Summary: “The House I Live In” The war on drugs: fact or fiction? Well, it depends on how you look at it. According to the film “The House I Live In,” directed by Eugene Jarecki, the war on drugs is an exaggerated scare tactic that has historically failed to target the drug problem in the United States on an equal population basis. Obvious imbalances in drug statistics and misunderstandings become evident throughout the film as we delve into the backstories of people whose lives have been affected by drugs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In this film, Jarecki finds inspiration from his childhood educator, Nannie Jeter, to examine America's history of drug use and illegalization. He gained this desire for knowledge by asking Nannie Jeter what she believes caused her family's difficulties and discovering that her answer is drugs. Through a series of interviews with professionals and citizens across the United States, Jarecki uncovers an ugly history of hidden, discriminatory drug policies aimed at targeting specific racial and ethnic groups. Implements the use of statistics in addition to the use of personal memory to show the stark inequivalence between the percentage of people who use drugs (people from all walks of life) and people who are incarcerated (often the poor and ethnic minorities). Because it draws information from a wide range of sources and mediums and depicts a lack of bias. If he had only interviewed a select group of particular people, the impact of his documentary might have been less, reaching and affecting only a select few. However, he chose to present his position which could successfully attract a large audience. Nannie Jeter's family's life was made difficult not only by drugs, but also by the racist intentions behind them. Although drug abuse in the United States is still a widespread problem, declaring drug use a war has created a negative association: Racial and ethnic groups suffer attacks based on the false presumption that they are the primary drug users. Jarecki's documentary forces the people of the United States of America to look through the shadows to see what the war on drugs is really about.