Talk about the program "Thirteen Invitations"

I like to watch a talk show called Thirteen Invitations. The host is Xu Zhiyuan, a post-70s writer and intellectual. "Thirteen invitations" means that there are thirteen issues in each season, and each issue will invite a big coffee to talk with Xu Zhiyuan. At present, the program has entered the second season, and invited guests include Luo Zhenyu, Sebrina, Ma Dong and Tayu Lo.

At the beginning of each program, Xu Zhiyuan has such a monologue:

The beginning of the second season was slightly adjusted, but the overall spirit remained the same:

The above should be the original intention of Xu Zhiyuan's program, which makes people feel compelled to follow Xu Zhiyuan to explore the truth. As it says, if a person has no prejudice against the world, then he can't look at the world and the meaning of life is lost.

The topic of Xu Zhiyuan's interview is more about the lack of humanistic spirit caused by the development of science, technology and entertainment in contemporary society. Every interview is also a question, seeking answers.

What impressed me deeply was that in the first issue of the second season, Xu Zhiyuan interviewed Ma Dong, and Xu Zhiyuan felt that popular culture was becoming vulgar, and the "seven tyrants theory" was one of the representatives. Xu comes from a literary family. Why did he make such an elegant program as A Wonderful Story? This makes Xu Zhiyuan very puzzled. He hoped that there would be more Shakespeare in the society. There was an interesting conversation between them.

Xu Zhiyuan: Do you like this new era?

Ma Dong (affirmatively): Yes.

Xu Zhiyuan: No rejection at all?

Ma Dong: No (say it three times in a row).

Xu Zhiyuan: Why?

Ma Dong: I'm not that narcissistic.

It can be said that Xu's rebuttal caught him off guard, and the word "narcissism" revealed the difference between him and others. I believe that Xu, like him, also feels a sense of powerlessness to the times. The difference is that Xu chose to stimulate himself with fresh boundaries, but chose to bury himself in pain and start to be angry and questioning.

In addition, a 5% and 95% theory put forward by Ma Dong in the interview is also very interesting.

After watching so many episodes of Qi Ba Shuo, I believe that Mr. Ma Dong's initial intention, like Mr. Xu Zhiyuan's, is to make efforts to make this era better. As Ma Dong said in the interview, "We are essentially the same, but I am sad that you are angry." Xu chose to face 95% of the public from the bottom up and 5% of the elite from the top down, which made his road extremely rugged and brought him many criticisms.

Looking back at the program "Thirteen Invitations" now, it is true that there is a lot of discussion in each issue, but most of the interviews make me feel very fragmented and tasteless. Editing is on the one hand, and on the other hand, Mr. Xu Zhiyuan seems to have not found the answer he wants, and has always stood in his own position, but rarely turned to the interviewer's point of view. He is a sincere interviewer, but he is not a good lens language expresser. Therefore, the purpose of watching the program ranges from hoping that Xu Zhiyuan will bring us some new knowledge through the interview to a guest who can pointedly point out Xu Zhiyuan's problems in the interview.

The latest issue of Thirteen Invitations interviewed Li Dan, one of the writers of Tucao Conference. There is an interesting dialogue in it that may answer my doubts. Li Dan said:

Indeed, in every interview, Xu Zhiyuan's speech system is too trapped in himself, too far away from the public, and the topics in each issue of Thirteen Invitations are particularly out of touch. As Ma Dong said earlier, intellectuals should serve 5% of the elite and variety shows should serve 95% of the public. The terminology of intellectuals cannot be completely accepted by the public in a program like Thirteen Invitations. On the contrary, Xu is very wise. He chose to talk about packaging through the seven tyrants and achieved great success.

This episode of the program also constitutes a very interesting contrast. The intellectual with a frown and full of thinking and confusion about the times turned out to be a hedonist, like a naive child, constantly asking questions and seeking truth, which is quite silly and lovely. However, Li Dan, who laughs all day on TV, is a pessimist. Like Xu, the background color is sad. This kind of person is full of nothingness when he looks at prosperity. They are either born or join the WTO. They regard resistance as futile and simply blend in completely.

Xu Zhiyuan who constantly doubts and despises this society is sincere and praiseworthy.

Li Dan and Xu, they are slowly reconciling with the world and building a society.

These two kinds of people are needed by our society. I think the significance of thirteen invitations is to make intellectuals think about how to better change the world in today's era.