Chapter 1016: Exposing the Ugly Veil of Capitalism
Chen Mo tapped lightly on his phone, and the image on the screen was projected onto the wall in front of him via the projection lens, allowing most of the people present to see it clearly.
First was a line Michael said to Franklin: "Young people shouldn't always be thinking about fighting and killing. Go to college properly, and then you can exploit the people's property, squeeze the oil out of these laborers, and rake in money while lying down. This thing is called 'capitalism.'"
The three guests across from him were visibly stunned. They clearly had no idea what was going on. *GTA* had lines like this? And it was a conversation between two protagonists?
Chen Mo tapped his phone screen again, and a close-up of a police car from *GTA* appeared. On the side door of the police car, beneath the police badge, it read: "Obey, Survive."
Chen Mo explained, "This meme might be a bit subtle. Many people don't understand English, so let me explain it here. On police cars in the Land of the Beacon, two words are actually written, but they say 'Protect, Serve.'"
Many people in the room exchanged glances, their faces full of surprise.
If Michael's earlier line was very blunt, this meme was more subtle. Clearly, it was mocking the police in the Land of the Beacon for bullying the weak and fearing the strong, as well as the conflict between the police and the people there.
Obviously, the original meaning of the words on the police cars in the Land of the Beacon was "the police should protect the people and serve the people." But in reality, the police there have always enforced the law violently, shooting recklessly at the slightest provocation. Every year, innocent civilians are killed for no reason, and the probability of black people being unjustly shot is several times higher than that of white people.
So in *GTA*, these two words were changed to "Obey, Survive," meaning that when encountering the police, the people of the Land of the Beacon must obey absolutely to have a chance of survival.
Chen Mo continued tapping his phone screen, and one piece of information after another was conveyed to the audience present, as well as to everyone in front of the TV and screens, through his explanations.
"The power company in Los Santos uses thermal power generation and claims their coal is high-tech, clean coal that doesn't pollute the environment. But if you actually go to the power plant, you'll see thick black smoke billowing out. Additionally, they mock solar panels as ugly, slander wind power generation as being proven by scientists to cause many species of pigeons to face an existential crisis, and call on everyone to work together to resist wind power."
"This exposes how the big companies and conglomerates in the Land of the Beacon fool and deceive the people, doing anything driven by economic interests."
"The ads for Fleeca Bank say, 'Loans come with no effort at all' and 'You can swipe your card for everything.' However, on the *GTA* website, the description of the Fleeca credit card is 'a never-ending stream of high-interest loans,' indicating that this is a tempting financial trap. This satirizes the greed and cunning of big banks and the rampant consumerism in the Land of the Beacon."
"As for the Epsilon Program, they are wealthy, with a headquarters building in a prime location and many luxury cars. Their followers have even infiltrated the FIB. In reality, this is nothing but a cult."
"However, in the real Land of the Beacon, there are similar religions. I won't mention specific names, but they persecute and control their followers, with tragedies of followers committing suicide happening one after another. This organization is even infiltrating the internal affairs of the Land of the Beacon, attempting to meddle in various state secrets, yet it is recognized as a legal religion by the Land of the Beacon."
"There's also the issue of 'fallen women' in the game that many people care about. In fact, if you follow them, you'll find they're calling their mothers to report that they're safe. The gist is that they recently had an audition, the producer is quite optimistic about them, and they ask their mothers to rest assured that they're doing well."
"Vinewood. Girls with dreams of stardom travel thousands of miles to get here, only to end up living such lives. The metaphor is self-evident."
As Chen Mo spoke, various details in *GTA* were pointed out one by one. The exposure and satire of social realities left most of the people present dumbfounded.
Chen Mo spoke quickly and finally summarized, "Clearly, what *GTA* truly wants to express is this:"
"This is a story, a game, a fake. In reality, you can't die and then come back to life in a hospital, nor can you complete most of the criminal activities in it. If you really did that, you'd definitely die a miserable death."
"It's not easy to be a bad guy. Even in *GTA*, the happiest ones are the police, the military, and other state violence machines. They do evil in the name of the country and justice without having to take responsibility. Just like the FIB using the three protagonists as pawns while keeping their own hands clean."
"Next are private armed forces, criminal syndicates, and multinational corporations. Money makes the world go round, and they act tyrannically under the protection of the government. Even a small pest control company can use its trivial privileges to oppress civilians and make dirty money."
"As for the three protagonists, they seem glamorous, but in reality, Franklin is a black youth at the very bottom of society with no upward mobility; Michael is going through a midlife crisis; Trevor is hated by everyone."
"They seem wildly free and happy, but in truth, they're just small-time troublemakers. They're used by the state machine, shackled hand and foot. When the country needs you, you're a gun; when it doesn't, you're to be disposed of like trash."
"So, I say *GTA* is a work that exposes and critiques reality. Is there a problem with that?"
The three guests across from him were all frozen, speechless.
Professor Xu tremblingly raised his hand: "You... this is anti-government rhetoric!"
Chen Mo nodded: "That's right, but I'm opposing the government of the Land of the Beacon. Is there a problem? I've been emphasizing all along that *GTA* takes place in the Land of the Beacon. It exposes the ugly veil of capitalism. Whether it's the police, the state machine, or the big companies and conglomerates, these are all characteristics of capitalism. Of course, they don't exist in our country."
"Not only that, but through *GTA*, we can let more players experience the sin and ugliness of capitalism, letting those online who boast about 'the Land of the Beacon being a beacon of democracy' take a good look at the real situation there, and thus cherish the happy life we have now even more."
The three guests across from him were all stunned. Even the host, Hu Yue, didn't know how to respond for a moment...
This twist was too abrupt, so no one had time to step on the brakes and think it over.
Chen Mo sighed: "As a game, *GTA* shoulders the task of exposing the ugly veil of capitalism. It must present players with a real capitalist world. Players can also honestly drive a taxi in Los Santos to earn money, buy a house, and live a life of modest comfort."
"Everyone, the heart sees what it wants. Los Santos presents a panoramic view of capitalism, with both extravagant indulgence and heinous crimes. Whatever is in your heart, that's what you'll see in this game."
"Some people only think about fighting and killing, so naturally, they see fighting and killing in the game. I've hidden so many profound things in the game, but you turn a blind eye to them. Blame me?"
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