wearing Intoxicados or Viejas Locas shirts. Popular media features El Pity a lot too -- newspapers always have some sort of article about him, and segments about him in the news and talk shows plague the television. El Pity's popularity is so rampant that it's hard to imagine he's not a major influence on young people.

Drugs are a part of life for El Pity, and a major part of his musical image. A few months ago, El Pity was arrested for possession of marijuana. All the television coverage of the arrest showed footage of a stoned Pity, bragging that he had a bunch of drugs in his pocket. There was also footage of El Pity in concert at Mar del Plata saying "lets hope none of you will ever be addicted to something." El Pity frequently visits talk shows speaking out against drugs, and he's recorded a variety of anti-drug messages. Clearly, El Pity has a drug problem. But does he glorify drug use or discourage it?

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.

Drug abuse should never be popular or glorious, but it seems that many young Argentines see drugs as just that. Songs that glorify drug use are popular with these youngsters, and most of the songs they like are by El Pity and Intoxicados. El Pity's never personally encouraged drug abuse, but his songs are definitely viewed as drug anthems. While it's less than clear that El Pity's music has helped to cause Argentina's drug use problem, it is clear his music is popular with drug abusers. When you combine many parent's lack of awareness, poor anti-drug educational efforts, and the power of a major music star's drug use, it's easy to see how young people can fall under the spell of drugs.

El Pity was quoted once as saying that he wished to be the last person to be high on drugs -- the "last intoxicado." Unfortunately, El Pity's drug abuse has been glorified. His influence may result in an entire generation becoming "intoxicado".