Randy Ribays Patron Saints Of Nothing Stereotypes

Drug addiction affects millions worldwide, and the harmful stereotypes associated with it have always existed. In Randy Ribays Patron Saints of Nothing, we explore stigmas associated with drug usage, revealing the poverty which leads to addiction and selling, resulting in harmful stereotypes challenged by the experiences and beliefs of Jun. It’s seen that because of the issues in the Philippines around poverty, drugs provide a way for some to deal with pain and hunger. The drug war in the Philippines has killed thousands suspected of drug usage to make the country a "safer" place. Drug addicts fit harmful stereotypes surrounding drugs and get murdered because of it. Throughout this novel, these stigmas and stereotypes are broken through the

It's seen how people struggling with poverty often turn to drugs to deal with hunger. This is clear when Tito Danilo explains Jun's situation to Jay, “‘It is cheaper than food, so many of the poor start for this reason, and then they become addicted. As for why he started selling? Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe to make money to keep feeding his addiction’” (Ribay, 281). Therefore, Jun turned to drugs because of the lack of money, leading to addiction, which caused him to start selling drugs to feed his drug addiction. This happened to most people who got killed. When they have no choice but to turn to drugs to relieve their hunger, they become addicted. Their addiction leads them to start selling. Additionally, drugs are an affordable way to suppress hunger when there is a lack of money. This is shown when Jay and Grace were talking to Tito Danilo: “‘Shabu is a hunger suppressant. You see, it is cheaper than food’” (281). The reason most people get addicted to drugs is that it is a cheaper alternative to food. Therefore, since hunger suppressant drugs cost less than food, people are more likely to resort to drugs. When people become addicted to drugs, they try to find ways to keep feeding their addiction, resulting in people to start

This is reflected when Jay was talking to Tito Danilo about the drug war: “‘And everyone here is okay with the fact there are people running around and killing whoever they want? Without a warrant, without due process?’ ‘If they are pushing drugs, then yes’” (283). This shows that when a person involved with drugs is killed, people don’t care about who was killed or who was the killer and whether they had permission to kill. The death of that person only means another drug addict is gone. Many people view drug users as bad or broken people and believe that killing them is the best choice for their country. Furthermore, people feel safer in their country when drug users are murdered because of the stigmas associated with it. The effect of these stereotypes is seen when Tito Danilo explains how drug users are viewed by the public: “‘He was paid’ Tito Danilo says, ‘For making the city ‘safer’. In most people’s eyes, Jun’s death meant one less drug pusher on the streets’” (283). This shows how drug users are viewed as dangerous making it okay to kill them to make the country safer when most people who get murdered are only suspected of using drugs. Vigilantes get paid to kill people claiming they were drug pushers with no proof of it, which is what happened to Jun, he is murdered by a vigilante who got paid and no one questioned it because Jun is labeled as a drug pusher. Many