The Aggressive Drug Dealer: Difference between revisions

[[The Aggressive Drug Dealer]] is out there trying to ''force'' your kids into doing drugs. He won't take no for an answer, and will seek out and use intimidation just to coerce his target. So a type of training is required to [[Catch Phrase|"Just Say No."]]

 

 

Granted, legitimate businesses ''do'' give out free samples all the time, but the drug "samples" would have to be enough to actually get someone high, and the lady at the supermarket handing out free morsels of some new cookie isn't risking 25 years for doing so. It is theoretically possible that the Aggressive Drug Dealer would be pressing drugs on kids so that when they are addicted they will then have to get the money (whether stealing it from their parents, selling their belongings, etc.) to buy drugs. But again, this would be high risk for minimum gain. It's easier to find people already willing to buy drugs and sell to them at a low-to-moderate price to get them hooked on one particular reliable dealer.

 

 

Modern anti-drug PSAs have been taking a different approach in the last few years, by encouraging children to be "above the influence" in all respects toward peer pressure, not just in regard to doing drugs[[hottip:*: Given the producers of [[Dungeons and Dragons (Animation)|Dungeons and Dragons]]' experience, this would probably [[The Complainer Is Always Wrong|have been rejected as "anti-social"]] by the [[Moral Guardians]] of [[The Eighties]], and also showing that if your friends go get high after school, you don't have to go with them, and [[Sarcasm Mode|shockingly]], they'll just agree to see you tomorrow instead.

That said, this trope ''can'', in fact, be [[Truth in Television]], as some of the examples below show. Go figure.

 

 

== Advertising ==

 

* Subverted in a few years old public service announcement. The aggressive drug dealer turns out to be a trusted adult who was role playing with the kid.

* How about this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSIZQRi4M6c "Snake" PSA] from 1986/87? The aggressive (and not particularly subtle) drug dealer's transformation to a literal snake was definitely scary.

** This is a variation seen in other [[Exploitation Film|exploitation flicks]] of [[The Seventies|the 1970's]], in which someone, not always a drug dealer, actually ''captures a woman and gives her heroin while she's unconscious'' in a deliberate bid to get her addicted. Not only does this happen in ''[[Foxy Brown]]'', but also in ''[[Thriller a Cruel Picture]]'' and ''[[The Sinful Dwarf (Film)|The Sinful Dwarf]]''.

* Jason makes up this story about Leo in ''[[Mystery Team]]''.

 

== Literature ==

 

* Mocked, as early as 1967, in ''[[From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler]]''. A small boy finds a chocolate bar on the ground and his twelve-year-old sister tells him that it was probably put there by a drug dealer and full of "dope" to get him hooked. Even allowing that it was a more innocent time, it was partly used to illustrate the character of the sister as someone less worldly-wise than she thought, and extremely prone to pointless worrying.

* In Hal Clement's novel ''Iceworld'', the protagonist is sent to infiltrate a criminal syndicate which has discovered a drug vapor that addicts those who inhale it with one dose. {{spoiler|The story takes place among aliens who live at very high temperatures, and the drug is tobacco, acquired via robot probe from a human who has no idea why the aliens are willing to trade gold for cigarettes.}}

* The ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'' [[Eighth Doctor Adventures]] novel ''The Eight Doctors'' has a [[Very Special Episode|Very Special Subplot]] involving one of these. Justified -- maybe -- by the fact that the drug dealer is a schoolkid whose classmate intends to tell on him, and he hopes that by forcing her to take crack, he'll get her addicted and she won't want to tell on him any more. However, the fact that a teacher claims that, "One single rock is cheap enough. Some dealers even give the first one away. It's a good way to make new customers, especially young ones," is about when you start to realize that you are reading a book propelled solely by [[Narm Charm]].

* In [[Glen Cook]]'s ''[[Garrett PI]]'' series, the crime syndicate has been known to use drug addiction as a method of recruiting and controlling underage prostitutes. [[Knight in Sour Armor|Garrett]] is not happy about this.

 

== Live Action TV ==

* In the "Blue Paradise" episode of ''[[The Flash (TV)|The Flash]]'' series, said drug's creator produced a huge batch with plans to release it in a cloud over the entire city. Somewhat justified in that this drug was explained to be EXTREMELY addictive. Plus, the drug's creator frequently used his own products.

* Spoofed in an episode of ''[[Friends]]''. Ross, after accidentally injuring a Girl Scout, attempts to make amends by selling cookies on her behalf. Monica resists buying any, having been addicted to them as a child, but Ross tries to persuade her by giving her the first box for free, claiming that "all the cool kids are eating them".

* Justified in ''[[The Wire]]'', when Police Captain Colvin cruises up to a corner crew of drug dealers, causing a dealer to mistake him for a hesitant customer. The shocked Colvin gives increasingly less subtle clues that he's a cop, but the dealer keeps trying to make a sale. Finally, when Colvin puts on his police cap, the kid [[Oh Crap|figures it out]] and scampers off. This trope was [[Truth in Television]] for Baltimore, at least, at the time. Dealers would scatter free heroin along the sidewalk to fish for new customers and keep junkies hooked.

* Wayne Brady is on on the ''[[Chappelles Show]]'' episode with him, with scenes right out of ''[[Training Day]]''. "This ain't no damn after-school special! SMOKE IT!"

 

== Video Games ==

** And spoofed roughly five times a year, when because it's "Halloween" and you knocked on his door looking for "sweet treats" he's giving out free "candy" (meaning "sugar" and "artificial flavors" to get you all "buzzed") all night! (They're Rock Pops, and perfectly fine for you if you don't follow up by drinking cola.)

* In ''[[Fallout 2]]'', Jet was specifically engineered to be extremely addictive (as well as produce a short high, so customers would need to buy more). However, the dealers aren't particularily pushy, since the client base in the three areas it can be found (New Reno, The Den and Redding) are well-established. However, if you take on the quest to solve the Jet-overdose murder of Chris Wright, his father will insist that the boy was forced to take the drug; he's vehemently anti-drugs, has made his stance clear to his whole family, and refuse to even consider the alternative of his son doing it voluntarily. It's never revealed how it played out, but since the Jet canister was intentionally poisoned to guarantee death, whoever provided it likely wouldn't have taken no for an answer.