The Wire and Street Culture

While reading Anderson’s descriptions of decent and street families, I thought of Wallace in the Wire and how he was somewhat stuck in a middle ground between these two cultures. He participates in drug dealing and spends time with D’Angelo, Poot, and Bodie. He may even “dream of leading the drug dealer’s life” or more specifically, that of Avon Barksdale, “the king” (Anderson 111). Wallace and Poot are interested in learning how to become the king as D’Angelo explains the hierarchy in a game of chess. Wallace is clearly involved in the street culture.

However, Wallace seems more concerned about education than Bodie and Poot. He takes care of young kids by housing them and making sure they go to school with a lunch. Also, he knows that Alexander Hamilton was never a president, which the other boys are unaware of. However, Wallace does not push the issue event though he is correct. As Anderson points out that “education is undermined” and unaccepted in the street community because education implies “giving up the value of the street” (Anderson 97).

Wallace seems to have more hope for a better future than the others though. When D’Angelo says that the man who invented the chicken nugget is probably still “working in the basement” without any credit or money for his ideas, Wallace replies that “he still had the idea though.” He must in some way value the inventor’s innovation and have a hope that his own actions may better his life that D’Angelo doesn’t share.  

Wallace walks the line between street and decent that Anderson describes, even adopting different personas for the different roles in his life. While taking care of the younger kids, he is more decent, but he must shield this identity when he is around D’Angelo and the other drug dealers. I think Wallace feels the pull of drug dealing and street culture as a means of money. He struggles to feed all the kids and the food he does provide is not a filling meal. Thus, the street culture is one way he is able to finance his decent lifestyle. I believe that falling into the street culture could be the plight of many individuals, just so that they can try to keep others, such as their children, decent.