Community | August 26, 2009 | 8 comments

Is Britain like The Wire?

source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8219693.stm

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AnnieMole
Chris Grayling, the UK's shadow home secretary, has mentioned The Wire in a speech about law and order in Britain. He has compared parts of the country to the inner city squalor and gang violence seen on the programme.

He says that parts of Manchester, Liverpool and London have similar problems of violent gang culture.

Do you think he's right?
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    Community,   Webmash
  2. tags:
    Crime,  Television,  Webmash,  Violence,  1 more
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8 comments // Is Britain like The Wire?

  • axe_ninja
    • 0
      axe_ninja  

    • modern british real-life docs, chatshows (or CHAVtastic shows) and shows designed to emulate real life gangs in citys on the TV seriously mess people up. it gives assholes someone to aspire to be.
      "how much of a gang-banger do i wanna be? as much as that guy from that show!" it suprises me hoe dumb some british people my age (17) can be.

    • 2 years ago
  • Simon_S
    • 0
      Simon_S  
    • Image

    • The BBC have a nice clip of him on News 24, floundering about his Wire knowledge. He's previous talked about the UK's "Jeremy Kyle" generation, so he likes his TV metaphors.

    • 2 years ago
  • guy_gunaratne
  • saverio
    • 0
      saverio  

    • I see similar figures for violent crimes in general, but Baltimore's stats for murders are way higher than Manchester's and Liverpool's!

    • 2 years ago
  • gringoninjo
  • guy_gunaratne
    • 0
      guy_gunaratne  

    • I'm sure some get influenced and don a gat or two to mirror the cool but ultimately I doubt the real deal criminals are inspired by movies/rap/tvshows as much as shitty housing and hungry families.

      If that kinda thing wasn't around the first place shows like The Wire wouldn't be around now.

      Course it doesn't help that people in the media pose as gangsters either though.

      Brap!

    • 2 years ago
  • abbym0308
    • 0
      abbym0308  

    • That brings up an interesting question: how much of Britain's gang culture influenced by media (like the Wire)? And are poser-gangsters any less dangerous or criminal than "the real deal"?

    • 2 years ago
  • guy_gunaratne
    • 0
      guy_gunaratne  

    • Is it me or has The Wire lost a lot of it's cool now you know Chris Grayling watches it?

      Some parts of Liverpool definitely in terms of the relationship with the cops and community. Went there to make a doc early in the year and parts did look very Wirey.

      Difference with London is that most criminal's here wish they were Marlo Stanfield and the crew. Posers most.

    • 2 years ago
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