A hard left-winger, or cultural marxist, who believes that the black population's plight is because of discrimination (oppression) by whites, would not be able to find such a message in The Wire.
Ever heard of the term "White flight?" I don't know if the specific term is ever brought up in the show, but its meaning is referenced, at least once, by I think Carcetti.
White flight refers to white people moving out of the city once black people started moving in, thus removing a large chunk of the city's tax base. Less tax revenue means smaller school and police budgets, along with other social services. This is clearly an issue in the show.
You certainly would not argue that white flight is not because of discrimination against blacks, right?
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larsped
8 years ago
Not sure what you mean. White flight is voluntary racial and social segregation. The whites leave an undesirable area because they can afford to. I don't think it can be called discrimination.
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jonnyk82
8 years ago
Perhaps you didn't see this part of my post:
White flight refers to white people moving out of the city once black people started moving in
In other words, white people didn't want to be living with black people. I'm not sure how you can argue that that is not discrimination.
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larsped
8 years ago
If you put it that way, I guess it can be called racism, or discrimination.
But since you are talking about white flight as if it is a problem, then you must agree that the city becomes a worse place to live after the white people leave (or flee). In turn, this means that having a black population makes a city a worse place to live in than one with a white or mixed population.
So from the white people's perspective, it makes sense to leave the city right after black people start moving in. After all, the place is only going to get worse, and the last ones to leave will have to accept lower prices for their properties when they leave.
So a rational decision can easily be framed as discrimination, even though no harm is being done.
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jonnyk82
8 years ago
But since you are talking about white flight as if it is a problem, then you must agree that the city becomes a worse place to live after the white people leave (or flee). In turn, this means that having a black population makes a city a worse place to live in than one with a white or mixed population.
No, the city becomes a worse place to live when the tax base leaves, thus depriving the city of funds for schools, better trained police forces, social services, etc.
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larsped
8 years ago
Well, the effect is the same. If the black people pay less taxes, then the city will be worse after they move in. The same would happen if a lot of unemployed people moved in.
So it can be hard to separate racism and more rational economic decisions if the economic problems are also associated with a certain ethnic group. White flight is a mixture of the two.
But why not turn this around and call it "black smooching" or something similar?
Right now this phenomenon is also seen in the Mediterranean where a lot of black people are trying to make it to Europe.
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pistrix
8 years ago
Yes white flight did happen in Baltimore, and many other major cities. Yes white people did not want to be around black people. THAT was also long time ago too. Baltimore does have a mass majority black population, but there are white people that do live in the city. Also people wanted to live out in the suburbs for more space. You do not have space living in cities. You have a tiny apartment and no land, people wanted to actually have houses and land and grass and raise families. So it is a combination of things.
White people, unless junkies or addicts, are NOT going to live in such black neighborhoods shown in The Wire. That is a fact. I have driven around those neighborhoods and I have worked in such locations where it was a running joke that murders happened here, and the bodies were dumped 15 minutes away. You think many white people live in southside Chicago the murder capital of the US? Absolutely not. Why because it is self explanatory. Why on earth would a white person want to live there???? Why on earth would anyone want to live in locations where the crime rate and murder rate is sky high. That is what you will get in major cities. NO ONE is doing a thing to change any of it and no the tax base will NOT return until there is a show of wanting to improve and clean up those neighborhoods.
Baltimoreans and those in the county have seen how things change when the demographic changes.
((Damn the remakes, Save the originals.))
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andy5868
8 years ago
It's funny because the woman who lived in Hamsterdam said she moved there when there were some white families still left there.
I honestly would not want to live in a black neighborhood for obvious reasons.
I think the biggest message of the show is that the war on drugs isn't working.
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