Omar Omar Omar

Well to start off i'm happy to see Omar back in Baltimore and causing more trouble then ever.  I don't know what Marlo expected, but hopefully he is enjoying what he got himself into.  It seems as if Omar has pretty much lost control over himself and what he does.  There is only one thing on his mind and that is blood.  Though i'm still somewhat baffled by the jumping out of the window.  That was a good four story drop and he's still alive.  Maybe I missed something in the show that explained it, but it just doesn't make sense as of now.  Glad he got away though.  Lastly I was happy to see Nicky make an appearance back in the show even though he was getting arrested.  It was a nice little shout out to season 2?

On the other hand you have newspaper.  It is quite interesting how much leeway the paper exemplifies within the show.  Its kind of scary to think about how much power the journalists have over the general public.  I'm specifically talking about the "corrupt" journalist Scott.  There's no scholarly sources when it comes to newspaper I guess.  There's no checking the facts, but all hearsay.  He said, she said, is good enough for the chiefs.  To think hundreds of thousands of people read these newspapers everyday is kind of intriguing but scary at the same time.  Manipulation and money are true characteristics of the media.  People shouldn't just listen/read the media, but almost decipher it and think critically (JMU shout out right there).

The article talks about this "mega" group that we experience through the media.  One of the ways these "mega" stories develop is by shocking us all.  It says exceptional crimes receive exceptional levels. Now in my opinion I believe there are many cases that we don't hear about, simply because of its relate ability or even its placement.  On the other hand I believe there are many so called "mega" crimes/stories that are forced upon the general public.  The media has complete control over which story becomes "mega" or not.  Are these "mega" crimes/stories just money making tactics, or are they stories that truly matter?

McNulty is Back

Quite happy with the opening episodes of season 5.  For one, McNulty is back to being an alcoholic and his don't give a shit attitude is right behind it.  These are very crucial elements to a well developed episode. Also, I'm glad there was a little change of pace in attitude on Freamon's side.  Hands down one of the best parts in the series is when he is giving advice to McNulty on how to manipulate the murders.  I guess the ware and tear of all the political BS Freamon has experienced is finally taking its toll.  Now whether this is for the good or not i've yet to decide.  Interestingly enough the viewer still doesnt know what Daniels did that allows Rawls to have leverage over him.  Hopefully we find out what he did.  Lastly, I dont think Marlo, Snoop, Chris and maybe even Mike knows whats coming for them.  Im expecting this last season to erupt into WWIII.  But who knows, anything could happen.

Season 5 I suppose is going to revolve around the media.  We've already seen how the media can manipulate and stretch the truth through the means of Daniels.  Media plays a vital role in how the general public deciphers the world.  The media is a very dangerous tool.  I believe this aspect of the media will play out in The Wire.  Its also interesting to see how the media is the glue between all of these different subcultures/agencies/operations.  The media has no friends, how and what the media publish is up to their discretion.  This will definitely play out in the later episodes for sure.  Unfortunately I have a bad feeling that McNulty might be on the losing end of this media propaganda.

Snitch Snitch

First of all, Mike has turned into a little punk.  What exactly is fueling him to turn towards the gang atmosphere, I'm really not sure. Though what seemed to spark his outbreak was the homecoming of his father.  I feel as if Marlo and Chris have replaced his family.  They have shown Mike security and respect through various ways, enabling him to trust the gang.  Not only has the gang replaced his family, but his friends as well.  Mike went from one of my favorite characters to least favorite in one scene.  The scene I'm talking about is when Cutty came to talk to him.  Being the punk that he is he let Cutty get shot, and nobody messes with Cutty.  

Secondly, it was interesting how Chris handled the hit on Mike's father.  Previously we have seen Chris and Snoop "take care" of people quite efficiently and quickly.  Chris made it a point to beat Mike's father to death, literally.  Not only was this act unprecedented by Chris in The Wire, but brings about the question why he would act in such a way?  I personally believe Chris and Mike are much more in common than the series actually shows.  Underlying issues of rape and molestation I believe haunt each of them in their own personal way.  What do you think?

The article argues that snitching in many communities has become distorted and broadened to include anyone who calls the police or cooperates with criminal justice officials.  If this is the definition that snitching has received then almost everybody in The Wire is a snitch.  Probably the biggest snitch in the business would have to be Omar.  Which in essence is kind of funny if you really think about it.  Not only is he the biggest snitch in the series, but is also arguably the most dangerous as well.  To me these characteristics are almost opposites of each other.  Though Omar is quite impressive to say the least. 

The article also talks about the Anti-Snitching Code behind bars.  Is there anyway we as a people could change these codes that are within a prison?  Is it something that we could actually change, or is it pretty much a hopeless problem?

Locked Up

First of all im still king of upset with the lack of McNulty face time.  Not only have the cut down on his scenes this season, but he is no longer an alcoholic.  What is the wire coming too?  Anyways, I thought it was kind of interesting how Carcetti and McNulty have many similarities.  Its almost if they have replaced McNulty with Carcetti in the season.  Once scene in particular that really reminded me of McNulty was when Carcetti turned down his campaign manager.  It was a lot like when McNulty turned her down as well.  The parallel im drawing is simply not the women herself, but the turning point in their personal beliefs and morals.  Both of them made life changing decisions based upon there foreseen futures.  O and I hope Omar get out soon I dont know how much longer he can last in jail.  Though it does help having two giant men follow you around everywhere protecting you.

In season 4 they used the term "part of the game" a little differently than in the past.  For the first time you see the politicians use the phrase and not the gangsters.  Which brings about the question, are they using the phrase in the same way?  In my opinion they are, its just different people saying it.  Why I say this is because of the scene where the man on the street says, "we only stole 1 dollar for every 3, not 2.".  In essence there both manipulating their personal systems.  The politicians are manipulating the general public and their personal perceptions, while the kingpins are manipulating the streets.  Its all part of the game.

Problem Oriented Policing really reminds me of the special task unit that Daniel's was in charge of originally.  They weren't really worried about the everyday drug user or what they were involved with.  They wanted to look at the bigger picture and find the kingpins of each organization.   In essence they accomplished their task and arrested Avon.  Sad part is Marlo quickly replaced the ever famous Avon.

The Wire exemplifies some corrective strategies unintentionally for the No child left behind law.  First of all the necessary tools the children need to effectively learn.  An example of this is when Pres finds all those computers in storage.  Not only did he find computers but also found new textbooks as well.  The article states that kids need real help, not punishment or unproven approaches.  When I read this it automatically made me think of the kids under Bunny.  They created a class for the kids that is specifically devoted to their personal needs, not the other way around.  

Season Cuatro

Season 4 definitely started off with a bang with the killing of Marlo's man.  This season has been way more explosive thus far in the first three episodes than any other season.  McNulty really hasnt been seen much within the first three episodes.  When he has been featured though, he appears to be an upstanding guy.  Personally I don't like it, I need my alcoholic McNulty back.

One of the things that is quite interesting to see is the "grooming" of the kids in Baltimore.  Im calling it grooming for lack of a better word, but in essence it somewhat is.  In the first 3 episodes you see Marlo's man hand out money to the pre-teens and then to Namond's crew.  Somehow I dont believe those hundred dollar bill's were actually "free" per say.  Marlo seems like a man with a plan and has a lot of things figured out.  On the other hand though I thought Avon had his stuff together too.  How this will play out in the future should be interesting though.

To hit a little bit on the Psychopath article I wanted to talk a little bit on McNulty.  Originally and naturally I though Bubbles was the most prone to being and becoming a psychopath.  Escaping reality with drugs for some reason correlates itself with psychopath in my mind.  Though after seeing the list for what determines a psychopath,  I quickly changed my mind to McNulty.  McNulty's attitudes and characteristics seemed to fall in line more so with a psychopath than anyone else in show.  I suppose McNulty's spontinous and uncharacteristic behavior as a cop really plays a major part in why I believe he fits the mold of a psychopath.

Lastly, take a look at this video.  Its pretty funny to see McNulty with a english accent.  Quite impresssive how he can hide it so well, its quite thick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JopucowsQPY&feature=fvsr

Stringer: The business man

I must say Stringer's death came at somewhat of a surprise.  Though I always had this feeling that Avon took D's death a little light after finding out what happened to him.  It should be interesting on how the show goes on without him.  He was such a huge part of the show by playing the other half of Avon.  It seems as if Avon has already replaced String with the presence of Slim Charles.  Slim seems to think and act more in line with Avon in these past couple of episodes.  It should be interesting on how their relationship works out in the near future.

One of the most important aspects of Bandura's Moral Disengagement Theory in my opinion, is the Dehumanization aspect to it.  By not viewing individuals as humans, a person is able to committ certain acts that they would not normally be able to accomplish.  This results in the lack of empathy one shows to other human beings.  You see this dehumanization in all three seasons of The Wire.  One of the most obvious cases of this is when Stringer placed the hit on D.  I believe this example shows moral disengagement on two accounts.  First of all, Stringer is not the one that had to kill D.  He set it up so another person would have to be the one that actually got their hands dirty.  Without actually being the one that kills D, String is able to avoid the emotionally aspect of the hit.  Examples of this are limitless.   The second part of the moral disengagement is the dehumanization of D.  String saw D as a problem, or roadblock.  By viewing D as a necessary hit without any other option, he loses all emotionally tie towards D.  This is a pretty extreme case of dehumanization within moral disengagement.  To be able to dehumanize family of Avon's shows a real sense of lack of empathy.

Lastly Im glad Brother Mouzone and Omar are getting along so well

"Its all part of the game"

First and foremost season three is starting to be my favorite season.  It kind of has the best of both season imbedded within it.  Even though the docks are not as evident within the season, the turmoil within the political aspect of the show has taken its place.  Its nice to see Avon and Stringer not so much in control of their situation.  What I mean by this is that in season 1 Avon had everything figured out.  The towers were his, the product was good, and the muscle was strong.  After two years in the pen, the towers were demolished, the product is weak, and they have no muscle.  You also see Stringer his right hand man switch mindsets.  Stringer turned from a drug man into a business man.  Its almost if Stringer is looking at the big picture and Avon is looking at the small.

One phrase that is being thrown around in season 3 is, "the game has changed".  From my recollection they really never define what the game is.  We all have made our own definitions to what this phrase means by the context it is used in within the series. In my opinion this is a highly subjective term thrown around in The Wire.  Stringer has his own definition and Avon has his.  Now you are starting to see how this phrase is starting to cause a problem within Avon's gang.  Stringer believes they should be worried about the real-estate.  Avon believes they should be worried about their image.  

Husak defines decriminalization by saying that the use of a drug carries no criminal charge.  In essence you see the decriminalization of drugs in The Wire season 3.  Colvin makes it a point to satisfy the boss's  ,and decrease crime rates.  He does this by allowing dealers to sell in certain areas that he has sectioned off.  As long as they don't fight, the cops will turn a blind eye to the selling.  One of the most prominent examples of this is when Herc and Carver tell off McNulty from arresting a man with a package.  In some sense decriminalization of drugs manipulates the law around the problem.  Does it solve the problem?  Or does it just hide it?

Season 3

Season 3 really starts off with a bang opposed to season 2.  People are getting arrested, dogs are getting shot, people are getting shot, affairs are in the process, and Bunk is still getting hammered.  All in all I must say it has the ingredients to make an entertaining season once again.  Hands down one of the best scenes in the first 3 episodes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt0e5zNRhSo

One of the most interesting things said in my opinion was the reference made in episode 2 about drinking on the corner.  How people were able to manipulate and interpret the law for its exact meaning.  By inserting their beverage of choice in a paper bag the police officer isn't able to prove what the individual is drink just by sight.  With no blatant reason to look in the bag means no problems. And in essence this helps both sides of the party.  Cops don't have to deal with misdemeanors all day, and the alcoholics get to further their addiction.  Its interesting to think about how imperfect our system is, yet it is the most perfect imperfect system we can come up with.   It is impossible to cover every little nook and cranny amongst the realm of law for the protection of the criminal and officer.

While writing this I was trying to think of another example like the plastic bag with the alcohol.  I almost feel like this type of situation happens all the time in the police context of the show.  It seems as if there are always things being swayed or manipulated a certain way in order to prove a certain point.  One of the most obvious and brutal are the police brutality instances in the show.  Any others that come to mind from the other side?

The Lost Boys of Baltimore: Beauty and Desire in the Hood

This article explores black masculinity within the show The Wire.  Mr. Williams starts out this chapter by trying to understand the black and white relationships within the series.  He gives credit to the series in creating these homosocial spaces that we see our characters revolve around.  One example he gives is the crack house Bub's and his white junkie friend hangout in.  Also, he gives note to pairing's within the show.  Examples of this is Bunk with McNulty and Carver and Hauck.  These lending the most obvious representations of black masculinity.  

The less obvious representation of black masculinity are the attention dwellers between the top drug dealers ( Avon and Stringer) and the black officers ( such as Carver).  Mr. Williams believes each type of person is constantly fighting for the viewers attention.  "What is ones persons's urban nightmare, is another mans fantasy" (p. 59).  I found this quote quite intriguing.  On the one hand you have Avon who grew up in the towers and knows nothing but them.  The towers and drug dealing are his world.  On the other hand you have Carver, the low level policemen. Two totally different men fight for the same attention to the viewer.  In essence as the viewer you see Avon more powerful than Carter simply because of the level they posses within their individual societies.  I really interesting aspect to The Wire.  

Mr. Williams goes on and describes the different ways black males and everyone else are portrayed by camera angles.  He believe whenever a "dominating" male black actor is present there is a sense of urgency with the camera.  Specifically a play on the cameras focus and speed of the scrolling along with distance.  One example that actually I could relate to was him talking about Stringer.  Stringer always captures that superior male dominating role whenever on screen.  Obviously him being high up in the business helps with this portrayal, but even when he is around Avon they seem pretty even to me.  

Another way the camera dominates and provokes this black male masculinity portrayal is by the one on one scenes within The Wire.  An obvious example of this is Omar and all of his boyfriends.  Another example of this is Avon in jail.  Numerous times the camera focuses in on Avon's one on ones, either with Stringer or even with Wee-bey just hanging out in jail eating chicken.  

As a result Mr. Williams believes this portrayal of the black male does not help the so-called realistic aspect to the show.  Whether or not the director purposely did these thing I have no idea.  Without a doubt I would have to agree with Mr. Williams  and say that people are definitely affected by certain tactics used by the director himself.  How many people it affects and how often is up for debate in my book.  All in all I believe it important to be aware of these devices the director employs and judge accordingly.

The Lost Boys of Baltimore: Beauty and Desire in the Hood

James S. Williams.  Film Quarterly, Vol. 62, No. 2 (Winter, 2008/2009), pp. 58-63

R.I.P D

First things first, D will be missed.  Even though D wasn't my favorite character (Lester is), he still played a major role within The Wire.  I almost felt as if he was Avon's "better" and "realistic" self.  Without D playing such a sympathetic role in the series Avon definitely wouldn't of seemed so bad. On the other hand without Avon, D wouldn't of seemed so innocent.  All in all im still waiting for the episode where D pops up out of his grave and starts selling back at the towers.  I guess only time will tell if that ever happens.

The one article by Currie talks about the crime in a market society.  Within his article he defines the market society by saying that they are sink or swim societies.  He goes onto explain that these specific types of societies are breeding grounds for serious violent crime.  Lastly he goes on and explains the 7 determining factors/characteristics these specific societies turn to crime.

" Number 2.  Inherent tendency toward extremes of inequality and material deprivation".  I picked this one in specific because I believe it relates to The Wire the best.  In essence it says this is the elimination of "good" work.  This idea is found throughout The Wire in many situations.  Ziggy and Nick are the obvious ones within the series.  Seniority is a major problem for both of them.  The longer you have worked on the docks the more shifts your going to get.  By not getting the shifts they need to support themselves (and in Nicks situation his girlfriend) they turn to crime.  You see a transition within Nick in the last couple of episodes.  At first he is totally appalled by the idea of drug dealing.  Then, you see him take half of his earnings in cash and in drugs.  This simple transition shows you how the possible benefits outweigh the extreme costs. In Nick's mind he just wants to get his own place.  On the other hand he has become a drug dealer.  This also can relate to the article we read earlier in the year, explaining the girlfriend and her needs within the drug atmosphere.

Season 2...lets go

So I just finished the third episode of season 2, and I must say im quite impressed.  The show itself really has a weird way of hooking its audience.  Its not like the show 24 that has constant action 24/7 (no pun intended).  Im quite impressed with the intertwining of the two seasons.  Not only do you get the excitement of the Avon Barksdale case, you also get the women trafficking corrupted blue collar docks men.  I cant wait to see what happens.

On a more serious note, season 2 really exemplifies this idea of Agnew's strain theory.  Right from the beginning theres strain everywhere.  The strain that the docks men experience is one that involves money.  As we saw in the first three episodes times are hard on the docks.  You begin to realize the people that work the docks are no cleaner then the water itself in baltimore.  First and foremost starting with the head Frank.  Strain causes Franks own son to steal from the company and make a profit on his own.  Whether you believe strain causes crime is up to your own discretion.  Also, I believe its episode 3 where you see one of Franks workers tell him that he is going to leave the docks.  As a result Frank tells him to go get a drink on him and tell him the answer in the morning.  To his surprise a money roll is waiting for him at bar.  Whether or not this money was obtained legitimately or not is still up in the air, but we can make assumptions.  Strain can turn the nicest man into a corrupt man.

Not really class related

So I just started season 2 of the wire and realized the intro singer changed to Tom Waits.  If you've never heard of him I recommend you check him out.  Here is one of my favorite songs by him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvMy1xOh6cw

Robert Taylor Homes

After watching the whole first season of The Wire, I realized it had a lot of similarities to the Robert Taylor Homes of Chicago.  If you've never heard of the Robert Taylor Homes heres a little background.  It was a public housing development that tried to create cheap affordable housing for many low income families.  The high-rise development soon enough collapsed internally and turned into a breeding ground for crime and drugs.  As seen in The Wire, cops avoided certain areas of the Robert Taylor Homes.  Initially the homes were built to accommodate 11,000 people, but soon enough peaked at 27,000 people within the community.  Also seen in The Wire, "turf wars" broke out constantly within the area.  In 2007 the high-rise buildings were demolished.  Heres a website that gives you a little more information the Robert Taylor Homes if your interested.

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7002&page=1

Its quite unbelievable how many connections you are able to make between the two areas.  To think that there is an ideal type of community for crime to thrive, is an interesting aspect to look at.  With so much known about where crime comes from and how it originates, why do we keep building areas that provoke this type of behavior?  Obviously we cannot predict everything, but we can compare the similarities between the towns and cities that provide our country with the most crime, and act accordingly.

Togetherness

One of the things that I have found quite interesting about the series thus far is the lack of "togetherness".  It seems as if there is no uniform goal among the branches of government.  Each branch seems to have their own personal agenda.  My question is why do these branches seem to be competing for criminal investigations, when in reality they all want the same result?  I understand that each branch needs there own agenda and are positioned to take on certain cases.  In "The Wire" though, each branch seems reluctant and unwilling in provioding assistance to each other.  Its kind of like there invisible to one another.  The one exception to my theory is McNultys friend that works for the FBI (I forget which branch he works for) that lends them the wire taps.  Even then though, each branchs head seems to enforce their own agendas without consideration for their own personal organization.  I guess thats the beauty of being the boss.  I suppose my ending question is one that asks, does this portray a fair picture of our policing agencies?  If so, why is there so much individualism within these agencies that support the same goal?

War On Drugs

One of the most memorable moments that came from episode 1.1 for me was when it was said that, "I dont know why they call it the War on Drugs, wars end".  I thought that was a really interesting quote to think about from a micro-level and macro-level.  What is qualified to be a war in the first palce?  From a micro-level I almost think were "winning the war".  Taking "pawns" (episode 1.2 or 1.3 he used that term) off the street really doesn't help the macro-level problem per say, but I guess in shear numbers we could win that war all day .  Its necessary to address these "pawns" in order to effectively control the macro-level problem.  Were able fight the micro-level war effectively every single day, but is that truly effecting anything?

Going back to the idea of this "War" on drugs, is it necessarily a war were talking about here, or is it more  attempting to control the consumption of drugs?  In all honesty im not really sure what the answer to this question is.  I know the media wants people to believe there is a "war" on drugs but obviously thats not realistic/plausible to believe. All in all to call such a problem a "War" in my opinion isnt fair.  I guess there will always be a War on drugs if thats what were calling it.