Chapter 102: Shaping_1

The research team consisted of eight members, and Jiang Yu first thanked them; the report was indeed very detailed and clearly took a lot of effort.

Then Jiang Yu got straight to the point, "The reason I've called you all here today is to seek your advice on some matters.

"If I want to shape the aesthetics of an era, how should I go about it?"

Seeing that the eight members looked at each other in bewilderment, Jiang Yu smiled and continued, "It's part of the plan."

That seemed to dispel their doubts.

Jiang Yu then said, "I already have some ideas in this area and I hope you can all offer me your counsel.

"Firstly, is it possible to create a set of correct values to guide the public's aesthetics?

"Then I considered that the environment is very important for the formation of a society's sense of aesthetics; could we use the harsh conditions of space to shape public aesthetics?

"Additionally, there's harnessing the power of media to vigorously promote the correct sense of aesthetics.

"After this combination strike, might we be able to complete the reshaping of the public's aesthetic sense?"

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Yun, the forty-something leader of the group, was the first to speak, "Correct values can indeed play a guiding role.

"But, using a harsh environment to shape aesthetics is quite difficult to control."

He took a sip of his tea and continued, "The current public aesthetics in our country are still healthy, not overly enamored, nor too extreme.

"I wonder in which direction Mr. Jiang plans to shape it?"

Jiang Yu considered his response: "Masculinity."

Zhao Yun frowned, "If it goes as expected, the virile spirit in society will become stronger naturally; we should let it happen naturally and there is probably no need for deliberate shaping."

Jiang Yu was about to play the "It's part of the plan" trump card again, but he thought it might affect the team members' enthusiasm, which would be counterproductive to his goal.

So he simply explained, "I am planning for the future. As you all know, my major is social psychology. Although my skill is not refined, I had guidance from renowned teachers and still have some expertise in the field.

"Has anyone considered that in the future, humanity's conciliatory psychology might take over again, leading to giving up resistance?

"If societal aesthetics are sufficiently masculine, might it be possible to prevent such a phenomenon?"

At this remark, several group members admired Jiang Yu, and Zhao Yun also said, "I apologize; I forgot that the Wallfacer Project is a plan that will last over four centuries."

Lu Qingfeng, another group member in his forties and a sociologist, added, "Mr. Jiang's speculation is very plausible. We have no idea how advanced the Trisolarans' technology is by now.

"This kind of aimless pursuit is bound to gradually lose momentum, and it's very likely that conciliatory policies will rearise.

"Or, realizing that they cannot keep up with the Trisolarans, they may choose to give up.

"The situation by then would be terrifying, and many people might become desperate. Before the Trisolarans arrive at Earth, we might completely lose our moral baseline and Earth could become a living hell."

Jiang Yu was taken aback, "Your..."

Your imagination is quite something!

But, Jiang Yu changed his line halfway through, "Your... this view is quite similar to my own thinking; it's wise to prepare early for such values and aesthetic transformations."

After a brief discussion among the group members, Lu Qingfeng said, "Mr. Jiang, regarding the use of the external environment to forge masculine energy, that is indeed very difficult to control.

"We know something about the perils of the space environment too; if we overdo it, it could easily create too much aggression in society, which would lead to new problems.

"For example, there might be constant conflicts in daily life, with vulnerable groups yielding to violence."

"If things get out of control and violence becomes glorified within society, it's very likely that even murder could become trivialized, much like the frequent shootings that occur in some countries, which are a clear sign of disregard for life.

"Therefore, the method of using the environment to change aesthetic standards seems unfeasible, but it can be considered as a supplementary measure."

The team leader, who works in media, Zhao Yun also voiced his opinion, "The media actually doesn't play a crucial role in shaping values.

"In fact, the media and the will of the masses complement each other. For example, the 'Handsome Culture' that was previously popular in our country actually reflected a need among the people.

"Even if the media didn't introduce it from abroad, the masses would have sought out foreign cultural products spontaneously.

"Besides, media propaganda is a tool, and the 'tool' itself doesn't really have much say in its use; the direction of propaganda requires strong government support."

Jiang Yu pondered for a moment, "If I can provide a certain level of support, can the media play a sufficient role then?"

Lu Qingfeng replied, "That also depends on the needs of the people and finding the right breakthrough.

"If the media were to heavily promote something without any demand for it, the effect would certainly be mediocre.

"If the breakthrough is not well chosen, it will be counterproductive; the problem is that we currently have no way of knowing where the breakthrough might lie in a century or two."

Jiang Yu followed up with, "Does that mean it's difficult to come up with a concrete plan?"

Everyone looked distressed.

"Don't worry," Jiang Yu reassured everyone with a smile, "We can continue discussing and talking about this.

"I believe that our current thinking is not futile. In the next one or two centuries, human nature is unlikely to change much, so the underlying logic of society won't change drastically either!"

He then stated solemnly, "I now announce the official formation of the Aesthetic Guidance Team to explore solutions to this problem.

"Whatever human and material resources you need, just ask!"

After this small meeting ended, Jiang Yu returned to his office to sort out his thoughts.

Guiding the public's aesthetic taste was more difficult than he had imagined.

He had hoped that the media could play an important role, but as Zhao Yun had said, media is just a tool.

It needed strong support to be effective.

If the values propagated by the media were out of sync with the times, no one would want to listen to what the media had to say.

Moreover, Jiang Yu was well aware that as the Wallfacer Project progressed, the authority of the Wallfacers would diminish.

In the future, Jiang Yu would not be able to control all media, and how effective they could be was hard to say.

Jiang Yu took a deep breath and whispered to himself, "Still haven't gotten to the crux of the problem! There must be a deeper causal relationship in this!"

He then shook his head and decided to leave these issues to the newly formed team; he could not afford to invest all his energy in this area.

Jiang Yu asked Di Fengyi to find another image designer for him, and inquired about his schedule for the next couple of days.

Tomorrow, he was to meet with experts hoping to join the "Greenfield Project," and this afternoon, he could take some time to relax.

Jiang Yu picked up a social science magazine and lay comfortably on the sofa, indulging in a rare moment of leisure.

As he read, an article in the magazine caught Jiang Yu's attention.

The author, named Gu Liang, was a well-known sociologist in the country. In his article, he argued that the PDC's plans should be commensurate with their abilities; otherwise, they could easily exceed the limits of what human society could bear, triggering a global social disaster.