The Wire

[Uncle Shags]

I'm not sure Simon is making a statement about the streets in particular. The theme of the show is institutional disfunction - at their cores, the Baltimore PD, the Barksdale drug operation, the Union, the Baltimore School system and the Baltimore Sun were all the same...

You're right, there is also the cycle of structural factors that contribute to inner city inequality and interact with those other cycles. But I think Simon is talking about multiple levels of the issue, not just at an institutional level. Institutional factors and individual and group dynamics all interact. The code of the street, respect, and violence influences how the Barksdale crew and inner city residents operate. It's all about putting up a front so others don't think you're weak. Omar is so respected (feared) he leans against a building and packages drop from the sky. "Oh shit, it's Omar! Just give him your shit!"

Watching the show the second time after reading Anderson's book it became really clear he used it and "The Code" as a resource in his writing. Themes, vocabulary, characters, theory, etc are pulled almost directly from the book. For example, how many times does Omar say, "A man's got to have a code"? And what happened to D'Angelo when he shows weakness and doesn't follow the code? Bunny asks the classroom full of corner kids why they have to beat up their lieutenants when they get out of line. "Because people are watching." I like the idea because for me it helps explain why the violence and aggression are so much a part of the culture.

With your original problem, it's even easier, because governments (unlike international institutions) have the power to enforce weapon-control laws.

Your second loop, however, requires that people stop associating violence with race. It would be completely immoral to impose restrictions exclusively on young black men.

I like your comparison to international arms escalation. Although, I'd say arms control in this country isn't exactly an easy proposition.

Yes, the second loop is immoral, but unfortunately it's reality, and as long as inner city inequality stays where it's at it's not going anywhere.

Vllad, I couldn't do the monster course back to back semesters. I maybe could have stuck with the topic and approached it from a different angle, but I wasn't sure how much new material I could come up with and also wanted to try something different. Plus my wife pushed me hard because she plans on taking my material and teaching a course on The Wire on her own some day. If I were to do it again in the fall I'd do monsters again. But I may be getting a real job soon. I'll know in a few weeks.

Here's the page that shows my class. I'm the sixth one down:
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