A man walked into a newspaper and the first thing he said was," "$200 a week, ask your boss if you want it."
Strangely, he smiled contemptuously and confidently at the words "Tell the Truth" on the wall.
The boss appeared, and the man also told the truth rarely: I came to look for a job.
So where did the previously promised "200 a week" come from?
It turned out that his previous weekly salary was $250, and he voluntarily cut his salary to 50 just to get a job.
Asked why he left his previous job, the man, without guilt, gave the following reasons:
Having an affair with his boss's wife; creating gimmicks with too much force; and drinking heavily.
The boss laughed after hearing these reasons:
My wife is very old and if there is an affair, he will be very happy;
We don't have much news, and it's a bit difficult to make a big move.
As for alcoholism, this is really not possible.
Well, the wine can not be drunk, and it seems unlikely to engage the hostess.
Then use the nature and responsibilities of journalists and work hard!
On a road to photograph a rattlesnake hunt, the male protagonist Chuck heard that a nearby mountain had collapsed.
Out of a professional sense of smell, he decided to go and find out.
When I arrived at the place, I found that it was a white man who entered the Indian "sacred mountain" to find antiques, but he was unexpectedly robbed.
Chuuk went in to investigate, knew the cause and effect of the whole thing, and quickly built a series of "serial reports" in his mind.
Think about it, treasure hunting, curse, trapped, life and death, these keywords are full of weight, and the combination is even more exciting.
So a man-made delayed rescue work began.
As for the reason for the delay, it is very simple: it is to use this incident to arouse the curiosity and sympathy of the masses, so that the fermentation of the whole thing can be maximized.
In this way, a small piece of news that should have sunk quickly will gradually evolve into a carnival show watched by the whole people.
It is also very understandable for the onlookers.
The person who is trapped in the mountains can show his acceptance and sympathy, and he can better satisfy his curiosity and voyeurism.
Why not?
Chuuk brought in the construction team, the police, and other uninvited colleagues who went to the scene.
More importantly, melon-eating masses from all over the United States also followed.
In this way, the small place that was originally a gate is transformed into a temporary holiday resort.
The wife of the victim, who could not bear loneliness, boredom and lack, also gladly stayed. Busy counting money, busy flirting.
The outside world rejoiced, except for the man trapped inside, who lived like a year.
Not often, other journalists who were jointly blocked from the front line of the news by Chuuk and the sheriff also jumped to their feet.
But it can't be compared with the people in the cave whose lives are hanging in the balance.
The trapped people were not injured, and although the mountain was loose, it was not impossible to rescue.
If you do your best, the whole process can be done in one or two days, at most two or three days.
How can that work? If there is not enough time for a carnival, how can it continue to heat up?
So Chuck took matters into his own hands, changing the rescue method from the side to digging a hole in the wall from the side to digging a well through the mountain from top to bottom.
Speaking of the reasons for adopting such a plan - how foolish the masses are, it is enough to make up a reason, right?
All they care about is the end result and the process of watching. As for why, how many people care?
Make simple things complicated. Although it prolongs the waiting time of the trapped people, it greatly satisfies the desires of all people.
Chuuk's newspaper company, the circulation of the newspaper was reprinted and reprinted one day.
Along with other newspapers that can only touch the scraps, they also got dividends.
The onlookers were even happier, driving thousands of miles away, dragging their families and mouths, and some people drove the caravan directly.
The next day of the entire "rescue operation", the vicinity of the incident was fenced off and ticket sales began.
By the third day, the playground was also fully established.
What an efficient orgy! Everyone was showing their compassion, while others were secretly plotting their next steps.
But the sound of the works that were tapping directly above his head made the victim's mind more and more unconscious, and the dust made him infected with lung disease.
The decisive moment of this game is ultimately in the hands of the most critical people.
Just when Chuuk fell into self-blame and wavering, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper came to the scene and accused Chuuk of a series of actions.
Even though the value of this piece of news can be described as "nichijin doujin", the editor-in-chief is still reminding Chuuk not to forget to "tell the truth".
The desire to win or lose and the desire to express oneself triumphed over reason, and at the same time, Chuuk's old employer, the New York newspaper, threw an olive branch.
The trapped could not have imagined anything: their own life and death were all rewritten by the moment on Chuuk's head.
For Chuck to return to the New York newspaper, in addition to raising his eyebrows, it also means that there is a broader space to play.
After all, for the editor-in-chief there, his wife is sleeping, and it is not as important as the commercial value of the hat-wearer.
The needs to continue, and the rescue operation is business as usual.
But the human heart is made of flesh. When Chuck saw the man who had been trapped for seven days dying, he once again tasted the taste of conscience.
The trapped person's dying wish is twofold: to have his beloved wife wear a wedding anniversary gift; and to have the priest listen to his final confession.
So Chuck, too, with a feeling of repentance, said that he would let the wife of the trapped person wear a gift.
The woman who was angry and defiant, a shear, plunged into Chuck's abdomen. By the way, that scissors were originally used to fix hair.
What a realistic woman, what a fragile marriage.
In the face of the man who once saved herself from the wind and moon place and married for 5 years, she can still be indifferent and do what to do.
Perhaps the most correct thing Chuck said was: You don't have to dye your hair and dye your brain.
The final result of the rescue was, of course, a failure.
Because Chuck announced the results at the first time, the New York newspaper did not get an exclusive headline.
Naturally, Chuck didn't want to go back to New York.
He did the opposite, showing the last hole cards, admitting that it was all his plan.
But he was greeted by the sneer of the New York editor-in-chief and the muting of the phone.
But Chuuk did not even leave himself a second of mourning and reflection, and ran to the next destination with his wounds.
He will obsessively follow his fledgling child, settle down in his seat, and say shakily to the original editor-in-chief, who has long been disappointed in him:
A thousand jobs a week, do you do it?
As soon as the words fell, Chuuk fell to the ground. At the moment of death, he stared at the camera and looked at us as spectators.
The movie "The Ace of the Upside Down" is written and directed by Billy Wilder and starred Michael Douglas's father, Kirk Douglas.
70 years on, the film shines brighter and brighter as time goes on.
Because with the increasing development of the Internet, the normalcy and truth of journalists, the media, public opinion, and the human heart presented in the film have become more and more real and ironic.
The last moment of the movie foreshadows that we are also bystanders who are not too big to watch the hilarity.
But if we think about it, I am afraid that the conclusion is even more frightening: standing in any position, we cannot judge right from wrong.
For example, is it wrong for journalists who want to become famous in World War I and expand their news?
Or are there faults with those who are curious about rare events, who appropriately radiate sympathy, and even introduce themselves to the masses?
Even the sheriff who wanted to get promoted and get rich and win the election was not wrong.
Not to mention Chuuk's peers, the final ridicule and onlookers were wrong.
Even the wife of the victim who was eager to flee and was dishonest, with her level of cognition and position, could not be nailed to the pillar of shame by a pole.
Conversely, did someone do it right? Nor does it.
If the trapped person is not digging for treasure to make money, how can he enter the rumored cursed sacred mountain and take a risk?
If the editor-in-chief did not take a fancy to Chuuk's ability to work, how could he still raise his salary and hire him despite his previous convictions?
Even the parents of the trapped, one obsessed with prayer, one credulous to the daughter-in-law, can not clean themselves.
The film is becoming more and more classic, and this phenomenon is ironic enough in itself.
Because compared to Billy Wilder's other works, "The Ace of the Inverted Buckle" wins over the portrayal of the humanity of all the characters who appear.
But unfortunately, 70 years later, that mountain, that group of people, and that journalist are not only unchanged, but are getting worse.