White Women, U.S. Popular Culture, and Narratives of Addiction

Abstract

The United States war on drugs has, for decades now, systematically targeted communities of color. This sustained attack on people of color is accomplished through the use of whiteness. Recently, mainstream news media and elected officials have called for a "gentler war on drugs" to address the opioid epidemic. While some may see this as a welcome change, we take a more critical view. Specifically, we examine the role of White women in two popular television series that feature narratives of addiction as a gendered instance of "white drug exceptionalism." To do this, we conducted a systematic analysis of a narrative television show, Law & Order, and a reality-based show, Intervention, using nine seasons over the same time period (2000-2010). In the procedural drama Law & Order, White women were featured prominently as part of the carceral state, both as police detectives and as prosecutors. Occasionally, White women are portrayed as victims of drug culture. On the rehabinspired Intervention, the majority of all characters are White, and the audience is invited to view drug use and recovery through a white lens that tells a particular kind of story about addiction. Both the carceral model promoted by Law & Order and the therapeutic model valorized by Intervention rely on particular notions of White womanhood mapped onto neoliberal regimes of citizenship that not only compel us all toward "health" and "sobriety" but also warp our collective imagination, so that we only see some drug users as worthy of a gentleness and compassion.

“A Life Lived”: Collective Memory and White Racial Framing in Digital Opioid Overdose Obituaries

“…A Chicago Daily Herald article warns, “Suburban teens who fall into the trap of heroin use often drive to West Side…to buy the drug” (Netherland & Hansen, 2016, p. 677). White, middle-class women who have used or sold drugs are viewed in media and by state actors as deserving “gentleness and compassion,” in need of “protection by and from the state” (Daniels et al, 2018, p. 339). This reinforces “White womanhood as innocent and virtuous” (Daniels et al, 2018, p. 339).…”

“…It appears that obituary coverage fits a trend in contemporary opioid reporting that, as Jessie Daniels and colleagues (Daniels et al, 2018, p. 330) put it, relies on “the discursive disappearance of Black and Brown drug users, which [is] replaced with a concern for White, middle-class users.” In what ways is whiteness, addiction, and opioid crisis framed in digital opioid overdose obituaries? I conducted a qualitative content analysis of 533 digitized obituaries in the U.S. that were retrieved from memorial websites Legacy.com and ObitTree.com (Altheide & Schneider, 2013).…”

Where the Fault Lies: Representations of Addiction in Audience Reactions to Media Coverage of the Opioid Epidemic

“…Societal Attitudes Toward Drug Addiction and Media Coverage of Drug Epidemics U.S. attitudes toward drug addiction have historically been dominated by themes of fear, morality, and criminalization (Cohen, 1972). As early as the late 19th century, drug users were framed as dangerous and blamed for a wide array of social problems, for which punishment was often presented as the most appropriate and effective policy solution (Daniels et al, 2018;Reinarman, 1994). The anti-opium den ordinance, enacted by San Francisco in 1875, marked the first of what became an increasingly punitive series of U.S. drug policies in response to drug scares.…”

“…Portrayals of addiction are often framed in terms of race and gender, with addictions in predominantly white and suburban communities frequently described as surprising and challenging the stereotype of what addiction is (Daniels et al, 2018;Netherland & Hansen, 2016). Further, badness is more likely to be invoked among racial minorities compared to white users, who are more often portrayed as sick and in need of care (Daniels et al, 2018;Tiger, 2013a). In response to this shift, the criminal justice system has instituted gentler drug policies, including drug courts and diversion programs, which are viewed as more forgiving of persons diagnosed with addiction than the severe punishments handed down in past decades such as imprisonment (Seelye, 2015;Tiger, 2013b).…”

“…Mainstream representations of opioid addiction have also shifted alongside changing user demographics (McLean, 2017). Portrayals of addiction are often framed in terms of race and gender, with addictions in predominantly white and suburban communities frequently described as surprising and challenging the stereotype of what addiction is (Daniels et al, 2018; Netherland & Hansen, 2016). Further, badness is more likely to be invoked among racial minorities compared to white users, who are more often portrayed as sick and in need of care (Daniels et al, 2018; Tiger, 2013a).…”