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Ethnic Stereotyping in “The Wire”       

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David Simon,

The Director,

Blown Deadline Productions.

Dear Mr. Simon,

RE: ETHNIC STEREOTYPING IN THE FILM “THE WIRE”

            After watching the episodes of “The Wire,” it is evident that there are some characterizations of the African Americans which I find objectionable. A majority of the content in this film are based on ethnic stereotypes rather than facts about this group. This misrepresentation may be misleading to the public and to the young adults who will soon become independent individuals of the society. African Americans have been misrepresented as drug addicts, drug dealers, violent, and as criminals.

            In the film, there are many scenes where Bodie, Poot and Wallace are seen engaging in drug dealing (Simon, 2002). Here, there are more black characters seen asking for drugs even though it is very early in the morning. The behaviour shows all the signs of addiction, meaning that the message meant to be passed across was that African Americans are both drug dealers and addicts (Geswelli, 2016). Although drug dealing and addiction is a common occurrence among the youth in today’s society, it would help to revise this scene so that there are white youths seen instead of having the black characters only.

            The whole film features the use of improper language where Black characters are constantly cursing (Simon, 2002). This takes place even when they are engaging in their usual conversations. Hence, it misrepresents the African Americans as angry individuals considering the fact that they engage in all their activities with so much anger (Geswelli, 2016). This should be revised so that there is less use of cursing language, and the characters should engage in normal language use.

            There is also misrepresentation of African Americans as criminals. In all the scenes and the story line, the young African Americans are perceived to be criminals engaging in violent crimes (Simon, 2002). They are shown with guns, and there are instances where they engage each other in physical fights. This is objectionable since there are African American youths who do not possess guns and will not engage in criminal behaviours. Therefore, to balance this scene, it is important to include a friend who is white to show that the problem exists even among the whites.

            Lastly, the environment in which the characters exist in showcase a lot of poverty. Also, there are no white individuals living in the premises. This is a great misrepresentation that presents the African Americans as poor and homeless (Geswelli, 2016). Even Lester is shown leaving his apartment, despite being a well-known detective who should be able to afford housing in a better environment (Simon, 2002). This can be changed to show Lester living in a well-established community, while the crime setting should also feature the presence of some white families.

            If these changes are considered, the film will be less stereotypical of the African Americans, thereby improving its accuracy. The issues that are showcased exist in both the White and African American societies. However, others such as drug use and abuse are based on individual choice, rather than ethnicity. This is the kind of representation that should take in the film.