America: From a Fallen Child Star to the Head of the University of the West

Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania.

In a meeting room at the University of Pennsylvania, seven or eight young people sat around a long table. Laptops, coffee cups, and several printed press releases were scattered on the table.

This is the activity room for the Alpha Phi Omega chapter.

Alpha Phi Omega, or APO for short, is the oldest and largest co-ed service fraternity in the United States. Founded in 1925, its core principles are derived from the three principles of the Boy Scout movement:

Leadership, friendship, and service.

Over the past century, this organization has nurtured countless alumni who have made significant contributions in politics, business, and academia.

For example, the infamous former president Bill Clinton was a member of the APO.

APO's motto is "Be a leader, be a friend, serve others."

At this very moment, this group of young APO members are holding an informal discussion. The topic of discussion is singular:

Sean Penn.

"Alright, let's summarize what happened over the past three days."

The speaker was an Asian girl wearing black-rimmed glasses. Her name was Lin Wei, and she was majoring in political science. She was the organizer of this discussion.

She opened her laptop and brought up a timeline document.

"On December 26, the day after Christmas, Sean Penn held that press conference at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The live stream peaked at 12 million viewers, which is quite impressive for a non-sporting event."

"Within six hours of the press conference, his YouTube channel, 'Survivors of Avalon,' saw a surge in subscribers. His three-minute teaser video garnered over 20 million views."

On December 27, Sean gave an exclusive interview to Fox News. This was his first appearance in traditional media. In the interview, he reiterated his position and publicly stated for the first time that he would run for president as an independent candidate. He also announced that he would return to Pennsylvania within a week to visit his hometown of Scranton.

"On December 28th, yesterday, the Los Angeles Times published an investigative report by Rachel Jones titled 'The Shadow of Avalon: The Fall of a Child Star and an Elaborate Deception.' The report first revealed suspicious connections between Kentucky Senator Harris Crane and the Avalon Foundation. Crane's office immediately issued a statement denying all allegations, claiming that Sean was mentally unstable, and threatening to sue the Los Angeles Times for defamation."

"On the same day, the FBI announced that it would expand its investigation into the Avalon Foundation, but did not disclose specific details."

Lin Wei closed her laptop and looked around.

"That's what's happened over the past three days. Now, I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts."

"I'll go first."

A blond, blue-eyed white boy raised his hand.

"From a purely data perspective, Sean Penn's start was indeed amazing. Four million live viewers and twenty million views are numbers that any internet celebrity would dream of."

"But the question is, can these numbers translate into votes?"

He shook his head.

"I don't think so. First, his audience is highly concentrated among social media users, and this group has historically had the lowest voter turnout. Second, he has no political experience, no party affiliation, and no campaign funds. Musk can provide him with a platform, but he's unlikely to actually spend money to support his campaign."

"I agree with Brian's point of view," another Black girl chimed in.

"Sean Penn's speeches were indeed very inflammatory, but inflammatory does not equal feasible. These words sound great, but how exactly do you do it? Does he have a policy platform? Does he have a governing team? He doesn't even have a decent campaign manager."

"Moreover," she added, "his remarks are very dangerous in a politically correct context. I'm sure it's a lose-lose situation."

"So what do you think he will do?" Lin Wei asked.

"The most likely ending?" Brian shrugged. "He'll be popular for a while, then slowly fade into obscurity. Boss Marco will squeeze every last drop of value out of him and move on to the next toy. Sean Penn will eventually become a second-rate YouTuber, barely scraping by with his memoirs and podcasts. His ceiling is probably Charlie Kirk and Joe Rogan."

“Or worse,” the Black woman said. “He’ll be convicted on those charges and spend the rest of his life in prison. Don’t forget, the FBI is still investigating him. And the victims’ civil lawsuits are waiting in line for him. Even if he does have some kind of list, he might not live to see it released.”

A chorus of agreement rang out in the activity room.

Most people seem to agree with this assessment.

However, a young man sitting in the corner remained silent.

His name is Matthew Chen, and he's the top student in the group. He majored in history and minored in political science, consistently maintaining a GPA above 3.9. He's a top-notch test-taker.

Matthew has a typical East Asian face, but his English has a pure American accent. His parents are first-generation immigrants who run a small Chinese restaurant. He was the first in his family to go to college and the first to join the APO.

"Matthew, what do you think?" Lin Wei noticed his silence.

“You all underestimated the situation Sean Penn was in,” Matthew began, “and his determination.”

"What do you mean? You might as well explain it more clearly," Brian asked.

"What do you think is the worst outcome for him? Jail? Becoming a washed-up internet celebrity?" Matthew shook his head. "No, the charges he faces are far worse than that."

He took a stack of printed documents out of his bag and placed them on the table.

"I spent two days researching the details of the Avalon Foundation case. According to currently available information, this foundation involves more than $300 million and has more than 12,000 victims. These include retired police officers, teachers, firefighters, and some veterans."

"Under federal law, if Sean Penn is found to be the principal offender, he will not face ordinary fraud charges, but organized crime charges. This means he could face more than 20 years in prison, plus substantial civil damages."

"But that's not the worst part," Matthew sighed. "The worst part is that he publicly hinted at the existence of that list at the press conference. If there are members of Congress or other high-ranking figures on that list, they won't just sit idly by."

"You mean..." Lin Wei's expression became complicated.

"I mean, Sean Penn can't stop, because if he stops, he's dead."

"He can only keep pushing forward. Running for president is not only his goal, but also his shield. As long as he's in the spotlight, as long as millions of people are watching him, those people won't dare to make any rash moves."

The activity room fell silent.

"But that doesn't mean he can succeed," the Black woman broke the silence. "Even if his motivation is survival, he has no chance of winning. No independent candidate has ever won a presidential election in American history."

"You're right, never." Matthew nodded. "But history isn't for predicting the future; it's for understanding the present."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the horizon outside.

"Let me tell you a story. In 1860, a lawyer from Illinois decided to run for president. He had no illustrious family background, no extensive political experience, his party had only been established for six years, and he had almost no supporters in the South."

"At that time, the United States was on the verge of division. The North and the South were irreconcilable on the issue of slavery, and the Democratic Party was also divided into two factions because of this issue. Everyone believed that the country was about to fall into civil war, and that the Illinois lawyer was just a clown who had no chance of winning the election."

"But he won. Ladies and gentlemen, his name was Abraham Lincoln."

Matthew turned around to face the crowd.

"I have always believed that Lincoln won not because of his outstanding political skills, but because he appeared at the right time and in the right place. When a country's contradictions accumulate to a critical point, people no longer need a smooth-talking politician; they need someone who can represent their anger."

"The United States today is too far removed from twenty years ago, yet very close to over a hundred years ago. The wealth gap has reached an all-time high, the middle class is disappearing, young people can't afford houses, and the pensions of the elderly are being squandered by Wall Street gamblers. Both parties are busy attacking each other, and no one really cares about the lives of ordinary people."

"In this context, Sean Penn's emergence is not accidental. He is a product of this era, the embodiment of the anger of all the abandoned. He may be a fraud, he may be a madman, but he spoke the words that many wanted to say but dared not."

"Is that enough?" Brian retorted. "Can anger win an election?"

“Not enough,” Matthew admitted. “But it’s a start. Lincoln only got 39.8% of the popular vote in 1860. He won because his opponents were divided.”

"Now, the donkey and the elephant are also divided. The progressives and moderates within the donkey party are at odds, and the establishment and anti-establishment factions within the elephant party are tearing each other apart. If Sean Penn can attract enough independent voters and people who are disappointed with both parties, he may not be without a chance."

"Are you kidding me?" Lin Wei laughed. "Do you really think a disgraced child star can become president?"

"I didn't say he could become president," Matthew shrugged. "I just said he could go further than you think. And even if he ultimately loses, he'll change the landscape of this election, and the third-party movement might become even more intense because of him."

"Optimistically, I think he will force both parties to confront those neglected issues."

"In that sense, he has already won."

"In that sense, we've all won, and we've won big," Brian said with a hint of sarcasm. "Matthew, you know what, Sean Penn said he's coming to Pennsylvania, to Philadelphia. His first official campaign rally is in Scranton, which is only an hour's drive from here."

"Since you think so highly of him, why don't you apply for a job as his campaign consultant? With your education and analytical skills, he might actually hire you."

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.

But Matthew didn't laugh.

He simply stood by the window, gazing into the distance, and remained silent for a long time.

"I don't know," he finally spoke, his voice very soft. "How can I be sure? How can I be sure he's not just another conman? How can I be sure what he said was sincere, and not a lie he made up to save his own life?"

"How can I be sure he's not a two-faced, contradictory person?"

"How can I be sure he's on the right path?"

Is he a statesman or just a politician?

According to his own view, the former should possess unwavering faith, comprehensive knowledge of both Chinese and Western learning, a noble character, a far-sighted vision, indomitable perseverance, a broad-mindedness, and the ability to grasp the big picture.

The latter, on the other hand, only possess a fickle stance, a narrow-minded prejudice, a base character, a short-sighted vision, a weakness that crumbles at the first setback, a narrow-mindedness that is easily satisfied, and an incompetence that leads to neglecting one thing for another.

However, no one could answer his question; no one knew what kind of person Sean Penn really was.

Outside the window, snowflakes began to fall in Philadelphia.

Hundreds of miles away, Sean Penn sat on a flight to Pennsylvania, gazing out at the clouds and pondering another equally profound question.