Episode 196 — The Wire

[JulyDiaz 2797]

Today Andrew & Ted Lange IV get into whether The Wire is racist or not. Don’t worry there’s no spoilers! Be sure to keep leaving us messages at (323) 389-RACE.

[klemjohansen 748]

Not even white folks like season 2 of the wire.

[Kodo 19]

Not really sure what this episode was trying to get at - seems like a vague non-commitment to the idea that slang shouldn' be used in a script? Don't even think that's a fair criticism, anyway. Richard Price, one of the writers on the show and who also wrote 'Clockers', tried using actual slang, but by the time his books came out the slang was way out of date, so he would always make up his own. Slang has a short lifespan and the way it's used in The Wire isn't patronizing in the least.

 

Besides, what would a perfect script for The Wire look like? Trying to PC a Wire script I think would go against everything the show was trying to get at, which is that race and race relations is super fucking complicated. I don't know any other shows that really tackles so many different facets to America's relationship with people of color. To equivocate on a small matter such as slang seems to go against the whole idea behind what 'Yo, Is This Racist?' is about, which is to step back and think about how what you say or do affects others. Kinda disappointing that Andrew Ti and guest gloss over everything else the show has to say about race

[AndyPacheco-Fores 437]

Yo Andrew...what IS your day job?

[X_The Man With Xylophone Eyes 1]

Yo Andrew...what IS your day job?

Man, wouldn't it be messed up if Andrew's day job was... BEING A RACIST!!?

[Paintsville 64]

I thought a better topic relating to the Wire would be how 80-90% of white people that watch the Wire seem to consider themselves authorities on inner city life and urban social policy.

[PersonMan82 32]

Not even white folks like season 2 of the wire.

 

Season 2 is my second favorite, after season 4. Those dockworkers were all excellent characters plus it set up the Greek's storyline. Frank Sobatka especially, too bad his son sucked so much.