A revolution begins in various ways and for various reasons. There are leaders, culprits, and many painful stories behind every revolution. On the surface, the stories are always different, but the catalyst is always the same: a group of people, tired of oppression, who have been so tormented by their oppressor that they are willing to risk their lives and the lives of their loved ones in order to restore normalcy-whatever normalcy to them may be. 

 

During last year's revolution known as "Arab Spring"; Tunisians, Egyptians, Libyans, and Syrians rose against their respective governments in overwhelming numbers to claim democracy. All of those nations-with the exception of Syria who is still engaged in a bloody battle to overthrow its leader, Bashar al-Assad, successfully overthrew their leaders and are currently transitioning into a democracy. 

 

Although pundits disagree on just how successful Arab Spring has been and what will happen next, the effort and unity of the people is something worth commending. In a place much closer to home, Mexico is experiencing a different type of crisis in which all the pieces are set for a revolution. 

 

The presidential inauguration of Felipe Calderon in 2006 was a turning point unlike any other Mexico has seen in the last 100 years. Calderon immediately declared a war on drug cartels and triggered an onslaught from powerful cartels from all over the country. 

 

Since Calderon's declaration in 2006, there have been over 50,000 deaths attributed to drug-related violence. The Citizen Council for Public Safety and Criminal justice said Mexico had five of the world's ten most dangerous cities in 2011-among them, Acapulco, a world-renowned resort town.

 

However, these deaths haven't come in the form of the Wild West-style shootouts romanticized in dime novels or Tom Nix movies; they've come in some of the most disturbing ways possible. Dismembered and tortured bodies are a common sight on any given city center in the middle of the day. Even resort towns that attract international tourism, such as Acapulco, see the occasional bag with severed human heads on the side of a busy road. Given the gruesome nature of these executions and the high percentage of Mexicans exposed to them, there are few who take to the streets to protest for better protection from the violence. 

 

Even with the aforementioned exposure to violence Mexicans experience, they're not all on the same page. Narco corridos the ranchera-style ballads that glamourize the cartels, their lifestyle, and often elaborate on their crimes in descriptive, unapologetic fashion, have gripped Mexico and even Mexican-Americans here in Los Angeles.

 

Big-time drug lords sometimes ask narco corrido singers to write and perform songs to cement their legacy in the Mexican cartel underworld. The narco corrido following is not a small, cult-like following or a niche interest for Mexicans, it is very much a part of the fabric in current Mexican society. Some of these singers have won Grammy awards! Imagine if famous American singers wrote songs about the Ku Klux Klan's exploits in the 1920s. 

 

This music is played loudly at Mexican family parties and people dance to it-yet there's never a logical answer as to why. Many people compare it to the gangster rap that had its heyday here in Los Angeles in the late 80s to late 90s, but it's very different. First, unlike gangster rap, narco corridos are present in nearly every facet of Mexican society.

 

Besides, gangster rap was never woven into mainstream American society. Second, there seems to be no public outcry against this type of music, maybe for fear of retaliation from the cartels. Most importantly, there is no comparison between the United States' gang problem and Mexico's drug problem. The terror caused by cartels is light years ahead of anything seen in East L.A.

 

The prevalence of narco corridos in Mexican society raises the question: Compared to other oppressed nations such as the ones in the middle-east, how badly do Mexicans really want change if they're not willing to sacrifice a song? 

The Mexican government's banning of narco corridos has done nothing to hurt the popularity of this genre. As a society, Mexico's reluctance to knock narco corridos from their pedestal is recklessly hypocritical. The violence will continue to increase on a yearly basis and thousands of innocent lives will be lost. 

 

Mexicans here in Los Angeles and in Mexico will complain about the violence and blame the corrupt government. They are partially right, but they will not take a look in the mirror, for they've decided they will continue dancing to the beat of hypocrisy.