The Machine Always Wins

"WE WILL PROTECT YOU"
-Tommy Carcetti

You may remember in last weeks book club i briefly mentioned the destruction of individuals by post-modern institutions. Well, I have been thrown into some sort of horrible downward spiral by episode 58 of The Wire. In turn I'm in a place where I need to ruminate on these thoughts, for my own peace of mind if nothing else (no spoilers).

To plagiarize a bunch of websites -- postmodernism refers to a state lacking a clear organizing principle and embodying extreme complexity, contradiction, ambiguity, diversity, and interconnectedness. Its hard to locate temporally or historically, because it's not clear exactly when it begins. The easiest way to understand it is to think about modernism (an esoteric concept in itself, but simplified: "It's all connected") with a cynical attitude. Google it if you need more, idiot.

David Simon, bleak motherfucker that he is, has made postmodernism one of the major themes of the Wire -- especially how this "attitude" results in institutions destroying people operating within them. There are countless examples in the show -- basically run down the character list, then omit a few, such as Marlo or Clay Davis (so far). Dukie could very well the most depressing character in the history of fiction.

Remember the hermit in Blood Meridian, when he said a machine that can make a machine, An evil that can run itself a thousand years? It's happened in these bureaucracies, be it government, schools, media, whatever. Some individuals operating within them are the cogs, the small moving parts slowly being worn down. Others are the fuel, burnt and changed forever. There is no operator. A self-perpetuating machine that crushes any individual who tries to stand up. Don't believe me? Go to the DMV.



I can only really speak on the institution I'm involved in. As much I want to believe the Wire is truth, the media is the only place I have experience as a small moving part. For some kind of perspective check out this article about how "flat earth news" is killing journalism. It starts kind of slow, but I think he hits the nail on the head.

Whereas you should have a system where journalists, working honestly and independently, make what used to be called news judgments and say this story is important, this angle needs to be expressed, this research needs to be done, instead now we sit there passively and those decisions are made by the whole magic world of PR and the public and private and the charity sector and the terrorist groups. They write the press releases and we bung ‘em in.

You may wonder why. Why don't those good-for-nothing journos do their jobs and parse the information, perhaps with a little analysis? Well, some do. But to think critically about what people are telling you takes time. You may not get a crucial call back -- but the story is still going to run. Deadline doesn't wait. And then that tardy source is pissed because you wrote a slanted story and won't talk to you, leading to more slanted bullshit stories from the same sources with the same insane ax to grind.

Another Wire theme that comes to mind here is "More with Less." Newsrooms across the country are increasingly asked to do more with less, as advertising budgets shrink and the investors get antsy. But as Gus Haynes so aptly put it, you don't do more with less, you do less with less. Reporters are expected to have stories every day. I'm not saying they shouldn't write stuff everyday, but do you really think there is going to be in-depth coverage coming from a doe-eyed 22-year-old who doesn't know anyone in the community? It takes time to cultivate quality sources, years in some cases. Imagine some unknown reporter calling you up, trying to get the dirt on your shit.