Most recent public comments by Grayson Kemper https://nowcomment.com/users/6092 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505846 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505846 I agree with Connor here regarding how the vagrancy laws share a same selective application we see in drug laws today, which is that African Americans get arrested at a disproportionate frequency. This was the problem with Ferguson--a systemic prejudice was applied to policing the community. However, I don't see a direct correlation between forced labor laws and drug arrests. Drug arrests (in theory) involve actual drugs to be found on a person. Although this isn't necessarily followed to a tee, The Wire shows us that most time actual arrests happen, there is at least consistently actual drugs present. Forced labor laws required one's skin being black, that was it. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 15:46:21 -0700 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505786 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505786 Alexander here extends on a point made earlier on the page about the linear progression between legitimate bondage and Jim Crow. I do like how Alexander consistently harps on the fact that despite the fact that there is a black president, which is obviously a big deal, Obama is in essence anecdotal evidence regarding the plight of black people in the United States. That's a tough concept to grapple with, but one which must be at least considered. There can be systemic and societal racism while there is a black man in our nation's most powerful position. To apply this concept to the course, there is a concerted effort within the upper municipal echelon in Baltimore to advance exclusively black political talent to the top, one reason why Carcetti is portrayed as so unique. Even with this dynamic within the political power structure, young African-Americans are still at a pointed disadvantage by their institutional surroundings in Baltimore. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 14:03:43 -0700 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=487237 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=487237 Vicky's concerns here are understandable. As a parent, she feels the obligation for introspection because of her son's rash behavior. While living in New York, she raised her son in a situation of intense poverty, and he was forced to fend for his own and in some cases, provide food for the family at a young age. However, the circumstances of his life changed dramatically upon his move to Montana. He had a stable home, he was being provided a decent education. However, this begs the question of how long it takes for the structural influences which reside in the inner-cities of urban areas take effect on the predispositions of its subjects? Was Eric too far behind in school to ever be able to really catch up and attain a conventional education? Was he too inoculated with poverty and fighting for survival with whatever means necessary, even as a child, to live a simple life in the remote state of Montana? Thu, 03 Mar 2016 13:02:23 -0800 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=487231 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=487231 I agree with Chris here. I was a little surprised that Kozol seemed to take a negative tone here regarding vocational practices in schools. Although they do take away from more conventional academics, at least in the way the public school system is described in The Wire, these efforts are largely fruitless. Sure, Prez's attempts are largely unsustainable in an administrative light, but at least there was effort there to try to instill some meaningful academics. Strange that Kozol doesn't seem crazy about that idea. Thu, 03 Mar 2016 12:52:21 -0800 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=481905 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=481905 To follow up on Catherine's comment--in season three, this same lesson is repeated when Freamon chides McNulty for his self-congratulatory spiel on being one of the few "good police" in Baltimore. Freamon ultimately knocks him down a few notches by iterating that there is no parade for individual achievement which comes after good casework. Thus to Catherine and Shanelle's point on falling within one's overarching structure--it is much easier to fall within that structure and go through the motions than stand out and attempt to interrupt it, a situation which ultimately may put you in danger or lead to social isolation. Anderson appears to argue in this piece that this is rarely the case, as much of the behavior exhibited by drug dealers have taken on certain degrees of social capital, which places a massive hindrance on the ability for someone to grow up and be enticed to escape that culture. Mon, 29 Feb 2016 14:07:11 -0800 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=481899 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=481899 Although this paragraph is devoted to the prevalence of guns in ghetto and poorer neighborhoods, the phrase "in a society where so much economic inequality exists" stuck out to me. Considering Du Bois' analysis on the "submerged tenth", I find it very interesting that there is also a "submerged tenth" within extremely low-income neighborhoods as well-thus the socio-economical structure of these areas is simply reflective of society's formal socio-economical structure. I think this point can be used as absolute proof that in these situations and areas of intense economic discomfort, there is a legitimate underground economy which also features winners and losers. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 05:46:25 -0800 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452738 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452738 As Catherine stated for the beginning of this paragraph, Simon was able to use his personal and insider information of Baltimore to create this series. As he mentions later in the paragraph, the level of accuracy he seeks to attain allows for heightened scrutiny from people who live or are familiar with the institutions he examines. This level of accountability is risky, since if he were to completely whiff, his show would lose credibility. Yet it is also incredibly rewarding, as Simon is able to accurately convey the institutions he sees as the main structure of Baltimore, a fact which makes the show very fulfilling. Tue, 02 Feb 2016 12:15:05 -0800 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452737 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452737 In the description of David Simon's choice to pursue fiction over documentary or fact-based production, Bowden points out an incredibly important poignant reason for fictionalizing the characters of the show. In order to create a show which he believes accurately depicts life in Baltimore, he must have control of the setting and all the variables. To advance the way he observed sociological and criminal phenomena as a reporter, he must be able to create those scenes to his satisfaction, which he can then add with "trappings of realism" as means of verification that the environment he has created is indeed similar or reflective to that of Baltimore. Tue, 02 Feb 2016 12:56:29 -0800