Most recent public comments by Connor;John Ellis https://nowcomment.com/users/6238 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505817 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505817 Grayson brings up a useful comparison of Obama and the Clarence Royce administration. Although Baltimore is a predominately black city, in population and legislative positions, the young, poor black men in Baltimore are still victimized by the institutions in control in their city. As Alexander correctly points out, just because there are examples of African-American success, that does not tell the whole story. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 17:03:43 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505815 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505815 I think Catherine makes a good point by saying that even when laws change, it hard to change cultural values of the individuals the laws govern. As Alexander talks about, even though the slaves were granted freedom after the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation probably did very little to change the cultural values of the Southern plantation owners. It seems unlikely that a group that viewed another group as property for hundreds of years would suddenly change their stance on the matter, and this lack of open-mindedness was a major factor in the continued racial oppression throughout the South. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 16:58:56 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505791 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505791 The cycle of injustice and oppression that Alexander describes throughout the reading reminds me of the nonstop cycle of crime and violence shown in The Wire. Alexander describes a long struggle for freedom and equality for African-Americans, and for the last two hundred years or so there have been moments of progress and hope, that is ultimately destroyed and the progress is all for nothing. A similar process is shown in The Wire; there are moments of hope and improvement for the characters and their situations in society, but at the end of five seasons, what really changed? Mon, 04 Apr 2016 22:06:45 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505788 https://nowcomment.com/documents/52798?scroll_to=505788 The vagrancy laws described in this paragraph seem equally ridiculous as the current drug policies and penalties for relatively minor drug offenses. These vagrancy laws were created by corrupt institutions for the purpose of continuing a system of forced labor. As many freed slaves were uneducated and had little money, employment must have been hard to come by and the vagrancy laws punished them for being in an unfair situation to begin with. Today's drug laws are the same, many of the people, due to institutional corruption, have no other option than the traffic drugs, and drug laws impose ridiculous penalties on them for simply trying to get by. Mon, 04 Apr 2016 19:39:08 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482036 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482036 The one character that comes to mind when I think of non-violent resolutions is Proposition Joe. Joe is an intelligent businessman and he always tries to work himself out of arguments with words, he has even been quoted as saying: "Have you ever known me to be stupid?" Joe has various conflicts with Stringer, Omar, and Marlo, but he almost-always finds a way to appease their anger with one of famous propositions, usually turning one of his enemies onto the other. Unfortunately for him, playing both sides eventually leads to his demise, and it calls to question whether is non-violent strategy is indeed the most effective. Mon, 29 Feb 2016 21:34:10 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482033 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482033 Obviously there were many flaws with Hamsterdam, as the Deacon pointed out to Colvin after the Major showed him his experiment, but that is not to say that the idea itself was wrong. The numbers certainly didn't lie, the Western district became a safer place overall during the operation of the free zones, and the members of the community appreciated the clean corners. While it has been established that the current approach to the drug problem is not working, the spur of the moment organization of Hamsterdam may not have been the best solution, but the idea is certainly valid. Mon, 29 Feb 2016 23:14:39 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482031 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482031 This paragraph reminds me of the sad story of Bodie, and how he refused to go out like a "chump." As Anderson says: "an important part of the code is not to allow others to chump you," and Bodie has had enough of running from Marlo, Chris, and Snoop. The entire fourth season he has been humiliated by the Stanfield organization; first they move him off his corner and next he is forced to take their package with an uneven split. Little Kevin's death is the last straw, and he decides he is done stepping aside for Marlo, and decides to fight it out in the street. Mon, 29 Feb 2016 21:15:24 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482027 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49884?scroll_to=482027 In my opinion, this paragraph maps out exactly what happens to the Sobotka family in season two. Although they are not African American the "Deindustrialization and the growth of the global economy," have resulted in the loss of the jobs that Frank and his family have held for years, "since the start of the industrial revolution." As Anderson describes, when these jobs disappear, "the underground economy of drugs and crime often emerges to pick up the slack." This is exactly what happens to Nick and Ziggy, and this lack of work leads to their involvement in crime once they have run out of options for money. Thu, 03 Mar 2016 09:38:00 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=481996 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=481996 The words of the author in this sentence could be straight from the script of the show. A major theme of the show that persists throughout the five seasons are the bosses stomping on good police work for one reason or another, and it always bothers Jimmy McNulty, who is as irritable as he is dedicated to the job. As Jorja describes to her ex-husband, why are we focusing on a swap meet that could maybe lead to a terrorist plot in the future, when there are real, tangible problems to focus on in our own backyard that are afflicting our citizens this very day? It is a question McNulty and David Simon are constantly asking, and a problem that they believe needs to be addressed immediately. Mon, 29 Feb 2016 20:33:24 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=481969 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=481969 Ronny's situation, while being very similar to DeAngelo's, also reminds me Namond and his efforts to escape from the shadow that his father cast over him. The fourth season is a transformation for Namond, and under constant pressure from his mother and the other boys in his neighborhood, he tries to step into his father's shoes and become the next Wee-Bay. He eventually realizes that the game is not for him, and he is fortunate enough to be adopted by Colvin and given a chance for a better life. This rare example of a happy ending is not typical for people like Namond and Ronny, because the game is not something they chose, they were born into it. Mon, 29 Feb 2016 20:08:58 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=481965 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=481965 T'Keyah is quite right as she points out that the violence that most of us see in the media, and we can pick and choose how often we experience this mediated violence. If I am uncomfortable by the graphic content of Pulp Fiction or Django Unchained, I can turn it off and I will never see or hear about it again if I so choose. The people living in these communities cannot simply turn off the violence they see, and the trauma they undergo as a result of living in violent areas can have a profound impact on them later in life. Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:59:37 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=481963 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49881?scroll_to=481963 The description of the nonchalant attitude possessed by the police during a murder investigation is startling for me, as it would not be the way I reacted to a murder, but it is just another day in LA for the detectives. One of the most interesting things about The Wire is the way the police are depicted, specifically in the homicide division. Murder does not seem like a big deal to them, and they joke around about the subject often. It appears that in a city like Baltimore or Los Angeles, there is simply so much crime and death that eventually the detectives become desensitized to the violence. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 00:27:26 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=481941 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=481941 As Alissa points out in her comparison of Bodie and Eric, the family members of these children are often a strong influence on what they grow up to be. Michael had a drug-addicted mother and no father, and he was similarly "angry" the way Eric and Bodie were. Michael always preferred to settle altercations with violence, as he did when Kenard stole the stash from Namond, and the level of violence he perpetrated only escalated as he continued to be involved in "the game." Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:14:47 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=481938 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=481938 Eric's tragic story speaks to the question of one's environment and how it can influence the behaviors of an individual. Eric grew up in poverty in Manhattan and Brooklyn, bouncing from shelter to shelter, his situation getting worse every step of the way. All of sudden, it appears he has been given a chance at a better life with the relocation to Montana, a place that should be safer and have less opportunities for Eric to get mixed up with crime. As we discover, Eric's life does not improve by much, and before the age of twenty-two he is dead. It begs the question, how much does the environment really make a difference in the lives of children like Eric? At first glance it appears he won the lottery, but clearly moving away from New York wasn't the answer to his problems. Wed, 02 Mar 2016 12:52:58 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=481935 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=481935 I think Shanelle is spot on in her comparison of Eric to Michael. Michael, just like Eric, seemed to be a talented individual with the potential to do something meaningful with his life, but as Shanelle points out, the trauma that Michael underwent as a child has resulted in his distrust of almost everyone around him. Cutty tried to help, and even Marlo was able to recognize and somewhat utilize Michael's talent, but in the end Michael became the next Omar, and Eric's life ended much too soon. Mon, 29 Feb 2016 18:53:24 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=481933 https://nowcomment.com/documents/49882?scroll_to=481933 This paragraph was tough to read because it illuminated one of the problems that is shown throughout The Wire, which is the distrust of the system by those in poverty. As Kozol details, although the children are young, they are not oblivious to the horror and humiliation that their mothers must go through in order to help the family survive. In season four, after Colvin takes Namond, Zenobia, and Darnell to dinner, he notes their clear discomfort humiliation during the experience, commenting: "These kids are no fools." Similarly, the kids in the shelters are no fools and they are taught at a young age to believe that they are second class when they see the figure of authority in their life do humiliating things in front of them. Tue, 01 Mar 2016 16:29:29 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452808 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452808 Bowden informs the reader that, just as the characters in The Wire, the reporters that Simon has grown to loathe are often not evil people with bad intentions. The Wire does a marvelous job of getting personal with all of its characters, and even the ones who commit heinous crimes are still identifiable to the viewer in other ways. Bowden states that he admires people on both sides of the David Simon-Baltimore Sun feud, and this is exactly how the viewer feels about different characters on different sides of the law. Tue, 02 Feb 2016 16:38:22 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452783 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452783 As Maria and Catherine have pointed out, there are many similarities between Simon and the show's defacto main character. McNulty however, may not be as complex as Simon to figure out. Catherine asks why McNulty wanted to join the police force, and I think it is an easy answer, he loves the job. As he tells Rhonda Pearlman in season 1 "They're gonna do me Ronny. I love this fucking job and they're gonna do me." McNulty goes to great lengths to do real, good police work, destroying personal and professional relationships in the process. None of that seems to matter to him though, and as stated earlier, his drive to do good is repeatedly punished. Tue, 02 Feb 2016 16:10:28 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452777 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452777 I agree with Grayson's point that David Simon must have a certain amount of control over the content that is put in the show in. Although The Wire is extraordinarily realistic, at the end of the day it is still a TV show that must draw viewers and get good ratings to keep the network happy. Inevitably, there are a certain amount of theatrical elements that must be inserted to make the show more interesting or entertaining Tue, 02 Feb 2016 15:56:29 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452743 https://nowcomment.com/documents/46407?scroll_to=452743 While the author is correct in saying that The Wire is a more difficult show to pick up in the middle of a season than the Sopranos, I do not agree that each episode of the Sopranos was "essentially self contained." Much like The Wire, The Sopranos has many subtle hints and details in many episodes that would be lost on the viewer had they not seen all of the episodes in order. Unlike The Wire however, The Sopranos features many flashbacks interwoven throughout the show that provide the viewer with necessary details about past events from the earlier seasons of the show. Both shows, unlike many network sitcoms, must be watched in order for the viewer to understand it completely. Tue, 02 Feb 2016 15:23:35 -0500