due to the aggressive , dangerous nature of the job , contrasted with its relatively poor pay . Many other police officers in The Wire in addition to McNulty display traits of alcohol abuse , although generally not to his extent . However , the officers ’ motivations are generally consistent , turning to alcohol to “ mask emotions and … disguise their fears and frustrations ” regarding their personal and professional lives , with the consumption of alcohol intended to reassert their masculinity ( Chambers and Waldron 181 ).
As with callous sexual attitudes and alcohol abuse , machismo is correlated with antisocial actions ( Scharrer 616 ), embodied by McNulty in his habitual dismissal of authority . Throughout the series McNulty views himself as an underdog , attempting to solve crimes despite the limitations unfairly placed upon him by his bureaucratic superiors , whom he regards them as far less intelligent and qualified for police work than himself . In the third season episode “ Slapstick ” ( 11 / 21 / 2004 ), McNulty even goes as far to declare that he believes “ there aren ’ t five swinging dicks in the entire department ” capable of doing what he can . The “ outlaw hero ,” a particular version of the antihero archetype , is especially prominent in crime fiction . In such narratives , the protagonists ’ own instincts towards justice are more authentic and valid than the legal establishments in which they are employed , commonly due to excessive bureaucracy or corruption ( Parshall 135 ). Institutional dysfunction , and the frustration it produces amongst police officers such as McNulty , is a reoccurring motif in The Wire . Throughout the series , McNulty repeatedly circumnavigates the established chain of command , pressuring his superiors into initiating ( or diverting resources towards ) investigations that best suit his own interests . In The Wire , McNulty ’ s Irishness is racialized , as the Irish American ethnic group has since been identified as White American ( Ignatiev 81 ). Most white police officers in the series identify as Irish American and are frequently seen listening to Celtic music and frequenting the Irish pub Kavanaugh ’ s , thus embracing their cultural heritage . In The Wire , Irish American masculinity is largely represented though “ heroic resistance ” ( Meaney 13 ); McNulty explicitly likens himself to a hero in the fifth season episode “ Clarifications ” ( 2 / 24 / 08 ). In this season of the series , McNulty ’ s anti-authoritative rebelliousness influences him into fabricating a serial killer , in order to divert resources towards a new case he is spearheading against drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield . Although Stanfield ’ s organization is responsible for dozens of murders , the Baltimore police have been unable to investigate him due to lack of funds . In “ Not for Attribution ,” McNulty defends his duplicity to a morally outraged Bunk , stating that “ Upstairs wouldn ’ t jump on a real serial killer ; fuckin ’ Marlo , who ’ s got bodies all over him !
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