Hegemonic Masculinity In The Wire

The Wire is a show about the Baltimore drug game, told through the lense of law enforcement, drug dealers, drug users, and the people of Baltimore. Sexism, racism, patriarchy, and heteronormativity are all seen within the show, but the two concepts that the show seems to centers around most are the concepts of Marxism and Hegemonic masculinity. Marxism is defined as the “dictatorship of the proletariat”(Merriam-Webster) which essentially means the control of the laboring class by those who have more power and more money which can be influenced by race, class, and social standing. In The Wire the interest of the powerful people is being served at the expense of the less powerful in many ways. The most prominent example that stood out was when

We see that hegemonic masculinity is central to the construction of the characters in The Wire. In many cases, the personality of a person would not be complex or developed enough if it were not for hegemonic ideals that they portray. For example, the two officers who arrested Bodie (J.D. Williams) embody hegemonic masculinity in many ways.While arresting Bodie, the black officer, Ellis (Seth Gillman), said “one thing about Kema, she’ll put a hurtin’ on you like a man” this implies that men are the toughest people and that when a man hurts you it is like nothing else that could ever happen. Another example is when Bodie, Ellis, and Herc (Domenick Lombardozzi) were in the room playing pool, Herc said “admit you’re wrong, be a man”, this shows us that his character equates being able to own up to your actions is a quality that the ideal man should have. Hegemonic masculinity is a often associated drive, ambition, self reliance, and aggressiveness” (Messerschmidt). Both of these examples show us that the construction of the characters would not be the same if it weren't for the ideals of hegemonic masculinity that they portray through the entire

The Wire seemed so real and so genuine. I did not feel like it was clouded by theatrics and it embodied a gritty sense of realism that I loved. I wondered what drew me into the show,and what captured my attention to suddenly and abruptly. In Thompson and Mittell it tells us that “ beginning a series with a sense of frustration and disorientation captures the tone of daily life” ,this is true for The Wire, and I believe it is what made me so fascinated. I was not sure how the show would play on the stereotypes and misconceptions of black people so I was leary in watching it, but from the beginning,the show had as sense of realism that really helped me understand the characteristics and the series more. The Wire is a show that can appeal to many different audiences. Real life problems, and people from both sides of the law are telling one story which speaks to how real life is. The show focuses on the people and the system and how those two intersect. Marxism, capitalism, hegemony, classism, sexism, and racism among other things, all make this show seem real and appealing. Analyzing the show can teach viewers a lot about society and the factors that contribute to some of the disadvantages that people