exhibits greater social conscience by explicitly portraying such norms as regressive and self-destructive , as evidenced through McNulty ’ s fall from grace at the conclusion of the series .
In contrast to McNulty , Omar wholly rejects macho masculinity and conventional black masculinity , instead embodying a more progressive masculine identity where traditional masculine values can coexist with romanticism and alternative sexuality . Cooper recognizes that “ The Wire ’ s lasting popularity alone means that is has influenced and continues to influence people ’ s perceptions of … masculinities ” ( 98 ), specifically by portraying a wide variety of distinct masculine identities . Over the course of five seasons and 60 episodes , The Wire acknowledges that different masculine models can exist simultaneously , including , as demonstrated through Omar ’ s subversive nature , models reconciled with normalized homosexuality .
Works Cited “ -30- .” The Wire created by David Simon , season 5 , episode 10 , HBO , 2008 .
Albrecht , Michael M . Masculinity in Contemporary Quality Television . Routledge , 2015 .
Avila-Saavedra , Guillermo . “ Nothing Queer about Queer Television : Televised Construction of Gay Masculinities .” Media , Culture & Society , vol . 31 , no . 5 , 2009 , pp . 5 – 21 .
Barton , Chris . “‘ The Wire ’: The Dominic West perspective .” The Los Angeles Times , 2008 , http :// latimesblogs . latimes . com / showtracker / 2008 / 02 / the-wire-react . html
Chambers , Cheryl , and Linda Waldron . “ Macho Cops , Corner Boys and Soldiers : The Construction of Race and Masculinity on HBO ’ s The Wire .” The Harms of Crime Media : Essays on the Perpetuation of Racism , Sexism and Class Stereotypes , edited by Denise L . Bissler and Joan L . Conners , McFarland & Company , Inc ., 2012 , pp . 171 – 189 .
“ Clarifications .” The Wire created by David Simon , season 5 , episode 8 , HBO , 2008 .
Collins , Patricia H . Black Sexual Politics : African-Americans , Gender , and the New Racism . Routledge , 2004 .
Connell , R . W ., and James W . Messerschmidt , “ Hegemonic Masculinity : Rethinking the Concept .” Gender & Society , vol . 19 , no . 6 , 2005 , pp . 829 – 859 .
126