No Hope for the Future?

Last Tuesday, David Simon, the creator of the HBO series, The Wire, visited Loyola and gave a very compelling lecture. However, as eye-opening as Simon’s lecture was, his painted a very grim outlook for the future. The overall tone of the lecture was melancholy. Simon’s message was directed towards our generation. He wanted the up and coming future to realize that the world we live in today is not as pristine as we may believe. Simon feels that we are the ones who need to make a change.

Simon views the world today as, “a brutal, cynical and as a divided place.” The Wire was created to portray the “other America”. Simon characterized the “other America” as, “the America most of society disregards.” This America has frequent crime, drug dealings, poverty, and a low standard of education. The episodes and seasons of The Wire depict many of these issues that plague this “other America”.

Personally, I have not had the pleasure in watching this true reality show. Yet, Simon mentioned how many of the problems that The Wire presents can be found in other major cities. Having lived outside of Philadelphia and as well as Camden, New Jersey all my life, it is not difficult for me to hear of issues such as crime, drugs and poverty infecting a city. He also spoke of how, “the gated communities are getting farther and farther away from the inner city.” This is causing a definite schism between the two America’s. Yet, Simon mentioned how, "most Americans would not want to live in a segregated community."

The Loyola community can relate to what Simon was speaking of. Once one travels outside of the comfy confines that Loyola provides, one can be inundated with a poverty stricken area. To some, this is different than their luxurious homes and accepting community. This is just another class in society and The Wire is trying to show that not all human existence is privileged and lavished.

One of the greatest problems that Simon had was how, “the country has chosen capitalism over human beings.” He felt that human lives are becoming more expendable for the possibility of capital gain. “The triumph of greed is taking over the United States,” said Simon. Fellow students could not do anything but nod their heads and be in agreement with what Simon was talking about. In today’s day and age, people are always trying to show-off and out-do one another. Simon would be agreement with the old adage that money truly is the root of all evil.

Not only did Simon’s speech personally affect me, but a lot of what he had to say could have been related back to literature we have explored this semester. Jane Jacobs’ piece, “The Death and Life Great American Cities”, can clearly be related back to what Simon was saying. Our very own college is a border. We live in a separate community, distant from the real inner city problems the daily citizens of Baltimore face on a daily basis. Even though we do live close to a problem ridden area, that area does not truly give one what a true inner city experience is like. We should follow Jacobs’ advice and, “…if they [universities] also put at their perimeters, and opened up as scenes, their elements congenial to public view and interest – instead of hiding them,” (Jacobs 267).

Simon was trying to give a real insight into reality. However, many people, especially myself, were left without a ray of hope. This lack of hope put a damper on the lecture in my opinion. I know we are college students and we are the future, but how can we prevent the past from reoccurring again in the future? This is in contrast to a poem that we just read, “God’s Grandeur”. In that instance, Gerard Manley Hopkins, the author of the poem, realized the wrong-doings that humans have inflicted, yet there is hope in the future. “Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings,” (Hopkins 14). I feel that is a positive outlook for the future. No matter what priorities humans find to be important, the innumerable sins we commit, or the schism that is growing in society, God will always be there to love us. Whether Simon sees this as positive outlook for the future, remains to be seen. Yet, I think this is a good building block for our generation and for our future.