New York Tales (5): Somebody or Nobody

r
renqiulan
楼主 (文学城)

 

A self-important, ultra-liberal New Yorker found himself living his worst nightmare: he woke up in the reddest part of Red State Texas. In no time, he transformed into an underemployed rural Texan, living hand-to-mouth. Life wasn't fair, and he had no choice but to get used to it.

 

 

 

 

They called him "Tex Q," a nickname as jarring as a rattlesnake on a yoga mat.

Rivaling the original Ah Q, Tex Q found solace in self-deception: every defeat was a moral victory. Losing at poker? He was conserving energy for a bigger pot. Getting fired? He was preparing for a higher calling. Thanks to his mental gymnastics, he kept himself from drowning in self-pity.

One day, a documentary crew arrived, eager to explore the psyche of rednecks. Tex Q was a godsend to them. They filmed him fishing, which he described as a "meditative battle against aquatic foes." They captured him fixing his truck, likening it to performing open-heart surgery on a metal beast. And they recorded his reflections on life, where he colorfully explained why being broke was a sign of deep spiritual wealth.

The documentary made Tex Q a viral sensation. People were fascinated by his absurd optimism and unwavering belief in a universe seemingly determined to prove him wrong. He was invited on talk shows, offered book deals, and even considered for a reality show on a popular streaming platform.

But Tex Q, true to form, turned it all down. He returned to his trailer, cracked open a beer, and looked at the sky. "Another day, another dollar," he muttered. "After all, a man's gotta have standards."


As night fell, he took to social media, rallying his fans to support his presidential candidate. Yes, he always enjoyed preaching to the choir. Meanwhile, his canine buddy brought home a rabbit for dinner.


Author: renqiulan

 

 

 

 

 

 

🔥 最新回帖

r
renqiulan
106 楼
Buddism! I must admit that I know next to nothing about it.
r
renqiulan
105 楼
That means my piece makes sense. Thank you.
天边一片白云
104 楼
there are some connection.
天边一片白云
103 楼
very nice to read. I am learning some Buddhism.
天边一片白云
102 楼
This character might exist in reality more or less.

 

🛋️ 沙发板凳

r
renqiulan
What if a Wall Street bull rider turned into a trailer park
r
renqiulan
redneck? From "hero" to "zero" in a heartbeat.
蓝灵
So another Friday, another story, another character.
蓝灵
Hi, renqiulan!
r
renqiulan
I'm so glad to have you check out my little Friday story.
r
renqiulan
Thank you, Blue Soul!
蓝灵
The pleasure is mine. Is Tex Q the "legendary" Ah Q?
r
renqiulan
You decide.
蓝灵
OK. But let me ask a couple of questions.
r
renqiulan
Please feel free to do so.
蓝灵
I can't help but notice that Tex Q, the "redneck," was kind
蓝灵
of a reincarnation of a Wall Street type. Right?
r
renqiulan
Right.
蓝灵
So, is Tex Q better than his former self, one of the"bluest"
蓝灵
New Yorkers?
r
renqiulan
Again, you decide.
蓝灵
Fair enough. BTW, I got the impression that Tex Q fully
蓝灵
embraced his Texan identity.
r
renqiulan
Perhaps Tex Q had once fully embraced his former Wall Street
r
renqiulan
identity.
蓝灵
Two lives, two identities.
r
renqiulan
I can live with that, no pun intended.
蓝灵
Just don't be another Pygmalion.
r
renqiulan
Oh, the poor sculptor from Ovid's "Metamorphoses."
蓝灵
Haha! Pygmalion fell in love with a statue he had carved.
r
renqiulan
Actually, you reminded me of George Bernard Shaw's eponymous
r
renqiulan
play.
蓝灵
I haven't gotten a chance to read this play. My guess is
蓝灵
that it must be interesting, to say the least.
暖冬cool夏
canine buddy=猪队友:)An Entertaining story!TexQ is a caricature
暖冬cool夏
of one of modern New Yorkers. Quite a character!
r
renqiulan
"We all have private imaginations, but when it comes to
r
renqiulan
brutal life-business, one needs to distinguish between
r
renqiulan
reality and dreams." This quote addresses the play's theme.
r
renqiulan
Hi, 暖冬cool夏! Thank you for stopping by!
r
renqiulan
As for "canine buddy=猪队友," well, that might be true
r
renqiulan
in the Chinese-speaking world.Mark Twain must beg to differ:
r
renqiulan
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous,
r
renqiulan
he will not bite you. This is the principal difference
r
renqiulan
between a dog and a man."
蓝灵
Shaw's Pygmalion must be full of quotable lines.
r
renqiulan
I, myself, prefer to read between the lines, quotable or
r
renqiulan
otherwise.
蓝灵
Your approach makes more sense than mine. I am learning to
蓝灵
be a more serious reader.
r
renqiulan
Don't we all need to be more serious readers?
蓝灵
Could you tell me more about Shaw's Pygmalion?
r
renqiulan
Certainly. His Pygmalion is truly ahead of its time.
蓝灵
Please go on.
r
renqiulan
Shaw's ability to blend social commentary with wit is
r
renqiulan
unparalleled.
蓝灵
How so?
r
renqiulan
Shaw masterfully deconstructs the rigid social hierarchy of
r
renqiulan
Edwardian England (1901-1914).
蓝灵
And the language?
r
renqiulan
Yes, let’s not forget the linguistic aspect.
蓝灵
I'm listening.
r
renqiulan
Shaw's Pygmalion is a treasure trove for language
r
renqiulan
enthusiasts.
蓝灵
Tell me more about it.
r
renqiulan
Shaw's use of phonetics and his exploration of the
r
renqiulan
relationship between language and social class is
r
renqiulan
groundbreaking.
蓝灵
That reminds me of "Downton Abbey."
r
renqiulan
Right on.
蓝灵
Thank you. Let's get back to your story.
r
renqiulan
So you're not done yet.
蓝灵
Of course not. What inspired you to create this Tex Q
蓝灵
character?
r
renqiulan
Tex Q was born out of my fascination with extremes—
r
renqiulan
both geographical and ideological.
蓝灵
Which means...?
r
renqiulan
That means I wanted to explore what happens when someone
r
renqiulan
who is entrenched in a certain worldview is suddenly
r
renqiulan
uprooted and thrown into an environment that
r
renqiulan
contradicts everything they know.
蓝灵
It sounds to me like you're putting human nature to the test
r
renqiulan
You are an astute reader.
蓝灵
Thanks. But can you elaborate more on your point?
r
renqiulan
Absolutely. Through Tex Q, I also aimed to poke fun at the
r
renqiulan
ways we rationalize our situations, no matter
r
renqiulan
how absurd they may be.
蓝灵
So you let Tex Q face a double whammy.
r
renqiulan
Indeed, my piece is less about a specific message and
r
renqiulan
more about an exploration of character under duress.
蓝灵
Not just duress, I would say, but also temptation.
r
renqiulan
True.
蓝灵
Frankly, you didn't run short of drama.
r
renqiulan
Tex Q is a walking drama, if you will.
蓝灵
And nearly a walking disaster.
r
renqiulan
He made the right decision to turn down the book
r
renqiulan
deals and streaming stardom. Good for him. He passed
r
renqiulan
the temptation test.
蓝灵
Nicely put. Good night!
r
renqiulan
Goodnight!
天边一片白云
we need to be like Tex Q sometimes.
天边一片白云
Haha, the last sentence adds more drama.