Most recent public comments by Mr. Hayden Williams https://nowcomment.com/users/51079 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1314154 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1314154 I think the relationship can be good and bad and it's hard to tell how it manifested because the story doesn't touch on Ray much. Building genuine relationships among employee and employer is healthy, but it can also lead to the manipulation of those relationships, especially for dependent people like crack addicts. It seems likely that Ray utilized this system to knowingly take advantage of addicts but I'm hesitant to say that was his only motive. Wed, 03 Apr 2019 15:52:44 -0700 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1314151 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1314151 I think your comment should be qualified; there are certainly problem with how gender is portrayed in the show but I think saying that the creators clearly didn't care is a big jump. There are several episodes where abuse is touched on and strong women are depicted. It's not perfect, but no story is because any narrative will have to focus on a specific subset of people. It's just that The Wire touches on so many kinds of people that the relative lack of women with depth is noticeable and disappointing. Wed, 03 Apr 2019 15:50:01 -0700 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1313685 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1313685 Crack dealing offers an opportunity for young colored males to assert their masculinity through superior power relations with addicts. Working for white people in a low-status job must exert a tremendous emotional toll due to comparisons to slavery and simply being in a lesser position. Despite the many misgivings of crack dealing, it does offer men the chance to exert power over others and develop a sense of importance and fulfillment. Wed, 03 Apr 2019 15:43:04 -0700 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1313661 https://nowcomment.com/documents/136072?scroll_to=1313661 For some people like Benzie, working in the drug economy can offer the opportunity of a better life. When legal work is scarce and the jobs that are available don't pay well and are unfulfilling, selling crack or other drugs can offer more money and a (relatively) better work environment. Of course, there are more risks, especially psychological ones; constant fear of death or imprisonment and a violent work environment just to name a couple. In The Wire, characters like Stringer Bell and Proposition Joe are able to thrive in the drug market by limiting their connections to dangerous and illegal acts. However, they can never truly escape the dangers associated with being involved in an illegal operation. Wed, 03 Apr 2019 16:39:48 -0700 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1307721 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1307721 Of course, media influence is a double-edged sword. Media can bring attention to issues to a wide audience, but it can also instill complacency. Media allow people unaffected by an issue to understand it, which spreads awareness but does not necessarily instill change. After watching 13th or reading this book, some may be motivated to become activists for this issue but most will be content merely understanding it. I don't think there is a solution to this problem, but it can be combated by passionate individuals and particularly compelling media texts. Mon, 25 Mar 2019 15:59:54 -0700 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1307718 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1307718 The prison system--as it exists today--is not a significant part of our history, as Alexander shows in this reading. It only recently came about in response to the end of Jim Crow and the beginning of the War on Drugs. But the longer that time goes on, the more ingrained it will become in our society (just like with slavery and Jim Crow). Then, it will become more and more difficult to overthrow. That is why Alexander stresses the importance of acting now, before more drastic actions need to be taken. Mon, 25 Mar 2019 15:46:51 -0700 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1307710 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1307710 I don't think Alexander's point in recounting the history of racism in the United States is to show how it is shocking, but rather how it is perfectly logical. Alexander's story focuses on how racism began as a calculated way of protecting plantation owners' labor. From there, it became implanted in people's minds and now it has become a part of our culture, present throughout American society. Mon, 25 Mar 2019 15:40:02 -0700 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1301298 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1301298 I find Alexander's claim that the Constitution was based largely on reinforcing slavery to be dubious at best and misleading at worst. Obviously Alexander is stressing the importance of slavery in structuring American government and society as a whole, but there are clearly various other interests that motivated the structure and content of the Constitution, some well-intentioned and others equally nefarious. I do not mean to say that slavery was a non-issue, as Alexander clearly shows that it was, but rather that making such bold statements serves to conceal the truth. Understanding slavery is clearly essential to understanding our nation's history but it does not entirely define it. Mon, 25 Mar 2019 19:54:56 -0700 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1301226 https://nowcomment.com/documents/134033?scroll_to=1301226 Using a few outstanding examples to prove a sweeping point is an obvious logical fallacy, usually employed with ignorance or ill will. Success stories in America have been used throughout our history to justify capitalism and the existing social fabric, essentially saying, "These people did it, just be more like them!" Unfortunately, these success stories are less common than the tragedies, something The Wire constantly points out. One can imagine a version of The Wire in which Stringer Bell becomes a clean, successful business man and gives lectures about hard work and overcoming one's circumstances. The media gives us stories like this so frequently because they give us hope, but unfortunately they also misguide us and make us believe in false narratives and faulty reasoning. Wed, 27 Mar 2019 22:05:46 -0700