The Wire: A Criticism of Modern Society

“The Wire”, an HBO series created by David Simon, is a show unlike any other. It is one of the few popular television series that offers a critical view of the social, political, and economic institutions that govern an American city like Baltimore. In the style of a Greek tragedy, the story jumps back and forth between a large set of characters, most of whom are part of a hierarchy of people within some institution. The plot unfolds gradually, as a complex web of conflicting interests between groups of people like the police department, the drug gangs, the dock workers' union, the public school system, and the city government. The juxtaposition of these groups hints to the viewer the writers' view that all institutions, whether they are businesses, part of the government, or brutal drug traffickers, are prone to corruption and abuse.

Perhaps not surprisingly, The Wire is popular mainly with the urban working class and the wealthy urban elite. According to an article by Margaret Talbot, the middle class of America is apparently absent from the show's audience, just as they are increasingly absent in our cities. This may simply be due to the fact that the show takes place in an urban setting, but perhaps this is a sign of a real problem in American culture. It may suggest that the average American, a member of the middle class, is not interested in thinking about the systemic problems of the society in which they live. They are too busy watching American Idol or rooting for their favorite sports team. Even people who watch news will very rarely be presented with a story that deals with issues on the scale of those explored by The Wire. Most mainstream news channels tend to cover scandals and tragedies, events with a clear moral narrative, rather than stories that analyze the systemic problems faced by the world. If only those Americans who have no influence (the working class) and those who benefit from the status quo (the wealthy elite) are willing to think about alternatives to the current system, change is unlikely to occur.

If more Americans watched The Wire, our culture might be shifted in the right direction. It would let them understand that the problems faced by ordinary Americans on a day-to-day basis are not just the inevitable challenges of life in a capitalist society. They are the result of the conditions created by the actions of influential institutions, especially the government, which may or may not act in the public interest. The story of America as told by The Wire is not one of a prosperous and free nation facing some short-term difficulties which will soon be solved. Instead, it is one of an empire in collapse, with its citizens as victims of a system that no longer values them. If not a masterpiece of modern television, The Wire is a warning to all Americans of a bleak future which is already beginning to manifest itself.