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DJ RP
07-15-2007, 11:45 PM
I was just thinking today how Ron Paul, my favourite politician EVER and The Wire, my favourite television show EVER tie in so well and I was wondering if anybody else here is a fan?

To those who don't know The Wire is just about the most realistic, truthful and well made tv show I've ever seen. It refuses to ever insult the audience's intelligence and it is heartbreaking in its grand tragedy. The show deals with the failures of America's institutions, beuracracies and failed policies, from the effect the war on drugs has had on America's urban inner cities to the realities of federal regulations over local schooling.

What's awesome to me is that I have watched this show for like four years or so from way before I ever heard of Ron Paul. Then I was struck by the show's vivid depiction of an America that gets little to no television time. That is the disintegration of the working class and the utter destruction of the inner cities as well as the failure of the war on drugs and education for poor people.

These things were explained beautifully and tragically on the show and it always frustrated me how nobody else seemed to talk about them or if they did the politicians would doublespeak as if everything was great and fabulous and America is richer than ever before, there is more prosperity etc. etc. blah blah blah

When I started watching and reading Ron Paul it was a breath of fresh air. Everything he said tied into what I felt was the TRUTH and what the wire was talking about. Ron Paul discussed things I hadn't heard before like printing money and how it affects inflation. In the Wire the effects of this are VIVIDLY shown but as a dramatic TV Show not always explained in clear terms as Ron Paul does. I have seen interviews with the creator of the wire David Simon who worked as a cop and a journalist in Baltimore (where the wire is set) for some 20 years. He talks in interviews about the disintegration of the working class, the failures of the public schools, the devestation the war on drugs has brought -- not just to the users and the communities ruined by the rise of dealers, but to the police who are forced to waste their time hitting meaningless targets dreamt up by goverment beurocrats.

In short My favourite show, my favourite creator and my favourite politician all come together and I feel I have a much deeper understanding of the issues. It makes me so frustrated when people simplify things....

Anybody who hasn't seen the wire I CANNOT RECOMMEND IT ENOUGH. You can get them all on the torrent sites if you dont have the funds to buy the DVDs or you don't have HBO.

Oh, and in seasons 3 and 4 the show even covers local baltimore politics in more realism than anything I've seen anywhere else. Makes the idealism of the west wing look almost stupid.

jpa
07-15-2007, 11:47 PM
just finished season 2.. and I love it.

It is a great show.

andrewgreve
07-16-2007, 12:10 AM
Yea, great show.

Virginia Libertarian
03-24-2008, 10:42 AM
As I just finished watching season four, about to start season five, I had to bump this.

It ruined TV for me, which I guess is a good thing. I seriously cant take any movie or TV show seriously anymore, nothing even compares to The Wire.

OptionsTrader
03-24-2008, 10:49 AM
I had a friend recommend this to me a while back and I never got around to waching it. I'll go buy the DVDs tonight perhaps.

Shink
03-24-2008, 01:13 PM
I had a friend recommend this to me a while back and I never got around to waching it. I'll go buy the DVDs tonight perhaps.

You really won't regret it. I had to get rid of my HBO to save on bills, but I miss The Wire so much. That show really makes you feel actual emotion, you actually attach yourself to certain characters and care about what happens to them. I remember when Bubbles' son died and you just felt so incredibly terrible for his character. Those people define acting.

brandon
07-28-2010, 06:47 PM
Bump I just started watching this and so far it is really fantastic. I have only seen the first 2 episodes so no spoilers please!

KramerDSP
07-28-2010, 08:16 PM
*no spoilers*

I love "The Wire". Season Four is the absolute best season of any show that ever aired in the history of television in my humble opinion. If I had to rank the seasons, I would go Season 4, followed by the third, first, fifth, and second. Even the worst season, which didn't really do it for me, is richer in detail and depth than many other shows out there today. Each of the seasons represent one aspect of life in Baltimore, and every character is flawed in some significant way.

If some experts came out and created a list of the 100 greatest characters in Television history, the list would be a fraud if there weren't, at a bare minimum, 4 characters from "The Wire" on there. Omar and Stringer Bell are all time characters, and there are countless other unforgettables, including Clay Davis, the state senator on the show who is essentially the Bizarro Ron Paul. The one thing that always impresses me about this show is that in spite of having all these memorable people, the city of Baltimore was essentially the main character in the show. A living, breathing city, the likes of which has never truly been captured before or since.

BlackTerrel
07-28-2010, 09:02 PM
I really want to start watching this show once I get time. A few of the smartest people I know whose opinions I really respect say it is the most perfect show ever created.

Problem is I have a busy schedule as well as an addictive personality. If the show is really good I will lose track of time and become unproductive while I watch the show.

Next time I am sick for a week I am going to plow through the DVD's. Thanks for a well thought out OP.