The overman will be noble. What does this term mean? As I noted earlier
Nietzsche believes in a hierarchy of psychological types. There will be strong individuals, leaders, warriors. There will also be weak individuals, followers, peasants. Nietzsche provides an historical narrative in On the Genealogy of Morality in which we begin with what nature has created: the strong class--the nobility, possessing wealth and control, because of the traits bestowed upon it by nature—and the peasant class—serving the nobility, because of the traits bestowed upon it by nature. At some point in history, Nietzsche claims, the peasants rebel, and the world is changed such that the peasant traits are valued. Nonetheless, we see individuals today who possess the noble traits. What are they?
The noble individual has reverence for himself and an instinct for rank.
Egalitarianism, both social and political, will be a foreign concept to him. He recognizes that the world is constructed of the hierarchy of types; some individuals have more worth than others. The noble man will be active, rather than reactive. He will act upon instinct, rather than waiting on others to act and then responding. The Wire is full of reactive types—those that don't engage until they have
been engaged by others. For example, the first season revolves around the order given by Judge Phelan to form the detail to investigate Avon Barksdale and the subsequent tepid responses to the order. McNulty spends most of his time railing at the inertia of the people around him. The noble individual will be more than active—he will be strong, having
"great health," described as a spirit "strengthened by wars and victories, for whom conquering, adventure, danger, pain have become even a need." The noble embraces the "will to power," described as "seek[ing] above all to discharge [one's] strength." (BGE 13, italics in original) The noble "would need acclimatization to sharp high air, to wintry
journeys, to ice and mountain ranges in every sense." For this, he will need "a kind of sublime malice," "an ultimate most self-assured mischievousness of knowledge." (On the Genealogy of Morality, II, 24) The noble looks at himself and declares himself to be good—a good specimen, of the human animal. He doesn't have to look to the judgment of others to estimate his own value. The noble knows he is noble and doesn't shrink from the fact.
Is Omar a Noble? In retaliation for Omar's taking his drugs from the stash house, Avon has
his minions search Omar's apartment, torch his van, and put a bounty on Omar's head. At each turn Omar is watching them, from a distance. One night, Wee-bey and Stinkum move in to take out a rival corner dealer, Scar. Wee-bey goes down the road on foot and then moves back up toward the corner. Stinkum comes from above. As Stinkum nears the corner, Omar emerges from the shadows, says "Hey now!" and comes out blasting. Stinkum lies dead. Wee-bey shoots at Omar from down the street and Omar returns fire. Wee-bey is caught in the leg, and scurries for cover behind a parked car. After a few moments, he hears the familiar whistled tune. Then, "Bey, listen here. … You come at the king, you best not miss." ("Lessons," Season 1) It's in Omar's nature to act, and not just react. Wee-bey and Stinkum
believe that they are hunting, but they are the hunted. Omar could have spent a period of time hiding and then returned after things had cooled down. But he chooses to engage, even when he isn't being directly engaged by others. At any given time he could give up the hunt, but he comes back time and
again. When he leaves town, after realizing that he is outmatched in numbers, he still can't help himself, taking up the hunt in the Bronx. He is addicted to overcoming others—"conquering, adventure, danger, pain" are a need for Omar. Firmly embracing the will to power, he possesses the great health, he evinces "sublime malice." From the very fact that he is described as "on the hunt," it's clear how
distant Omar is from the rest of the individuals of the street. He stands apart, he is acclimatized to the "sharp high air," feeling and embracing the pathos of distance. He is a warrior, an imposer, using the streets as his battleground, his hunting-ground, while not becoming part and parcel of the land. He is a warrior, but a ruler too. When he and Renaldo rob Old Face Andre, who runs the corner store, of the re-up package, Omar remarks, "Yo, you see the look on his mug? … That's the reason we get up every morning." ("Home Rooms," Season 4) Is Omar a noble? Oh, indeed.