Why we're teaching 'The Wire' at Harvard

Okay. Thanks. Baltimore is an embarrassment to the world because of government meddling.

I am just thoroughly disgusted at how we treated, and still treat, many of the Native folks, the Blacks and the poor in our society. We keep them on government programs giving them crumbs and hopelessness while the privileged elite steal their way to riches through crony capitalism. Then capitalism gets the blame. It is not capitalism that failed the people... it is theft. Is Harvard exposing the theft of the people by the central bankers?
 
Travlyr said:
Okay. Thanks. Baltimore is an embarrassment to the world because of government meddling.

I am just thoroughly disgusted at how we treated, and still treat, many of the Native folks, the Blacks and the poor in our society. We keep them on government programs giving them crumbs and hopelessness while the privileged elite steal their way to riches through crony capitalism. Then capitalism gets the blame. It is not capitalism that failed the people... it is theft. Is Harvard exposing the theft of the people by the central bankers?
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I agree. Overall - I am very pro-capitalism. The free market just works. Government intervention (even when well intentioned) usually does not work.

I don't think there any easy fixes here. No one can just wave a wand and everything turns perfect. The "war on drugs" is the lowest of the hanging fruit though. Legalizing it would not be difficult and the positive changes would at least improve things very quickly.
 
BlackTerrel said:
I agree. Overall - I am very pro-capitalism. The free market just works. Government intervention (even when well intentioned) usually does not work.

I don't think there any easy fixes here. No one can just wave a wand and everything turns perfect. The "war on drugs" is the lowest of the hanging fruit though. Legalizing it would not be difficult and the positive changes would at least improve things very quickly.
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True. I agree with a lot of what you say, but there are other fixes. The best fix is get government clear out of the way! Laissez faire free market capitalism works like magic for nearly everyone who desires a better life. And I am leery of Harvard's intentions. Harvard indoctrinates students to embrace elite globalism, and they are not a friend of liberty.
For example, Michael Sandel's teachings are funded by Goldman Sachs and other global loving elites.

Government programs are always sold as well intentioned and they never are! They are meant to enslave. The New Deal, The Great Society, Health Care all intentioned to transfer wealth & control the people... not set them free. :mad:
 
Definitely a great show and way, way too in-depth to sum up quickly by stating it's the failure of capitalism or a lack of jobs for the working class. How do you explain Naymon's mother if that's the case?

It just covers everything and is a must watch series. I'm also looking forward to Boardwalk Empire starting soon.
 
Travlyr said:
It still doesn't change the meaning of the word.
Here is the definition of capitalism:
1854, "condition of having capital;" from capital + -ism. Meaning "political/economic system which encourages capitalists" is recorded by 1877.

Let's hear your definition.

Have you ever been to Baltimore? Government projects/failures everywhere.
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Capitalists: people who own the means of production (wealthy elite within a capitalist system). Alright.

"political/economic system which encourages capitalists" -> means a system rigged in favor of the rich, wealthy owners rather than the masses of property-less laborers. Um, yea, I agree with those definitions.

Hence most of the 19th century American libertarians called themselves socialists (wanted a system where the common man owned and controlled his own economic destiny via capital; granted, they wanted to bring about such a system through a radically free market) and became libertarians as a reaction against the capitalism (state-capitalism) of their day.
 
Oh yea, one of the things that is so great about the wire is that it shows how complex social problems really are. There aren't many super-easy quick fixes (although decriminalization of drugs would be one). Morality isn't always a black-and-white thing, there's a lot of gray areas.

PS: Great Moyers interview with one of the writers/creators of the series - http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04172009/watch.html

PSS: Omar is the fucking man.
 
BULBASAUR! said:
I checked out the wiki page and was turned off by this:



Should I still watch it?
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Trust me, watch it. David Simon is an admitted socialist or socialist libertarian (is that possible?).

But its funny because is show The Wire is what turned me onto libertarian principles. That show got me to question government in all forms, our educational system, and the War on Drugs.

It seriously is must see tv for anti-government folks.
 
Bump. I just finished watching the final season last night. While it wasn't the best season, it was still incredibly clever and entertaining.

If you have not watched this series you are missing out on what could easily be the most most important fictional portrayals of American society ever created.
 
I'm currently at war with my previous Church and organized Christianity in general so I spent my Easter rewatching this show with my non-Christian girlfriend who has never seen it. Love seeing her reactions.

I'm not going to link to anything illegal from this site. But a clever Google search will find you all seasons in streaming.
 
The most ironic thing about The Wire is, the show creator, David Simon is an admitted socialist, and wanted to show to describe how our current government system in failing us and how we need to change. When in reality he showed me how government always fails. That show actually set me on the path towards libertarianism.
 
Take this scene in a Baltimore housing project from the show's first season: Two teenage drug dealers marvel at the ingenuity of their boneless Chicken McNuggets and imagine the inventor who must have become incredibly rich off his creation. An older dealer, D'Angelo, mocks their naivete, explaining that the man who invented the McNugget is just a guy in the McDonald's basement who dreamed up a money-making idea for the real players.

To D'Angelo, the formal labor market is fundamentally unfair. People are not rewarded according to their true worth, and powerful institutions regularly exploit those with less power. Social inequality is the inevitable result -- the McNugget inventor doesn't get his due. "It ain't about right. It's about money," D'Angelo tells the young dealers.
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The guy that invented chicken nuggets was an academic, and Tyson Foods got paid for developing the chicken McNuggets recipe for McDonalds. I suspect that none of the black men in the show would ever consider working at McDonalds - it would be far beneath their perceived self-value.

It's a good show, but it certainly did nothing to move me.
 
The Wire is a very realistic (to a degree) show. It shows various socioeconomic aspects (those born unto the system, the police who antagonize and often harrass, those trying to "mind their own business," and the newspapers that print the stories. Anyone with an open mind should definitely watch an episode. A lot of the depictions are dead on.
EDIT: It might not be your cup of tea but once you start seeing the plot develop and "who controls what" you will understand why many people before are fans.
 
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angelatc said:
The guy that invented chicken nuggets was an academic, and Tyson Foods got paid for developing the chicken McNuggets recipe for McDonalds. I suspect that none of the black men in the show would ever consider working at McDonalds - it would be far beneath their perceived self-value.

It's a good show, but it certainly did nothing to move me.
Click to expand...

If I recall correctly wasn't the head of Tyson (Dan Tyson, if my memory serves me correctly) listed as a "major D.E.A. trafficker?"
EDIT: Didn't find an article on this. Am I mistaken?
 
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The wire was a very entertaining and also a thought provoking series. I liked the 'hamsterdam' solution to the drug dealing. Also the interplay between all the various factions and greed was the downfall of so many. Lampooning the media worked well, the story above all else regardless of the facts.

I'm glad the premium channels do these types of shows, I hope they make people think. Generation Kill was also a great story. Knowing it was based on an embedded journalist's actual story just made it even more powerful.
 
RedStripe said:
Capitalists: people who own the means of production (wealthy elite within a capitalist system). Alright.

"political/economic system which encourages capitalists" -> means a system rigged in favor of the rich, wealthy owners rather than the masses of property-less laborers. Um, yea, I agree with those definitions.

Hence most of the 19th century American libertarians called themselves socialists (wanted a system where the common man owned and controlled his own economic destiny via capital; granted, they wanted to bring about such a system through a radically free market) and became libertarians as a reaction against the capitalism (state-capitalism) of their day.
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Correct. "Capitalism" was originally Marx's term, which he used to describe a system dominated by a class capital-owners who exploit everyone else. Kind of strange how terms get mixed up over time. Even "free-market" is somewhat a misnomer ("freed markets" is more accurate from the libertarian/classical liberal view).
 
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