Why we're teaching 'The Wire' at Harvard

[BlackTerrel]

Good article and great show if you haven't seen it yet.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/10/AR2010091002676.html


By Anmol Chaddha and William Julius Wilson
Sunday, September 12, 2010

In our course on urban inequality at Harvard this semester, we want our students to understand the roots of the social conditions in America's inner cities. To that end, we get some help from Bodie, Stringer Bell, Bubbles and others from HBO's "The Wire."

Take this scene in a Baltimore housing project from the show's first season: Two teenage drug dealers marvel at the ingenuity of their boneless Chicken McNuggets and imagine the inventor who must have become incredibly rich off his creation. An older dealer, D'Angelo, mocks their naivete, explaining that the man who invented the McNugget is just a guy in the McDonald's basement who dreamed up a money-making idea for the real players.

To D'Angelo, the formal labor market is fundamentally unfair. People are not rewarded according to their true worth, and powerful institutions regularly exploit those with less power. Social inequality is the inevitable result -- the McNugget inventor doesn't get his due. "It ain't about right. It's about money," D'Angelo tells the young dealers.

"The Wire," which depicted inner-city Baltimore over five seasons on HBO, shows ordinary people making sense of their world. Its complex characters on both sides of the law defy simplistic moral distinctions. Critics loved it. Its fans hung on every episode. We think it is more than just excellent television. Impressed by its treatment of complex issues, we developed a course at Harvard drawing on the show's portrayal of fundamental sociological principles connected to urban inequality. Our seminar was designed for 30 students; four times that many showed up for the first class last week.

Of course, our undergraduate students will read rigorous academic studies of the urban job market, education and the drug war. But the HBO series does what these texts can't. More than simply telling a gripping story, "The Wire" shows how the deep inequality in inner-city America results from the web of lost jobs, bad schools, drugs, imprisonment, and how the situation feeds on itself.

Those kinds of connections are very difficult to illustrate in academic works. Though scholars know that deindustrialization, crime and prison, and the education system are deeply intertwined, they must often give focused attention to just one subject in relative isolation, at the expense of others. With the freedom of artistic expression, "The Wire" can be more creative. It can weave together the range of forces that shape the lives of the urban poor.

The last season of "The Wire" aired before the Wall Street collapse in 2008, so the show reminds us that inner-city residents faced profound disadvantages even before the downturn. For decades, poor, urban, black neighborhoods have been devastated by factory closings, crippling joblessness, failing schools and government neglect. Before the recession began in 2007, only 59 percent of black men over age 20 in cities were employed, compared with 74 percent of white men nationwide, according Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In 2009, the share of black men in cities who had jobs dropped to just 55 percent, compared with 69 percent of white men in the United States.

"The Wire" shows how these statistics play out. With limited prospects for stable employment, many characters enter the illegal drug trade. There are the executives who direct gang operations, such as Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell, and the lower-level dealers on the corner, such as Bodie and Poot. The wide availability of drugs devastates Bubbles, who struggles with addiction, and the whole neighborhood is endangered by the violence between gangs vying for control of the trade.

A core theme of "The Wire" is that various institutions work together to limit opportunities for the urban poor. In its first season, the show focuses on the war on drugs, which it convincingly depicts as an ill-conceived undertaking whose outcome has been the mass jailing of nonviolent offenders. Cops such as Carver and Herc patrol the neighborhood and repeatedly arrest dealers on the corner; Wee-Bey, Avon and Cutty are in and out of prison throughout the series. But the community does not seem safer, and the drug trade has hardly been curtailed.

These story lines draw students into important academic research, such as sociologist Bruce Western's book "Punishment and Inequality in America." His analysis shows that widespread incarceration of the urban poor aggravates economic inequality, masking the hardship in urban communities and producing a growing population of ex-convicts unable to find stable jobs to support their families.

Subsequent seasons of "The Wire" examine the disappearance of jobs and the devaluation of labor, the often shady world of urban politics, the troubled urban education system and the negligence of the mainstream media in coverage of important local issues. All these institutions and social forces exacerbate inequality. "The Wire" presents these complex processes without sacrificing nuance or resorting to oversimplification.

The series also provides an opportunity to address another issue frequently debated by social scientists: depictions of the black poor. Some have maintained that "The Wire" reinforces stereotypes of the urban poor as dependent on welfare, lazy, criminal and immoral -- perceptions that too often influence decisions about who is deemed worthy of assistance. But in our view, the show powerfully undermines those stereotypes. Through its scrupulous exploration of drug-dealing gangs, the police, politicians, unions, public schools and the print media, viewers see that an individual's decisions and behavior are often shaped by -- and indeed limited by -- forces beyond his or her control.

"The Wire" is fiction, but it forces us to confront social realities more effectively than any other media production in the era of so-called reality TV. It does not tie things up neatly; as in real life, the problems remain unsolved, and the cycle repeats itself as disadvantages become more deeply entrenched. Outside the world of television drama, sociologists aim to explain what causes certain social conditions and then assess the merits of competing theories. The solutions, however, are usually less clear. "The Wire" gets that part right, too.

Trying to steer the young Dukie away from the crime and drug trade in his neighborhood, former gang member Cutty tells him that the "world is bigger than that." With a tinge of hope that his life might be different, Dukie asks, "How do you get from here to the rest of the world?" The response: "I wish I knew."

[RedStripe]

Best television show of all time. Would love to take that class.

[BULBASAUR!]

I checked out the wiki page and was turned off by this:


Simon described the second season as

"a meditation on the death of work and the betrayal of the American working class … it is a deliberate argument that unencumbered capitalism is not a substitute for social policy; that on its own, without a social compact, raw capitalism is destined to serve the few at the expense of the many."

Should I still watch it?

[RedStripe]

I checked out the wiki page and was turned off by this:



Should I still watch it?

When you see someone other than a libertarian talking about capitalism, they are using the word "capitalism" to describe actually-existing capitalism which can alternatively be called state-capitalism or corporatism.

The only people who use capitalism in a different sense are people who have an idealized perception of our system (usually corporate apologists) or libertarian academics who often use capitalism interchangeably with "free market."

And yes, you should absolutely watch this show.

[specsaregood]

I checked out the wiki page and was turned off by this:

Should I still watch it?

Clearly the person that wrote that missed the rampant corruption of the government officials in the show. <== that aint capitalism.

[Travlyr]

When you see someone other than a libertarian talking about capitalism, they are using the word "capitalism" to describe actually-existing capitalism which can alternatively be called state-capitalism or corporatism.

The only people who use capitalism in a different sense are people who have an idealized perception of our system (usually corporate apologists) or libertarian academics who often use capitalism interchangeably with "free market."

And yes, you should absolutely watch this show.

In other words, they are re-defining the word to suit their agenda. Just like they have re-defined "dollar", "insurance", "sovereignty", "terrorist" and a whole host of other obfuscations.

I would not watch the propaganda.

[RedStripe]

In other words, they are re-defining the word to suit their agenda. Just like they have re-defined "dollar", "insurance", "sovereignty", "terrorist" and a whole host of other obfuscations.

I would not watch the propaganda.

Um, redefined since when? (hint: the term capitalism has been in continuous usage to refer to the type of economic system prominent in western countries for well over a century).

Oh, another hint: everything is propaganda.

[Travlyr]

Good article and great show if you haven't seen it yet.


The last season of "The Wire" aired before the Wall Street collapse in 2008, so the show reminds us that inner-city residents faced profound disadvantages even before the downturn. For decades, poor, urban, black neighborhoods have been devastated by factory closings, crippling joblessness, failing schools and government neglect.

The show is likely more propaganda than anything else. This statement from the article is factually incorrect. These problems are all caused by central planning government programs not government neglect.

[RedStripe]

The show is likely more propaganda than anything else. This statement from the article is factually incorrect. These problems are all caused by central planning government programs not government neglect.

:rolleyes:

[Travlyr]

Um, redefined since when? (hint: the term capitalism has been in continuous usage to refer to the type of economic system prominent in western countries for well over a century).
It still doesn't change the meaning of the word.
Here is the definition of capitalism:
1854, "condition of having capital;" from capital + -ism. Meaning "political/economic system which encourages capitalists" is recorded by 1877.

Let's hear your definition.

Have you ever been to Baltimore? Government projects/failures everywhere.

[anaconda]

What ever happened to the "3 R's??"

[freshjiva]

When you see someone other than a libertarian talking about capitalism, they are using the word "capitalism" to describe actually-existing capitalism which can alternatively be called state-capitalism or corporatism.

The only people who use capitalism in a different sense are people who have an idealized perception of our system (usually corporate apologists) or libertarian academics who often use capitalism interchangeably with "free market."


+1. Well said.

[Travlyr]

Then please define capitalism so we all know what you are saying. Thanks in advance.

[Travlyr]

When you see someone other than a libertarian talking about capitalism, they are using the word "capitalism" to describe actually-existing capitalism which can alternatively be called state-capitalism or corporatism.

The only people who use capitalism in a different sense are people who have an idealized perception of our system (usually corporate apologists) or libertarian academics who often use capitalism interchangeably with "free market."


+1. Well said.

Come on folks... redefining words is a "fine art" meant only to obfuscate understandings. If you really understand the word... tell us so that we all know what you are talking about.

Here is what the dictionary says it means:
Capitalism - 1854, "condition of having capital;" from capital + -ism. Meaning "political/economic system which encourages capitalists" is recorded by 1877.

What do you say it means?
Define capitalism:

[BlackTerrel]

When you see someone other than a libertarian talking about capitalism, they are using the word "capitalism" to describe actually-existing capitalism which can alternatively be called state-capitalism or corporatism.

The only people who use capitalism in a different sense are people who have an idealized perception of our system (usually corporate apologists) or libertarian academics who often use capitalism interchangeably with "free market."

And yes, you should absolutely watch this show.

I would also add that a show like the wire that totaled 60 1-hour episodes cannot be easily summed up. That' why Harvard is spending a 15 week course on it.

Overall I found it extremely realistic and in many ways depressing. It shows why the current system is so broken. I would highly recommend it.

[Travlyr]

I would also add that a show like the wire that totaled 60 1-hour episodes cannot be easily summed up. That' why Harvard is spending a 15 week course on it.

Overall I found it extremely realistic and in many ways depressing. It shows why the current system is so broken. I would highly recommend it.

What do they say caused the system breakdown?

[brandon]

I've watched 4 seasons in the last month. Just starting the 5th one now. I agree that The Wire is simply the best television show I have ever seen. It is really incredible in more ways than I can explain right now.

I got something different from the show though. For me it really highlighted the failure of bureaucracy. It hightlights the bad side of everyone and how people on both sides of the law are quick to exploit their friends for a personal gain. It showed the similarities between cops and gang members, the black market and the union labor market, etc. Really it's just an intriguing look into modern American life and how we live together.

Definitely a must watch.

[BlackTerrel]

The show is likely more propaganda than anything else. This statement from the article is factually incorrect. These problems are all caused by central planning government programs not government neglect.

I highlighted the word all in your post. You're taking a subject that is highly complex and boiling it down to 1 sentence. That is not reality. That's why it took the Wire 60 episodes.

You should watch a season before you call it propaganda. Not just for political reasons but it is also very engrossing television.

I have never been to Baltimore but did grow up for some times in similar neighborhoods and found it very realistic. There is a system in place that makes it very difficult to escape. I find myself very blessed that I did.

[brandon]

I highlighted the word all in your post. You're taking a subject that is highly complex and boiling it down to 1 sentence. That is not reality. That's why it took the Wire 60 episodes.

You should watch a season before you call it propaganda. Not just for political reasons but it is also very engrossing television.

I have never been to Baltimore but did grow up for some times in similar neighborhoods and found it very realistic. There is a system in place that makes it very difficult to escape. I find myself very blessed that I did.

Yep. I spent some time living in North Philly and the wire was a pretty accurate representation of what life was like there. And it is very engrossing television. The story lines are highly addictive and moving.

The great thing about The Wire is that it lets the viewer draw their own conclusions. It just presents a story and information and lets you form your own opinion on what is right and wrong, who is good or bad, etc. It's like the opposite of propaganda.

[specsaregood]

I got something different from the show though. For me it really highlighted the failure of bureaucracy. It hightlights the bad side of everyone and how people on both sides of the law are quick to exploit their friends for a personal gain. It showed the similarities between cops and gang members, the black market and the union labor market, etc. Really it's just an intriguing look into modern American life and how we live together.


Much of what I got from it as well.

[Travlyr]

Okay. Thanks. Baltimore is an embarrassment to the world because of government meddling.

I am just thoroughly disgusted at how we treated, and still treat, many of the Native folks, the Blacks and the poor in our society. We keep them on government programs giving them crumbs and hopelessness while the privileged elite steal their way to riches through crony capitalism. Then capitalism gets the blame. It is not capitalism that failed the people... it is theft. Is Harvard exposing the theft of the people by the central bankers?

[forsmant]

What little I saw of that show was awesome. It made everyone seem human.

[karat32]

the wire is a masterpiece without comparison in the world of tvseries.

[BlackTerrel]

Okay. Thanks. Baltimore is an embarrassment to the world because of government meddling.

I am just thoroughly disgusted at how we treated, and still treat, many of the Native folks, the Blacks and the poor in our society. We keep them on government programs giving them crumbs and hopelessness while the privileged elite steal their way to riches through crony capitalism. Then capitalism gets the blame. It is not capitalism that failed the people... it is theft. Is Harvard exposing the theft of the people by the central bankers?

I agree. Overall - I am very pro-capitalism. The free market just works. Government intervention (even when well intentioned) usually does not work.

I don't think there any easy fixes here. No one can just wave a wand and everything turns perfect. The "war on drugs" is the lowest of the hanging fruit though. Legalizing it would not be difficult and the positive changes would at least improve things very quickly.

[Travlyr]

I agree. Overall - I am very pro-capitalism. The free market just works. Government intervention (even when well intentioned) usually does not work.

I don't think there any easy fixes here. No one can just wave a wand and everything turns perfect. The "war on drugs" is the lowest of the hanging fruit though. Legalizing it would not be difficult and the positive changes would at least improve things very quickly.

True. I agree with a lot of what you say, but there are other fixes. The best fix is get government clear out of the way! Laissez faire free market capitalism works like magic for nearly everyone who desires a better life. And I am leery of Harvard's intentions. Harvard indoctrinates students to embrace elite globalism, and they are not a friend of liberty.
For example, Michael Sandel's teachings are funded by Goldman Sachs and other global loving elites. (http://www.justiceharvard.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32&Itemid=39)

Government programs are always sold as well intentioned and they never are! They are meant to enslave. The New Deal, The Great Society, Health Care all intentioned to transfer wealth & control the people... not set them free. :mad:

[Reason]

watched the wire quite a while ago, it's really fucking good

[devil21]

Definitely a great show and way, way too in-depth to sum up quickly by stating it's the failure of capitalism or a lack of jobs for the working class. How do you explain Naymon's mother if that's the case?

It just covers everything and is a must watch series. I'm also looking forward to Boardwalk Empire starting soon.

[RedStripe]

It still doesn't change the meaning of the word.
Here is the definition of capitalism:
1854, "condition of having capital;" from capital + -ism. Meaning "political/economic system which encourages capitalists" is recorded by 1877.

Let's hear your definition.

Have you ever been to Baltimore? Government projects/failures everywhere.

Capitalists: people who own the means of production (wealthy elite within a capitalist system). Alright.

"political/economic system which encourages capitalists" -> means a system rigged in favor of the rich, wealthy owners rather than the masses of property-less laborers. Um, yea, I agree with those definitions.

Hence most of the 19th century American libertarians called themselves socialists (wanted a system where the common man owned and controlled his own economic destiny via capital; granted, they wanted to bring about such a system through a radically free market) and became libertarians as a reaction against the capitalism (state-capitalism) of their day.

[RedStripe]

Oh yea, one of the things that is so great about the wire is that it shows how complex social problems really are. There aren't many super-easy quick fixes (although decriminalization of drugs would be one). Morality isn't always a black-and-white thing, there's a lot of gray areas.

PS: Great Moyers interview with one of the writers/creators of the series - http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04172009/watch.html

PSS: Omar is the fucking man.

[TheBlackPeterSchiff]

I checked out the wiki page and was turned off by this:



Should I still watch it?

Trust me, watch it. David Simon is an admitted socialist or socialist libertarian (is that possible?).

But its funny because is show The Wire is what turned me onto libertarian principles. That show got me to question government in all forms, our educational system, and the War on Drugs.

It seriously is must see tv for anti-government folks.

[RedStripe]

Bump. I just finished watching the final season last night. While it wasn't the best season, it was still incredibly clever and entertaining.

If you have not watched this series you are missing out on what could easily be the most most important fictional portrayals of American society ever created.

[BlackTerrel]

I'm currently at war with my previous Church and organized Christianity in general so I spent my Easter rewatching this show with my non-Christian girlfriend who has never seen it. Love seeing her reactions.

I'm not going to link to anything illegal from this site. But a clever Google search will find you all seasons in streaming.

[TheBlackPeterSchiff]

The most ironic thing about The Wire is, the show creator, David Simon is an admitted socialist, and wanted to show to describe how our current government system in failing us and how we need to change. When in reality he showed me how government always fails. That show actually set me on the path towards libertarianism.

[tttppp]

I checked out the wiki page and was turned off by this:



Should I still watch it?

Sounds like a quote from Obama. "Capitalism isn't working so lets add more regulations."

[angelatc]

What ever happened to the "3 R's??"

Heh - they even got that wrong. Arithmetic doesn't start with an R.....

[angelatc]

Take this scene in a Baltimore housing project from the show's first season: Two teenage drug dealers marvel at the ingenuity of their boneless Chicken McNuggets and imagine the inventor who must have become incredibly rich off his creation. An older dealer, D'Angelo, mocks their naivete, explaining that the man who invented the McNugget is just a guy in the McDonald's basement who dreamed up a money-making idea for the real players.

To D'Angelo, the formal labor market is fundamentally unfair. People are not rewarded according to their true worth, and powerful institutions regularly exploit those with less power. Social inequality is the inevitable result -- the McNugget inventor doesn't get his due. "It ain't about right. It's about money," D'Angelo tells the young dealers.

The guy that invented chicken nuggets was an academic, and Tyson Foods got paid for developing the chicken McNuggets recipe for McDonalds. I suspect that none of the black men in the show would ever consider working at McDonalds - it would be far beneath their perceived self-value.

It's a good show, but it certainly did nothing to move me.

[kcchiefs6465]

The Wire is a very realistic (to a degree) show. It shows various socioeconomic aspects (those born unto the system, the police who antagonize and often harrass, those trying to "mind their own business," and the newspapers that print the stories. Anyone with an open mind should definitely watch an episode. A lot of the depictions are dead on.
EDIT: It might not be your cup of tea but once you start seeing the plot develop and "who controls what" you will understand why many people before are fans.

[kcchiefs6465]

The guy that invented chicken nuggets was an academic, and Tyson Foods got paid for developing the chicken McNuggets recipe for McDonalds. I suspect that none of the black men in the show would ever consider working at McDonalds - it would be far beneath their perceived self-value.

It's a good show, but it certainly did nothing to move me.

If I recall correctly wasn't the head of Tyson (Dan Tyson, if my memory serves me correctly) listed as a "major D.E.A. trafficker?"
EDIT: Didn't find an article on this. Am I mistaken?

[kpitcher]

The wire was a very entertaining and also a thought provoking series. I liked the 'hamsterdam' solution to the drug dealing. Also the interplay between all the various factions and greed was the downfall of so many. Lampooning the media worked well, the story above all else regardless of the facts.

I'm glad the premium channels do these types of shows, I hope they make people think. Generation Kill was also a great story. Knowing it was based on an embedded journalist's actual story just made it even more powerful.

[heavenlyboy34]

Capitalists: people who own the means of production (wealthy elite within a capitalist system). Alright.

"political/economic system which encourages capitalists" -> means a system rigged in favor of the rich, wealthy owners rather than the masses of property-less laborers. Um, yea, I agree with those definitions.

Hence most of the 19th century American libertarians called themselves socialists (wanted a system where the common man owned and controlled his own economic destiny via capital; granted, they wanted to bring about such a system through a radically free market) and became libertarians as a reaction against the capitalism (state-capitalism) of their day.
Correct. "Capitalism" was originally Marx's term, which he used to describe a system dominated by a class capital-owners who exploit everyone else. Kind of strange how terms get mixed up over time. Even "free-market" is somewhat a misnomer ("freed markets" is more accurate from the libertarian/classical liberal view).

[devil21]

The guy that invented chicken nuggets was an academic, and Tyson Foods got paid for developing the chicken McNuggets recipe for McDonalds. I suspect that none of the black men in the show would ever consider working at McDonalds - it would be far beneath their perceived self-value.

It's a good show, but it certainly did nothing to move me.

The dialogue is a truism for so much more than just where McNuggets came from. Or maybe it's just confirmation of innate notions but it rings true to a lot people.

Ive never really liked the term "capitalism". It comes from capitalizing, which is taking advantage of something. "Free market" is a term I prefer. Capitalizing often involves manipulation, not always but often.

[idiom]

Swap Snot Boogie for the Federal reserve in the following:


DETECTIVE JIMMY MCNULTY: Let me understand you, every Friday night you and your boys will shoot crap right? And every Friday night your pal Snot Boogie he'd wait 'till there was cash on the ground and then he'd grab the money and run away? You let him do that?

WITNESS: If we'd catch him we'd beat his ass but ain't nobody let it go past that.

DETECTIVE JIMMY MCNULTY: I gotta ask you, if every time Snot Boogie would grab the money and run away why'd you even let him in the game?

WITNESS: What?

DETECTIVE JIMMY MCNULTY: Snot Boogie always stole the money, why'd you let him play?

WITNESS: Got to. This America, man.

It is an amazing show even on the surface, but it is much much deeper than that and certainly worthy of undergraduate study.