tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7800469239056301433.post8887083612262045974..comments2023-05-16T08:11:41.354-07:00Comments on Something Less Pretentious: Death and The Wire: "The Buys" and "Old Cases"Jake Olberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500745141354613039noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7800469239056301433.post-37377470125293275422011-09-30T18:15:12.174-07:002011-09-30T18:15:12.174-07:00That's mostly on point. The series does put f...That's mostly on point. The series does put forth the view, however, that much of the good that is done in society is done on the personal and individual level. I would say that it's mostly the other way around in regards to self-interest; the organizations are structured in such a way to reinforce selfish behavior and advancement and less to reward individual achievement and effort that's bent toward societal good. Being a high-ranking police officer is about kissing ass and making stats, not doing good, solid, long-term police work that would make the streets safer. Being a drug dealer is about rep and posturing and getting over on people through intimidation so that you can get enough people behind you to run shit beyond the day-to-day, not actually making money as easily as possible (multiple times through the series it's reinforced that without the body counts, drug dealing would be easier and more profitable, since ultimately dealers are investigated much more heavily when, as Avon does before the show starts, they drop bodies).<br /><br />The kid who misses the point of the game is Bodie, who is one of the best characters in the show, IMHO.Jake Olberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17500745141354613039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7800469239056301433.post-693022480529289762011-09-30T13:36:22.443-07:002011-09-30T13:36:22.443-07:00OK, and lest that comment be seen as trivial, Davi...OK, and lest that comment be seen as trivial, David Simon is a 'systems guy', who seems to look at problems 'top down', as structural, as basically independent of any individual. If that's one of the fundamental premises of The Wire, then a low-key message that individual selfishness and narcissism are the particularized fuel for the systemic fire, that's kind of neat. Again, I am ignorant and probably stating the obvious.Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17681515526761970854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7800469239056301433.post-50881694301713564502011-09-30T13:33:25.899-07:002011-09-30T13:33:25.899-07:00OK, keeping in mind that I know nothing about the ...OK, keeping in mind that I know nothing about the Wire -- I have literally only ever watched the 3 and a half minutes of the chess scene -- I think this is a neat scene. The kid who's learning, he thinks that if he gets the pawn to the end and promotes to a queen, then he's Gotten There. He can only see the chess board as an extension of himself, as a metaphor for his own personal transformation and will to power. He is unable to see what is being taught: the pawns only exist as foot soldiers to the king. Whether or not they get promoted, whether or not they get capped immediately, is of ultimately no relevance to the larger narrative, which narrative the young man is unwilling to see. He can't see anything beyond himself. My hunch is that there's a narrative in The Wire -- and this might be an absolutely trivial observation, again keeping in mind that I've never watched the show -- that the unspeakable violence and death on the streets is fueled by narcissistic, wannabe Machiavellian posturing of the 'pawns' who are unable to project beyond anything that's not of immediate bearing to their present interest.<br /><br />Also, work in the mental health field if you really want to see learned helplessness in the face of daily despair.Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17681515526761970854noreply@blogger.com