1836: I Became a Literary Giant in Great Britain

Chapter 38 Campbell's Attack

The next morning, Michelle's attic door was pounded with a loud bang, as forceful as when the landlady had demanded rent earlier.

The downstairs neighbors all became polite and courteous, even the landlady was startled. Only after seeing that it was a respectable gentleman did she mutter a few curses and walk away.

"Michelle! Open the door! Something terrible has happened!"

It was Michael's voice, and his voice was filled with anxiety.

So, Michelle, still sleepy-eyed, opened the door.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw Michael standing in the doorway, panting, with huge dark circles under his eyes, holding a stack of newspapers in his hands, and his hair as messy as a bird's nest.

"Michelle! Look!" Michael slammed the stack of newspapers on the table as soon as he walked in.

"We've really stirred up a hornet's nest!"

He pointed at the pile of newspapers, his face a mixture of fear and excitement.

"The Times, the Morning Chronicle... almost every newspaper is denouncing us. Whether conservative or reformist, they all say we're instigators of riots, vermin of London!"

Michelle, on the other hand, didn't react much; in fact, she only thought to herself, "That's it?"

After all, the attacks from public opinion these days are on a completely different level compared to the cyberbullying of later generations.

"Which one was the most vocal in their criticism and had the greatest impact?"

"Of course, it's a commentary in The Times."

Upon hearing this, Michel pulled out the top copy of The Times from the pile of newspapers.

In the most prominent position, a bolded title caught his eye.

To a Sentimental Ignorant Person: On the True Roots of Poverty

The author is Boulder Campbell, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Cambridge.

"That's the old guy!" Michael pointed at the name, gritting his teeth.

"He was Malthus's most devoted follower and extremely influential in the economics field. As soon as his articles were published, newspapers swarmed to them like flies to blood!"

Oh? The one who initiates the raid?

But buddy, do you know the saying "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down"?

Michelle didn't say anything, she just picked up the newspaper and started reading.

Michael paced anxiously back and forth beside him.

"Michelle, what do you think?" Michael couldn't help but ask. He had already read it himself, but he still wanted to hear Michelle's opinion.

How can I see it? I'll sit and watch.

When Michel's gaze fell on the first paragraph of the article, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch upwards.

"Michelle has no formal education in economics; she's just a writer who makes a living by fabricating cheap tears..."

"Is he praising my writing style and how it resonates with readers?"

He read the sentence from the text and looked at Michael.

"...Huh? Is that the main point?"

Michael was stunned.

"Otherwise what? What he writes next is even more significant." Michelle continued reading.

"When a novelist attempts to guide parliament, it is not only a tragedy for literature, but also a disgrace to science."

"What he said, translated, is that he couldn't win the argument against me, so he resorted to attacking my identity."

Michelle turned a page in the newspaper, pointed to a section, and continued.

"And here he gave an example, saying that a homeless man received welfare money, then immediately used it to buy gin and got completely drunk. From this he concluded that all poor people are hopeless lazybones and drunkards."

Michael angrily chimed in, "That's outrageous! Yesterday I saw a dockworker who worked a long, hard day's work, barely eating anything himself, all to buy medicine for his sick child!"

"So you see," Michelle said in a flat tone.

"This 'rigorous' Professor Campbell uses the story of a drunkard, whose authenticity is unknown, to define the millions of people in Britain struggling below the poverty line. And the dockworker you met doesn't exist in his theory."

"Or perhaps he doesn't consider this person to be human?"

"This is what he calls 'science'? This is a complete overgeneralization and a serious logical fallacy. How could someone with this level of knowledge become a professor at Cambridge University..."

Michael listened in a daze, his anxiety seemingly soothed by Michelle's words.

Yes, Campbell's article seems aggressive, but upon closer inspection, it doesn't seem to make much sense.

When Michelle turned to the last part of the article, he finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"The most exciting part is coming."

He pointed to the last paragraph, where Campbell accused me of challenging the "inviolability of private property" and said I wanted to steal pounds from the gentlemen's pockets to feed the lazybones.

"Michael, who do you think he was saying that to?"

"...Should we tell those factory owners and nobles?"

Michael frowned and thought for a moment, unsure.

"Not only." Michelle shook her head.

"He was speaking to everyone, especially the middle class with some savings, such as small shop owners, clerks, or even wealthier artisans."

"He's using a fallacy to create panic. I was clearly talking about unfair distribution, for example, factory owners taking the lion's share of the profits while only paying workers the minimum wage. But in his mouth, it's become that I'm trying to rob money from all the hardworking people who get rich."

"He wants to turn a debate about social systems and wealth distribution into a war between the poor and all non-poor people. That way, he can win over the majority and isolate us."

Michelle tossed the newspaper back onto the table and began to summarize.

"He's not only stupid, he's also wicked."

"Personal attacks, generalizations, misrepresentations, and incitement to conflict. This professor's methods are limited to this."

"Or rather, is he good at everything except academics?"

After listening to Michelle's analysis, Michael calmed down completely. He looked at Michelle, his eyes filled with surprise.

He had thought that Michelle would be stunned by this academic authority, but to his surprise, the other party stripped Professor Campbell bare in just a few words, revealing the hollow and vicious core within.

"So what should we do?" Michael asked.

"Should I write an article to retaliate against him? Give him a thorough dressing-down!"

"Insults are the lowest form of debate," Michelle shook her head.

"If we retaliate in the same way, wouldn't we be on the same level as him?"

"Then he will use his extensive experience to defeat us at his level."

"Haha, Michelle, you have such a sharp tongue."

Upon hearing this, Michael couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"So what should we do?"

He called me a "sentimental ignorant person," said my articles were "emotional garbage," and lacked "scientific spirit," right?

Michelle's eyes shone with a light that Michael had never seen before.

"Then we'll show him what real science is!"

Thank you "Rino-chan" for the 3 monthly tickets~