Most recent public comments by Sean Gibbons https://nowcomment.com/users/49627 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1314255 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1314255 The idea that legal work eliminates leisure is a brutal truth about working in America. People who make an honest living often barely get by. On the other hand, if someone positions him/herself in the right way in the game there is hope for a lot more money then they'd earn "working legal." The incentives here are pretty clear and the decision for those driven by making money is simple: choose the game for a chance at wealth and leisure. That said, in The Wire the game often does people wrong in that they don't see much money. Bodie comes to mind. He was a diligent soldier and died without reaping any of the benefits he expected for his hard work. Still, Bodie was able to indulge in leisure. In season 3 he brings Cutty to a party where debauchery ensues. Had Bodie tried to make an honest living it's possible he would no longer have time for such leisures. Wed, 03 Apr 2019 20:37:35 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1314147 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1314147 I agree with you both in that drug dealers feel empowered because they have authority over lower ranking dealers. However, is there any empowerment in taking a perhaps less desirable job to get of the game and work a job that is legal? I think it's a hard sell, but Cutty comes to mind. When he can no longer be a soldier in the game because his conscious catches up with him he instead works to scrounge together enough money to open a boxing gym. Of course, the brutal irony of that whole situation is that Cutty had to go back to Avon to get the money he needed for equipment. What can be done in our society to ensure that people moving away from violence, drug culture, and the game are empowered elsewhere? Is that empowerment even possible without referring back to connections an individual had while in the game? Wed, 03 Apr 2019 18:43:04 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1314136 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1314136 I'm glad you highlighted this paragraph because I also find the compadrazgo system interesting and bizarre. It seems to me that it is a amoral form of expanding the network of people around you that you can consider kin for the sake of personal gain and manipulation. Betraying one's family for the sake of gain is one thing, but it is arguably worse to go through the effort of fostering kinship with others and then exploiting that relationship. The optimistic argument would be that compradrazgo truly is an extension of family, but I can't help but think there are many ulterior motives at work in such a system. In my opinion, establishing "fictive kinship arrangements" is just wrong. Thu, 04 Apr 2019 00:25:54 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1314131 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1314131 When I read this sentence I immediately thought of Stringer sitting in a Macroeconomics class in The Wire. After class he asks his instructor what can be done if you are selling an inferior product in a competitive marketplace. I find it fascinating that the same economic principles hold up in white collar America and on the streets. I've heard it said before that it doesn't matter what you're selling, it only matters what people are buying. By that logic, price adjustments, contending with supply and demand, and dealing with inferior products are all about turning what you're selling into what people are buying. We have talked a lot in class about how important incentives are in The Wire. I love how this quote and Stringer's economics studies both demonstrate the consistency of economic principles/incentives that must be adhered to if one is to survive. Wed, 03 Apr 2019 20:17:46 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1314125 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1314125 I agree with both of you in that The Wire doesn't address patriarchal roles or misogyny in the game much. That said, I have to disagree that women are never shown in the gritty operations of the game. Snoop from season 4 is one example of a female soldier in the game. Her and Chris serve as Marlo's muscle, and as far as I could tell she is just as tough as any other male soldier in Baltimore. Wed, 03 Apr 2019 18:11:35 -0400