America 1929: John F. Kennedy, the Great Writer

Upstairs in the office, Lawson was explaining basic stage play concepts to Arthur.

"Arthur, stage plays are different from column articles. Stage plays need a main storyline, many characters, and the conflicts between them."

Arthur put down his pen and said:

"I have an idea. Our new script shouldn't get bogged down in the daily minutiae of city hall. It should focus directly on what's happening right now."

"A stock market crash? I don't think that's enough to support a stage play."

"No, I'm referring to the overall economic situation of society after the stock market crash. I think it could be called the 'Great Depression'."

Lawson pushed up his glasses and questioned:

"The Great Depression? That's a new term, but isn't it too severe? The statistics don't support that. Hoover still insists that it's just a temporary economic fluctuation."

"Just because we don't acknowledge it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Look at those who are unemployed and receiving welfare, look at those who are homeless, look at those who have gone bankrupt and jumped off buildings. These are things that cannot be encompassed by economic fluctuations."

"But we still need to guard against political risks and not give others any ammunition against us."

Arthur took a letter he had just received from the drawer:

"Lippman is academically supporting my 'weapon of journalism' view and is preparing to organize some seminars. As long as we provide proper protection, those professors will become our shields."

Lawson gritted his teeth:

"Then I'll contact some European critics and have them write early reviews for this show that hasn't even been released yet. That way, the people in New York will feel that if they ban this show, they're making America lose face across the ocean."

"I've got it figured out. Since the authorities don't acknowledge the recession, we can call our script 'Yes, Mayor: Prosperity is Just Around the Corner,'" Arthur said.

Lawson immediately pulled a pencil and a small notebook from his pocket and wrote down the title. He then quickly underlined a few words below:

Statistical data, relief, unemployment, bankruptcy.

"What about the specific scenario?" he then asked.

Arthur laughed. "Actually, I prepared a little poem to publish in my column, but now I think it could be used as the opening of a stage play. Lawson, what do you think?"

"At first I bought stocks and only lost money when they fell; later I learned to short sell and lost money when they rose."

Then I started playing options, and even if I didn't do anything, I still lost money; not to mention the leverage, which made me lose money tenfold!

I started by trading only NYSE stocks and only lost money during the day; later I learned to trade over-the-counter, and I started losing money at night as well.

I heard you could speculate on cotton in Chicago, but you still lost money over the weekend; in the end, I borrowed money from loan sharks, but even without money, I still lost money!

The landlord kicked me out; my wallet was empty.

But some people are still shouting: "A booming market is coming soon!"

Lawson laughed heartily: "Arthur, you're so funny! What's next?"

"Act One: Defining the Problem."

Lawson pressed further: "For example?"

"For example, if Mayor Harker sees the unemployment data and panics, how will Humphrey reassure him?"

Arthur mimicked that calm and soothing tone: "Mr. Mayor, what we are facing is not 'unemployment,' but a 'strategic reallocation of labor resources.' Those people are waiting for emerging industry opportunities that are more suitable for them."

Lawson noted: "Harker is buying it?"

"He would hesitate. But Humphrey would hand him some data: 'Look, although there are fewer factory jobs, the number of self-employment registrations has increased by 0.5%. This shows that entrepreneurship is emerging!'"

Will Bernard interrupt?

He would say, "But Mr. Humphrey, half of the business registrations are for family tailors and street shoe-shining stalls..."

"Humphrey would interrupt with a smile: 'Bernard, every big company starts with a small dream. We need to look at the trends.'"

Lawson laughed: "He's portraying survival as a dream. But that tactic can't work forever."

Arthur nodded:

"Yes, so our Mr. Humphrey will find a scapegoat. He'll suggest that Harker hold a press conference announcing that the city government is fully investigating the 'masterminds' behind the city's economic collapse—a group of fictitious 'foreign speculators.'"

"But this cannot truly solve the economic problem; the truth will still be revealed, and there is a natural dramatic contradiction here."

"That's right, so in the end, Hacker will show his political showmanship. He'll go up to the balcony of City Hall and tearfully declare that he's willing to endure any suffering, even sacrifice his political life, for the well-being of the people."

"Finally, the crowd was moved by Haq's sincere performance. They chanted Haq's name and even threw their hats into the air. Haq's approval rating soared, and the crisis was averted."

Lawson pondered for a moment: "This ending is indeed absurd enough. Not bad, Arthur, you have a lot of talent."

Arthur said, "Then let's turn what we just talked about into a draft script."

Lawson nodded and reopened the notebook: "Which scene should we begin with?"

"It starts with the data. Harker looked at the unemployment reports, and Humphrey taught him how to redefine it. That's the starting point for everything."

He stood up, walked to the blackboard, and wrote a few words:

Unemployment, reconfiguration, hope, future.

Then I drew a circle in the middle.

"The magic of bureaucracy is to take something on the left, pass it through a black box, and transform it into something on the right. The audience doesn't need to know how the magic trick works; they only need to see what goes in and what comes out."

Lawson said thoughtfully, "So the stage design should be simple. A desk, two chairs, a window. All the magic happens through the dialogue."

"Yes. The lighting is important too. When Humphrey speaks, the light shines on his composed face. When Bernard adds details of reality in a low voice, the light dims. When Huck hesitates, the light oscillates between him and Humphrey."

"Let the movement of light tell the story," Lawson wrote.

Just then, Isabella gently knocked on the door and came in, holding a letter in her hand.

"A briefing summary from a department in Washington mentioned President Hoover's recent remarks."

Arthur opened it, glanced at it, and handed it to Lawson.

The briefing excerpted statements from several federal officials, emphasizing that "states and municipalities should actively uncover and tell local stories of economic resilience" and "demonstrate the self-healing capabilities of the U.S. economy through concrete examples."

Lawson finished reading and a playful smile appeared on his face.

"Mr. Hoover seems to have a knack for giving new names to problems. The Great Depression became the period of economic adjustment, and unemployment became the reallocation of labor."

Arthur said, "When the numbers aren't good, the story becomes the last line of defense. That's exactly what Humphrey's character does in the play: package the terrible reality as a challenging but promising journey."

"The difference is that our Humphrey at least knows he's making up a story. Those people in reality, on the other hand, probably even fool themselves."

"So, reality is always the best drama," Arthur concluded.