Chapter 8 There will be some in New York, but customers may not

While big cities are clamoring to "build an international metropolis like New York", Chinese aspiring intellectuals are also working tirelessly to "build the Chinese's own "New Yorker".Compared with those skyscrapers and glass curtain walls, intellectuals have done some practical things this time. At least, we already have a book that covers everything from appearance to column, from font to style, from temperament to paper, in addition to the title and language of the journal. The quality is highly suspicious of the "New Yorker" magazine. But everyone is still entertaining.I can also see that talking about "The New Yorker" and running "The New Yorker" are two different things, so

, I also say a few words.Last week, an old friend returned to Guangzhou from Los Angeles. When he came out for dinner, he threw me a stack of "The New Yorker": "I looked through it on the plane, and it was all recent. It's a pity to throw it away." In 2010, he was a tenured professor at a famous school in California. The reason why he was a regular subscriber of The New Yorker was not entirely because the annual subscription could save two yuan and ninety-five cents per copy, but because he found that it was a " "Useful" magazine, "useful" does not lie entirely in the words in "The New Yorker", and the words are not entirely because of the wonderful writing, but the "topics" and talking materials in these words.In the mainstream intellectual circles in California, there are many gatherings of various names, but what is lacking is topics and conversation materials.

"Political correctness" (PC) is the main cause of "lack of topic".Gender is not easy to talk about; religion is inconvenient; politics—these are the high-risk topics that are most likely to lead to "politically incorrect".It's not that intellectuals have to talk about these when they meet, the reason is precisely that these basic factors constitute the core of intellectual topics, just like we use "fist plus pillow" to summarize the common essence of pornography and violent movies.The reason why mistakes are made is that regardless of viewpoints or words, carelessness will cause "discrimination" - "discriminatory treatment", which is an unforgivable political mistake.The next best thing is gossip news, which is never lacking in California, but intellectuals disdain it; let’s talk about basketball, all of them are fans of the Lakers, and there is no possibility of “discrimination”. Dull.Of course, at least the basketball talks are more interesting if there's a New Yorker there.

That being the case, the safest and least error-prone thing is to talk about the topic in the recent "New Yorker". Find your comrades like that.In addition, there are double insurances for talking about The New Yorker—first, all topics in it have been strictly checked by senior colleagues on the East Coast, and the general political direction is basically correct, so you can talk freely; second, even if there are political The counterparts on the east coast should take full responsibility for the problem. The authority of "The New Yorker" and its "necessity" as a "tool book" lie in this.In other words, if one day The New Yorker becomes a monthly magazine, the social habits of American intellectuals may be directly affected.In the case of my old friend, once back in the bosom of the motherland, the "reference book" can be temporarily tossed aside, or given to a New Yorker admirer like me.

For Chinese intellectuals, PCs are not as good as summer insects, but "The Economist" once solemnly reminded their European counterparts that there is actually a "statue of unfreedom" in the United States: "The freedom enjoyed by Americans is not as good as people think." Many. Laws and restrictions are almost everywhere, traffic signs constantly remind people when to go and when to stop; instructions on food labels are enough to satisfy a scientist; aspirin bottle caps are so tight that old people can't unscrew them... ...American individualism can only be indulged in restrictions, thanks to the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act...The fact is that Americans have chosen to be restricted by various regulations from the beginning. The early gold rush was not Completely unrestricted as described in comics and cartoons, except for the adored ranger in the movie, no one is completely free." Why is there no "New Yorker" about China?Mr. Zhu Wei once explained: "It is a city's cultural consumption guide, with novels, reports, columns and humor with special words, not only thoughtful, but also interesting and broad information. It seems difficult for us to understand The high quality of intellectuals is associated with consumption—intellectuals are always superior and disdain human fireworks, so any publications that promote their high quality seem to be unrecognized by the public.” Zhu Wei also quoted Hong Huang’s words: “China has such a Are they middle class and intellectuals? Is Beijing and Shanghai New York?"

I am not so pessimistic.Focusing on the times, at that time, there will be thoughts and tastes, and intellectuals will eventually be "connected with high quality and consumption"; New York will have it, and there will be Manhattan, Central Park and the East Village, And they are all Chinese.Not to mention Beijing and Shanghai, even Guangzhou has the opportunity to make itself a better "date" than New York at the speed of "three years of major changes".However, whether there will be a Chinese New Yorker by then (or whether the Chinese will need The New Yorker by then) is another matter.Chinese intellectuals also like to meet and chat, but compared with American intellectuals, they really don’t need to choose topics and find sources of conversation—I don’t know many “American mainstream intellectuals”, except for the one above , the vast majority belong to Chinese compatriots who are knowledgeable, have American identity, settle in New York, insist on calling themselves "New Yorkers" and never read "The New Yorker".Subject to this limitation, the above opinions may not be of any reference value, and I would like to provide a little talking point for you to talk about "The New Yorker", although we have no shortage.