Chapter 853
Every Coin Has Two Sides
Chapter 853 Every Coin Has Two Sides
After laughing, Antoine's expression turned serious.
“Jokes aside, but Wade…”
He looked at the boy, his gaze darkening slightly.
"The strategies you wrote to that Auror—public opinion hedging, information fatigue, and some truth deconstruction strategy… If Mr. Grindelwald knew, he probably wouldn't be too happy."
There was a hint of worry in his tone.
Because those who had always been by Grindelwald's side, like Antoine, knew best how ruthless their leader could be when he turned on them.
In the discussion just now, Vader gave the Auror named Kingsley a series of strategies to prevent the magical world from being exposed.
He said that in the information age, Muggle surveillance technology is becoming increasingly advanced, and sooner or later everyone will have a camera. No matter how hard wizards try to hide, it will be difficult to completely conceal their special abilities.
Therefore, instead of trying every means to prevent, block, and isolate, it would be better to build a solid firewall of public opinion for the magical world in advance.
First, invest in Muggle companies to produce movies or TV series featuring wizards, but use magical special effects that are easily distinguishable from reality, thus linking "magic" with entertainment.
Then, even more realistic special effects footage is released, allowing viewers to analyze the flaws from a technical perspective and undermine the realism.
Even if someone films a real wizard casting a spell and broadcasts it, the public's first reaction will only be that the special effects technology is better, rather than "Oh my god, magic actually exists."
Secondly, fund some official and non-governmental experts to publish articles in magazines and newspapers, do interviews on television, and film documentaries such as "Approaching Science" to explain various magical phenomena recorded in history using "scientific principles".
Furthermore, once the information ecosystem has been cultivated to a mature stage, the Ministry of Magic could even proactively create some seemingly real magical videos that will ultimately be proven to be hoaxes, allowing authoritative media to expose and publicize them extensively.
Ultimately, the public will form stereotypes that "magic doesn't exist," "so-called magic legends are just the ignorant imagination of the ancients," and "magic videos are all special effects."
Even if the purgers or someone else really pulls off a "magic live stream," the public will only watch and marvel, but won't immediately believe it.
With this time lag, the Ministry of Magic can act quickly to find the broadcaster or even impersonate him, portraying him as a liar and mentally unstable individual, thus labeling everything he says as "unbelievable."
Wade also said that as information becomes increasingly complex, the more information a person receives in a short period of time, the less attention they can allocate to any particular part of it.
They would devour extremely rich but also extremely trivial "pleasures" like the legendary Eastern monster Taotie, filling their impoverished spiritual world without distinguishing between truth and falsehood, black and white, or bothering to investigate further.
Therefore, no matter how realistic the magic live stream video is, people will only watch it for a few minutes with a critical and nitpicking eye.
However, if newer and more novel news topics, more pressing social issues, or provoking public opinion clashes based on gender, race, or political stance emerge at this time, the Muggles' attention will immediately be diverted elsewhere, causing the magical event to quickly "become outdated."
As Antoine read line after line, a cold sweat broke out on his back. Several times he tried to snatch the pen from Wied's hand and tell him to stop writing!
Antoine said, "Wade, Mr. Grindelwald has been very kind to you, which may make you think he's a tolerant man. But..."
He gritted his teeth and said resolutely, "In reality, no matter how mild-mannered the leader may appear, he has never given up on his youthful dreams—"
"Break the secrecy laws, allowing wizards to live openly in this world, and even rule over non-magical people!"
"This is a consensus among most members of UMNO! Even you... cannot go against the entire organization!"
"But according to your strategy... the leader's goal will become indefinitely unattainable. He... he'll probably be... very angry!"
Looking into Antoine's eyes, which were trembling slightly, Wade couldn't help but smile.
"You're so stupid, Mr. Morrow!"
Just then, a voice came from the side.
After Nelson left the room, the puppet Victor and Weyland had already put the video of the banquet onto the big screen, which was now divided into smaller screens that were playing footage of everyone's reactions after the Purifiers appeared. Weyland had been analyzing everyone's micro-expressions, but after hearing Antoine's words, he couldn't help but chuckle.
He turned to look at the curly-haired youth and said with a smile, "Every coin has two sides. How can something only have bad aspects and no good ones?"
"What benefits?" Antoine, unperturbed by the mockery, asked patiently.
"Debunking the myths is actually a prelude. When a group of people are seriously discussing what secrets magical phenomena might be hiding, some people will subconsciously believe in the existence of magic."
Vilan leaned back, rocking his chair, and said leisurely:
"Furthermore, can Muggle science really explain all magic? Actually, no. Even if their experts come up with some plausible theories, to a sufficiently intelligent mind, these are merely pieces of evidence that the government is helping to cover up."
He seemed tired of talking, let out a long sigh, and casually picked up Wade's coffee to drink.
Antoine watched curiously as he swallowed, then turned to Wade and asked, "He can still drink coffee?"
"How offensive!" Vilan rolled his eyes. "Haven't you ever seen Braun eat?"
Antoine said, “Of course I’ve seen it, but I thought it was a feature that Wade added on his own…”
He couldn't help but look at Vilan's stomach and asked, "You can digest food too?"
Vilan sneered, "I can't! I'll keep the coffee in my stomach and spit it out for you to drink next time you come to visit!"
Antoine's face turned green, and he immediately didn't want to talk to him anymore.
He turned to Wade, skipping the previous banter, and reminded him:
"If that's the explanation... I can only say that the leader might not be so angry, but he might not agree with it."
Wade laughed and said, "It's actually very simple—no matter how much 'magic debunking' information you receive in the media, if someone's nose is turned into a pig's nose, will they still think magic is fake?"
Antoine's eyes lit up: "Of course not!"
"So, this strategy is actually to ensure that the magical world is not suddenly exposed due to the Purgers or some other accident—facing a racial war unprepared is not good for anyone."
Wade patiently explained, "First, we need to create the most suitable public opinion environment for wizards to survive, and take preventative measures in advance. For Muggles who need to accept the theory that 'magic exists,' wizards need to personally take the lead in 'persuading' them."
"Moreover, wizards, witches, and magic have long been tainted with various evil connotations, and they are basically regarded as villains even in fairy tales."
"If this stereotype were suddenly exposed in the magical world, do you think people would fear and loathe it, or would they love and worship it?"
"—The former, right? They are naturally worried that wizards will take away their living space."
"So why can't we modify the wizard's image before choosing to expose himself?"
"Through movies, TV series, and fabricated historical legends, wizards are portrayed as 'heroes who silently protect the world' and 'mysterious forces in the dark world'... What do you think of this image?"
“Antoine, don’t have a hostile and pessimistic view of Muggle society. We can actively shape the future and create a more positive initial image for wizards!”
Antoine's eyes widened as he listened, and after a long while, he slowly raised his thumb, unable to utter a single extra word.
(End of this chapter)