Was Pablo Escobar Evil - Assignment Example

Pablo Escobar- A Fair Man Pablo Escobar, a man considered by some to be very evil but to others, a blessing. He was adrug lord that resided in Colombia in the early 1900’s. He made a living from the drug trade that was so rampant in the Colombian country such that at one point, he was considered the seventh richest man in the world. In many instances he defended his trade by saying “I’m a decent man who exports flowers” (Semana.com, p 42). This paper will review Pablo Escobar’s character, and the impact he had on the Colombian people. The paper will also look at the perception that people hold about him even to this day. The paper will aim to find out whether Pablo Escobar was indeed evil or not. In modern time, the things that Pablo Escobar did would brand him the name ‘robin hood’. The things he did for the community made him to be perceived in this way. He gave back to the poor and less fortunate. He built houses so that at least everyone could have a place to stay. He was responsible for sponsoring little league soccer teams, and even built stadiums for football (Mollison and Nelson, p. 28). So what he dealt in drugs? He helped many people find something to believe in unlike most meaningful organizations ever have, or ever will. There are white collar criminals who have pocketed more money by robbing the poor of all they had. Let people not pretend that they do not see some good that came out of something that people believe is wrong. There are those who have done far much worse. Cocaine and drug trafficking sky rocketed Pablo to fame and power. The son of a peasant farmer and a school teacher, Escobar did everything that a boy would do growing up. He was involved in mischief as he grew up surrounded by violence. He even became a teenage car thief at one point in his life (Mollison and Nelson, p. 37). At that time, nobody knew that he would be included in the list of the most affluent men in the world. Despite the negative light that Pablo Escobar is affiliated with, there is a part of him that many people never saw. He always strived to uplift the people that surrounded him. He strived to give back to the less fortunate, and the poor. To some, Pablo did what the Colombian government was not able to do, this was, to better the lives of the Colombian people. One might think that is the reason as to why they hated him so much. They hunted him down and branded him a criminal. There were people in the same Colombian government who would have been prosecuted for far much worse crimes. As his family history suggests, Pablo was one person who understood poverty. This is because he lived in poverty and he, therefore, understood what the poor must have been facing at the time. This led him to share his wealth and fortune with those in his community (Mollison and Nelson, p. 39). He built homes for those who did not have shelter, created jobs for those with none, and gave food to the poor. He accomplished the task of seeing his people happy by bettering, and improving their lives. The American and Colombian governments spend time trying to convince people of the ruthless nature of Pablo. What they do not seem to understand is that what he did for his people, was more than they could ever do for them. Claims will be made about the countless number of lives he took and how atrocious he was, but the fact of the matter is, his life made other people enjoy living. His never-ending generosity will always be remembered by those whose lives he touched. To some, especially the working class people, he was a hero. He was a respectable human being (Mollison and Nelson, p. 40), and always gave back to the community. It was in 1975 that Pablo developed his cocaine dynasty. He would even fly a plane to and from Colombia just to sneak cocaine into America. His nature of being good at public relations made Pablo a thorn in the authorities flesh, but the peoples love grew immensely, especially the poor. He made it his task to unite the Colombian people and bring goodwill among them. His generous contributions made him a fan favourite. He built schools, hospitals and churches for the people of his community. This increased his popularity among the Roman Catholic Church. This helped his image as the modern day robin hood to grow tremendously with his generous attitude (Mollison and Nelson, p. 46). The high population of his community helped and served Escobar as best as they could. They would serve as lookouts and spies for him. They became his informants and gave him information on what they heard about authorities, and his enemies, as well. Being a negotiator, it was often perceived that Escobar preferred to use money rather than the gun. It was believed that money generated more loyalty than fear (Mollison and Nelson, p, 48). This made his friends stick more close to him, and his enemies fear him. It was not necessary for Escobar to resort to the use of violence with such an assumption. At the peak of his power, other drug traffickers would give him their cocaine to ship away since he could do it safely, and successfully. They would then give him about 25% of what they got from their trade. This made him grow even more powerful. He used this excess fortune to ensure that the authorities were well bribed. Those who could not be bribed, he got them killed (Bowden, p. 26). He believed that everyone had a price. The important thing was to know what it was. Some of Escobar’s victims included people high up in the Colombian government. It was rumoured that he was responsible for the death of a presidential candidate. At some point in his life, he was accused of having organised the attack on the Supreme Court where a number of judges were killed. This ruthless streak that existed in him made him even more unpopular with the authorities. After that, he was accused of planting a bomb on a flight that managed to kill over a hundred people (Bowden, p. 30). The aim was to kill a presidential candidate. Unfortunately, the candidate was not on that plane. In line with the high profile assassinations, he became the number one target of the Colombian government. Negotiations for his surrender were started where he was promised leniency, and no extradition. He was afraid of being extradited to the United States. “I would rather be in a grave in Colombia, than a prison in the United States” (Semana.com, p. 42). This was one of his famous though lines in regard to either being tried in the United States or being killed in Colombia. After a long war with the police and all his enemies, the end finally caught up with Escobar. He was killed in the year 1993. By this time, most of his people were killed by vigilante groups that were baying for his blood. This was due to the trouble he had caused, and the people he had killed. The funding of these vigilante groups came from his enemies in the drug cartel industry that were present at the time. At the time of his death, he left a widow and two children (Bowden, p. 38). He loved his family and cared for their safety. “I can replace things, but I cannot replace my wife and kids” (Semana.com, p. 42). His property was given to the low income earning families. The law that enabled the government to give away his property was known as domain extinction. It is believed that when the authorities were about to capture him, he killed himself (Bowden, p. 44). His brother told of how Escobar would tell him how he would do it, "He committed suicide, he did not get killed….he would say to me every day that if he was cornered without a way out, he would shoot himself through the ears" (Semana.com, p. 42). After his death, the Robin Hood image that he had popularised lasted in hearts of the people of the community he resided in. Many, especially all those he helped lamented his passing. He was considered a hero amongst the people that were present at the time. The unknown number of people who were killed by Escobar does not change the way people perceive him (Bowden, p. 48). He still remains a legend, in the eyes of many that will always live on in their hearts. He sometimes considered himself God. This is because of the way he decided who was to live or die. “Sometimes I am God, if I say a man dies, he dies that same day” (Semana.com, p, 48). In conclusion, the change that Escobar brought to his people is what everybody needs. Even if, it means that criminal activities ensure that people get the help they need, then the end, justifies the means. This is probably the code Escobar lived by. He came from nothing to something and used all that he had to benefit all those that seemed less fortunate. Now that it has been years since Escobar died, has the situation in Colombia changed? Not many see it that way. Frankly, it is even worse than it was. Pablo Escobar was a fair and just man. Nobody deserves to die the way Pablo did (Bowden, p. 54). Nobody is the judge and jury to determine the way that a man lives. Everyone in this world is capable of an evil act. They probably could be more evil than Escobar, so it is not man’s right to play judge or jury. As children around the world grow, certain values are instilled. What would happen if no one was to guide them to be good people? What happens to them if their environment requires them to fend for themselves in whichever way necessary? The major thing to be learnt is that being true to oneself is paramount. This is so as to get what their hearts truly desire since nobody else will hand it to them. Works cited Bowden, M. Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World’s Greatest Outlaw. London: Sage, 2008. Print. Forero, J. “Son of Columbian Kingpin Tries to Atone.” Boston.com. Boston Globe, 20 Dec. 2009. Web 5 Mar. 2012. Mollison, J., and Nelson, R. The Memory of Pablo Escobar. New York: Bantam Books, 2007. Print. Noer, M. “Pablo Escobar’s Son: Forbes Is Lying.” New York: Forbes, 2011. Print. “Pablo Escobar Refuses To Go Away.” Semana.com, 3 Dec. 2008.Web. 5 March 2012. The Two Escobar’s. Dir. Jeff Zimbalist & Michael Zimbalist. ESPN Films. 2005. DVD. Wells, Miriam. “Medellin’s Pablo Escobar Tours Cause Discomfort with Authorities.” Colombia Reports 24 Dec. 2011: 1-3. Print. Read More