I became a son-in-law in the United States

Chapter 53 34 floors high

After the young man got off, the tram continued on its way, and the middle-aged man turned to the second page.

This section is titled "International News," with several news items densely packed together.

The first clause was that Britain and the Soviet Union would sever diplomatic relations and expel each other's ambassadors.

Below this news article, there's a small line of text, the editor's brief comment—just one sentence: "It was bound to happen sooner or later. The two countries have different stances, different national conditions, and different goals. They've been mortal enemies throughout history. How can they possibly coexist peacefully today?"

The middle-aged man read it aloud in his mind and couldn't help but nod.

Isn't it just a matter of time? One is an old-fashioned imperialist power, and the other is a red regime; they were never going to be on the same page.

Severing diplomatic ties was inevitable; the real news would be if they didn't.

He continued reading.

The second clause is China's recovery of the British concessions in Hankou and Jiujiang.

This news was novel to the United States in 1927, as that distant country was generally not within the American sphere of vision.

In the past, Europeans and Americans thought the East was rich and prosperous, a rare paradise, a place that everyone longed for.

However, after the great voyages of the last few centuries, these people suddenly realized that the so-called East was nothing special and not advanced at all.

Looking back now, he realized that he learned about China through novels by Maugham and others, and had a general understanding that it was a poor and backward place.

But it's quite interesting that such a place would be featured in the international edition of New Youth.

Especially for someone like him, occasionally watching international news to change things up is more refreshing than watching domestic American news.

Similarly, a short comment was attached to this news article.

"Concessions are a product of the old era and will be eliminated sooner or later. In this era of pursuing progress, these things should not have existed in the first place."

The middle-aged man picked up his glasses and carefully read the short comment, and couldn't help but admire it.

His work exposed him to a lot of information: many colonies were beginning to rebel, disobeying orders, refusing to pay taxes, and some were even causing disturbances.

If this continues, the cost of ruling the colonies will become increasingly high, eventually becoming too high for the great powers to bear.

Therefore, from the man's perspective, this prediction was very accurate, and it would be difficult for the old-fashioned concessions to continue.

Governance is one thing, and the feelings of the people in the colonies are another.

Besides, after hundreds of years of exploitation, the colonies around the world have long been squeezed dry of their last penny, so where is there any money left to make?

So giving up was inevitable, it's just that this time it's being said through the voice of the new youth.

The third international news item is none other than Asia, this time involving not only China but also Japan.

Just last month, Japan disregarded all warnings and brazenly sent troops to Qingdao.

Because of this incident, the report was a bit longer, and some additional materials and photos were added.

The newspaper wrote the following in its report:

"Since the Meiji Restoration, Japan has invaded Korea, seized Taiwan, annexed Ryukyu, and gradually encroached on Manchuria over the past forty years. This country is an insatiable wolf, greedy and ever-increasing. Today they can send troops to Qingdao, what will they do tomorrow? This newspaper believes that this country is not only a hidden danger for China, but also for the United States. If the opportunity arises one day, Japan may very well fight the United States in the Pacific. If the Americans do not pay attention to this today, they will pay a heavy price one day."

Middle-aged readers couldn't help but sigh upon reading this.

"These young men are indeed insightful. They're much better than those playboys in Boston who only know how to eat and drink all day."

The voice was quite loud; several people in the carriage heard it.

A bald old man sitting in the back leaned forward upon hearing this, glanced at the newspaper in the middle-aged man's hand, and then pulled his head back.

The middle-aged man ignored him and continued flipping to the third page.

This version is domestic news.

The first is the Mississippi River flood.

He had already seen this news in other newspapers.

The Mississippi River flooded this year, inundating seven states and displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

Although the federal government had sent disaster relief personnel and sent Hoover to coordinate, the results were minimal, and the number of people waiting for relief was increasing, with the queue stretching from the church entrance to several blocks away.

At the end of the news article, the newspaper commented: "Natural disasters are inevitable, but we must pay special attention to man-made disasters. Secretary Hoover has extensive experience in disaster relief, but this time the floods have been raging for so long and the affected area is so wide. The government is stingy with funds and resources, claiming that the people have to rely on themselves. But people have lost their homes, how can they rely on themselves? Rely on themselves to go back to hunting in the mountains?"

The middle-aged man nodded, feeling that what he said hit the nail on the head.

He had been paying attention to this great flood for a long time, and Hoover had also gone there long ago. However, to everyone's disappointment, it seemed that the more disaster victims were rescued, the more people there were.

Because the Coolidge government pursued a policy of "laissez-faire," the government intervened only to the minimum in every area, including disaster relief.

In their view, the invisible hand of the market will take care of everything, so there's no need to worry.

Upon seeing this, the man gripped the newspaper even tighter.

After reading just a few news articles, he was surprised to find that *New Youth* was far better than he had imagined; the reporting was of good quality and the commentary was sharp.

"Great, if it can maintain this, it could really become a good newspaper. I'm sick and tired of Hollywood gossip!"

After saying that, the man continued reading without hesitation.

The second is the Bath school massacre.

This is a school bombing that occurred a few days ago in Michigan, where a man detonated explosives at a school, killing 38 elementary school students.

The news shocked the nation, and many media outlets condemned it. "New Youth" magazine was not to be outdone and reported on the incident.

Then comes the third one.

The last domestic news item is about a topic that has been hotly debated in the public sphere recently—racism.

This article in *New Youth* is not a short commentary, but a signed article titled "Racism is America's Shackles."

The middle-aged man sat up straight in his seat and began to read attentively.

Racism is America's Shackles

Some say that America is a land of freedom and a home for warriors.

However, in this "free land," blacks could not ride on the same train as whites;

In this "home of warriors," Irish people are not allowed to enter WASP clubs;

Italians are called "born criminals";

Jews were labeled as "greedy";

Chinese people don't even have the right to enter the country.

Is this what freedom is in America?

Let us ask ourselves: Is a person's worth measured by the color of their skin? Is a person's character determined by the nationality of their ancestors?

If the answer is yes, then America's so-called "equality" is nothing but empty talk.

If the answer is no, then we must acknowledge that racism is America's shackle.

Yes, shackles.

It not only locked up Black people, Irish people, Italians, Jews, and Chinese people—it also locked up America itself.

Because as long as this prejudice exists, the United States can never truly unite. As long as this discrimination exists, the United States can never truly become strong. How can a divided nation face the world? How can a people filled with internal hostility meet challenges?

Sixty-two years have passed since the Civil War. Sixty-five years have passed since the Liberation Declaration was issued.

But have we truly been liberated?

As the middle-aged man read the last part of the article, his hands trembled slightly.

"This newspaper is really high-quality!"

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