Mexicans Disgusted By El Chapo and Sean Penn Saga
Mexicans believe the hunt for the notorious drug lord was deliberately used to distract the media from local issues
Mexican authorities celebrated the recapture of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who now faces extradition to the U.S. But the Mexican public wasn’t impressed, criticizing Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s government over the whole El Chapo saga.
Twitter users in Mexico accused authorities of using the much-publicized chase, not to mention the bizarre Sean Penn interview, to distract the media from social and economic ills plaguing their country. One meme popular in Mexico depicts Guzman as a Pokemon and Nieto as Ash—the main character in the Japanese franchise who keeps Pokemons as his pets—to accuse authorities of using El Chapo for their benefit, Vocativ discovered.
Se filtran imágenes de la misión en la cual el Presidente Enrique Peña Nieto recapturó al Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán pic.twitter.com/t1BTv4wE3x
— Consejero Unico (@ConsejeroUnico) January 8, 2016
Translation: Leaked images from the mission in which President Peña Nieto recaptured the Joaquin El Chapo Guzman
Renewed focus on Guzman, who escaped from prison for not the first but a second time in July, surged over the weekend with news about his Friday arrest and his interview with Penn, who secretly met the drug kingpin following a long and bizarre journey to the Mexican jungle in October.
For global audiences, especially in the United States, Guzman’s interview with Penn turned the story of his capture into yet another celebrity scandal. A Vocativ analysis of over 500,000 tweets since Saturday night showed that “Sean Penn” was mentioned far more often than the drug lord himself, highlighting the robust buzz over the pair’s secret meeting.
But in Mexico, Twitter users took the opportunity to slam their leaders.
La verdad detrás de la captura de"El Chapo" es que EPN necesitaba crear un hecho noticioso para distraer a México ante su desastre económico
— Alexander Riera (@alexanderriera) January 9, 2016
Translation: The truth behind El Chapo’s capture is that EPN needed to create a newsy event to distract Mexico from its economic disaster.
Así las cosas en México!! #Chapo y Sean Penn TIRAN TEATRO A EPN @jenarovillamil @Jan_Herzog @VER2414 @DuelesMexico pic.twitter.com/DnKrOaRFAP
— Violet (@ncv_Violeta) January 10, 2016
Translation: That’s how things are in Mexico” #Chapo and Sean Penn DOING THEATER FOR EPN (Peña Nieto). Cartoon translation: “Third Call.” Chapo to the stage! Or the whole country will fall (from me)!
De los creadores de Túnel de Salida y Cero y van Tres… El nuevo film de Sean Penn: Yo Encontré al Chapo Primero pic.twitter.com/ZGrfXfMZRZ
— Sr. Gonzalez (@diabloglez) January 10, 2016
Translation: From the creators of The Escape Tunnel Zero and There’s Three Already… The new film by Sean Penn: I Found El Chapo First. Image translation: Coming soon to theaters
https://twitter.com/MikeElChingon/status/685556859265101824
-Sr Presidente, el dólar está en más de diecioch… -¡ATRAPÉ AL CHAPO! -Pero el dólar… -¡MISIÓN CUMPLIDA PUTOS! -La devalua… -¡EL CHAPO!
— Jabón (@jabonisimo) January 9, 2016
Translation: –Mr. President, the dollar is above eightee…
–Capture El Chapo!
–But the dollar…
–Mission accomplished bitches!
–The devalua…(devaluation)
–El Chapo!