Corner Boys

“How honest should I be?” - Daniels

(Sorry this was so late. I got wrapped up in the election. But hey, I helped defeat Pombo so I'm happy)

This was easily one of the best episodes of what has already proven to be an incredible season. The last few episodes had a bit of a slow pace to them, but this one was very meaty and heightened a lot of the existing plot lines.

The scenes where Bunny is talking to the class of corner kids were the most memorable. I think the writers have done a remarkable job contrasting the more academic and clinical approaches of Parenti and the teacher with the street smarts of Colvin to the dilemmas of kids like Namond. It’s art and sociology all rolled into one.

They both need each other. Colvin knows how to communicate with them, he speaks to Namond and Zenobia and company in a vernacular they can understand but Parenti and the teacher are cognizant of other educational approaches and the big picture. They seem to recognize that in order to be successful there’s got to be an educational approach that speaks to the kids within the context of their own lives. One New York Times Sunday magazine article last year about contemporary missionaries in Africa calls this sort of communication “contextualism” which I think is a perfect phrase to describe it. It’s all about speaking to people in a language that they can understand.

It was interesting how, like other Americans, how many of the kids expected to be successful in life. Even though a few expected to be dead, they still expected to rise within the ghetto hierarchy. This mirrors studies of college kids who all expect to be wealthy and successful in their lives. I can’t decide whether it’s comforting or not that the myth of the American dream and perpetual social advancement seems to be well-embedded in low-income urban youth who have all the decks stacked against them.

Funny how Carcetti, the next Mayor of Baltimore, often looks out of place. Whether he’s dancing and clapping at a black church or strolling through the homicide department, he looks like he doesn’t belong. He’s only looked natural in his campaign office or in Royce’s leather chair.