Chương 58: Notes on Dramatic Creation

While writing the script, Arthur began publishing new content in his column for the New York Herald, titled "Yes, Mayor: Notes on Playwriting".

This is meant to generate buzz, attract public attention, and test the market's reaction.

The title of the first piece is "The Art of Three Choices".

Today I learned a new scene design technique.

Hack: "Humphrey, I want to reform the municipal procurement system. The current process is too complicated."

Humphrey: "Mr. Mayor, this is a major decision. We have prepared three options for you to choose from."

Huck: "Very good, let me see."

Humphrey: "The first option is to completely abolish the existing system and establish a completely new procurement system. The second option is to keep the existing system unchanged and make only minor adjustments. The third option is to establish a reform committee and spend three years studying its feasibility."

Hack: "The first option sounds good."

Humphrey: "Mr. Mayor, the first option would invalidate all existing contracts, suppliers would sue us, and the legal battles could last for ten years."

Harker: "And what about the second option?"

Humphrey: "The second option is to change nothing, whereas you just said you wanted to reform."

Hack: "So the only option is the third one?"

Humphrey: "This is the safest option, Mr. Mayor."

Bernard whispered, "But Mr. Humphrey, the first and second options are actually the same; neither is reform."

Humphrey smiled: "Bernard, the first is radical non-reform, the second is conservative non-reform. They are completely different."

Note: When you want to stop something, the best approach isn't to simply say no, but to offer three options: two clearly impossible, and one seemingly possible but actually nothing. This way, the other person will feel they've made a decision, and you've achieved your goal.

On the afternoon the article was published, the newspaper's phone rang non-stop.

The first caller was an elderly gentleman with a steady voice:

"I am a retired district councilor, and what Mr. Kennedy wrote is our daily routine in the past. In the reports to our superiors, 'Option Three' was always the safe option."

Next up is a construction contractor:

"I encountered the exact same thing last year! When applying for a permit, one of the three 'choices' was that you had to demolish something immediately, while the other was that you had to wait indefinitely, forcing you to choose the one that cost more money."

There is also a primary school teacher's phone number:

"We wanted to upgrade our teaching equipment. The Education Bureau gave us three options: raise funds to replace everything, maintain the status quo, or establish a feasibility assessment team to apply for funding. We 'voluntarily' chose the third option, held countless meetings, but in the end, nothing came of it."

The street vendor said, "They told me my hot dog stand could only be in three locations: a windy spot by the river, next to a garbage dump, or a good spot that's already occupied. When I asked if there were any other options, they just replied, 'According to the rules, these are the only ones.'"

The phone rang incessantly. Isabella quickly jotted down notes, and by evening, the list was three pages long. The content extended beyond municipal matters, encompassing various fields such as healthcare and finance.

Everyone seems to have been troubled by the art of "choosing one of three".

……

The title of the second note is "The Cost of Believing in Policies".

Someone asked me: Should civil servants trust the policies they implement?

I wrote the following dialogue: Bernard: "Mr. Humphrey, our job is to implement policies, so shouldn't we trust those policies?"

Humphrey: "What a naive idea. I've served eleven mayors in the last thirty years. If I believed all those policies, I would first support building the bridge, then oppose it, then support it again. I would advocate for more police, then for less police. I would love unions, then hate them. In short, I would be schizophrenic."

Bernard: "So what do you believe in?"

Humphrey: "I believe in the system. The system doesn't change, policies do. Mayors come and go, but the system is always there. Our job isn't to believe in policies, but to make sure the system works."

Harker: "So you don't care about my policies at all?"

Humphrey: "Mr. Mayor, we care very much. We care about whether it works, whether it will disrupt the system, and whether it will cause us trouble. As for whether it's right, that's your business."

After the article was published, it received a very enthusiastic response from the public. A day later, the newspaper received hundreds of letters from readers, some of whom sent their own stories, some of their poems, and some of their cartoons.

An anonymous letter from someone calling himself "a veteran municipal cog in the machine" reads:

"Humphrey hit the nail on the head. We are not accountable for policy, only for process. Policy can be wrong, but following process will never be wrong. That's the ironclad rule."

A letter from a community volunteer was filled with confusion:

"We wanted to set up temporary shelters for the homeless, and every department said they were 'very supportive,' but the planning bureau passed the buck to the health bureau, the health bureau passed the buck to the fire department, and the fire department said that the community affairs office needed to approve it first... After going around in circles, everyone did their job, but things were still very difficult to get going."

In addition, letters brought forth more specific cases.

For example, a small business owner complained:

"I applied for an environmental subsidy, and all the materials were complete and fully compliant with the publicly disclosed terms. However, the person in charge was always worried and repeatedly emphasized that 'the review process must be strictly followed to avoid any subsequent risks.' After six months of delays, they finally told me that 'the policy window has passed.'"

History teachers and housewives also wrote in, providing the New York Herald with a wealth of material.

Isabella compiled these letters, selected a dozen or so of the most representative ones, and prepared to publish them in the newspaper.

However, before Isabella could finish tidying up, the president of the AFL visited in person.

Building on his previous willingness to provide a venue, he also stated that Arthur's article had received a warm response among workers, invited him to give a speaking tour, and offered to provide financial support for the play's creation by the AFL.

Isabella thanked him repeatedly and said she would call Arthur back when he returned.

The Columbia University Student Union also approached them, hoping to use "Yes, Mayor" as the opening performance of the campus critical drama festival and to invite Arthur to give a lecture.

Arthur's influence at Columbia University extended beyond the journalism school to other areas.

Suddenly, Arthur became a hot commodity, with various grassroots organizations and student groups wanting to invite him to talk about the show.

This practically turned Isabella, who wasn't very sociable before, into his manager. Isabella couldn't help but exclaim to Arthur:

"You've become a hero to the workers and students."

However, the arrows aimed at the hero were already prepared.