You have to know that in this era, ordinary civilians do not understand the guiding role of public opinion, especially the generally low cultural level of Brazilian people, and my father is a feudal conservative who only completed junior high school education.
"I saw in the newspapers that the Allied forces are advancing like a hot knife through butter and we will soon win. Brother is right!" Brother Fang Tao also made a rare comment.
"Have you become stupid from reading so much? Can you believe what the newspapers say? They used to promote how good the relationship between us and Germany was, but after the Americans came, the Germans became evil! I taught you since you were young that reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles, and believing in books blindly is not as good as having no books. The wisdom passed down by our ancestors has been completely forgotten by you after attending foreign schools for a few years." After hearing Fang Tao's words, his father scolded loudly, which made Fang Lang, who was about to speak, admire his father's wisdom even more.
"The teacher said that news has three main characteristics: authenticity, timeliness and accuracy. The most important thing in news reporting is to ensure its authenticity. If you don't even believe the news, what do you want to believe in?" Fang Tao retorted to his father with his neck stiff and his face flushed.
Fang Lang looked at his brother at this moment and felt that he seemed completely different from the timid brother in his original memory. Could it be that his brother had entered a rebellious period and now took over his position and started to argue with their father?
"I've told you so many times, with your personality of believing everything others say, you shouldn't study journalism. I told you to go home quietly and help me manage the family business, but you didn't listen. Just wait! Sooner or later, you'll be sold out and help others count money!" The father was also angry and shook his head and sighed, obviously feeling that he had failed in educating his children.
Seeing that his brother was about to refute, Fang Lang reached out to stop him from speaking and said, "Brother! Dad is right this time. You have to know that our Brazilian government is based on the German system. The three characteristics of news you mentioned are under ideal conditions, but don't forget that the Brazilian Propaganda Department has a censorship system. Do you think the government will really let the people know everything that happens in the world?"
"But I read in the newspaper a few days ago that the Propaganda Department has abolished book and newspaper censorship! Even if you are right, the news content we see after the abolition will always be true, right?" Fang Tao looked confident.
"Oh! Has the Propaganda Department abolished censorship now?" I didn't expect the government to be so bold. Aren't they afraid of social chaos? Fang Lang was not against press freedom, but sometimes press freedom was not necessarily a good thing. The interweaving of various ideas would cause social unrest. Maybe this was the root cause of the chaos in Brazil later.
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But Fang Lang thought about it and realized that this was a good thing! As a person from the later generations, Fang Lang knew the role of the mouthpiece of public opinion very well. It seemed that he really needed to invest in establishing his own media organization. Newspapers, radio stations, and later television were a big industry!
Before his brother could answer, Fang Lang asked again: "Brother, are you studying journalism in school?"
"Yes! The journalism major of our school is very famous throughout Brazil." Fang Tao was obviously very proud that he could be admitted to this major.
"Is there any good newspaper in Sao Paulo? What if I buy a newspaper and let you run it in the future?" The whole family looked at Fang Lang in amazement. Weren't they discussing the international situation? How did they suddenly jump to buying a newspaper for their brother to run? They haven't even started eating yet! He drank like this after just a few dishes.
"Don't look at me like that. This time I joined the army and I have gained a lot of experience. At least I feel that I am no longer the ignorant boy who ran away from home. My father just asked me why I thought the Allies would win and the Axis powers were about to fail. I didn't read it in the newspaper, nor did I listen to the army's propaganda. I came to this conclusion through my own observation and analysis. First of all, I used to be in the army and fought on the front line. I found that the age span of German soldiers was very large. The oldest was fifty years old and the youngest was fifteen years old. What does this mean? It means that the Germans' war potential is about to be exhausted. , the young people are almost gone, so they recruit these old and weak. Secondly, now as a naval transport captain, although the Germans are blockading the Atlantic and transport ships are constantly being attacked, I have been to the United States. The United States now builds a 7,000-ton Liberty ship in less than four days, and at least three are launched every day. This number is far more than the number sunk by Germany. The result of this is obvious. The Allies can get a steady stream of supplies, while the Axis powers have been surrounded. In this case, isn't the outcome obvious at a glance?"
After hearing Fang Lang's analysis, several people looked at each other in bewilderment. They all felt that Fang Lang in front of them was very unfamiliar. After a long while, the father slapped his thigh and said, "Good, my son has made great progress. His analysis is well-reasoned and clear, and ordinary people like us can understand it clearly. Tao'er, learn from your brother, don't blindly follow others, and have your own mind and ideas. Got it!"
Fang Lang never thought that he could hear words of praise from his father. This was really a blessing in disguise. His mother also looked at him with joy, and from time to time she looked at his father, looking very pleased.
Fang Tao fell into deep thought. He never thought that his brother would analyze and dissect the two details he observed and draw his own conclusions, instead of just talking about how powerful, brave, and righteous the Allied fighters were and how evil and incompetent the enemy was, as if he had opened up a whole new world for Fang Tao.
After teaching his youngest son a lesson, Father Fang turned his shield on Fang Lang again: "You are a soldier, and you suddenly say you want to buy a newspaper for your brother to run. How much money do you have? You are just talking nonsense."
"Dad, I'm not talking nonsense. I've been through a lot outside these past two years, and I often recall the time when we were bullied by the Japanese. Although we Chinese have joined the Brazilian nationality, we can't change our skin color. We can't forget our ancestors, and we can't forget our bloodline. Now we Chinese, whether in Brazil, the United States, Europe, Southeast Asia, or all over the world, have a hard time. We are discriminated against and treated differently. I thought about it for a long time. There are many reasons, such as the lack of unity among Chinese people abroad, but I think the most fundamental reason is that we don't have a strong motherland. Our motherland is now being invaded by the Japanese, but we are powerless. Even in Brazil, we are bullied by the Japanese, whose population is dozens of times larger than ours. I am unwilling to accept this and don't want to continue like this."
"Good, my eldest grandson! Good! Well done!" After hearing Fang Lang's words, the old man was the first to stand up, his face flushed with excitement, clapping and shouting.
"I never thought that someone of mine would have such an outstanding grandson. I have no regrets in my life. Boy, tell me what you want to do. I will gather my brothers here and give you my full support."
Father Fang Xinshan also stood up and stared at his eldest son in a daze, as if he had seen a ghost. The old man hit him on the leg with his cane and said, "What are you doing here? Get out of the way. Grandson, tell me, do you have any ideas or thoughts?"
Fang Lang was also bewildered as he looked at this old man who had been silent all this time and never commented on any family matters. He didn't understand why he suddenly had such a big reaction.
My younger brother and mother were also stunned when they saw their father being hit with a stick.
Fortunately, Fang Lang heard the old man's question and answered affirmatively: "Yes, I do have some ideas and have already started to implement them."
"Okay, you don't have to say anything for now. Xinshan, go and invite all my old brothers from our village over, and tell them that I have something to talk to them about." Seeing that his father was still in a daze, he hit him with his crutch again. "Go quickly!"
The father hurriedly dodged and said, "Oh! I'll go now."
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