"Do you believe Matthew is racist?"
In a somewhat dilapidated house in Westwood, Brian Lister put down the newspaper and asked a young black man of similar age, "Do you believe what the papers are saying?"
The young black man shook his head without hesitation. "No! That's all slander!"
"Exactly! It's slander!"
"That Spike Lee is talking nonsense."
"How could Matthew possibly..."
The house erupted in a cacophony of voices, men and women, with skin colors ranging from black to white, yellow to brown, all unanimously convinced that it was a slanderous lie.
Brian Lister nodded and said to the black man, "Thompson, I remember Matthew hugged you and took a photo with you at a fan meeting once?"
"Yes." The young man named Thompson immediately responded, "Not only did he take a photo, but Matthew also signed it afterward."
He pulled out his wallet and said, "I carry the photo with me all the time."
"Can I borrow it?" Brian Lister asked. Thompson handed him the photo, and Brian raised his voice, "Friends, someone is slandering Matthew. We can't just sit by and do nothing. I'm going to collect our photos or videos with Matthew and send them to his agency to clear his name."
"Great!" Thompson shouted in agreement.
"I have some!"
"I have some at home too!"
The room buzzed with enthusiasm, especially among the black fans. Some rushed home to retrieve photos with Matthew, while others had videos of Matthew's interactions with fans during promotional events over the years.
Among these were many videos of interactions with black fans.
Brian Lister even obtained a video of Matthew visiting a black child with leukemia from a part-time photographer in their fan club.
"Excellent." Brian Lister nodded approvingly as he reviewed the materials. "Very good."
Hobson approached and asked, "Brian, I heard some black organizations are protesting in front of Matthew's house. Should we go and show our support for Matthew?"
Some people who overheard Hobson's words chimed in, "How about we all go together?"
"Yeah! We can't let those guys bully Matthew!"
"Let's go show them what we can do!"
Brian Lister quickly gestured for them to stop. "No, please don't! We should wait a few days. The truth will come out soon. If needed, I'll notify everyone to protest against Spike Lee."
After two years of organizing, Brian Lister held considerable influence within this fan club. His words were enough to calm everyone down, and they left the room one by one.
Shortly after, Brian Lister gathered all the materials into a large file bag, walked out of the house, and called a black Mercedes-Benz van to pick him up.
"Hi, Bella." He greeted casually as he got into the car.
Bella Anderson smiled back and asked, "Where to? I'll give you a lift."
"The usual place." Brian handed the file bag to Bella Anderson. "Everything you asked me to collect is in here. Besides the photos, there are some video files on a portable hard drive."
Bella Anderson briefly checked the contents and said, "Videos too? Nice."
Brian Lister explained, "One of our members is a photography enthusiast and loves to film with his camera. He recorded a lot during Matthew's events. I hope these can help Matthew."
"They should." Bella Anderson was polite. "Matthew specifically asked me to thank you."
Brian quickly shook his head. "It's the least I could do."
The Mercedes-Benz dropped off Brian Lister at a house before heading to a high-end apartment complex in Westwood to pick up Amanda, then drove toward Beverly Hills.
"When did you get back?" Amanda asked Bella Anderson.
"Last night." Bella Anderson replied, "I met with several core members of Matthew's fan clubs and got a lot of video footage from them."
Amanda nodded. "It's still not enough."
Bella Anderson inquired, "How about your side? Going well?"
Amanda, who had just returned from Geneva that morning, smiled. "Better than expected. Our large donations to Africa, especially Ghana, have paid off."
After the release of "300", the second batch of donations from Matthew's two charity foundations had arrived in Africa. However, unlike the previous high-profile campaign, this time it went largely unreported by the media.
This was mainly to facilitate future accounting. Continuous media scrutiny would have been troublesome.
Now, they just needed a suitable platform, a TV platform that could reach a wide North American audience.
Amanda's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of protests outside. Turning to look, she saw that the Mercedes-Benz van had arrived at the entrance of Horner Manor, where hundreds of black protesters and media journalists had gathered. The protesters held posters and banners calling for Matthew to leave Hollywood.
Journalists were constantly snapping photos of the protest.
Seeing this, Amanda shook her head. Unlike Bella Anderson, Amanda came from an upper-class background and had received higher education, which gave her a more nuanced view of many issues.
In the past couple of days, not only had some black individuals in Hollywood protested against Matthew, but led by Will Smith's wife, Jada Smith, their protest had also extended to the Oscars.
For Matthew, this was good news, as it dispersed the heat somewhat.
If Jada Smith and Spike Lee were on the same side, they would be quite the poor teammates.
Amanda sighed. The root of the issue was the long-term overcorrection of political correctness. Hollywood, known for its progressive and liberal stance, had long supported various movements. Now, it was being bitten by the very snake it had raised, accused of "racism." How ironic.
Terms like "diversity" had become foolproof cards played by a small group of people with ulterior motives. If they didn't get what they wanted, they would pull out this card and make a big fuss.
In the rules of political games, shouting might not always be effective, but not shouting would certainly be useless. After years of the black movement, some black people had become adept at these game rules.
"Nobel Prize winners include very few black people." Bella Anderson suddenly remarked. "By these people's standards, they should be protesting against the Nobel Prize."
Amanda did not respond. The social situation was as it was, beyond their control.
In a study on the second floor of Horner Manor, Helen Herman stood by the window, watching the van drive in and the protestors outside. She said to Matthew, "Bella and Amanda are here. Everything went smoothly."
Matthew nodded. "How about your side?"
"No problem." Helen Herman had just arrived herself. "As long as we can first turn the tide, Warner Brothers and Disney will follow suit. David Ellison has also contacted many tech and business media outlets. They will follow up too."
She emphasized, "So, our reversal is the most crucial."
As Matthew expected, aside from the verbal attacks, there was no evidence to prove he was racist. But one could not underestimate the power of public opinion. When most people say something is true, it becomes true.
So, although Matthew had not made any public statements recently, he was working tirelessly behind the scenes.
"Is everything okay with the talk show?" Matthew asked.
"It's become a hot topic. Oprah not only agreed but also rescheduled one of this week's pre-recorded episodes to air your live show on Friday night." Helen Herman looked unusually serious. "I've already briefed Oprah about the videos and photos. She watched some of them, but remember, Oprah is black. She will likely give you a hard time."
"Don't worry." Matthew was confident. "I'm not the small-time actor I used to be."
Helen Herman nodded. "We've prepared thoroughly. The average viewership for the recent episodes of Oprah's show is close to 20 million. There's no better platform in the short term."
She reminded him again, "Oprah usually has a surprise element on her show. Be prepared for anything. This is a live broadcast, and I can't be by your side."
Matthew remained calm and joked, "She wouldn't bring Spike Lee on the show to confront me, would she?"
"Probably not." Helen Herman shook her head. "Usually, the surprises are emotional segments, which Oprah excels at."
Matthew frowned slightly. "Do I have to cry? That's not in line with my image."
Helen Herman shook her head. "No, just be very moved."
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Amanda and Bella Anderson entered, led by the butler. Both of them reported smooth progress with their tasks, with no major issues or obstacles.
From Monday to Thursday, the controversy had spread across the USA in just a few days.
On Thursday evening, Matthew flew to Chicago with a series of materials, ready to participate in the famous Oprah Winfrey Show.
---
(Note: Spike Lee's reputation as a freedom fighter has led to a lot of his actions being taken as normal. Criticizing him, regardless of the facts, is often labeled as racist. Foreign forums even refer to him and the Smiths as "spoiled kids." He uses his race as an advantage to criticize actors, directors, and the Oscars without evidence. This has not been without benefits; although he hasn't won an Oscar for Best Director, his constant criticism has earned him an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement.)
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