NFL
By: Brock Vierra
Stringer Bell. Businessman, politician, killer, dreamer. One of the main players in the hit TV show The Wire, Stringer Bell displayed the qualities of a true statesman. Like one of the founding fathers, Bell understood the pen was mightier than the sword but the dollar rules all. When allowed to lead, Bell took the Barksdale crew to new financial heights, seemingly putting himself and Avon Barksdale on the cusp of legitimacy. However, Stringer Bell’s pursuits led to both his downfall and the realization that he would never have succeeded in the first place. Here’s why Stringer was not smarter than Avon Barksdale.
Stringer Bell is a fool
Now this piece is not a shot at my brother Mark Wilson or his article about Stringer Bell being smarter than Avon, it’s about the delirium inside the mind of Stringer Bell. Mark made very good points about Bell’s mindset and business acumen, however, Stringer’s inability to adequately see the realities of his situation eventually led to his downfall.
Stringer Bell and Avon Barksdale represent two philosophies. A democracy and a militaristic dictatorship. Despite being from the streets, Stringer and Avon were cut from different cloths. Avon is a warrior, a commander, a killer. He is a general on a war path, a leader of a nation, an emperor who gained power via a coup d’etat. Avon’s violent nature was evident from the jump, and only intensified when his desired outcome is refused.
Stinger is different. He’s no killer, no commander. He’s the diplomat. I mean look how he died. What gangster doesn’t have a piece on him? Stringer thought he was different. He thought he wasn’t a street dude, he saw himself as more. Stringer always felt that he could change how the world looked at him and in reality, the world saw him as a toddler and they were right.
Stringer Bell doesn’t have bodies. Sure you could say D’Angelo Barksdale but ordering a hit is a lot easier than pulling the trigger. Stringer is a coward. Look at the way he operates. Sleeping with “D’s” baby momma, not riding around the streets like Avon did, always held up somewhere. He hides in the darkness, using his name to protect him.
If not for Avon, Stringer Bell would be a nobody. Look how many times he got punked after Avon went to jail for the first time. Clay Davis took all his money, Maurice Levy made fun of him for it, the contractors and project managers took more of the money, major crimes caught him on a wiretap, Brother Mouzone and Omar caught him with his figurative pants down.
At every turn, Stringer got messed up. Avon may not have had the business acumen or the communicative skills of Stringer but what Avon had was a kingdom, a kingdom that crumbled under Stringer’s command.
Avon kept the crew running despite constant wire taps, beefs with other gangs and issues with the product they were selling. Avon may not have had the foresight or the patience to join the Co-op or to have his crew working Hamsterdam but Avon had the muscle to keep the Barksdale crew in the game and he had the strategic knowledge of how to survive.
I mean look at how both men handled business when Omar went to kill them. Avon had his boy Roland Brice walking out with him and was strapped. Stringer had a random body guard and op firearm. One survived, one didn’t
What did Avon do when he got out? He made his situation safe and profitable. He didn’t stay in the high rise, he didn’t fork over money to unreliable sources, he confronted situations head on.
Stringer believed he could be more than he was and is the main reason the Barksdale crew failed. He wrongly killed D’Angelo, D’Angelo’s death kept major crimes on the crew, the wire took the crew down. All Stringer Bell was was a serious of mistakes. Clay Davis played him, no other politician would play legit ball with him and his dream to grow old is a fairytale.
Stringer Bell was too naive to succeed. What makes Avon and Stringer different and what makes Avon smarter is that Stringer Bell believes the game is able to be won while Avon believes the game is the game and the game never ends. Once you enter the game, there’s no success outside of it. You can never escape the drugs, the violence, the reality of the situation.
I reject the notion that Stringer wanted them all to grow old with money. For me, Stringer wanted himself to grow old with money and in the beginning he needed Avon’s support, that’s why he didn’t move on him as soon as Avon got out.
Stringer Bell is a fool. He lived like a fool and died in the same manor. Shot to death like a common gangster.
For more content, watch Off The Dome.
