【令人厭惡的“自由”】 令人厭惡的英文

　　編者按：隨著2008年北京奧運(yùn)會(huì)的臨近，民眾越來越關(guān)心“中國”品牌的樹立，學(xué)習(xí)英語的熱情也被點(diǎn)燃。越來越多的外宣干部和業(yè)內(nèi)同行向我們表達(dá)了期待看到雙語欄目的愿望。因此，我們自2006年第1期起開辦了“雙語視窗”欄目以滿足廣大讀者的需求。
　　看看周圍的媒體，在《北京青年報(bào)》、《參考消息》、《國門時(shí)報(bào)》上有許多精粹的小短文，像一只只啄木鳥，善意地提醒了中國人習(xí)以為常的行為背后“尚未和國際接軌”的細(xì)節(jié)，讀后讓人回味不已。在獲得借鑒意義的同時(shí)，也帶來更深入的思考。我們效仿中英文對(duì)照的版面形式，旨在通過外國友人的視角來看中國，從中折射出東西方觀念、習(xí)俗的異同。通過一篇篇這樣的文章，讓讀者在領(lǐng)略異域文化的同時(shí)，也能達(dá)到學(xué)習(xí)英語的目的。
　　
　　為了說明19世紀(jì)的美國西部多么野蠻殘暴、目無法紀(jì)，著名的英國劇作家和智者奧斯卡?王爾德敘述了這樣一件事情：當(dāng)他在美國旅行時(shí)，他走進(jìn)一家酒吧，發(fā)現(xiàn)酒吧的告示牌上寫道：“請(qǐng)不要槍擊彈鋼琴的人――他正在盡力演奏�！�
　　從告示牌上我們有可能了解一個(gè)社會(huì)的許多情況。當(dāng)我在耗資巨大的國貿(mào)大廈這個(gè)現(xiàn)代化中國的象征周圍漫步時(shí)，看到溜冰場(chǎng)上放有一塊告示牌，上面寫道：“請(qǐng)不要向溜冰場(chǎng)內(nèi)投擲物品�！边@使我又想起了王爾德的見聞。
　　讀著這一告示，我的第一個(gè)反應(yīng)就是笑，但接下來我陷入了思考：在北美完全沒有必要立這樣的告示牌�？粗�孩子們?cè)诹锉鶊?chǎng)里笨拙地兜圈子，美國人和加拿大人想都不會(huì)想往里面扔?xùn)|西。我又想起第一次也是最后一次在北京一家豪華劇院看電影的情景，在那兒我注意到許多令人不快的事情，由于我已經(jīng)習(xí)慣了北美劇場(chǎng)里的行為準(zhǔn)則，這些事情我看不慣。
　　看電影時(shí)，手機(jī)的機(jī)主會(huì)接到電話并且大聲地交談，似乎電影攪了他的談話而很不高興。在美國，這樣的人會(huì)被鄰座報(bào)以噓聲。如果還有人沒完沒了地打電話，就會(huì)有人上來一把奪過他的電話，或者去叫管理人員把這蠢貨攆出去。但那個(gè)晚上，比起我鄰座自始至終的閑聊，那些打電話的人對(duì)我的打擾倒算是溫和的了。
　　可能電影院里看電影的人屬于另類，就像星空下愛呱呱叫的青蛙。但我發(fā)現(xiàn)“受過教育”的人也不比其他人強(qiáng)。我曾經(jīng)去看過一場(chǎng)戲，戲開始時(shí)，導(dǎo)演孟京輝和他的演員們走到舞臺(tái)上，突然，孟京輝的手機(jī)響了，他對(duì)著手機(jī)說：“對(duì)不起，現(xiàn)在不能談，我正在導(dǎo)演一場(chǎng)戲�！毖輪T們立即把他放倒在地，開始“踢”他。在這個(gè)戲劇性的序幕末尾，一位演員走到臺(tái)前對(duì)觀眾們說：“請(qǐng)關(guān)掉你們的手機(jī)�！蔽艺J(rèn)為孟京輝的200名觀眾都屬于受過良好教育的階層，因而不禁驚詫演員們還要煞費(fèi)苦心采取這樣的方式來說明這一道理。更讓我吃驚的是，經(jīng)過這樣的勸誡后，觀眾里竟然還有人的手機(jī)在演出期間響起來！
　　今天的中國人比歷史上任何時(shí)候都享受著更加廣泛的個(gè)人自由，但這些事例卻告訴我很多人把這些自由運(yùn)用得如何拙劣。人們?cè)趯で笞陨砜鞓返臅r(shí)候，卻忽視公眾的意見，忽視了對(duì)社會(huì)的責(zé)任。其結(jié)果是，他們一味追求自己的目標(biāo)，絲毫不顧及周圍人的感受。
　　在西方，極少有人敢干這些事，去國外的中國人發(fā)覺他們從前不假思索就隨便做的事情現(xiàn)在竟會(huì)招致路人憤怒的目光。換句話說，在西方的中國人注意到為了保持社會(huì)的和諧，人們心甘情愿地限制個(gè)人的自由，極少數(shù)魯莽地在電影院里講話的人會(huì)受到制止。幾乎沒有人會(huì)想到往體育場(chǎng)扔垃圾或是為尋求刺激向別人扔?xùn)|西。在加拿大和美國，人們的目光已經(jīng)足以制止大多數(shù)魯莽的不負(fù)責(zé)任的反社會(huì)行為。
　　當(dāng)然，我是一個(gè)外國人，批判中國的社會(huì)行為準(zhǔn)則與我又有何相干呢？我只是覺得生活在一個(gè)群體中的人們應(yīng)該互相尊重。如果中國人在缺乏相互尊重的情況下也能共處，那也就罷了。當(dāng)然，如果現(xiàn)代中國人能在不損害社會(huì)、集體感及相互關(guān)心――這些使生活變得有意義――的前提下來享受個(gè)人自由，那就比北美人幸運(yùn)多了。但是，我必須要說，有時(shí)我聽到了有損社會(huì)的不和諧音。
　　原文：
　　To illustrate how violent and lawless the American West was during the nineteenth century, the famous British playwright and wit Oscar Wilde wrote about how, when he was traveling in America , he entered a saloon with the sign?lease don? shoot the piano play-er?e is trying his best.?It is possible to learn much about society from its signs, and I was reminded of this Oscar Wilde story when I was walking around the China World Tower, an expen-sive symbol of modernized China, and saw a sign above the skating rink that said, ?lease do not throw things into the rink.? When I read the sign, my first reaction was to laugh, but then I began thinking: In North Ame-rica there would be no need for the sign, because Americans and Canadians would not even think of throwing things into a rink where children skate in clumsy circles. Then I recalled watching a film at an expensive movie theater for the first and last time in Beijing. I noticed many unpleasant things, things I could not get used to, accustomed as I am to the norms of North American theatres.
　　While watching the movie, people would receive calls on their mobile phones and converse loudly, apparently quite annoyed that the film was distracting them form their phone calls. In America these people would be shushed by their neighbors, and if one of them kept on blabbing, someboby would go over and snatch away the phone, or get the manager to put the fool out of the theater. But that evening in Beijing phone calls proved to be a mild annoy-ance compared with my neighbors chatting away during the entire film.
　　Perhaps the people who watch movies here are a different breed, akin to the frogs who croak away under the stars. One thing I have discovered is that ?ducated?peo-ple are no better than the rest. I once went to see a play, at the beginning of which Meng Jinghui and his actors came out on stage. Suddenly Meng received a call on his mobile and said,?orry, I can? talk now?? directing a play.?The actors then tossed him to the ground and started kicking him. At the end of this dramatic prelude, an actor walked to the front of the stage and said to the audience, ?lease shut off your mobile phones.?Having assumed that the 200 people in Meng Jinghui? audience were of the educated class, I was surprised that the actors had to go to such lengths to state their case. I was even more surprised when after this exhortation some in the audience still received calls during the performance!
　　Chinese today enjoy much greater personal freedom than ever before. But what these examples illustrate for me is that many of them are using these new liberties badly. People are enjoying themselves while ignoring social opinion and neglecting their responsibilities to society?n effect, pursuing their own goals without giving a damn about their fellow human beings.
　　In the West few people would dare commit any of these actions, and Chinese who venture abroad have discovered that things they did so casually and thoughtlessly before bring angry glances from passers-by.
　　In other words, Chinese in the West observe that there are many voluntary constraints on personal freedom there in order to maintain social harmony. The few people so rash as to talk in a theater are silenced, and virtually no one would think of tossing garbage in sports facilities or th-rowing thing at other people for kicks. In Canada and the US, glances are enough to police most reckless and irresponsible anti-social behavior.
　　Of course, I am a foreigner, so what business do I have in criticizing the social norms in China? I merely believe that for people to live together they must respect one another. And if in China people can live together without respecting one another, then so be it. Certainly, if thecitizens of modern China can enjoy all these personal freedoms without harming the social fabric, the sense of community and the mutual concern thatmake life worthwhile, then they are luckier than North Americans. But there are times, I must say, when I think I hear the fabric ripping.
　　
　�。ū緳谀课恼逻x自《北京青年報(bào)》“雙語視窗”，得到欄目編輯張愛學(xué)的授權(quán)。英文部分的稿費(fèi)由本編輯部支付，請(qǐng)作者本人看到此啟事后與編輯部聯(lián)系。）
　　責(zé)編：周瑾

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