David Simon's talk, The Wire

In David Simon’s talk, The Wire, which airs on HBO, came to Loyola College on February 6th. The Wire is a tv show which won Best Writing in a Mini Series. The Wire is a “searing look inside a drug war” and it is also considered the end of the American empire. David Simon went on to say that the conceit of The Wire is that every moment human beings are worth less. We are no longer needed to secure wealth and capital. His controversial talk went on to say that the problems in West Baltimore are “our” fault. David Simon considers himself a pessimist; he is very cynical since he has seen everything that occurs in the bad neighborhoods of Baltimore. Although, he went on to say that it’s not just Baltimore but many other major cities around the world have these same problems.
I found that his speech was rude, outspoken, and extremely controversial. David Simon said many things which were intended to offend many members of the audience. The one thing that hit home for me was when he said that, “human beings have lost value.” This statement was so personal and such an attack on everything that we represent. It came across as a personal attack; he was blaming us for all of the problems that occur in all these bad neighborhoods when really we are not to blame at all. All these drug dealers and what not have been poorly raised by their indifferent parents who set a bad example. We should not be to blame for their poor judgment; ultimately they are the ones to blame it is their fault. It is a very harsh statement but they have the option to lead a good life, they are not forced to become drug dealers.
David Simon’s talk relates to Tony Hoagland’s poem, America, which talks about how we have become lost within our society. “That gushed out of him, bright green hundred-dollar bills spilling from his wounds,” this quote shows how our society has become so obsessed with money. As much as I did not agree with David Simon’s talk, I do agree with the idea that America has become lost within itself. In some way America and the people in this great nation, have lost a sense of themselves. They try to fit into this imaginary world, which is not the real world anymore. “When each day you watch rivers of bright merchandise run past you and you are floating in your pleasure boat upon this river, even while others are drowning underneath you,” this quote shows that our society has become so obsessed with money and material items, and we sometimes do forget that there are many people who have absolutely nothing in the world. They have no family, no money, no food, they have nothing and we sometimes forget about them.
David Simon’s talk presented many interesting and valid points on the many problems that exist in some of our major cities. He was very outspoken on certain things, especially when he said that human beings have lost value. He made me aware of certain things that exist in the world, some of which I have already known and some which I had not previously known. His one very strong point was awareness, and that is exactly what his talk presented. He made me more aware of the things that exist in our nation, and if anything I benefited from learning his perspective in these neighborhoods such as Baltimore.