Most recent public comments by Ryan Kahn https://nowcomment.com/users/2431 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505947 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505947 For the most part, I think it fair in assuming that we have all been raised to not see "color." From the day I was born my parents instilled in me that race was a thing of the past (admittadly made easier by the fact that my parents were different races). This color blindess is what makes changing a instution that controlls by race so difficult. It means that we have to basically reteach the way we apporach life racially, because honestly it doesnt exists. As the WIre shows us, when we dont, we impliciently segregate members of society to a perpetual cycle of the "game" with little hop of escaping. This happens regardless if I treat every minority person I meet with respect and sincerity. Individual respect is not the same and institutional respect. Just because individuals might not see race as frequently, does not meen society does as well. We must realize that the goals of our institutions often dont align with what we think our culture represents. Its a hard notion to swallow, but its necessary. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 23:39:11 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505930 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505930 In regards to your question Caroline, i think Alexander gives a good indication. Media tends to fall pray to culture wide trends in choosing to report on. Those trends largly are determined by large organizations or institutions. When it comes to civil rights, these are largely the big institutional civil rights groups like the NAACP for example. Alexander correctly asserts that these large organization have placed the criminal justice system as just another institution with lingering racial bias, instead of the mode of social control that it is. Think of the civil rights movement, which garned large support from organized groups of activists, only then did media really highlight the movement. Because the true nature of the ciminal justice system is being hidden from the view of the institutional civi rights goups, they dont address it, and therefore the media doesnt recognize it as a trend worthy enough to prop up. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 21:38:33 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505923 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505923 I aggree completly with Sam's comments regarding a perpetual cycle of incarceration. At this point it simply is nieve to believe that these statistics for incarceration can be honestly bennefiting a supposedly developed country. In regards to fixing it, there are many issues to address: re-writing sentencing laws, reforming policing tactics, halting prison expansion etc... As ardious a task as these fixes will be, one far more difficult task must be completed first. We as a culture, country, society, must admit publically (by that I mean hihgly elected officals i.e. president, congress) that the structure we built was not for the good of all but for the good of a specific group of people. This is the key realiation that we as americans must have, we used laws to oppress certain groups. This becomes difficult, because we like to believe that we have surpassed to eras of legal descrimination and social stratification. Going back on this view implicitly means that we have regressed as a collective whole and that progress socially speaking is largely a figmint of our imagination. In order to address the issue of our legal systems inadequacies, we must first say not "Make America Great Again" but instead that we must make america great for all for the first time. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 21:26:07 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505918 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505918 Alexander is making a very important point here in articulating how despite similar chrime rates our incarceration rate is far above similar nations. It is effectively a chioce made by institutions to implement a specifc kind of social control. In essence, they reflect much wider cultural ideals over who should be where in social stratification. With this in mind, it can't be avoided in thinking that policies like the drug war which increased sentencing arbitraily were done with prior intention to subdue minorities. In a nation that prides itself on social mobility, we are essentially taking away rungs to the latter to social mobility. We are handicapping the American Dream. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 21:16:26 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=484034 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=484034 I think this is an increadibly important point. Here Andersons explains that the people affected by violence are not only the victims but the perpetrators themselves. In the Wire, we see this somewhat with many characters. For instance, when first involved in actual Violence, Wallace is haunted by eaten up by it. His depression over the matter drives him away from the game and unfortunatly in a way gets him killed. It just shows that the cycle of violence breeds victims on both sides, both who is hurt and who does the hurting. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 07:50:42 -0600 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=484032 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=484032 I completely agree with Grayson. Within the poverty of West Baltimore, there is still another unique socio-economic structure. We see various players move in and out and up and down in this structure. For instance, Marlo who has steadily risen to the top of this structure in comparrison to Bubbles who remains persistantly in the bottom of this social pyramid. In a way it is much like the greater socioeconomic structure of the entire country, with the same difficulty of moving up the ladder that poor people have within that strucuture, just on a miniture scale. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 07:46:25 -0600 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=484028 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=484028 This paragraphs reminds me perfectly of the cycle we see in the wire regarding police enforcement of drug dealing. When watching the wire, the police in general have very little genuine care in the street level dealers and brining them to justice or even helping them out of the game. It seams like there is a relative hopelesness that they look at the kids with, as if they are already gone and there is nothing to do. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 07:37:55 -0600 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=483722 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=483722 This paragraph basically explains the premise of the Wire in greater terms. Although in modern society we tend to call to individual responsibility when it comes to overcoming poverty, that simply isnt a reality any longer. The widespread economic upheavel of deindustrialization has left a swath of urban unskilled populations with no way to earn descent wages. This combined with newfound apathry from the individual responisibility viewpoint essentially creates a self perpetuating system of poverty that is inescapable. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 00:01:08 -0600 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=482846 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=482846 I agree with Shanelle. The global aspect of terrorism especially when we consider to new context of a "globalized world" has let it trump all other forms of social violence and issues. It is my belief that the media is at the heart of this view, simply because they show what worries the majority of Americans. Most americans watching the media dont worry about innercity crime and gang violence, becasue relistically it wont ever affect them. But a random terror activity like 9/11 could theoritically strike anywhere especially in areas that designated important to America. Coincidentally these happen to be in nicer neighborhoods and areas. At a certain point, it simply comes down to emphasizing what will sell better. Tue, 01 Mar 2016 20:03:37 -0600 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=482828 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=482828 I do agree with the previous to comments, in that Leap's experience in her Greek "gang" is different than that of traditional gangs in terms of view of violence. However, the aspect having a choice in joining a gang remains the same in my view. Because your life in every way is so emmerced in this small sect of poeple, it becomes second nature to assume the personality/projection of that group whether that be of Greek's just sticking together, or becoming part of the neighborhood gang and commiting sometimes aweful acts of violence. Tue, 01 Mar 2016 12:36:42 -0600 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=482822 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=482822 Leap brings up an intersting point, that she honestly doesnt know what is scarier, that fact that gang violence is so rampant but also that the police have basically been reduced to demonizing every minority adolesent around huge swaths of population as basically expendable. We see this in the Wire as well, where cops and people in the drug game as well have accepted that murder will happen and the only police response can be to think everyone is a killer, and death is just going to happen. THis can be so dangerous because essentially it leaves a perpetual cycle of violence where violent gangs are perpetuated to more violence by law enforcement that not only doesnt really care about who is dying but also treats those near to these tragedies as animals and not deserving of their intervention. Sun, 03 Apr 2016 15:16:03 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=482820 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=482820 In class today we talked about how Anderson in his reading brings up the point that what is considered "descent" can often be drawn from what someone looks like. Professor Williams explained how children dressing a certain way or acting like the typical "gang member" automatically assigns them to being indescent or of street culture even if they do it just to earn respect or even ensure personal safety when having no real connections to "the game." This statement only further confirms those ideas. Leap explains that associations with gangs are a permant state. If you are or even more importantly thought to be part of a gang, you have lost a sort of innosance in the eyes of society permanantly. There is no going back. If we are judging certain individuals to be of the street culture just by how they look and dress, then we are condemming them to a permanant state of being associated negatively in the view of wider society. There is regaining ones reputation and Leap shows by her description of ex-gang member Khalid. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 18:21:25 -0600 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452670 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452670 As Bowen explains, it is quite clear that Simon holds that much of modern reporting has been dumbed down to simple prize or profit chasing, and sometimes both. It is my belief that he envokes such an opinion as the central theme of the Wire over all the seasons. This is that critical institutions (in his personal life this was the press), have forsaken the people they cover, in exchange for personal achievement or security. Gone are the days when people cared about what they owed to public. Whether it be the police, politicians, and even the drug game itself, this theme is present. All of the above groups are filled with people who take the easiest way out to ensure self preservation often at the expense of the people they were intrusted to preserve, whether that be citizens or the drug "family." It is yet another example of Simon's personal experience bleading into the nonfiction portrayal of urban America, that while maybe not from the exact same context, serves to further the shows dynamic reality Tue, 02 Feb 2016 12:40:30 -0600 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452663 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452663 Bowden mentions again and again how state and local political systems as wells as the Fourth Esate (Baltimore Sun), tenitively or not, have given free reign for Simon to embrace his vision throughout their respective institutions. I find this a very curious phenomena, as so often now in media portrayals of "real world" institutions, whether that be political systems, companies, and even individuals, extremely reluctant to let there acutal likeness be used if it is to be in a non possitive light. As the Wire clearly delves into dark and depressing issues within such institutions (i.e. police and political buerocracy), I am very surprised to hear that he was so welcomed to film and use their likeness as he pleases. To both these institutions and his credit, such reality in the fliming of the show really helps to create the feeling that what is happening on screen is real. That what is happening in Baltimore is not an inditement on a single city, but more of a societal problem that has failed to be addressed for decades Tue, 02 Feb 2016 12:26:36 -0600 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452637 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452637 As Margaret just allueded to, the wire uses fiction in a way that in many ways illuminates truth better than true facts ever could. As Bowden explains, in the real world, truth often riddled with everchanging factual and nonfactual events that draw attention away from real institutional issues in society. By fictionalizing such a realistic plotline, Simon avoids these destractions that traditional media much allude to as part of their precieved professional duties. By doing so, Simon essentially clear away the "clutter." This is probably the most important part of his writing style, as it allows the role of social, political, and economic institions on all walks of life to be exposed in depth, without the fear of being sidetracked by events that either distract or in somecases provided arbitrary contrarian arguments to such institutional breakdowns. Tue, 02 Feb 2016 12:18:24 -0600 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452636 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452636 Again as noted above, I too have noticed the lack or complete absence of "good" people on the show. I believe the reason for such a portrayal lies in Simon's desire to depict the truth behind the show, which he achieves through utter bleakness throughout the show. In so much modern media projects, we almost expect to see good people triumph eventually, in some way or another. Here is seems that in an effort to shed the "scripted" nature of preceding crime dramatizations, he ommits these persons to force to audience to realize the difference between this and something like "CSI". The utter lack a traditional goody goody protagonist, forces the audiences to realize that this show isnt a commercial cash cow, but instead something else. Some far more sinister but also more real. Wed, 03 Feb 2016 16:21:58 -0600