Rhayader,

I agree wholeheartedly with your last statement. Moreover, that David Simon's views are different from my own takes nothing away from my enjoyment of the show. I enjoy "The Wire" for many reasons, one of which being the manner in which it sends across its message - not the message itself.

My comment is directed not at the show, but at David Plotz, who I believe over-simplified the institutional failure theme. In fact, as central as the decay theme is, "The Wire" posits a more complicated set of causes. Just look at the kids from last season and their respective paths.