Most recent public comments by Maria Cosentino https://nowcomment.com/users/18843 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505895 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505895 This really is an insidious strategy. It's terrifying to think that a public official elected to the highest office our country offers could so easily treat the system like a game to be won with the wellbeing of the citizens at risk. It is a matter of privilege, like T'Keyah mentions, and it seems as if at that level, power is the only motivation, and officials are blind to the needs of their most suffering citizens. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 20:52:37 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505883 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505883 William Julius Wilson's work seems to be in direct conversation with these "two schools of thought." He addresses both the conservatives that blame everything on cultural issues in black communities and the liberals that harp on structural forces by settling in the middle ground. As academics and liberals, we (speaking generally about college students here) tend to side with LBJ and the liberals of his time who stressed social reform, but Wilson reminds us to keep the conservative ideas in mind as well, as neither structural nor cultural forces can work alone. They inform each other, flow through each other, keeping certain groups at bay while others flourish in the game. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 20:48:19 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505880 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505880 Agreed, T'keyah. This is a distinctly racial issue. There are really no two ways about it. It's such a problem that there is even bi-partisan agreement on criminal justice reform. It seems to be the one issue that everyone, most presidential candidates included, agrees needs to be addressed as the root of so many other problems plaguing the rest of the constituency, particularly disenfranchised African American men. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 20:33:56 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505878 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505878 Colorblindness, as it as come to be known in sociological terms, is a dangerous ideology that, while disallowing overt racism in legal and social contexts, actually allows for more undercover or less recognizable racism in other ways. By not "seeing color" and acknowledging individuals as such, "colorblind" people can ignore the institutional problems, such as with the criminal justice system that Alexander explains, that negatively affect certain groups, namely African Americans. We simply not live in a post-racial society where race doesn't matter in terms of access to housing, education, and employment. Race will continue to be a pressing issue until discrimination practices, such as labelling criminals, ends. Tue, 05 Apr 2016 00:37:33 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=486282 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=486282 The "rap," which is so common and probably even overstated in media depictions of "urban youth," surprisingly does not show up that often in The Wire. We see it between Bodie and Poot (and sometimes between the corner kids more uncomfortably) as a little comic relief, but it does not feature heavily in any of the characterizations of the players of the game. One would think that HBO, given their status as a premium cable channel, would push the creators to delve into this phenomenon a little deeper, but instead they save their gratuitous sex scenes for strips clubs and exploits of the detectives. Perhaps flipping the switch on this dynamic would have provided better insight into the minds of the real young men of the game. No teenage boy focuses solely on his "work." It is sort of tragic that we never see the more romantic side of someone like Bodie. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 15:53:44 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=486264 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=486264 We see a shimmering of this situation with D'Angelo's girlfriend Donette. While admittedly not a very complex character, Donette represents the treatment of women as accessories to the game. She is conveyed as impossibly young and caring for an infant in a very well stocked apartment. She entered the game with D'Angelo, probably as a high school or childhood girlfriend, and she remained in the game by striking up a relationship with Stringer, who took over as the man in her life providing her companionship and resources. She is never particularly stricken with grief over D's apparent suicide, perhaps living under the belief of "the role of fate in life" and that "God will find a way." Thu, 03 Mar 2016 09:41:51 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=486256 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=486256 This is where is becomes important for community members to step in as mentors. As long at the institutions that force young boys into game are at large, it will take a village to "save" a child. Cutty's work with the boys at the boxing club comes to mind as an example of an altruistic member of the community working to chip away at the cycle. Sun, 20 Mar 2016 21:05:16 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=486254 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=486254 So looking ahead to the notion of decent values versus street values, in the context of the socioeconomic reality of "deindustrialization and the growth of the global economy," and their effects on the job opportunities, or lack thereof, of the working class, individuals really have no choice but to abide by street values when the larger social and economic structures bear down on them rendering decent values untenable. Thu, 03 Mar 2016 09:38:00 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=486211 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=486211 Especially since over one hundred times more people have died by firearms than by terrorism since 9/11. http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/02/us/oregon-shooting-terrorism-gun-violence/ Wed, 02 Mar 2016 14:22:54 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=486202 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=486202 "Police labelling" is key. Sure, Leap's entire youthful existence occurred within a closed system with the sense of nurturing community that also exists within gangs, but the police certainly weren't bothering them. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 14:08:58 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=486177 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=486177 In the context of current events concerning police brutality, this is a prescient dig by Leap. If a decade ago, Leap was claiming that the police "demonized every adolescent in the vicinity," then clearly nothing has changed for the better in police-community relations. The lack of deescalation procedure training or implementation and the prevalence of officers acting out of fear or rage or both (like we saw with Prez on that fateful night) are issues that are contributing to the active destruction of the lives of minority children and young people. Sun, 03 Apr 2016 16:16:03 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=486077 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=486077 I agree with your assessment of McNulty's hierarchical status versus his enhanced knowledge. The connection to Khalid here, I believe, is that Khalid, in a sense, also represents a part of the law enforcement "street bureaucracy." While he is gang-affiliated, he is currently in the business of unity, smoothing things over, and keeping some non-violent peace. He certainly has a wealth of knowledge about what goes on in the gang world, and yet he garners no respect from the "real" law enforcement. Much like McNulty who feels he would have a lot to contribute if he just had the resources or the leeway, Leap seems to be expressing that Khalid could be of great service to the police, if they would simply give him the time of day. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 13:52:10 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=485984 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=485984 As we discussed in class, besides respect and other major street values, "Stop Snitchin'" is pretty much the street mantra. Even as the final member of what Leap presents as a foursome of children lies died in a pool of blood, the other three, whether they know anything or not (they probably do), "uniformly" deny any knowledge of the situation, as they are wont and socialized to do. Imagine living with the ideal that public employees meant to serve and protect cannot actually be trusted when confronted with the homicide of a comrade. These boys live in that reality where they are safer and better off keep their mouths shut to the authorities in order to maintain the code of the street and not stir up any more problems for themselves. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 13:40:44 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=485700 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=485700 The brazen old women and young men Leap describes here are quintessential Wire characters. From all the runners and moneymen to the old women who are staples in the community scenes, these archetypes are widely represented. Bodie and Poot, the corner kids, the old woman who witnessed the shooting of the civilian witness, and the old woman who refused to abandon her home in Hamsterdam are all characters made from these molds that convey the deepest connections to the streets, whether they are historical and physical connections through the women or "Game" connections through the young men. These two groups of very different people, in a sense, run the streets, and are therefore most comfortable "milling around." The old women know that they are generally safe from harm in their matriarchal civilian status, and the young men know that the threat of harm is simply part of the territory. Sat, 12 Mar 2016 19:07:07 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=485202 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=485202 Austin, I looked into this, couldn't find anything from Nightline, but found a 1986 documentary entitled DOWN AND OUT IN AMERICA about the effects of Reaganomics on poverty in American cities. One segment highlights The Martinique where the only footage came from hidden cameras because the documentarians were not allowed to enter the premises with cameras. There is an interview with a woman who lost her home in a fire and has been forced into the situation with her young pre-daycare aged son. She is a fully capable woman, admittedly someone who wants and loves to work and has work experience, but because of the unfortunate loss of her home, the complete lack of assistance from the government, and the age of her son, she is not yet able to go out for a job for fear of leaving her boy with people she cannot trust. Her options are so limited and not at all because of anything she's done wrong. Here's the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb29hNdvJLc Wed, 02 Mar 2016 12:31:12 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=485174 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=485174 As some of my colleagues have mentioned, the Martinique can be compared to Season 3's Hamsterdam. Colvin envisioned and implemented "a closed system," and at first, the place was a disaster. Addicts were getting sicker than before, dealers were still finding ways to rob and exploit each other, and fights broke out. It wasn't until social workers and the slight hand of certain officers entered the closed system that the experiment began to function as planned. Clearly, a more open system is necessary to actually serve and protect. Leaving the dealers and the addicts to fend for themselves within the confined space, much like leaving the homeless families and guards to have at each other in the hotel, is detrimental to the wellbeing of the constituents. A little help from the larger structures that be is needed to make these lives even incrementally better. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 12:17:17 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=484971 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=484971 Kozol's presentation here of theatergoers paying Broadway prices to watch children suffer is surely devastating and biting, but then what do we make of The Wire? HBO is a premium cable channel, a luxury that only the solidly middle to upper classes were enjoying at the time of the show's airing. It is a show that, while groundbreaking and eyeopening in so many ways, was made largely by and for white people of a certain socioeconomic class. So I have a hard time separating myself from the theatergoers and David Simon from the director of Les Mis at the time. We are all voyeurs. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 12:05:57 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=484960 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=484960 Wallace was really an important intersection of Anderson's "decent" and "street" values. He seemed to be fully cognizant of both sets of values, but the combination of his position in society and his responsible conscience never allowed him to fully embrace or engage either set of values. This is part of what makes his fate so tragic. He knows what he needs to do to succeed in both worlds, as a citizen or as a player, but he simply does not have the help to be either. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 11:51:02 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=453247 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=453247 Dominic West, too, is from England, and both he and Elba absolutely nail such specific American accents to a point that we forget where these actors are from and can focus on the depth they bring to their characters in other ways. It truly shows commitment to the craft and a successful attempt at authenticity. Wed, 03 Feb 2016 05:48:03 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=451927 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=451927 "Every journalist who is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice what is going on knows that what he does is morally indefensible. He is a kind of confidence man, preying on people's vanity, ignorance, or loneliness, gaining their trust and betraying them without remorse..." His subject being a bit of an egomaniac much like subjects before him Jeffrey MacDonald, Joe McGinness, and Jeffrey Masson (Malcolm), Bowden should have seen this coming! Mon, 01 Feb 2016 21:49:15 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=451911 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=451911 It sounds like Simon writes himself into the character of Jimmy McNulty. Particularly in season two, when Jimmy spends three hours calculating tide patterns so that the first Jane Doe falls under the City's jurisdiction, he shows his vindictive side ultimately dumping fourteen bodies on Rawls to show the ranking officer that he was "fucked up and wrong" for exiling him to the marine unit. He inserts himself into the case at every turn, reestablishing himself as the "center of the universe" in the homicide department. Tue, 02 Feb 2016 16:10:28 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=451894 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=451894 I do agree that fiction can be a vessel for the conveyance of larger truths, but has a show like The Wire made a difference? It has certainly opened a lot of eyes, but has it led to any social or political changes? I think the cycle of injustice that filters people of certain races and/or classes into the drug trade and subsequent incarceration is still very much at play. Thu, 04 Feb 2016 00:11:28 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=451880 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=451880 More than any piece of literary writing that immediately comes to mind, The Wire is certainly an artifact of Tom Wolfe's "New Journalism." Simon and Burns have taken real-life stories, situations, and even characters from Baltimore, all of which could have been and probably were reported by traditional journalists, and weaved together a literary narrative bringing to light the truth about the intersection of social structures and the criminal justice system. I think Wolfe would be pleased with the creators' use of literary devices - scene construction, dialogue, multiple points of view, and description of status-life symbols (Wiki). The show's storylines run like immersive (or saturation, per Wolfe's ideology) reporting, with the camera's eye operating like an intensely devoted and subversive journalist. Wed, 03 Feb 2016 11:23:00 -0500