This year's Oscar's best film "Green Book", after watching it, I honestly think it's really good. In fact, the story is very simple, it is a white driver and a black musician, the employee drives the boss on the tour. However, due to the special background of the time in which the story takes place, it was the Kennedy administration period in the 1960s, and it was also the most intense period of conflict between racial discrimination and affirmative action in the United States. The most famous incident is Martin Luther King's shocking "I Have a Dream" written in American history, and his life was also shot by extreme "white supremacist" racists. Here, let us first praise the courage of Americans, dare to face the dark side of their own history, and reveal it, and use the way of movies to warn the world not to make similar mistakes again.
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Back in the movie, in this two-hour movie, in addition to lamenting the difficulties of black Americans, I realized a more important truth, that is, one’s social status, the recognition of others, and one’s own self-satisfaction. , it's all about your own worth. That's right, that means value determines the state of your life. Then one of the male protagonists in the film, the black musician Dr. Shelley, what is his value, or where is his value reflected? The first is his knowledge. He has been educated in a higher music institution, has a superb level of piano performance, and can play difficult classical music, which brings a shocking auditory feast. In the movie, the director expresses Shelley's musical attainment very subtly, that is, when he was playing on stage, he suddenly cut the camera to another male protagonist, the white driver Tony, who was of Italian descent before. He is very contemptuous of black people. Even if the house is about to be opened, he will still throw away the two cups that have served black floor maintenance workers to drink water, because after the cups are drunk by black people, he thinks it is dirty. But as he listened to Shirley's piano playing in the side curtain during Dr. Shelly's performance, he was gradually attracted by Dr. Shirley's piano sound, and his heart was infected by the power of music. Since the admiration for Dr. Shelley, I have changed my previous views and attitudes towards black people.
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Secondly, the value of Dr. Shelley, in addition to his superb education, he will use what he has learned to help others. This is also a very classic scene in the movie, that is, Shelley teaches the semi-literate Tony to write a love letter to his wife. Before Tony left, he had promised his wife that he would write home, and for the next eight weeks, he did. It was only at the beginning that he wrote the letter himself. Not only did he scribble and alter the text, but the content was also a running account. When the wife received the letter, she would laugh when she saw it, and put the letter aside after reading it. But since Shelley taught Tony to use gorgeous words to describe the scenery he saw, then to express his thoughts and love for his home, and finally his concern for his children. When such a letter was sent home, the wife was in tears while reading it, and she was completely moved. This kind of touch is hard to buy, and even in the future, the wife will invite other female relatives in the family to read the letter together at home, and get great satisfaction in front of these relatives, which is a lot of face. thing ha! This kind of emotional value that a husband gives his wife is really something you can't get back with ten bags!
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So, by the way, as a male husband, don't think that working hard to make money outside is the greatest contribution to the family, and then you can do nothing at home and be a dick. Wrong, giving your wife a good emotional connection and letting her feel your love all the time is the key to intimacy and harmony between husband and wife. A LV bag (material value) can indeed make a wife happy for a period of time, but compared with your recognition and encouragement to her, which is the so-called love (emotional value), material pleasure is always short-lived, and emotional The experience is long lasting. In the movie, I think Tony's wife will cherish these love letters from her husband by her side, and when they recall these love letters, it is the sweetness of a lifetime! The advertisement says, "Diamonds are forever, and one will last forever", but writing a few love letters can be much cheaper than diamonds!
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Well, Dr. Shelley himself is well-educated. For him, writing an affectionate love letter is an easy task, but after teaching Tony, it is a change in Tony's life. This is actually the core concept of value - exchange. That is, I use my strengths to help you and gain your respect, so you are willing to give all of yourself to assist me. This is also the number one influence of psychology guru Robert B. Cialdini in his book "Influence" - the principle of reciprocity.
Speaking of value exchange, let's talk about another actor in the movie, Tony the white driver. As mentioned above, in contrast to the black musician Dr. Shelley, as a white driver, he lived in the slums of New York, was a white Italian, had little education, and had a very questionable personality, in a nightclub Li Dangbao (da) An (shou) advocates the use of violence to solve problems. In the second half of the movie, it's also because of his lack of calm that he and Dr. Shelley get into big trouble. Just because the nightclub was going to be renovated, he was temporarily unemployed and had no income. For this reason, he racked his brains to make money. He went to compete with people to eat hot dogs and ate 26 hot dogs. Dollar. However, there is one detail that needs to be noticed. Although this Tony has a problem, he is a man who attaches great importance to love and has a great sense of family responsibility. He loves his family very much. For this reason, he turned down a high salary, but he is extremely Possibly illegal work, because once he goes to jail, his family is completely destroyed.
If Dr. Shelley's value is the ability to acquire through education, then Tony's value is his social ability in interacting with people of all kinds in society. I remember there was a scene in the film where Tony went to Shirley's house for an interview, which was the moment when the two of them first met, when Tony found out that his employer was actually a black man, but in order to make money, he controlled what he wanted The urge to leave, but in the communication with Shirley, he still showed a rebellious appearance, and Dr. Shirley, who has a strong self-esteem, actually endured it. Why is this? Because before Tony came, Shelley heard a lot of people talking about Tony, and told him that hiring Tony would help Shelly solve a lot of troubles on the tour. This is Tony's value. From the perspective of a product manager, Tony's personal brand is still very strong. There are so many people who know his ability and believe that he can help Shelley solve problems and troubles. The real reason for this high-paying job, even the salary is 25% higher than the previously set amount. To mention a little here, Tony's white identity is also a reason. In the later episodes, Tony didn't disappoint either. When Dr. Shelley got into trouble, whether it was being beaten by a group of white men in a bar, or being held by the police for misbehavior in a public bathroom, he was relying on Tony's three-inch tongue, proficient in all kinds of unspoken rules in society, and the ability to accurately grasp people's hearts, help Shelly to clear the siege and avoid more serious injuries.
From Tony, a conclusion that can be drawn is that in addition to systematic education in school, a person's value depends on his own continuous learning and contact with different people in social life. A variety of rules, cultivate their ability to deal with various emergencies. In this part of the ability, some are innate, such as Tony's white identity; some are self-summarized through his actual experience, in the process of operation, such as negotiating with people in bars, persuading the other party's ability, also The ability to recognize danger in a parking lot is part of our social viability. In other words, these schools will not teach you, but you have to learn, this is also your self-protection ability.
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Therefore, your ability is the basis for determining your value. When you use your ability to exchange with others, the benefits you gain are the embodiment of your ultimate value. From this point of view, some people in life are keen to mix circles, thinking that after getting to know some good people, they will become very good. But when you realize that the value of people lies in exchange, you will realize that this so-called network building is the most waste of your time and energy. If you don't have the capital to exchange, what can you do even if you know a great man? It is nothing more than a nodding acquaintance. When you encounter difficulties, will the other party really give all of his help to help you solve all the difficulties? Let me tell you a little story, a woodcutter met a sheep herder on the way of chopping wood. With the consciousness of expanding his network circle, he took the initiative to get acquainted with the other party. When the chat was about to end, the sun had also set, and the people who were tending the sheep and the flocks were full of green grass, and you, who were chopping wood, had your firewood! So work hard to improve your ability and increase your threshold for value exchange. This is the real network building, and all kinds of outstanding people will also attract you. As the saying goes: I am in full bloom and the breeze is coming.
So, in addition to school education and social common sense (survival skills), where else can the value be reflected? In the film, the director also conveys it, that is, a person's character. In order to gain the respect and approval of others, your own personality is also very important. Simply put, do you want to be friends with someone who is honest and trustworthy, or with someone who loves to take advantage and run the train? I think the answer is self-evident, no one likes to be friends with a liar. In the movie, Tony is at the door of a street shop and sees a jade for sale. Maybe he wants to buy a jade for his wife as a gift. Suddenly he found a piece of green jade that had been accidentally dropped on the ground, and Tony quickly bent down to pick it up and put it in his trousers pocket. And when Shelly learned of Tony's behavior, he insisted that Tony return the jade, or pay for it. Because in Shelly's eyes, this kind of behavior is tantamount to stealing, which is extremely immoral and illegal. But Tony disagreed. He felt that he was just picking up the jade on the ground, so the stone was the same as the stone on the ground. As long as the jade was not taken from the counter, it would not be considered stealing. For this reason, the two had a fierce dispute. In the end, Tony obeyed the boss's instructions and returned to the counter to "return" the green jade. Hehe, he's so fast! As for whether this piece of jade has returned, let's go see it in the movie!
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In fact, we all know that Dr. Shirley's approach is correct. No matter how capable a person is, if there is a problem with his character, he will be looked down upon, or even despised. In social interactions, he will always be guarded by others. Such people will not go far on the road of life. The most famous example is probably Lv Bu and Lv Fengxian in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. With a halberd in the sky, no one dares to stop the heroes in the world, but the title of "Three Clan Slaves" shows his despicable character. You can betray your righteousness for the sake of profit, and you have no loyalty to speak of. The final outcome, everyone knows, was said by Liu Bei: Think about the fate of Lu Bu and his previous bosses! He immediately asked Cao Cao to drag Lu Bu out and chop off his head. In the past few days, Da Qiangzi, the boss of Internet retail giant Moudong, is ashamed of his own personal morality, which has caused the company's stock price to plummet. price.
Therefore, please use "Propriety, Faithfulness, Benevolence, Righteousness, Wisdom" to build your character, guide your behavior, and let sincerity, courtesy, trustworthiness, kindness, righteousness, and courage, these excellent and positive qualities, improve you. the value of.
Then, talk about some rules of value exchange. Some people will say that the network is to be used. This is actually wrong. Regardless of whether you have the capital to exchange value for yourself, even if you have a certain value yourself, if you keep bothering others, they will also disgust them. Especially the low-level mistakes caused by oneself are completely avoidable mistakes, and it is really shameful to trouble others. This is also the climax of the movie. After Tony was stopped by the patrol police while driving in the rain, when the inspector made a bad exit, Tony couldn't control his emotions and punched the other party. This is a serious illegal act, attacking law enforcement. personnel. It is conceivable that the result is that both Tony and Shelley are put in prison, and it will definitely affect Dr. Shelley's future performances. In desperation, Dr. Shelley called the then US Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and within five minutes, the two were immediately sent out of the police station respectfully.
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But Shirley and Tony's demeanor were completely different. Dr. Shirley thought he was embarrassed. Because of his low-level mistakes, he had to ask others for help in a low voice. Because using violence against law enforcement is definitely not right, Tony can completely control his emotions so that he doesn't get caught in jail. On the contrary, Tony had a smug look on his face, thinking that he had a lot of face. He had been despised by the police before, but this time he could show off his power with pride. But just imagine, if Tony thinks that he has a boss covering him and keeps making trouble, I think the boss will not only hate him and abandon him immediately, but as a result, Tony will be punished more severely.
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So what is the real exchange of value, the so-called principle of reciprocity? It should be that each other's giving and taking must be exchanged within the limits agreed by both parties, and each other's strengths and weaknesses can be complemented to achieve a win-win situation. Instead of what I paid, I asked the other party to give back to me in a way of equal value, not to mention blindly asking for it. These are behaviors that will lead to the breakdown of the relationship. Like in the movie, if it wasn't for Tony's impulse to be arrested by the police, but in the process of law enforcement, Shelley was deliberately made difficult because of his skin color, then I think Dr. Shelley would have been right when he called Robert Kennedy. , asking the government to give him a fair, just and reasonable statement.
Finally, what is the ultimate manifestation of a person's value? Not ability, common sense, character. The real core connotation of value is belief. That is, the goal that a person strives for in his life. This is the key to gaining the respect of the world, and even your name will be remembered by people all the time. In the movie, Tony once puzzled and asked the rest of the band, Dr. Shelley, who lives upstairs in Carnegie Hall in New York, has nothing to do with food and clothing, why he wants to participate in this tour and go deep into the most racist areas, What about risking personal injury? At the end of the credits, the band member answers Tony's question: Because Dr. Shelley wants to change this country. Yes, this is the belief that Dr. Shelley strives for and follows. He wants to change the status quo of black Americans at this time and tell every American that there is no difference between whites and blacks. Through learning and education, blacks can do it too. Everything a white man can do, everyone is created equal. Even Dr. Shelley himself suffered from skin color discrimination. During the performance, he was refused to use the white-only toilet and could not dine in the formal restaurant, but he endured all these because he had a great idea in his heart. His dream is to use music to change the way the world thinks about black people.
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I remember in the film, there is such a detail, in a certain area of the South, because the car broke down, Tony parked the car next to a manor, and a group of black workers who were working on the farmland in the manor saw Shelly. Sitting in the car, while a white driver (Tony) was repairing the car and serving a black man, they all stopped their farm work and looked at Shelly and Tony with an incredible look. I think Dr. Shirley's inner feelings are very complicated at this time, but his goal is firm, that is, to use his own behavior to prove that black people can also become truly noble people, and he wants to serve this group of black compatriots Fight for the rights you deserve, instead of doing some lowly and lowly work all your life. It is in line with a classic of the Chinese Confucian Mencius: if you are rich, you will help the world, and if you are poor, you will be alone!
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In the easter egg part, what impressed me the most in this movie is that when Tony was driving Shirley to Kentucky, Tony was excited like a child and came to his hometown of fried chicken screaming. Then I bought a big bucket of fried chicken for the whole family. Haha, then while driving, I ate my finger-sucking original chicken, and happily shared a piece of fried chicken thigh with Shelly. As an audience, I was drooling when I saw it (exposing my true nature as a foodie). Well, it's far from Kentucky, but it's very close to People's Square, dear, let's go to People's Square for fried chicken, okay? !
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