Alexandria "Ali" Sutherland Professor Bruce Williams

Professor Bruce Williams

MDST 3559 – “The Wire”
March 1^st, 2012

Stringing The Wire and Capitalist Warfare

Each character in HBO’s The Wire is complex – it is not your typical, run-of-the-mill television show. When one hears ‘crime drama’, Law & Order and N.C.I.S. come to mind. What makes The Wire different from other crime dramas is that unlike others of the type, The Wire does not de-humanize the criminals; if anything, it gives you the reasoning of their actions, and you begin to sympathize with them. You learn that every step taken, every move made has different forces behind it, some with good intentions and some strictly because it was either ‘do or die’. Of all the characters on the show, I believe Stringer Bell is the most complex, and rather than represent real people (his character is based on two real-life Baltimore drug lords), I think he represents the very real and current capitalist society that is employed by the United States [Tif09]. Bell is extremely educated, well read, has excellent taste, and is a very successful businessman (yes, drugs are a business).

In season one, episode one, we meet Stringer Bell in the courtroom. Well dressed, and well spoken, it is obvious how Stringer is able to charm anyone into getting what he wants and needs for the business. Proven early in the episode, he is what society would deem to be an alpha male, even though his leadership talents are sometimes suppressed by Avon Barksdale. With a desire to always become more successful and more powerful in the Baltimore drug trade, Stringer puts people where he knows they need to be; that comes with demoting, promoting, and punishing as Avon sees fit.

While he might seem to be a somewhat understanding character, he is ruthless, having anyone killed who gets in his way or in the way of his business/money. Money, while a driving force in every society, is such a major facet in the drug trade and in Stringer Bell’s life. Coming from the streets of Baltimore, he wants better than what he had the day before, and he is determined to give that to himself, knowing that only he can provide himself with the lifestyle that he wants to live.
In season 3, the Baltimore Police Department investigation of the Barksdale Organization goes in full speed, while Stringer and everyone involved begins to fear for their future. In episode two of season 3, Stringer visits Avon with the news that ‘the tower territory’ will soon be gone, and that the best possible route is to start supplying new dealers. Stringer, acting as CEO while Avon is in prison, still consults Avon on most important matters. The more scared for his safety that Stringer becomes, the more he realizes that they need to run the business with as little violence as possible, something that in the first season, he probably would have agreed with, but certainly not something that he would have believed to be completely necessary in order to keep the business going. This new trait in Stringer reminded me of D’Angelo’s actions during the beginning of season one. D’Angelo, while a criminal, believed that if the business was run fair and without corruption, they would still turn a decent profit.

During this investigation, Stringer is doing whatever he can to keep the business alive for the sake of its reputation and to even further secure his position in the organization. In Code of the Street, Anderson talks about the hierarchy of the street and the desire to climb further up the ladder. There could be no more perfect example than Stringer. Anderson mentions that there are practices that are repeated over and over to reaffirm one’s position in the street gang [And99]. While this is obviously true, this happens in all business and politics. Contrary to popular opinion, the drug business is not that different from any other business. The goal is to turn a profit: capitalism. Like any other business, they make sure that the best people possible are representing their product, and who better to represent your company that the smart and cunning Stringer Bell?

Drug trade in The Wire represents all capitalist business for the most part. In The Wire: Urban Decay and American Television, the capitalism that Stringer Bell represents is further explained and explored [Tif09].

“When performance measurement is about external accountability, priorities quickly get distorted and means (i.e., measures) become ends in themselves. This is especially common when institutions and their leaders rely on performance measures to justify their actions, defend their prerogatives, or secure funding and favor from the external constituencies to which they answer, but that are not close enough to grasp how the institution is really doing” [Sti12]. Stringer Bell often deals with the business in this fashion – that his prerogative is the correct route.

In episode four, Stringer is seen making deals and planning with a senator, not unlike any other CEO. The parallels between the drug business and capitalist, private organizations are innumerable, further exemplifying the complexity of the Barksdale Organization. By episode five, he is having very professional meetings with other drug lords, but is disgruntled by Shamrock taking notes of the meeting. Stringer rips the notes up, and it foreshadows to the end of his reign, as Avon is released on parole. He starts to become suspicious of many workers in the organization, believing that they are ‘wired’.
In episode six, Avon is fully back in the picture and back at his position. The differences between Avon and Stringer are highlighted to the fullest extent in this episode. Avon suggests that they get more territory, and Stringer voices his concerns against it, with Avon citing that “he is a gangster,” that he is not a businessman (as Stringer is), and that he wants more corners to have their product sold on. Stringer now not only fears the police, but he fears the future of the business, watching Avon slowly pick apart all of the work that he has done since he had gone to prison. In the time that Avon has been gone, Stringer has elevated the business to its maximum height, only to watch Avon destroy it with wanting to do the work himself (while he was still on parole). Avon does not have the patience and business skill of Stringer Bell, but being the Barksdale of Barksdale Organizations, he feels that it is only right that he is in charge. As Stringer tries to tell him about what is going on in Hamsterdam, Avon is distracted, only further showcasing what a terrible job Avon is doing back at the helm.

By episode eight, Stringer, who had set up property development before Avon got out of prison on parole, goes to meet with Senator Clay Davis again. Upset with the lack of effort on Davis’ part, he reassures him that these things take time, but Stringer does not need time, knowing that he is ready to start at any given moment. Stringer’s relationship with Davis reminds me of the rumored relationships of President Jon F. Kennedy and the mobsters of Chicago. It is widely believed that Mobster Sam Giancana won Chicago for Kennedy, and that since Kennedy did not follow-up on his so-called promises (which may or may not be true), he had him killed. This is one of the more real-life parallels I noticed in this season, and it made me fear for Stringer more so than Davis.

Advancing to episode eleven, the Stringer Bell we met in season one and saw develop into the end of season two is gone. The business-minded, level-headed character we had gotten to now quickly became a paranoid boy, always looking over his shoulder and being suspicious of everyone around him. Avon has destroyed everything he accomplished and Stringer has met with his lawyer to discuss his political contributions to Davis, realizing that Davis is not the man he thought he was. Avon and Stringer’s relationship begins to strain to the point that they both know that they are losing each other, and then the turmoil begins to set in. Stringer is shot in the chest multiple times by Omar and Mouzone, ending his life.

The advancement of Stringer Bell in season one compared to the decline of his character in season three is such of a tragic hero. While Stringer Bell might not be seen as decent and moral in the eyes of society, he was living the only life he had ever known – a life of dealing on the streets. Stringer Bell’s character makeup reflects the real life situations of many on the street that live the life that they live because that is what they have been taught to live [Mos08]. As Stringer tries to do better for himself, he never forgets where he came from, and essentially, he is living the dream of most of his peers.

Stringer Bell not only breaks stereotypes that American society has set up for the inner-city, American lower-class, but he also showcases the intelligence and thought put into every move made by all drug lords in America, and possibly the world. Stringer Bell might be one person, but his character represents millions of people. That is what makes The Wire so real – it is real [Tif09].

Works Cited