America 1982

Tavern, Mount Hope neighborhood, Warwick, Rhode Island.

The TV screen that had been hanging above the bar for many years has now become a hole. Through the hole, you can clearly see the remains of the electronic components inside crackling and flashing sparks from time to time.

The culprit, Wilson, the best employee of the Hawk Shipbreaking Plant for many years, blasted the TV screen with a shot, threw the shotgun to the bartender and bar owner Keith, and then stood in the middle of the bar, looking around at this moment with clear, stupid and fearless eyes. They all looked at his drinkers, opened their hands in confusion, and asked everyone: "What's wrong?"

"Good job Wilson!"

"Help Wilson get a glass of high-end food! I'll take it!"

"That's what I want to do! Blow that guy's head off!"

In the bar, a group of rough white men clapped their hands and applauded after the initial shock.

"I will give you a new TV, Keith, I swear, and I guarantee that it will be more advanced and have a bigger screen than your second-hand one that was shot to death by the angry Wilson." Colin lowered his head and took out a cigarette and held it in his mouth. He lit it up, glanced at the barmaid Jenny who was bending to clean up the debris, and then said without sincerity to Keith who was hanging the shotgun back on the inner wall of the bar.

After Keith put away the gun, he turned around and took out a bottle of whiskey from the wine cabinet, poured a glass for Colin and pushed it in front of him: "You have to understand, Colin, compensation is not the same as a gift. You are compensation, not a gift."

"Of course it is a gift. Everyone can see that it was Wilson who destroyed this TV that is older than you. It was not me. I did it out of kindness." Colin took the wine and shook his head, insisting that he was being generous. act of giving.

"Why is Wilson going crazy because your baby boy showed him a piece of shit? "NiggerBoss", this is what Tommy did. Are you sure he's your kind? God, one nigger can actually knock down a few Strong white man? Stop joking, let that nigger come to my bar, you don’t need a few, I only need one person to send him to nigger-only hell." Keith handed the drink to Colin, and Too lazy to talk to him anymore, he turned around and got busy.

Colin sighed, drank the whiskey in one gulp, then walked to the phone and dialed his son's number: "Tommy?"

"Dad, after watching the pilot episode, have everyone's emotions been aroused?" Tommy asked with a smile on the other side of the phone.

"It's very good. It's 40 minutes long. The swearing in the bar never stops. In the end, when Wilson saw the end of the episode, the black boss and a black rogue lawyer used legal loopholes to invade the white territory alone. When he beat up a white man in self-defense, rescued a black girl and was perfectly acquitted, he couldn't help but pick up Keith's shotgun and smashed the black man's face and the TV screen." Colin held a cigarette in his mouth, his tone full of I don’t understand:

"Son, you are going to make me a public enemy in the eyes of the residents of Mount Hope. I told them that my son Tommy made a TV series that was very exciting. Invite them to appreciate your talent. Then, they will see In the TV show you filmed, the nigger seems to be as smart as a human being, and he actually knows how to bring a lawyer, and what kind of legal loopholes he knows... Damn it, we white people don't understand it, how can a nigger understand it?"

Tommy's voice was filled with a satisfied smile: "Very good, just as I expected. I had people pilot it in some small A-level TV stations in Baltimore and Philadelphia with small black audiences. The reaction was the same as yours." White people are just the opposite; black viewers find the show too exciting."

"Son, I'm pretty sure I saw you being carried out by a white nurse from your mother's womb. You had absolutely no chance of contacting black people when you were born, so what exactly happened to you in California?" Colin exhaled smoke, He said to Tommy: "And how could white people be as vicious and stupid as the shit you filmed? But some of the plots are somewhat familiar to everyone."

"I don't know the white elite and have no say, but I guarantee that the white people in that show are all character prototypes provided by me. Warwick is full of such white people, Dennis, Pam, Tommy, Colin , Tony, Wilson, Maureen, Hull..." Tommy heard his father ask and said proudly: "I am paying tribute to everyone in my hometown."

"How did we in my hometown offend you, son, to ask you to pay tribute in this way?" Colin asked with some confusion after hearing Tommy on the other end of the phone say that he would use familiar details to pay tribute to everyone:

"So the idiot son of the white villain goes to defecate outside the city hall gate every day as a tribute to Dennis? There is also a guy with half of his butt exposed, who thinks he is charming, but actually looks stupid and ugly, and seduces women without knowing it. Old guy, the image comes from your dear father? Son, you have so much respect for your father."

Tommy heard his father's words and comforted him: "Don't be like this. I love you and everyone. It's fake. It's all just to deceive people and make money. You can play them another episode of "Looking for Dad America". ", to liven up the atmosphere. I promise, this show is both black and white, and many white people will find it funnier than talk shows."

"I love you too. Because I love you, my advice to you is that if you have nothing to do in the past six months, it is best not to go back to Warwick, lest people see you and get upset and drag you to an alley and beat you up. You will lose the Hawke family. And the face of the Mount Hope community, my God, you who came out of the whitest neighborhood actually filmed a show praising niggas, I'll give it a try and show it to them when they get a new TV. Goodbye." Colin nagged. Finished, then hang up the phone directly.

Seeing other drinkers looking at him at this time, Colin smacked his lips in frustration, and then said:

"Tommy just said that he was very sorry for letting everyone see a piece of shit. He sent the wrong videotape. In order to apologize, he asked me to buy everyone a round of drinks for him, as his blood pressure soared after watching that episode of the TV series. The buck compensates, and Wilson, you get to enjoy two rounds.”

"I'm still thinking that Tommy can't be so extreme. It turns out that his workers sent the wrong videotape." Wilson nodded suddenly when he heard Colin's explanation: "I should have thought of it earlier. Your explanation dispelled what I just said." Be prepared to speak out your advice.”

"What's your suggestion?" Colin came over and sat down next to the other person and asked.

Wilson poured a sip of wine into his mouth: "Let you and Tommy go to a big hospital to do a paternity test. I just said that he had dark skin when he was born. It was just that you kept painting Tommy's body with white paint to hide it."

…

"My dear dad must be extremely disappointed in me. When he hung up the phone, he only said goodbye and didn't even want to say another word about Tommy or my dear son." Tommy put down the phone and looked at Earl opposite - "People in that place couldn't accept a black man beating a white man," Rush said with a laugh.

Earl Rush wore a bright blue casual suit with a gold and white shirt underneath. He did not wear a tie, but instead wore a small gold chain. This made him look more lively and fashionable as a black man. , he did not echo Tommy's words, but picked up a stack of documents at hand and handed them to Tommy:

"This is relevant information for small A-level TV stations focusing on black communities in cities such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, Miami, New York, and Chicago. They all also broadcast the pilot programs we prepared on their TV stations, and many viewers called them to ask about the official version. They would love it when it comes online, but the only problem is that they think the best way for both parties to work together is a JSA joint sales agreement, not the LAM local marketing agreement that we want."

The two professional terms that Earl Rush mentioned are two of the commonly used cooperation methods for various television networks in the United States to expand their networks. There are other agreement methods, but most television stations will choose these two when joining the television network for cooperation. .

To put it simply, the JSA joint sales agreement means that BT TV station provides the programs and the other party is responsible for broadcasting them. The revenue earned is divided according to the negotiated ratio. This kind of agreement is generally adhered to by the top three TV stations in the local ratings. In terms of cooperation methods, these A-level small TV stations like those in the information are now proposing to cooperate with BT TV station in the form of joint sales. It is obviously because in their eyes, although BT TV station has money to produce its own programs, it is just a rookie who has just stepped in. Old bird, of course the lion opens his mouth.

The LAM local marketing agreement is also simple to understand. It means that BT TV station rents out the other party's entire TV station full-time or part-time. The other party does not need to do anything. It only needs to play the provided programs according to the schedule given by BT TV station. As for Whether it sells advertisements or makes money has nothing to do with the other party. That is to say, the other TV station is the landlord and rents the TV station to BT TV station like a house. There are only two issues that need to be considered, one is how much the rent is, and the other is It is a leasing method. Time-share leasing means leasing it to BT TV station for a certain period of time every day, just like an hourly room. Full-time leasing means renting it to BT TV station for the entire 24 hours.

Generally, small TV stations that cannot make ends meet will be willing to choose this method to cooperate with TV networks. This way, they will have a stable income without having to do anything every year, and they can even reduce the number of employees by half, saving money.

"A-class TV station? Requesting cooperation using the JSA agreement?" Tommy took the information handed over by the other party and while flipping through it, he laughed out loud: "Earl, why are you talking to your half-dead small TV stations? Are you dealing with black compatriots? You are not a beggar who comes to beg for money, man, you are the savior who saves them from fire and water."

Class A small TV stations are actually low-power transmitter TV stations. Generally speaking, due to limited power, the coverage range of such TV stations is only 25 to 30 kilometers, which means they only cover the audience groups of several communities.

In big cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, these small TV stations are living in dire straits.

Because broadcast spectrum is becoming increasingly scarce in big cities with many TV stations, the most common problem encountered by many small TV stations is that if they cannot guarantee that their programs can be played for 24 hours a day, then once they stop pushing, then When viewers turn on the program they want to watch on this TV station the next day, they are likely to find that the channel they watched yesterday has turned into another TV station, and the TV station they watched yesterday has gone somewhere.

This is because its spectrum is allocated by the system to large UHF TV stations, causing it to be relocated to another new public frequency for external push.

In big cities, as a die-hard viewer of this kind of A-level TV station, you must be mentally prepared to turn on the TV every day and search for the TV station's signal first.

In a small place, because of its vast territory and sparse population, there are not many large TV stations, so A-level TV stations can barely survive by helping local businesses publish various weird advertisements, such as various magical medicines, farm tools, car repair shops, and the like.

Earl selected A-level TV stations that were run by black people in big cities with enough black people. The characteristic is that although viewers often cannot find the channel the next day, because there are sponsors behind them to spend advertising dollars, Make sure they don't starve to death and close down shop, but don't try to get rich and live hand to mouth.

As for why there are sponsors willing to help, it’s very simple. These A-level TV stations are basically equivalent to local black community TV stations. Even a lost dog in the community can appear on the TV. They often organize activities where black people from the community are guests on the TV station. Black people have a strong desire for expression. By allowing them to appear on TV for free, they can basically win over hundreds of die-hard viewers who watch the program at a fixed time. The purpose of the sponsor is to get the votes in the hands of these viewers. They are The sponsors of these TV stations are also partners of a certain black local councilman, who can use these community TV stations to get those viewers to support him.

"In addition to contacting TV stations, have you visited black communities?" Tommy asked Earl after reading the information.

Earl picked up the coffee and took a sip: "After visiting part of the interview, FOX TV network's programs have become very popular among black people recently. Those small TV stations have been affected. FOX's two most popular programs in those black communities, "America's Most Wanted" "Prisoners" and "Women in Prison", as you can imagine from the names, it suits the taste of my compatriots at the bottom. FOX relies on beautifying street gangs and prison life to attract the attention of bottom audiences. This is why the three major TV networks are very dissatisfied with FOX. It brings down the tone of the television industry."

"This trick works very well, and after FOX uses these programs to attract attention, it sells half-truth and half-false news to the audience." Tommy pressed the remote control and turned on the TV next to him.

It is an interview with an economic talk show on FOX. The host uses a lively and interesting rhythm to invite experts to explain what Reaganomics is and how the economic environment in various industries was relaxed during President Reagan's administration.

"The bottom audience doesn't know how to tell the difference between truth and falsehood. They don't know that Reagan left office a year and a half after he took office. Over the years he was in office, the minimum hourly wage of Americans has not increased at all, and they don't know that during his tenure, the minimum wage in the United States , has become the world’s largest debtor country, and I don’t even know what the bullshit expert in front of the TV is saying at this moment. The deregulation and reform methods in aviation, automobile transportation, railways, communications, natural gas, banking and other industries are all the result of President Reagan. Credit is a complete lie. It was the efforts made by Carter during his term. The audience will hear this lie immediately after watching the program they want to watch. Over time, they will subconsciously feel that Reagan, the Republican president, is not bad. It turns out this guy has done so many serious things." Tommy looked at the screen:

"It is not lowering the style of the TV industry, but lowering the historical status of the TV industry. Before FOX, all TV networks were neutral, at least on the surface, so if the two parties want to explain to the public My own philosophy is to support the three major TV networks, but FOX has stood up for it since the day it was born. This is the reason why the three major TV networks are really dissatisfied with FOX, but they have no choice but to do this because FOX does this. They lined up to criticize a shameless TV show like The Sun, so they can't immediately become as shameless as FOX. That would be giving in to FOX and having an outsider teach them how to produce it. More engaging television.”

"So, you think they need a rising star in the American television industry with enough money and shamelessness to step forward?" Earl looked at Tommy and asked with a smile.

Tommy said seriously: "I can't let the country I love and the people I love be indoctrinated with lies by a country bumpkin from Australia. The times are calling us, Earl, this is our mission."

"If you say this to my black compatriots, they may be willing to believe you. I am not within the scope of your brainwashing, Tommy." Earl made a Stop gesture, indicating that Tommy would stop instilling these things into himself. Words used to deceive compatriots.

Tommy also laughed and changed the subject lightly: "You have completed the first round of contact and selected your intended partner, right? The next step is the second round of contact."

"Contact the wealthy black investors behind those TV stations?" Earl nodded with understanding: "I did collect information on some people."

"No, Earl, why are you here?" Tommy shook his head, indicating that Earl had guessed wrong, and then asked Earl.

Earl said frankly: "Because the price you gave is attractive enough."

"No, the times are calling you. You are here for the equal rights of black people. You gave up using your work as a lawyer to help black individuals and came here hoping to help the black group through the media. The Black Panther Party no longer exists, but there can be a more A moderate black organization may be called a gentle-sounding name like Sunshine and Rainbow. It should not fight for political rights or get entangled with public policies. This organization is to help black people fight for welfare and economic support, as well as receive equal education. Opportunity." Tommy said to Earl seriously:

"We need to use the influence of the TV station to gain the support of the black people at the bottom, and then use the black people at the bottom to conquer more TV stations and complement each other."

"The three major black organizations probably won't give me much support, because this kind of slogan has been shouted by too many large and small organizations, and the black people at the bottom are almost numb to these slogans. They think they are all empty words." Earl believes Tommy thought all this was too simple, so he shook his head and gave the opposite opinion.

"Self-reliance, education, voting rights, affirmative action, promotion of employment..." Tommy obviously understood these slogans very well. At this time, he spoke a bunch of words in his mouth, but he suddenly stopped:

"Because those who put forward these slogans are not damn black people from the lower class, but black elites. Why are the black people at the lower class numb to these slogans? Because they have been shouting for decades, but it is of no use, and the black people at the lower class don't see the use of studying and receiving education! "

"So, you know what the black man at the bottom wants? A white man, better than me?"

"Yes, this organization opposes President Reagan's work-welfare initiative, and all black people at the bottom will support you." Tommy looked at Earl with twinkling eyes and said this.

Earl was lowering his head to light a cigarette. When he heard Tommy's words, he dropped the cigarette from his mouth and burned a small hole in his trousers!

He didn't even bother to check his clothes, slapped away the cigarette, and stared up at Tommy: "I know all the black people at the bottom will support me, but I will forever lose the trust of the elite black people. You are pushing me into the abyss."

The workfare initiative is a government plan proposed and always advocated by the Republican Party. As the name suggests, if you want to receive social benefits, you must contribute to society. For example, if a low-income black single mother wants to receive weekly benefits, she needs to Only those who participate in social voluntary labor for a fixed length of time each week are eligible to receive it.

This initiative has not only been advocated by the Republican Party, but has also been secretly promoted by the black elite group, because they do not want the black people at the bottom to remain lazy, cunning, and suck the blood of social welfare. They want to use this initiative to reverse the stereotype of black people being lazy.

Of course, the black people at the bottom do not want this government plan to be promoted. Think about it, you used to be able to receive relief or subsidies without doing anything every week, but now you suddenly have to accept arrangements to do more than ten hours of manual labor every week in order to receive it. How could they agree to those reliefs and subsidies?

So if this organization takes up a banner to publicize opposition to work welfare initiatives among lower-class blacks, Earl believes that the absolute blacks at the bottom will support him, but that will be of no use because he has lost the support of the more important black elite group.

The black elite do not want the blacks at the bottom to continue to degenerate. They help the blacks at the bottom fight for the right to receive education and find various employment opportunities. They hope to dilute the impact of work benefits on them as much as possible and let them learn to survive by labor instead of every week. Relying on the wool of American social welfare and discrediting the black community.

"When a black man proposes this idea, the elite black group will alienate him because he is a traitor to the black group, but what if it is a kind white person? What about a kind white woman? She is full of motherhood and does not want those black single mothers at the bottom to take care of five She has six children, but she has to work more than ten hours a week to get relief? She launched this organization, what do you think? But for all the hard work she has done, a white person cannot give her the reward, she must There needs to be a black man to enjoy the fruits." Tommy looked at Earl Rush sharply:

"Do you still feel that there is an abyss ahead?"

"New World Foundation...you let me marry a black wife..." Earl Rush looked back at Tommy and spoke softly.

Tommy nodded: "Marry a single mother from a lower-class background, stand beside my fiancée, and then wait to inherit the sweet fruits."

"I understand now that you are right, Mr. Hawke..." Earl Rush exhaled a long breath: "The times are calling me."

Six thousand words~ It’s a little late~ But I finally coded out the word count of two updates~