Where’s the justice, and where’s the sense.

I don’t subscribe to HBO, so I’ve missed out on The Wire. But, as a former Baltimorean and a David Simon fan, I’ve been planning to get the series on DVD for some time. This explanation from series creator David Simon (commenting in response to a Matthew Yglasias post) makes even more eager to see what I’ve been missing:

The Wire is dissent; it argues that our systems are no longer viable for the greater good of the most, that America is no longer operating as a utilitarian and democratic experiment. If you are not comfortable with that notion, you won’t agree with some of the tonalities of the show. I would argue that people comfortable with the economic and political trends in the United States right now—and thinking that the nation and its institutions are equipped to respond meaningfully to the problems depicted with some care and accuracy on The Wire (we reported each season fresh, we did not write solely from memory)—well, perhaps they’re playing with the tuning knobs when the back of the appliance is in flames.

(Thanks to Long story; short pier for the tip.)