Omar

Every once in awhile tv writers create the perfect character.

A character that embodies the contradictions in life perfectly.

Omar.

Omar is one of them.

If you haven’t seen The Wire, you should watch it just to meet Omar.

He is a complex character. Filled with contradictions.

And the contradictions are relentless. So relentless that he almost makes you rethink that being a good person is relative.  Relative to where you are and what you are dealing with.  Omar makes you think about all the moralistic mumbo jumbo we middle class white folk voice with regard to what is right and what is wrong.

In fact Omar makes you realize there is a difference between bad things and bad things.

Omar is a sociopathic african american robin hood in his Baltimore neighborhood.

Oh. And he doesn’t steal from the white  rich … he steals only from the drug dealers.  And he gives the money to the kids and the poor.

Oh. And he is willing to shoot someone with his sawed off shotgun at any time (as long as they are in ‘the game’).

Oh. And he is gay in a very non-gay world.

Oh. And he knows that the Greek god of war is Ares not Mars.

Oh. And he fully admits that his “job” is stealing from drug dealers … in court.

Ilene: And what is your occupation?

Omar: Occupation?

Ilene: What exactly do you do for a living, Mr. Little?

Omar: I rip and run.

Ilene: You…

Omar: I robs drug dealers.

Ilene: And exactly how long has this been your occupation, Mr. Little?

Omar: Well, I don’t know exactly. I venture to say maybe ’bout eight or nine years.

Ilene: Mr. Little, how does a man rob drug dealers for eight or nine years and live to tell about it?

Omar: Day at a time, I suppose.

Oh. And he is also smart enough to stop the lawyer (who is defending a drug dealers hitman) diatribe in court to ask what is the difference between he and his shotgun and the lawyer and his briefcase.

Levy: You are amoral, are you not? You are feeding off the violence and the despair of the drug trade. You’re stealing from those who themselves are stealing the lifeblood from our city. You are a parasite who leeches off–

Omar: Just like you, man.

Levy: –the culture of drugs… Excuse me, what?

Omar: I got the shotgun. You got the briefcase. It’s all in the game, though, right?

Omar scares the shit out of people.

Omar has the respect of people we respect (police and children).

Omar has the disdain and the respect from the people we despise (the drug dealers).

Omar is articulate. Scary. Sociopathic. Caring. Gay. Fearless. Tough. Thug. Savvy.

He clearly has distinguished in his mind what is wrong (drugs).

What is right (it is ok to kill drug dealers if necessary).

He won’t ask anyone to do what he won’t. He is a one man army against everything white america despises.  And yet he scares and confuses us … and we know he is a bad man doing wrong.

But the contradictions confuse us (particularly us white folk).

Because he lives in a different world with different rules.

Am I absolving him of any moral responsibilities?  Nope.

But I l do like that he is on my side (on this issue). I like having someone take on the responsibility for what I know is right but wrong. Maybe it makes me feel better because I sense he is smart.  Certainly as smart as I am (even if that simply means being the tallest midget in this case). He just didn’t have the same opportunities I had. Maybe that is the way I justify how I accept he is on my side.

Think about what he says ….

“We’re born into a world where the rules are already defined.  The game is out there. It’s either play or get played.”

Omar chooses to play the game his own way, adopting a style that allows him to be true to himself and his personal beliefs.   He plays the game the only way he knows how, and he plays it well.  He plays the game solo rather than becoming part of a team (on a team of drug dealers).

Omar chooses his own path becoming an opportunistic thief who robs drug dealers for a living.

But.

He also has a code.

detective: So, you’re my eyeball witness, huh? [Omar nods] So, why’d you step up on this?

Omar: Bird triflin’, basically. Kill an everyday workin’ man and all. I mean, I do some dirt, too, but I ain’t never put my gun on nobody that wasn’t in the game.

detective: A man must have a code.

Omar: Oh, no doubt.

Omar is a rebel, Robin Hood of the streets and kind of a noble savage (I saw that description somewhere).  He makes you think.

Is it possible that someone who has chosen an occupation consisting of ruthless murder and robbery could be a hero?  And why do I find myself rooting for Omar?

Maybe its because he is doing something (in part) I wish I could do … or at minimum stand up for.

Maybe it is because Omar is dedicated to playing the game his own way – as an individual,

Maybe it is because even he draws a line somewhere.

Regardless.

I like Omar because he captures the contradictions in life.  The complexity and inexactness of good and bad. And the fact that rules are established by the game you are playing. And sometimes it is difficult to understand the rules if you have never played that game.

“All in the game yo, all in the game”

As Omar would say … “indeed.”