David Simon: "The Audacity of Despair"

[@RaoulDuke74]

The world needs more David Simons.

[@fubball58]

Sanctimonious he is. :(

[@robert4123]

Then BE David Simon!

[@chalkeygas93]

Pretty scary watching this in 2020 and realising that everything he said in relation to the internet and journalism has come to roost.

[@vokoaxecer]

He 'makes more sense' than sam harris. Just like david said internet is good for clout but not for good journalism.

[@-----Disciple-----------]

I worked for this man and with him for 4 years as an actor on The Wire. I grew up the way we depicted it, succinctly. It's never a surprise. Like Da Vinci, Plato, Gayor Cantor, and others who weren't appreciated in their time for foresight and insight. We understand the truth isn't appreciated in it's time. We don't expect it. We expect people to look back centuries from now and laud us for our insight. Once they catch up. At least, that's how I see it. I don't speak for HBO or him. I believe every man answers for themselves. I answer for me. I have lived it. I know the stories. I still write mine. That makes lecturing, easy. It's all the lessons learned from the hardships earned.

[@eoghancassidy3485]

What character did you play

[@-----Disciple-----------]

Major Norm Thurston. I was Burrell's aid. I also had other cop roles and civilian roles. If you look at my channel, I have some photos on my photo page of myself in uniform. I started first in season 3 in Moral Midigetry and then in Final Grades. plus.google.com/u/0/+TonyWilisDisicple/photos

[@eoghancassidy3485]

+Christs' disciple man that's awesome can't believe I talked to an actor on the wire!!

[@-----Disciple-----------]

eoghan cassidy I'm no celebrity. But thanks. I had a blast doing the show and I grew up living just like they did. Only it wasn't as bad. I never saw dead bodies but I did have friends shot and killed. I grew up in the street.

[@eoghancassidy3485]

+Christs' disciple wow man that's actually crazy I could never imagine that, and if your on the wire ( the greatest tv show ever made) that's an amazing accomplishment.

[@Onigirli]

I'll never get tired of listening to this man talk

[@KedzieAvnoo]

This video continues to enrich my life tremendously.

[@coreycox2345]

I once had an officer lying on the stand in a court case about my dog. He said my dog bit him when it had not. He looked right at me as he spoke. As a legal matter, it was minor. It changed my thinking on the police. I began to wonder if this was common. I knew it was wrong but that nobody I told believed me or cared. It was an eye opener. I have less confidence in the police. It must be horrible for people to encounter dishonest officers in more critical situations.

[@newnotification30]

coreycox2345 the way to help stop bad policing is to draft people that dont want to be cops. Yeah like draft citezens for 4 yrs of law enforcement. If you enjoy it you get fired. The same practice would work Wonderful when hiring and seeking volunteers to take children on camping trips. Only allow the parents that hate kids to take the kids. Do not take the parents that are too quick to volunteer every camping trip.

[@cod5testaccount]

@@newnotification30 Yo that's some truth right there.

[@chrisbarnett5303]

acab

[@ms042364]

@@newnotification30 Huh? I am not understanding how this would resolve the problem.

[@zippoboyshaneshank8954]

Wow! David Simon said his favorite show is NO RESERVATIONS... And Anthony Bourdain has said that his favorite show is THE WIRE. I hope Tony saw this before he died. RIP Anthony, everyday you are greatly missed!

[@lewisfilms]

he doesn't have anything against the medium of the web, he just doesn't want professional journalists to be replaced by amateur or citizen "journalists"

[@abrahamlincoln7169]

Which they now have been, to devastating effect.

[@themanwithnoname5325]

And here we are...

[@jnagarya519]

And the junk on the internet increased exponentially.

[@mrlevinielsen]

Welp, look where we’re at now

[@TheDuesy]

He hit the nail on the head when he said "I thought it was an ethnography."

[@theAraAra]

I could almost feel the McNulty in him five minutes into the video. Interesting guy.

[@theunpossiblefile]

I don't have a TV, never saw The Wire, I read David Simon's old blog last year and said to myself, self, who is this guy? I hear he's now working with Oscar Isaac on a series. I might now even get a TV. Oscar Isaac is another one. He knows stuff outside his field. I totally agree with Simon about Chomsky, Moore, Mailer and realistic non-fiction narrative. Let's hope that TV doesn't kill Simon and that he does something in politics. And here I am raving and blogging on YT.

[@basedcostanza5145]

David Simon would never go into politics. He's smart enough to understand that political systems corrupt everyone foolish enough to participate in them.

[@theunpossiblefile]

RU that sure about Simon? Corruption is a fact of life when things aren't black and white. When things get complicated and aren't pure and nice. (In a rhyming Simon kinda way) Simon was a reporter & they sometimes get angry about what they see that doesn't fit in a script. Your position about politics is very popular on YT which doesn't mean it's wrong. "Hillary's sooo corrupt." "Obama promised change, where's the change?" (To quote Bruce Willis) And other deep deep thoughts that David Simon would **very likely** not take. Or, "both parties are sooo corrupt." That you might take. This one is like mantra, "I'm so past artificial cultural divides of left and right...they're just trying to divide and conquer." I'm not assuming you take those positions I'm just talking generally about the feedback I get.

[@Burlak4]

So cool to see this again! I remember skipping my favourite class to go see this. The wire was so brilliant! It's nuts! Gen Kill and Treme turned out truly great to.

[@MrAndrewdamon]

long live David Simon !

[@COODALOVEYA]

We need,the wire the best show ever made

[@kcl84]

It is not just journalism that is suffering from amnesia. Scientific publication is starting to show the same sign too. The problem is always time and money. It doesn't pay in dollars and in statistics to do things correctly and accurately.

[@DrTune]

Vid could really use (a) recording with properly wired mic, or (b) post-processing with a 60hz notch filter. ...But terrific content

[@eddieobrien1411]

David Simon,Bernie Sanders,Gabor Mate,Christopher Hitchens. These men inform me about American culture. They speak for the voiceless and care deeply about systemic,institutional injustice. I get hard truths from them;I’d never get that from any bought and paid for politician

[@lewisfilms]

I love this guy!

[@Holymolypatoly]

"We're researching a show down there." True Detective!

[@sChilllz]

Nope. Treme actually.

[@nunya1738]

Oh, man. I only have seen the first four of that, but McConnahey's character is fantastic, dark and troubled and smart and figured the ugly truth of life out and hilarious and honorable all in one. Woody Harrelson is also great in it. Woody: Is your mother still alive? Mathew: Mebbe.

[@lizannewhitlow1085]

@@nunya1738 I actually liked Season 2 better.

[@ToneMeloTV]

One of the greatest men on earth 🌎

[@theryanbard]

The fact that this video's comment section is filled with such frothy arguments is really sad.

[@MechaJutaro]

+theryanbard The fact that this video's comment section is filled with such frothy arguments is really sad. Even more so when one heed's Simon's counsel and proceeds with his own investigation, rather than simply taking the word of a much fawned over(near universal genuflection by TV critics, academia and damn near everyone else who fancied themselves "in the know". This pattern of unabashed groveling at DS's feet goes all the way back to Homicide's equally ratings bereft yet prolonged run on NBC), handsomely paid TV creator who remains eager to fill us in on how stymied his every attempt to expose "the elite"'s collective chicanery has been: www.counterpunch.org/2008/03/15/faking-the-hood/ scroll down a bit Passing off shit as gold indeed.....

[@theryanbard]

Lol got to be honest that op-ed piece didn't really convince me. It hardly proves anything other than Ishmael Reed's opinions.

[@americoabade5769]

+Baron Of Hair ydvfx

[@JoeeyTheeKangaroo]

+Ryan I'm two years late but they are getting angry ;)

[@MechaJutaro]

Américo Abade ydvfx TGIF

[@BatmanHQYT]

"The ad hominem is the fallback position of all political discourse" is such a depressingly prescient statement. It's honestly gotten worse in the decade since this speech.

[@rjn8001]

AAAAnnnd that Governor/Mayor he speaks about is now running for President.

[@Bakkland]

+R JN not anymore!

[@rjn8001]

+Dingus Flotbottom Guess O'Malley won't wind up sleeping with his campaign manager after all, lol.

[@NahyanChowdhury]

brilliant

[@maxzamota9373]

This is the only guy I feel like voting for president

[@realkabecio]

The Wire was a hit in my neighborhood in SF CA

[@cesarrodriguez8893]

where's the camera Herc?!!

[@wawawuu]

Why do I suspect Dominic West might have been arrested for DUI?

[@fadedglory1045]

Anyone here 2020. The system is so broken!

[@richardlopez4813]

Nine years later and The Wire is a story unto itself.

[@jasonfaulkner8644]

Simon wonders why The Wire is a hit now, and not when it was on TV in 2011. It takes a smart or experienced person to appreciate the show. Smart people in particular were discovering Netflix and KZbin and were happily cutting their cable leading up to 2011. Later they discovered The Wire.

[@terrencemilton5088]

Got every single season.

[@PMOHGUILD]

Free David Simon!

[@finn6861]

Everything he says about his journalism career and journalism can be applied to Healthcare today-This is the industrial complex which capitalizes on the historical reputations and accomplishments of these institutions-It is never sustainable to use and leave a situation for ones' own gain-eventually it will be time to pay-That time is now.

[@MuskPumpkin]

Why was he referring to when this vid started (what show), please?

[@jakefromstatefarm4219]

MuskPumpkin The Wire

[@artcenterjo]

"jailingest" minted by david simon

[@marceloronchini7355]

Amazing quote and so true. But unfortunately most people are living one paycheck at a time and have so much fear of speaking up, of rocking the boat that they stay frozen. "Albert Camus, a great humanist and existentialist voice, pointed out that to commit to a just cause with no hope of success is absurd. But then, he also noted that not committing to a just cause is equally absurd. But only one choice offers the possibility for dignity. And dignity matters. Dignity matters"

[@alekhs718]

yeah buddy pq

[@Lewis_Clark]

Hear, hear!

[@judethedude96]

Wasn't Katrina category 5?

[@nocaster52]

What he's referring to is that it hit NOLA fairly light. It was much stronger to the east around Gulfport, MS.

[@rogda123]

i went to harvard and missed him wtfff

[@full6330name]

I wish he would be on Joe Rogan Expirience.

[@rashonburnett6473]

Yeah that would be awesome if he was on Joe Rogan’s show.

[@shep2149]

@@rashonburnett6473 please no

[@spicerldn]

Mr Relevant, year in, year out...

[@illiteratethug3305]

1:05:22 burned

[@lizannewhitlow1085]

Things have gone well for I. Elba I’m happy to acknowledge! 😉

[@bobbob-sv4mk]

Interesting

[@darpra1233]

***** Thank you! Seems like our generation got hung up on the "2500 words per page" part of essays instead of actually providing content. It's the same thing here in Sweden where people seem so uncomfortable speaking and fall back on filler words hoping for the person who's listening to fill in the difficult words themselves.

[@Nanozlolz]

did you even watch The Wire?

[@jacoblevenson7934]

4:44

[@unkwm128]

117k views WTF

[@brainstormingsharing1309]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@explodingmuffin6898]

A body has been discovered!

[@TribuneAquila]

I think the thing with citizen journous is almost all the time there is an agenda or a statement of morality behind it, if t was just citizens documenting something I think it would be hugely beneficial to society, but too often citizen journalists won’t fully examine a topic deeply enough, but just documenting doesn’t need deep examination, in fact it would probably generate it.

[@jnagarya519]

"Citzen journalists" don't understand what journalism is. They believe talking head opinionizers is journalism. "Everyone has a right to their opinion" -- fact and truth aren't relevant, and the "opinion" needn't be legitimate.

[@Bakkland]

sound sucks. can't even hear the questions being asked

[@dominickpierce6327]

i love d. simon. hes my nigga for real! dude is not only deep but fuckin hilarious too. i laughed too many times at this video.

[@lizannewhitlow1085]

2021...I’m the angriest woman in Santa Rosa. 🤯🤬

[@jnagarya519]

I'm tired of being angry.

[@likessox92]

1:00:00 Kima bad cop confirmed

[@csanchezalvarez]

How is Kima a bad cop??

[@likessox92]

@@csanchezalvarez "Daniels, Kima" "Good Cop, Bad Cop" Seems cut and dry to me :)

[@csanchezalvarez]

@@likessox92 I see what you mean, but I'm sure he includes both Daniels and Kima in the good cop category. No possible comparison btw Kima and others like Burrell

[@harlowfarblast]

And if you have issues to take with Chomsky, to belittle 15 to 25% of his work, why did you have to resort to criticizing Michael Moore for his "conspiracy" theories? If you have read Chomsky with a "great deal of devotion," as you claim, then you should have been able to pull an example from his work rather than Moore's to support your position.

[@tylerwinkle323]

80,000 views on Simon's speech about society 80,000,000 views on some video about a cat yeah, we're gonna be just fine...

[@richardlopez4813]

I've mostly been educated by conspiracy and paranoia and just enough self-control to check my own math... And at this point, I completely want to be humane and everything I think should go along with that, but... Looking at politics near and far and then moreso in both those directions, I hold drug-addicts to similar account as the people dealing their drugs and inspiring their addictions, and I'm not altogether sure that World War One didn't have some strange intentions in its design/whatever the right word should be. And then I think a thing like that brings into question every other major political event.

[@metrohandi]

Black People world wide knows every episode and character wth you mean nobody's going to remember the show? It just goes to show when the powers that be check on what America is watching they definitely are not concerned with what we are watching

[@aq1q]

Dominic West was probably arrested for being Mcnulty :)

[@aq1q]

Current TV is done through the internet. So I disagree with David Simon when he says journalism can't be done through the internet. I obviously agree, however, with the fact that most of the so-called "journalists" online are jokes.

[@pequodexpress]

_The Wire_ is much better than _The Deuce_, but I don't think the latter got much love at HBO either.

[@gabeshedd]

Who are the two idiots who didn't like this?

[@julianken2008]

ya know ya know ya know

[@harlowfarblast]

Great talk. But calling Chomsky a "bit of an ideologue?" "The rigor of his position forces him into..." What? The ideal to which it seems he unwaveringly adheres is that of universal principles and facts. It's not for everyone to follow the "rigor" of a superior analyst like Chomsky, but please stop there, Mr. Simon. You are excellent at what you do, as is Noam Chomsky; but when you deride the latter, it seems you are expressing your ignorance as wisdom, putting yourself in a class below him.

[@TheYounggostra]

8 melon heads

[@LucasMartins-dy6no]

He look like an balder frank sobotka

[@TheFractalFreak]

I truly hope you aren't serious but somehow i doubt it

[@DrCruel]

Most US journalism is propaganda from the limousine Left. The reason David Simon is invited to Berkeley and Harvard is because his politics are acceptable to the limousine Left. What killed the old-style reporting monopoly is the Internet's ability to put first person sources in touch with news consumers, without the interface of a limousine Left reporter to reinterpret the news to the limousine Left's benefit. As for the corporations, they have been systematically ripped off under the present system for some time now. You cannot simultaneously complain about corporations having too much power and then attack corporations for fleeing to countries outside the US. It's like blaming Detroit on white Republican racism because people who could afford to fled the city's high crime, higher taxes, lousy schools and an absence of government services. The people with the real power are at government desks or water coolers bragging to their colleagues about where they're going on vacation this year - and they always vote Democrat.

[@DrCruel]

***** The term "limousine Left" is descriptive of the rich Left in the US. It's a phrase worthy of repetition. It certainly doesn't help people like you to say it, but then it isn't intended to. You should spend a few years in DC within the federal bureaucracy. Maybe then you could know what you're talking about too.

[@ahabthewhaler]

DrCruel Limousine left is a genuinely ridiculous and stupid term. The left argues for social benefits, programs to help the poor and oppressed. The idea that if you happen to be wealthy you can not advocate for those less fortunate is a truly stupid concept. Surely the 'limousine left' is far better than the limousine right which cuts food stamps, cuts welfare, cuts funding to schools, cuts any program that helps people struggling in a ridiculously stupid country which criminalizes poverty.

[@DrCruel]

ahabthewhaler The idea that people would sincerely promote the limousine Left and the welfare industry they have constructed and from which they profit from as a solution is ridiculous and stupid. In fact it's insane to think that even more funding and power for the very Leftist hypocrites who have looted national economies all over the world would have any sort of positive effect. It's an insult to the intelligence of people that have to listen to and are forced to buy into these social engineering scams. Just given the history of such programs in the US, it's obscene. Surely a nation that criminalizes productive work and entrepreneurship in favor of a form of feudal socialism enforced by a huge government apparatus cannot survive indefinitely. One would think the famous collapse of several socialist nations east of the Elbe would have been enough proof of that. Mind, I don't think these vile Leftist crooks are either stupid or insane. They're just socialist thieves riding a good thing for as long as we let them. Their supporters are not idiots either - just morally bankrupt scum hoping to sponge a seat on that huge bureaucratic gravy train. The real solution to this sort of institutionalized criminality is rather obvious. HINT: It doesn't involve buying a full five season DVD set of The Wire.

[@HighLordBlazeReborn]

DrCruel "feudal socialism"? Wow, man.

[@DrCruel]

***** I call it like I see it.

[@vgiordano1000]

What a cynical guy. Cynicism and bitterness takes you and the world NOWHERE.

[@jemgrant8640]

Are you talking about David Simon? I don't get it I don't understand how anyone could call him either of those

[@kkay3784]

Maybe there are ways to be more positive about our predatory capitalist society and the discardable persons that are its bi-product, but I don't know how it can be done, myself. Maybe it is a positive to recognize the truth of our situation, if you care at all about the populations trapped in the stagnant economies of the most affected regions, and thus have a substantial starting point from where the overhaul of our national institutions can begin? That positive enough? Otherwise, ignoring all of these realities could be a sign of denial as much as recognizing them can be perceived as being cynical.

[@josephwythe8757]

Ya you’re right he’s clearly gotten nowhere with his career.

[@mrlevinielsen]

@@josephwythe8757😂