In the comments section of Matt's post (and Reihan's, too), none other than David Simon himself joins the conversation:
Writing to affirm what people are saying about my faith in individuals to rebel against rigged systems and exert for dignity, while at the same time doubtful that the institutions of a capital-obsessed oligarchy will reform themselves short of outright economic depression (New Deal, the rise of collective bargaining) or systemic moral failure that actually threatens middle-class lives (Vietnam and the resulting, though brief commitment to rethinking our brutal foreign-policy footprints around the world). The Wire is dissent; it argues that our systems are no longer viable for the greater good of the most, that America is no longer operating as a utilitarian and democratic experiment. If you are not comfortable with that notion, you won't agree with some of the tonalities of the show. I would argue that people comfortable with the economic and political trends in the United States right now -- and thinking that the nation and its institutions are equipped to respond meaningfully to the problems depicted with some care and accuracy on The Wire (we reported each season fresh, we did not write solely from memory) -- well, perhaps they're playing with the tuning knobs when the back of the appliance is in flames.
Does that mean The Wire is without humanist affection for its characters? Or that it doesn't admire characters who act in a selfless or benign fashion? Camus rightly argues that to commit to a just cause against overwhelming odds is absurd. He further argues that not to commit is equally absurd. Only one choice, however, offers the slightest chance for dignity. And dignity matters.
... If The Wire is too pessimistic about the future of the American empire -- and I've read my Toynbee and Chomsky, so I actually think a darker vision could be credibly argued -- no one will be more pleased than me as I am, well, American. Right now, though, I'm just proud to see serious people arguing about a television drama; there's some pride in that. Thanks.
I think this jibes pretty well with what's been said in and around the Bowden essay. If you think that American society no longer works "for the greater good" of most of its inhabitants, and that our existing institutions are incapable of addressing the challenges we face, then The Wire will strike you as a masterpiece of true-to-life social realism. If you think, like me, that this assessment is too bleak by half, then The Wire will still strike you as a masterpiece - but one whose political message, as is often the case with great works of art, warrants being taken with a grain of salt.
The last 7 years have seen the American government engaging in a constant effort to help transfer wealth from the bottom to the top. I have seen exactly no evidence that the Bushpigs give one sweet damn about "most of its inhabitants."
They want their votes - or a slim majority of them. They want them to volunteer as fodder in their stupid war. They want them to accept rapidly-rising health and education costs as normal. They want them to pretend there is no middle-class squeeze. But they certainly don't want to "work for the greater good" in any real sense.
Posted by MoeLarryAndJesus | January 3, 2008 3:42 PM