Blog Post 5

One of my favorite television shows is called The Wire. Seeing as many television shows take on only one perspective from one social or economic class at a time, this television series takes on a different perspective and shows numerous social classes as part of the show’s plotline. The Wire, focuses on the inner-city Baltimore drug trade and the numerous entities and organizations that surround it. For example, there is a wide range of characters that are involved with the law enforcement organizations, criminal and drug enterprises, politicians and Congressional districts, educational facilities, as well as the newspaper and the media entities. This television series does a great job of switching back and forth between these different social forces in a way that flows along with the story’s plot while, at the same time, depicting different socio-economic class groupings as well.

This show is pretty consistent with the reading’s note of how poor whites and poor blacks are represented in the media. The reading noted how white victims of Hurricane Katrina, for example, were seen as hardworking people, pulling themselves by their own accord, and helping out other people. This reminds of character in The Wire, Nick Sobotka. Nick is a worker at the shipping ports at the Baltimore Harbor. He starts selling heroin and letting illegal contraband come through the Baltimore ports as a way to bring extra money to purchase a house for his girlfriend and young daughter. There is one scene where he blatantly states that he doesn’t take excuses for lazy workers and that he doesn’t work without a contract. It’s these subtleties that reinforces the media’s representation that blue collar whites are hard workers and live by strict principle.  

On the other hand, the poor black characters are cast in a different light. They are viewed as people who are lazy, have no morals, and aren’t willing to change their own situation. For example, one character named Bubbles, is a heroin addict. Throughout the premises of the show, he is seen as a thief; always looking for items to steal and pawn them for money to buy more heroin. There’s one particular scene where he is seen printing money out and pouring coffee over the paper to make it look like real paper money.  Another character named, Dukie, is also a heroin addict. In the fourth season, he befriends one of his teachers and the two grow closer and closer. Near the end of the season, Dukie asks his teacher for some money, under the impression that he would use it to pay for the upcoming semester classes at the local community college. Instead, he lies to his teacher and uses the money to pay for more heroin.

Coming from a family that lives in poverty, I have seen both sides of the argument regarding social class and I am in a state of contradiction about whether it’s the social and economic policies that keep people in poverty or whether it’s their own fault.  My parents use examples from my extended family to paint a depiction of what it’s like to live in poverty. For example, my uncle on my father’s side of the family is a car salesman. He works from 7 AM to 10 PM everyday of the week. He often works on major holidays and is never able to take vacation time off due to his busy schedule. On the other hand, my uncle on my mother’s side of the family is characterized as lazy and as someone who is willingly mooching off the government. He stays in his mother’s house and watches ESPN on a daily basis. The media’s portrayal of social class, especially when it depicts poor whites and poor blacks, has a lot of influence on my perspective on these issues. So, in conclusion, there are legitimate points on both sides on poverty. I think that while there should be government programs that are catered specifically to people who are trying to cover the basic necessities, I think it should be only offered to those who are willing to help themselves.