British writer - Chapter 327
The conference room was quiet.
Elliot’s arrangements outside were clearly heard by several people in the room.
“Tsk…”
Lu Shi was speechless.
“By the way, are there any Chinese graduates from Harvard now?”
Roosevelt shook his head.
“Probably not.”
After saying that, he may have felt that he was suspected of causing trouble behind the principal’s back, so he added: “I just have no impression, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t have it.”
Lu Shi said: “If it doesn’t happen, then there won’t be. It’s always a good thing that Principal Elliott has a good heart.”
Tesla next to him looked at him with admiration.
“President Elliott did this entirely because of Professor Lu. Although your words and deeds just now were unintentional, they actually helped provide equal treatment for all ethnic groups in the United States in universities. Maybe…”
He lowered his voice,
“Perhaps, you can also lobby AAAS to increase investment in this area.”
Lu Shi understood instantly.
In fact, AAAS has many politically correct projects in modern times.
For example, international projects, female scientists cooperation projects, “2061 Plan” (rebuilding youth wisdom),
These projects actually help minority groups.
Tesla would come up with this idea probably because he is a Serb and a minority in the United States. When he was bullied by Edison, he didn’t even have a place to reason.
Lu Shi pondered,
“This may be an idea. I should give AAAS some advice.”
Tesla admired him more and more,
I have long heard that Lu Shi compiled the “Preliminary Draft of the Charter of the Parliament” and was an internationalist.
A person’s name, a tree’s shadow,
Now it seems that those praises were not exaggerated.
Tesla whispered: “Then, I will go back to Boston first.”
He will send a telegram to the AAAS headquarters in Washington tonight to explain clearly the results of his communication with Lu Shi.
The others said goodbye to him.
Afterwards, Lu Shi, Goodman, and Roosevelt Jr. all left the office and headed to the single-family villa where they were staying.
The villa is surrounded by spacious, well-manicured lawns full of greenery.
Enter the villa,
The indoor facilities are all available and the layout is very warm.
Even the tea comes from Biluochun, China.
Goodman fumbled to make the tea;
“Sir Lu, Harvard has even prepared Chinese tea. It values you very much~”
Lu Shi said nothing.
Roosevelt laughed out loud,
“That is inevitable. Professor Lu is one of the most influential people in the world, not only because of his numerous works, but also because he is the most successful media and publishing tycoon.”
Lu Shi waved his hand,
“Don’t talk about this.”
He picked up the teacup and took a sip without being as particular as washing tea.
“Mr. Roosevelt, we…”
Roosevelt interrupted: “Just call me Frank.”
Lu Shi nodded,
“Okay. Let’s start the interview, shall we?”
Roosevelt glanced at Goodman and asked, “Professor Lu, should we take photos first and then conduct one-on-one interviews alone, or should we do it directly now?”
Lu Shi said, “That’s good.”
Goodman is his lawyer and has access to many core businesses, so it’s hard not to trust him.
Roosevelt opened his notebook,
“Let’s follow the topic we just talked about. Professor Lu, speaking of the media industry and journalism, as the person in charge of the “Mirror”, you invested in building a journalism school at Columbia University, but it seems not to be popular. I heard , many people think of journalism as a service industry.”
I asked, still holding my hands.
I saw lines of text appearing in the notebook:
——
“Service Industry”.
This word seemed to hurt the great writer and educator in front of me.
yes,
If life were not difficult, who would want to serve others?
A trace of sorrow flashed in his dark eyes, a deep sorrow for this industry,
Where should journalism go from here?
——
Roosevelt’s interviewing and writing style remained unchanged.
Lu Shi’s head was full of black lines,
 ̄□ ̄||
“Frank, you are even more disgusting than last time.”
Roosevelt chuckled, stopped writing, and said, “Let’s talk about our affairs and leave it alone.”
Lu Shi said: “Okay~ okay~ ignore it.”
He stared at those lines of words and fell into deep thought.
After a long while, he said: “Like many students at Columbia, you have a biased understanding of the service industry.”
The corners of Roosevelt’s mouth curled up,
“Professor Lu, can you tell me something?”
Lu Shi said: “For example, when I go into a store to buy clothes, and the salesperson sells them, on the surface he is serving me, but in fact he is serving the possible business. Can you understand?”
Roosevelt thought along this line of thinking,
Customers want to buy clothes;
The salesperson wants to sell clothes.
Logically speaking, the two are equal in personality and there is no distinction between them.
This view has been expounded by countless scholars, but when it was said by Lu Shi, it was inevitably shocking.
because,
He is a scholar from the feudal dynasty,
He is called “Sir”
He is a big businessman who makes money every day.
…
With such contradictory identities and views, it is no wonder that so many people admire this great humanitarian and internationalist.
Roosevelt sighed,
“It’s a pity that many practitioners have lowered their status. They should serve production and life, but instead they serve people. They follow you and say some disgusting and exaggerated words, which is very annoying. I just want to What’s wrong with just shopping quietly?”
Lu Shi smiled,
“There are two words in China that are always used side by side, ‘when you call them, they come, and when you wave them, they go’. Do you know why?”
“Ah this…”
Roosevelt was speechless.
Some people like to be kneeled and licked like a lapdog;
Some people like to shop quietly and let the sales staff sew their mouths shut.
On the surface, completely opposite,
But actually?
Both require the other party to do what they like, and there is no essential difference between the two.
Lu Shi said with a smile: “When you criticize others, you degrade yourself. Do you really treat them as equals from the bottom of your heart? Frank, you need to reflect~”
A reflection coupon was issued directly.
Roosevelt was silent,
“…”
Speechless.
He knew very well that what Lu Shi said was correct.
But he knew better that the matter could not be resolved.
The American system is there,
In capitalist countries, capital continues to alienate people;
Workers in the service industry are willing to lower themselves;
People who buy services unconsciously believe that “the one who consumes is the uncle”, so they come and go as soon as they are summoned.
There is no equality at all.
“well……”
Roosevelt sighed,
“What…what can we do?”
Lu Shi laughed and comforted: “What can we do? It won’t be a revolution, right? Just mess around~ At this time, I have to resort to the Chinese famous saying, ‘New three years, old three years, mend and mend’ In another three years, most countries are just tearing down the eastern wall and repairing the western wall, making do with each other.”
Hearing these words, Roosevelt also laughed,
“Has the UK also made do with it?”
Lu Shi said: “Of course it is. I made it clear in “Yes! Prime Minister” that ‘Da Ying has always been unbecoming of a human being’.”
Roosevelt was curious,
“Can’t we forge ahead with determination?”
“It’s not impossible.”
Lu Shi spread his hands,
“Britain has been very enterprising in the past few years and has fought many wars. You see, the war in Boer even knocked down the Prime Minister.”
“Pfft! Hahahaha…”
Roosevelt laughed again,
“It was clearly a Boer revolution and the British suppressed it. You might as well call it ‘forge ahead’. If forging ahead means fighting, then I think the ones who should fight the most are actually Germany and Austria-Hungary, hahahahaha…”
The photographer next to him had no choice but to poke his waist and remind him in a low voice: “You are doing an interview, so don’t keep laughing stupidly.”
This is an interview,
The reporter was so amused that he only laughed without asking questions. What does this mean?
Roosevelt quickly suppressed his smile and continued the interview: “Let’s continue talking. Logically speaking, we should talk about literature, but after the enterprising discussion just now, I am curious whether you understand economics. What do you think of this depression?”
Is this considered a depression?
The economic crisis of 1900 was at best a small blip.
The real tsunami occurred from 1929 to 1933,
Interestingly, it was Roosevelt himself who got through that difficulty.
Lu Shi said: “Mr. Roosevelt is already doing it.”
Roosevelt Jr.:? ? ?
“I?”
Lu Shi joked: “You are Frank.”
Only then did everyone present realize that what Lu Shi was referring to was actually the current president.
Roosevelt pondered,
“Are you talking about splitting up trusts? Many scholars believe that this is a bad behavior that goes against a free economy and undermines the foundation of the country. To be honest, I originally supported it, but now I am a little shaken.”
Lu Shi almost laughed out loud,
In another 30 years, when Roosevelt is practicing Keynesianism, looking back at this interview today, I wonder if he will feel like he was hit in the back of the head by a boomerang.
Lu Shidao: “That’s because you haven’t seen the ruthlessness of a free economy.”
Roosevelt frowned.
“Isn’t this the current depression?”
He turned back and nodded to the photographer.
The latter said “Huh?” and reluctantly shared: “I lived at home before going to college last year. When eating meat, what our brothers and sisters like most is not pure meat, but meat with bones, so that we can The meaty flavor stays in your mouth longer.”
Lu Shi almost rolled his eyes when he heard this.
“Is this called poverty?”
The photographer shook his head and said: “Poor, but not particularly poor. My neighbors are in a worse situation. They even killed their pets.”
Lu Shi smiled bitterly,
“pet?”
Developed countries are indeed wealthy.
The most famous poor man’s recipe of the Americans during the Great Depression, “Hoover Stew”, was a stew made by throwing together the cheapest macaroni, carrots, white sauce and other foods.
This kind of stew is not available in many third world countries in the 21st century.
There is also “1984” written by the British George Orwell,
In order to show the material scarcity of the people at the bottom, the novel uses pitiful material distribution figures to illustrate the poverty and scarcity at that time.
But even so, everyone still has a share of chocolate.
Is this so called a lack of supplies?
It is estimated that in Orwell’s eyes, no matter how poor a person is, he deserves to eat chocolate.
It can only be said that the joys and sorrows of people are not the same.
The photographer still doesn’t know what’s going on.
“Professor Lu, is there something wrong with what I said?”
“No.”
What else could Lu Shi say?
The photographer continued to recall the bitterness and sweetness: “The neighbors next door are really miserable. When they buy meat, they try to buy fattened meat so that it can be used for refining oil. The taste of lard is really not good.”
This guy went to Versailles without knowing it.
Roosevelt coughed lightly,
“do not talk.”
Then he turned to Lu Shi,
“Professor Lu, let’s continue the topic we just talked about. Regarding the economic crisis, you seem to be opposed to free economy.”
Lu Shi said: “Appropriate government intervention is still necessary. Splitting trusts is only the first step. If the economic decline cannot be reversed, I think President Roosevelt will further rectify the financial market, then control industrial and agricultural production, and then distribute. “
The scene fell into silence,
Several Americans looked at each other.
suddenly,
“impossible!”
Roosevelt Jr. said: “This sounds like rationing! It’s impossible for the United States to implement it!”
Lu Shi spread his hands,
“Okay~ I’m not an economist, so what I say has no credibility.”
He has not yet said the essence of Keynes’s idea –
Build public projects, use work as relief, and improve people’s income.
If he said it, Roosevelt would definitely explode on the spot.
Roosevelt probably felt that Lu Shi’s economics level was indeed very poor, so he stopped asking and changed the subject.
“When talking about the service industry just now, Professor Lu mentioned equality. What do you think about this?”
Lu Shi smiled,
“In the last interview, I didn’t let you ask about “The Upside Down” and the “Chinese Exclusion Act.” It seems that you are holding back a lot of dissatisfaction~”
Roosevelt laughed,
“I’m talking about the equality between Party A and Party B in the service industry, not the equality between all ethnic groups. If you insist on understanding it in that way, I can’t help it.”
This kid is quite naughty.
Lu Shi thought for a moment, thinking about paving the way for the next thing, and then said: “Then let me talk about equality in education. Confucius said, ‘There is no distinction between education and distinction’, which means that education does not distinguish between high and low. Everyone is treated the same.”
Roosevelt still knew about Confucius.
He said: “That was thousands of years ago, and Confucius was indeed a great sage. As far as I know, Germany, the first country in Europe to implement compulsory education, only started testing the waters in 1619.”
Lu Shi waved his hand,
“These are two concepts. The former is a right. If you want to learn, I will teach you. The latter is an obligation. If you don’t learn, I will chase after you and teach you.”
This statement is humorous,
All three Americans at the scene laughed.
Roosevelt Jr. added: “As far as I know, Confucius has another point of view – teaching students in accordance with their aptitude.”
Lu Shi said: “It’s not contradictory. We should adopt targeted education methods according to the specific situations of different students~”
Afterwards, the two discussed this topic for more than an hour.
Lu Shi did a few more posed photos.
The interview ends here.
The sky is already dark,
The villa and its surroundings are gradually immersed in an atmosphere of tranquility.
A few stars appeared in the sky, adding a bit of poetry and romance to the tranquility.
Roosevelt wrote the last few lines in his notebook:
——
Speaking of which, time is almost up.
The moonlight shines on Professor Lu,
His eyes were bright, shining with incomparable wisdom.
Perhaps schools should recruit more minority students.
Because America is inclusive.
America is immortal!
——
Very provocative writing.
Lu Shi couldn’t help but admire him after seeing it.
Thought,
No wonder the other party was elected president in the end.
Roosevelt put away his things and then said: “Professor Lu, yesterday evening, a Chinese man visited Harvard and wanted to hire a legal consultant for his ‘company’. I am very interested in this matter.”
He was obviously referring to Situ Meitang.
Lu Shi was curious,
“Why are you interested?”
Roosevelt Jr. said: “Because this ‘company’ is a bit special, it is called a ‘tanghui’ in Chinatown, and we generally call it a ‘gang.’ Being a legal adviser to a gang should be a very interesting life experience.”
Lu Shi said: “Then I wish you good luck~”
Roosevelt smiled and said, “Thank you.”
He hesitated for a moment and then added: “To be honest, this is the first time I have seen a gang that is ready to abandon the opium den. This is one of the reasons why I am interested.”
It is true that it is rare and strange.
After all, “smoking” is almost legal in modern America.
Roosevelt Jr. said: “Professor Lu, you should stay away from those things, right?”
Lu Shi nodded,
“Of course. I don’t even smoke cigars, and I drink very little.”
Roosevelt Jr. continued: “It’s a pity…that thing is difficult to implement in Chinatown. Professor Lu, have you ever thought about writing some related works?”
Lu Shi was stunned for a long time.
Thought,
Why didn’t I think of this?
It just so happened that An Liang Tang of Situ Mei Tang wanted to make changes to Chinatown. Perhaps his works would be helpful to overseas Chinese.
However, can the effect of a persuasive work be obvious?
When Lu Shi asked this question in his mind, he already had the answer——
no effect.
In this case, just give up on the temptation.
He decided to create from the perspective of Situ Meitang and write a work similar to “The Godfather”.
Of course, a lot of modifications were required,
Because “The Godfather” is about an Italian “family”, it is far from the Chinese church.
Lu Shi asked Roosevelt:
“Are you ready to take that job?”
Roosevelt did not comment, but asked: “Professor Lu, what about you? Are you going to write a related story?”
Lu Shi didn’t answer either.
But he had already thought about it and created it in the form of drama,
It’s called “Big Brother”.