Responding to the ending of The Wire Season 4

The Wire is brilliant because it shows the viewer multiple stories of Baltimore. I thought that the most compelling story was that of the neighborhood teens Michael, Dukie, Randy, and Naymond. The Wire shows Michael’s transformation from a quiet, caring boy to a gang leader and murderer. Dukie succumbs to the streets, despite Prez’s efforts, as he is recruited to be a gang member under Michael and seen dealing drugs on the corner at the end of the season. Randy’s story shows a young boy who is a casualty to the system, ending up in a foster home where he is beat for being labeled an informant. Lastly, Naymond’s story gives the viewer a bit of hope. Naymond is eventually adopted by Colvin in order to stay away from the corner and the street life. He has the most gratifying ending of the four. Overall, these stories show how the environment of gangs, drugs, and crime can easily lure in young kids full of potential. Sadly, the street life was inevitable for some of these boys since they lacked the support system to escape their harsh environment. Interestingly enough, at the start of this season Naymond is the one who appears to be going down the wrong path. He listens to his father in jail, and his Mother who pressures him to work for the drug dealers. Perhaps the writers wanted to show the randomness of growing up on those streets, how the promising kids can turn violent and how the thuggish ones can turn their life around if they want it, or just plain get lucky.

Connections Between Law Enforcement and Race

Coates’ Between the World and Me: Coate’s, an African American writer and  journalist from Baltimore, tells a compelling story regarding race and law enforcement. Coates writes the book as a message to his son, preparing him for potential injustice and police harassment & brutality. Coates talks about how police reflect America in all of its will and how the American criminal justice system is a product of the majority’s democratic will. He believes the problem doesn’t lie solely with police, but with those who rule the country and create criminal justice policies. His analysis and straightforward honesty about the American justice system helps readers understand his powerful viewpoint.

Blog post 3

TED talk response

Adichie’s TED talk shows us a rare perspective of the world. More importantly, her perspective gives us insight as to how a stereotype develops from lack of communication. In this TED talk the speaker, Adichie, even admits to how she has stereotyped before, when living in the United States. Issues with immigration led to a negative stereotype for Mexican people crossing the border. After visiting Guadalajara Adichie’s stereotype is broken and she understands how seeing a story from one perspective isn't enough information.

This can be related to The Wire on HBO. The show operates like a multi-sided ethnographic documentary. It shows the many issues the characters from different cultures face, all in unique perspectives.

The Rat Park experiment really changed the way I think about addiction. The various experiments, done by Bruce Alexander and his team, give an interesting perspective on what really causes addiction. The results of the experiment show that isolation is the main cause of drug addiction in rats, which disputes the theory that the chemical in the drug is to blame. I can’t help but agree that the environment plays a crucial role in addiction. The experiment really spurs critical thinking, especially regarding addiction in humans. Are people hooked on potent chemicals within drugs or are they isolated to the point that they must self-medicate to escape isolation? Johann Hari’s article made great points about addiction in humans in relation to isolation or “disconnection.” One example she uses is the story of Vietnam War veterans, who were heavy heroin users during war, but simply stopped using the drug after coming home. The didactic notion behind this story is that a positive change in environment allows addicts to kick their destructive habits more easily. Her article also talks about the idea that bonding is crucial when dealing with, and more importantly, avoiding addiction. It seems a bit scary to think that social bonding is diminishing at a rate where people are turning to different types of addictions, whether it is drugs, gambling, or simply using a smartphone, to replace their void. I’m quickly reminded of the “smartphone fast” assignment where many students struggled to live without their phone. Hari is uncovering a different viewpoint, where society is becoming disconnected within itself, causing an increase in addiction. Yet, the government and big businesses continue to advise society that chemicals are the strong-handed grips that keep addicts wanting more.

9/18/2016

Describe an aspect of The Wire that you find persuasive. Is its persuasiveness a good or a bad thing?

It’s easy to notice that The Wire is good at making parallels one wouldn’t expect, and it uses these parallels to prove a point. There is a scene in which policemen are assembled for a meeting, and are reading through a powerpoint presentation. At the same time, teachers from the local school are doing the same. The tone between them is similar, though the police act more lightheartedly. This is implying the teachers’ jobs are as dangerous as being a cop. After the scene of the girl brutally attacking her classmate, the implication of danger is shown to be very real.

Persuasiveness is a useful skill but we see from the show’s characters how it can be used for bad intentions. For example, the different ways drug dealers try to persuade young boys to work for them. They tell the younger boys that they don’t need to stay in school because they would make more money dealing drugs. The younger boys get persuaded by the money they receive from the drug dealers and also by seeing all the things the drug dealers own. Depending on how one uses persuasiveness, determines if it’s being used for good or bad.