Most recent public comments by Margaret Clark https://nowcomment.com/users/2308 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505867 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505867 I definitely agree with you that once people leave the incarceration system they're less likely to get well paying jobs so they are more likely to result to illegal activities to support themselves. But going back to the structural debate, I wonder if it also has something to do with the fact that once they're out of jail but they have a record, the next time they are even suspected of something illegal they are more likely to be assumed guilty because of their past record. Tue, 05 Apr 2016 00:52:17 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505865 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505865 Carolyn raises a really interesting question here. Do politicians look at these numbers? I feel like largely because of the media there is such an intense focus on justice, fighting crime, locking up the people who deserve it etc., that a lot of times the conversations stop after those criminals are put away. Very little is discussed about the lives of criminals, how many criminals are locked up, how many people are locked up that shouldn't be and so on. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 20:40:26 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505863 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505863 This section echoes something that we discussed in class last week - that the general, frequently white, population believes that the reason there are inequalities between blacks and whites or other races is because of cultural differences, because they handicap themselves etc. But what this reading is pointing out is that it's really structural differences that people are unable to see that really jeopardize the chances of people who have been consistently discriminated against because of indirect laws in place. Tue, 05 Apr 2016 09:43:58 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505860 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505860 I found this section intriguing because I think a lot of people live in a mindset that race doesn't exist, that we have achieved a level of racial equality in the United States that allows us to think past race. But what this article and many others have shown us is that even though the historical racist laws and behaviors have changed, we still function within a world that uses systematic tools to make racist decisions. As she says here, "a human rights nightmare is occurring on our watch" and it is completely ignorant to think that we have achieved a level of equality and peace. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 19:08:33 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=495384 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=495384 Throughout this essay there are mentionings and hints at sexual aggression. Whether it is the tension between her and Khalid, or this hovering mentioned here, or her comments about gang rapes. However, they are never fully developed. Why? Is it because it is common with the territory or is it because she doesn't want to explore it? I ask these questions because these narratives are also left out of The Wire almost consistently. Sat, 12 Mar 2016 19:12:30 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=495383 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=495383 I don't know why, but this section of the essay kind of bothered me. I think because even though we see that a white lady not uniformed can have feelings and be touched by this young boy's murder, it doesn't really matter. Her having this emotional response isn't going to do anything or change the stakes on the streets and the lives of the boys who will fall after him. So, while I respect her sharing her personal reaction to this, because I am sure I would have felt the same, her position in this situation is still hopeless. Sat, 12 Mar 2016 19:09:45 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=495382 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=495382 I agree that characters such as the older women have such a strong connection to the streets. In a couple of readings this semester, writers have mentioned how old women - grandmothers, mothers, etc. play a crucial role in the lives of street kids, but we see very little of this in The Wire. This section of this essay also reminded me of "Gang Leader for a Day" because of his developed relationship with the older woman/landlord. It seems like characters and narratives like this have been almost eliminated from the stories The Wire tells. Sat, 12 Mar 2016 19:07:07 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=495381 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=495381 This sentence made me think of the scene in which Freamon tells McNulty that drugs have been around before them and they will be around after they're done. But this time we see it from a different perspective - a perspective that does not care as much about the drug work because they see it as hopeless. I agree that I can see where he is coming from, but it's a much different take on things than someone like McNulty has. I agree with the comments below that a lot of this may be political. Sat, 12 Mar 2016 19:04:14 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=483436 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=483436 I'm choosing to make this comment here, but it could be applied to many parts throughout this chapter. The largest message I got from reading this is that escaping an environment is very challenging, and children suffer the greatest consequences of their environments. They're sick, they don't have enough parental supervision or the means to escape. Even though Lisette makes it out and has a relatively normal life in the end, she is still a product of her environment, as evidenced by her tragic family story. In a lot of ways, these people's lives are hopeless. And that's why The Wire is so important here, because it justifies the character's poor decisions because it knows that it's their best chance at survival. Thu, 03 Mar 2016 09:55:07 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=483429 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=483429 I definitely agree with this point and there are two examples of this in The Wire. On one hand, you have the kid who works deals on the street even though he is only about 5 and ends up killing Omar in the end. He is one extreme of awareness of what is happening. On the other hand, we have Bug. He goes to school, he presents himself nicely, he plays harmless games and does his homework, but he definitely knows that his brother is involved, particularly when Duke turns into his nanny and Michael is less and less present. Tue, 01 Mar 2016 16:29:29 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=483425 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=483425 I think of Michael too, not only in the way he tried to escape Cutty's well-intentioned attempts at helping him, but also in the way he interacted with Marlo's boys. He won't accept help from anyone, even the big important guys. He won't take their money and he wants to do everything for himself; he doesn't hardly speak when they speak with him. This obviously translates to Cutty as well. Michael has a strong wall of self-defense as described here with Eric. Tue, 01 Mar 2016 16:27:18 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=483423 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=483423 I thought this section was really interesting, particularly in the context of season 4 of The Wire. When Naymond decides to "leave" the street world and live with Bunny and his wife, we never really see the reaction of his peers. Michael becomes a corner boy and Randy moves back to a group home but Naymond gets out. His mother sees this as a failure for him to live up to his father's greatness, etc. so we see how she feels like he is traitorous to the lifestyle, but it was hard to see how the other kids felt about him escaping because it was eliminated from the narrative. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 12:19:57 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482689 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482689 In reading this paragraph, I definitely see and believe the presence of a sexual game in connection to the drug game, but it is really left out of The Wire. Yes, the guys have girlfriends who they buy things for, drive around with, etc., and yes, D and some other guys hang out at strip clubs and his girlfriend has a baby, but this is never the focus of the show. There is never any negative opinions towards this behavior, in my opinion. It's a reality they never touch upon, and there is never any addressing sexual violence or sexual behavior at a frighteningly young age. If it happens, it's treated as normal. Maybe that's the point? Tue, 01 Mar 2016 13:12:04 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482688 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482688 I definitely agree that Naymond's mother does not seem to be struggling nearly as much as some of the other family's in the show, but I do feel like in social ways she still benefits. Without Wee-Bey around, she could potentially be in more danger. I think she encourages Naymond to work with Bodie so their reputation and thus their lives are protected and looked out for in their community. Financially, Wee-Bey seems to be taking care of her and Naymond, since she buys him nice school clothes even though she threatens not to, but I think the social status is incredibly important to her peace of mind. Tue, 01 Mar 2016 10:17:58 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482686 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482686 It's interesting to see the conflict you all are discussing play out in the dynamic between Naymond and Michael. Michael seems to take in the conventions of the Game and their community and mold to it, but Naymond is the one who doesn't fit in and it thus at odds with it. But at the same time, from the perspective of mainstream society, Naymond can be seen as the one who is more conventional, and Michael as the one who threatens the convention. This goes back to the Wilson reading when we discussed how the rules of one world don't apply to the rules of another. Tue, 01 Mar 2016 10:15:05 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482684 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482684 This section immediately made me think of the scene in season 5 when Omar is walking down the street and the little boys part the seas when he gets close to them. There is also a scene in earlier seasons when they are impersonating him, playing his game. Clearly the younger generations admire the people in the game. And even when Avon was in jail people still admired him, his peers too. There is an established power play, but particularly for the young boys who idolize these older players and aspire to be like them one day. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 12:28:32 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452806 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452806 In response to Mary Winston, I think that there is indeed an inherent entertainment aspect for shows on a television medium, but I think that in many ways this can make the content more easily to digest for viewers. In this case, it serves Simon well because what he is writing is based very closely on real life. He automatically gets the audience interest because of the medium of HBO, but then turns the tables by basing the show almost entirely on real life. Sometimes I feel like television as entertainment can be dangerous because it harms the ignorant viewer who can read reality from pure fiction, but in this case, it serves the ignorant viewer because this is a realistic depiction, and it also serves the informed viewer because they know this reality and appreciate the accuracy. Wed, 03 Feb 2016 12:08:15 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452799 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452799 I have talked about this briefly above, but one of the most important part of this show's success is the fact that it doesn't criticize the "bad guys." This was especially clear when we compared clips from The Wire and The Shield in class last week. This show does an amazing job of justifying everything bad that all of the characters do. And after watching, you understand that it shouldn't necessarily be looked upon as "bad." Bodie and Poot kill Wallace because they have loyalty to the system and have ambition to succeed in that world -- they constantly want to prove themselves. I think this may be why I find characters like Omar so intriguing. He may be one of the most likable characters on the show because we see why he does the things he does - we see his heart break, so we don't see him as heartless and evil as many Hollywood films and other crime shows do to their criminals. Wed, 03 Feb 2016 09:11:43 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452786 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452786 I agree with Catherine on this point, and it reminds me of what we discussed on the first day of class. When we watched the very first clip of the season, we talked about the importance of the line, "It's America man." And this line of this article highlights that again because it notes the parallels between the working worlds -- one of them legal and one of them not. It reminds us that despite the fact that the drug dealers are breaking laws and murdering people, they function within power dynamics that are universal across all walks of life. I think this may be why I find some of the gang characters so relatable because the show does such an important point to humanize them. Tue, 02 Feb 2016 19:05:30 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452780 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452780 This comment stuck out to me because it emphasizes how accurate this show is. I know in class we had discussed how sociologists felt like The Wire was a more accurate representation of urban life than some of the writings they had done themselves and I feel like this is a testament to that. If gangs are watching this show to learn from it, they must see themselves in these characters, or their issues in the show's issues. If authentic gangsters are validating the writing of the show, I feel like David Simon can feel like he has succeeded. Wed, 03 Feb 2016 01:39:09 -0500