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

In the United States, there are many ways to understand public opinion.

Gallup, the Pew Research Center, and Quinnipiac University polls are all established professional institutions with rigorous sampling methods and statistical models.

Then there are media polls, such as those commissioned by CNN, Fox News, and The New York Times. Their data often carries their own biases, since whoever pays for it gets to decide.

Further down are online polls, Twitter polls, YouTube community posts, and Reddit's Straw Poll, but the scientific validity of these things is roughly equal to or less than that of horoscopes.

However, their reach far surpasses that of professional opinion polls!

A reputable polling organization will tell you that a qualified survey requires random sampling, stratified quotas, and a margin of error of no more than plus or minus three percentage points.

The problem is that these numbers will eventually be taken out of context by politicians and the media and turned into whatever they want them to be.

That's why a new method of public opinion survey has quietly emerged in recent years: street photography.

YouTube is filled with various "street interview" programs. From "PragerU" to the street segments of "The Daily Show", to various viral short videos asking "Do you support XX?"

These contents have one thing in common: they look very real, but they have actually been carefully selected and edited.

For example, "Chamge My Mind," a series with tens of millions of views on YouTube, is hosted by a conservative influencer named Steven Crowder. His specialty is setting up a table, writing a controversial slogan on it, and waiting for college students to debate with him.

In the videos, he always speaks eloquently and logically, leaving his opponents speechless.

But no one knows how many of the parts that stumped him were deleted.

However, this guy sometimes posts clips that aren't necessarily favorable to him, which is admirable.

Of course, the left is not to be outdone. The Daily Show sometimes specifically selects stuttering and illogical rednecks for its street interviews, editing them into live targets for the audience to laugh at.

This is the current state of public opinion in the United States: everyone is in their own information cocoon and thinks the other is a fool.

Regardless, the street survey method is absolutely fantastic.

And this is exactly what Sean Penn intends to put into practice.

"Are you ready?"

Beside the fountain in Philadelphia City Hall Plaza, Matthew Chen carried a Sony A7M4, its lens pointed at Sean. The chilly winds of late January occasionally seemed to watch over the two young men, observing their every move.

"Wait a minute," Sean straightened his collar, then picked up an important tool that was lying at his feet, "I'll check the questionnaire again."

It was a rectangular board with a questionnaire he had spent the whole night designing.

It was a five-point scale, with five options appearing on the board from left to right.

What are your thoughts on the Thomas Reynolds case?

1- It was a complete suicide, and had nothing to do with anyone!

2- It may be suicide, but there is someone behind it.

3-Uncertain...

4-Was he forced to his death?

5 - He was definitely murdered!

Each corresponding option has an area for recording the number of people. Every time someone answers, Sean will lift the white paper in front and stick a sticker on it.

There are also a few open-ended questions at the bottom:

"Who do you think should be held responsible for Thomas's death?"

"Who do you think is the real victim in the Avalon Fund case?"

"If you were Thomas, what would you do?"

"This design is way too academic," even Matthew, a student, complained.

"There is some, but if they don't understand, we'll explain it to them." Sean folded the paper and stuffed it into his pocket. "Let's go, let's get started."

The first victim was a middle-aged white woman walking her dog.

"Hello, ma'am," Sean said with his most friendly smile, "I'm Sean Penn. We're conducting a street survey on social issues. Would you like to be interviewed?"

The woman looked him up and down, then looked down at her dog.

"Are you that actor?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Aren't you running for president?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then what are you doing here?" the woman asked, puzzled. "Shouldn't you be in Iowa or New Hampshire?"

"I believe Philadelphia's voice is equally important, ma'am. Would you be willing to answer a few questions?"

The woman hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Have you heard of the Thomas Reynolds case?

"The guy who died in the bathtub?" the woman said. "I've heard of him. The newspapers said he committed suicide."

Do you believe it?

"Why shouldn't I believe it?" the woman retorted. "Whatever the newspapers say is what it is. It's none of my business anyway."

Sean then put a sticker on the first question.

"So, who do you think is the real victim in the Avalon Foundation case?"

"Those who got scammed," the woman shrugged. "But to be honest, what can you do when they're so greedy? High returns come with high risks, isn't that common sense?"

Sean made another note.

"One last question: If you were Thomas, what would you do?"

The woman thought for a moment, "I won't invest in that kind of thing. My money is all in my 401(k)." (A 401(k) is a type of insurance.)

"Thank you for your time, ma'am."

The woman walked away with her dog, glancing back at Sean before leaving with a meaningful look.

【25】.

The second interviewee was a young Black man in his early twenties, wearing a Philadelphia Eagles jersey.

"Hey, Sean Penn!" the young man recognized him. "I've seen your videos on YouTube! You said you were going to find all those bastards!"

"Thanks for your support, bro," Sean laughed. "Would you like an interview?"

"Of course, go ahead and ask."

Regarding the Thomas Reynolds case…

"The victim," the young man interrupted before he could finish, "100% victim. Rich people like to kill to cover their tracks. Have you seen 'House of Cards'? That's what the president did."

Sean blinked. "So you chose the fifth one?"

"certainly!!"

"So who do you think should be held responsible for Thomas's death?"

"Wall Street," the young man said decisively, "and those politicians. They're all in cahoots."

"If you were Thomas, what would you do?"

"I'll expose all those people," the young man said, waving his fist. "Then I'll run off to Mexico. Anyway, dying in Cancun is better than dying in America; at least there are beautiful beaches there."

【60】.

The third interviewee was an elderly Asian couple who appeared to be first-generation immigrants.

"Thomas? I don't know." The old man shook his head. "We don't watch the news."

"Do you usually follow politics?"

"I don't care," the old woman said. "It's no use caring. We can't vote anyway."

"Oh, you don't have citizenship?"

"Yes, we do, but we have to take time off work almost every time we vote, which makes our boss very unhappy," the old man sighed. "And it doesn't matter who we vote for, nobody cares about us Asians."

These words made Matthew Chen, who was also Asian, feel a pang of anxiety.

Sean fell silent for a moment, then said, "Thank you."

【15】.

Over the next two hours, they interviewed more than twenty people.

There were enthusiastic supporters, indifferent passersby, angry conspiracy theorists, and confused silent observers.

A female student wearing a Penfolds hoodie said, "Thomas' death reflects the systemic oppression of the working class by neoliberalism."

A middle-aged man with the classic redneck look said, "Those Democrats just want to use this to get you because you dared to tell the truth."

A young mother pushing a stroller said, "I don't have time to worry about these things; I just want my child to go to a good school."

A homeless man said, "Thomas? Who's he? Do you have a cigarette?"

Gradually, it got dark.

Matthew put down the camera and rubbed his sore shoulders.

"Is that enough for today?"

"Let's walk a bit further." Sean looked at the map on his phone. "There seems to be a community service center up ahead. Maybe we can interview more people there."

Today's interview was truly shocking; he never expected to gain the approval of both communists and rednecks.

They then continued walking along the street for a few blocks until they came to a three-story gray building.

A sign hangs at the entrance: "Philadelphia Community Mutual Aid Center".

But strangely, there was no one at the door.

Sean looked around. This neighborhood was clearly different from the places they had been before. The signs on the streets were mostly in Arabic and Urdu, and most of the pedestrians were dressed in traditional clothing, with women wearing headscarves.

"It seems we've entered another world," Matthew said softly.

Sean gestured for Matthew to point the camera at him. He stood in front of the building and gathered his thoughts.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we've visited many places in Philadelphia today," he said to the camera. "We've met all sorts of people and heard all sorts of voices. Some people care about politics, some don't; some are full of anger, some just want to live their own lives."

"But one thing struck me deeply. Many people told me that they felt their voices didn't matter. They felt that no matter who was elected, their lives wouldn't change. They felt that politicians only cared about votes and not about their real difficulties."

"This is not their fault. It is a failure of the entire system. When people lose faith in democracy, when voting becomes a burden rather than a right, then there is really something wrong with this country."

"Thomas Reynolds' death is not just one person's tragedy. It's an epitome of millions of forgotten ordinary people. They work hard, obey the law, and believe that this country will give them a fair chance. But in the end, they find themselves deceived, abandoned, and..."

"Hey!" a deep voice interrupted him.

Sean turned around and saw two men in dark uniforms walking towards them. They were burly, with thick beards, and their eyes were full of vigilance.

"This is a private place," one of them said, his accent somewhat distinctive. "Photography is not allowed."

"We were just on the public sidewalk," Matthew said.

"This is the community service center area," another person said, pointing to the building. "Please leave."

Sean glanced at the numbers above the two older men's heads.

[-35] and [-40].

He knew what this meant. In the United States, some communities have their own rules, and some voices don't welcome outsiders, especially outsiders carrying cameras.

This reminded him of the US zoning system.

On the surface, this is a set of regulations concerning land use, determining where residential buildings can be constructed and where factories can be opened. But in reality, it has long since extended to the cultural and community levels.

Every neighborhood has its own boundaries, some tangible, some intangible.

"Okay, we'll leave now." Sean raised his hands to the two men, gesturing for peace. "Sorry to bother you."

The two older men watched them silently until they walked out of the street.

"Damn." Matthew rarely swore, but he waited until he was a distance away before uttering the curse. "This is too much..."

"This is America," Sean interrupted him. "Let's go back; we have enough material."

They retraced their steps, and despite the cold wind, Sean's mind was already processing today's video footage.