讀《FT·金融時報》學(xué)英語：明星格萊美獲獎感言背后的小心機
“Rock stars！” Homer Simpson once exclaimed wonderingly.“Is there anything they don't know?” This is the phrase that comes to mind when contemplating what, as reports had it, was a fiercely political Grammy awards.
霍默·辛普森（《辛普森一家》中的父親）曾驚呼:“搖滾明星們！有什么是他們不會的么？”看到報道中稱格萊美獎充滿政治意味，我陷入了思考，腦海里想到的這句話。
Jennifer Lopez announced that “at this particular point in history, our voices are needed more than ever”, and quoted Toni Morrison.Paris Jackson referenced energy pipeline protests, Beyoncé appealed for diversity in representation, Laverne Cox appealed for transgender bathroom rights, and Katy Perry dressed up in a white pantsuit, channelling Hillary Clinton, wore an armband urging “persist” and projected the US Constitution on a screen.
珍妮弗·洛佩茲曾說過：“在歷史長河中這個特殊的時刻，我們的觀點尤為重要。”接下來她引用了托尼·莫里森的話。帕里斯·杰克遜提及了輸油管道工程抗議。碧昂斯呼吁獲獎人的多樣性。拉弗恩·考克斯為變性人爭取盥洗室使用權(quán)利。凱特·佩里身著白色套裝，戴著寫有“persist（堅持）”的袖標(biāo)，并將美國憲法展現(xiàn)到大屏幕上，以表對希拉里·克林頓的支持。
Entertainers dabbling in politics are easy targets for mockery.On the face of it, the average pop singer has no more locus standi to pronounce on world affairs than, say, Nigel Farage has to be consulted on the proper role of the Speaker of the House of Commons.But on the other hand they have the same entitlement as any other citizen—and, which is the clincher anyway—they have a platform.
娛樂明星如果涉足政治領(lǐng)域，就很容易成為被嘲弄的對象。為避免成為笑柄，奈杰爾·法拉奇不得不針對下議院發(fā)言人的職責(zé)做出妥協(xié)，普通的流行歌手更沒有對世界大事發(fā)表意見的權(quán)利。但是，另一方面，他們和其它公民具有相同的權(quán)利——而且關(guān)鍵是——他們擁有行使權(quán)力的平臺。
身懷雙胞胎的碧昂斯在發(fā)言中自然而然地流露出了母愛：
“It's important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror, first through their own families, as well as the news, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the White House, and the Grammys, and see themselves.”
“對我來說，向我的孩子們展示那些反映他們美好的影像非常重要，這樣他們就可以首先通過自己的家庭、新聞、超級碗、奧運會、白宮以及格萊美，看鏡子里的自己，在這樣的世界中成長，并看清自己。”
How that platform is used, though, seems to me to present an interesting case study for business leaders and public speakers who orate at high-profile events.Think about it in terms of ethos.The occasion of something like the Grammys (or the Oscars or the Baftas) gives the speaker two audiences.And those audiences don't quite align, while each is keenly aware of the other.One is in the room: it's an industry awards ceremony in which a large number of people who occupy one world of adulation, glamour, sequinned frocks and telephone-number salaries gather to congratulate each other, and by implication themselves, on their success.
在高調(diào)場合發(fā)言的商界領(lǐng)袖和公眾演講者如何利用這個平臺，在我看來是一項有趣的案例研究。讓我們從道德觀的層面來考慮這個問題。在類似格萊美（或奧斯卡、英國電影學(xué)院獎）這樣的場合，發(fā)言者有兩類觀眾。他們不會達(dá)成聯(lián)盟，但彼此間都能清晰地意識到對方的存在。其中一類就在頒獎典禮現(xiàn)場，這是一個行業(yè)的頒獎典禮。在這個行業(yè)中，大多數(shù)人都是光環(huán)加身，享受著世人的夸獎與贊美，穿著綴滿亮片的連衣裙，拿著和電話號碼位數(shù)一樣的工資。他們相聚在此，彼此祝賀，同時言外之意也是祝賀他們自己，獲得了成功。
The second audience is one of “overhearers”.They are watching the televised broadcast—and this audience is far larger, far more politically and socially diverse.And it isn't invited.It may well tune in because it likes and admires the celebrities involved, but it may equally well be vulnerable to looking at the scene in toto and feeling excluded, as a class, from the world those entertainers inhabit.
第二類觀眾是“旁聽者”，他們看著電視直播，實時關(guān)注頒獎的進(jìn)行。這種觀眾數(shù)量則更加龐大，政治信仰和社會階級更加不盡相同。這種觀眾不請自來?？赡苁菧?zhǔn)時調(diào)臺，因為頒獎上有他們喜歡的明星；同樣也有可能看著頒獎暗自神傷。階級上，他們感覺自己與明星的世界是彼此隔絕的。
The celebrities' instinct, as is human, was to respond to their proximate audience: any speaker's emotional feedback loop is to do with reading the energy in the room.And here, I'd suggest, is where the disconnect likely makes itself manifest.In a room full of like-minded liberal millionaires, a speaker will feel encouraged and validated in telling his or her truth.
名人們也都是人，他們的本能就是與眼前的觀眾互動：任何發(fā)言者的情感變化都跟屋子里的氣氛息息相關(guān)。這里我想說的就是，我認(rèn)為，這里就是斷層彰顯的地方。在一個屋子里，如果全都是思維相近、自由主義的百萬富翁，那么演講者就會感到倍受鼓舞，堅定地說出他/她認(rèn)為的真相。
The show business and entertainment media that amplifies and effectively endorses their views is similarly affirming: it's an industry that is a handmaid to celebrity itself.But the celebrity-entertainment complex is also part of the much-mistrusted “mainstream media” in the first place.
演藝界和娛樂媒體放大明星的聲音或為他們背書就證明了這一點：這個行業(yè)本身就是名人的女仆。不過首先藝人經(jīng)紀(jì)公司和這些不值得信任的“主流媒體”是一伙的。
While all can look rosy in your own filter bubble, it may be harder to make out how your message is received by the audience on the outside.
盡管在你自己的“過濾氣泡”中，一切看起來都很美好，但是可能因此你更不容易分辨外面的觀眾對你傳達(dá)的信息反應(yīng)如何。
“Virtue signalling” is the phrase now used to sneer at displays of liberal conscience; and it's unfair and under-nuanced to the extent that it implies mere narcissism and reduces political seriousness to peacocking.But it does capture in some sense how an earnest affirmation of a collective ethos can look to those who are not with you in the room but also have a stake in what you are saying.
人們現(xiàn)在用“Virtue signaling”（美德信號）來嘲笑故意展示的泛濫的道德心。某種程度上，“Virtue signalling”（美德信號）如果僅僅意味著自戀心理，而且把嚴(yán)肅的政治變?yōu)橐环N炫耀的手段，那是很不公平的。不過這確實在某些層面上顯示了在共同的道德觀中，人們真誠地想要顧及到不在頒獎禮上的人但卻與你所說的事情息息相關(guān)的人。
Which is to say, as a matter of communicative dynamics rather than ideology, that an impassioned Katy Perry or Beyoncé or J-Lo may, with the best intentions in the world, still struggle to turn the heart of a diehard Trump-voting Toby Keith fan.
也就是說，熱情洋溢的凱蒂·佩里，碧昂斯，珍妮弗·洛佩茲，帶著最好的意愿，努力想要轉(zhuǎn)變堅持給特朗普投票的，頑固的托比·基思的粉絲，這是一種交際動力，而非意識形態(tài)。
霍默·辛普森（《辛普森一家》中的父親）曾驚呼:“搖滾明星們！有什么是他們不會的么？”看到報道中稱格萊美獎充滿政治意味，我陷入了思考，腦海里想到的這句話。
Jennifer Lopez announced that “at this particular point in history, our voices are needed more than ever”, and quoted Toni Morrison.Paris Jackson referenced energy pipeline protests, Beyoncé appealed for diversity in representation, Laverne Cox appealed for transgender bathroom rights, and Katy Perry dressed up in a white pantsuit, channelling Hillary Clinton, wore an armband urging “persist” and projected the US Constitution on a screen.
珍妮弗·洛佩茲曾說過：“在歷史長河中這個特殊的時刻，我們的觀點尤為重要。”接下來她引用了托尼·莫里森的話。帕里斯·杰克遜提及了輸油管道工程抗議。碧昂斯呼吁獲獎人的多樣性。拉弗恩·考克斯為變性人爭取盥洗室使用權(quán)利。凱特·佩里身著白色套裝，戴著寫有“persist（堅持）”的袖標(biāo)，并將美國憲法展現(xiàn)到大屏幕上，以表對希拉里·克林頓的支持。
Entertainers dabbling in politics are easy targets for mockery.On the face of it, the average pop singer has no more locus standi to pronounce on world affairs than, say, Nigel Farage has to be consulted on the proper role of the Speaker of the House of Commons.But on the other hand they have the same entitlement as any other citizen—and, which is the clincher anyway—they have a platform.
娛樂明星如果涉足政治領(lǐng)域，就很容易成為被嘲弄的對象。為避免成為笑柄，奈杰爾·法拉奇不得不針對下議院發(fā)言人的職責(zé)做出妥協(xié)，普通的流行歌手更沒有對世界大事發(fā)表意見的權(quán)利。但是，另一方面，他們和其它公民具有相同的權(quán)利——而且關(guān)鍵是——他們擁有行使權(quán)力的平臺。
身懷雙胞胎的碧昂斯在發(fā)言中自然而然地流露出了母愛：
“It's important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror, first through their own families, as well as the news, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the White House, and the Grammys, and see themselves.”
“對我來說，向我的孩子們展示那些反映他們美好的影像非常重要，這樣他們就可以首先通過自己的家庭、新聞、超級碗、奧運會、白宮以及格萊美，看鏡子里的自己，在這樣的世界中成長，并看清自己。”
How that platform is used, though, seems to me to present an interesting case study for business leaders and public speakers who orate at high-profile events.Think about it in terms of ethos.The occasion of something like the Grammys (or the Oscars or the Baftas) gives the speaker two audiences.And those audiences don't quite align, while each is keenly aware of the other.One is in the room: it's an industry awards ceremony in which a large number of people who occupy one world of adulation, glamour, sequinned frocks and telephone-number salaries gather to congratulate each other, and by implication themselves, on their success.
在高調(diào)場合發(fā)言的商界領(lǐng)袖和公眾演講者如何利用這個平臺，在我看來是一項有趣的案例研究。讓我們從道德觀的層面來考慮這個問題。在類似格萊美（或奧斯卡、英國電影學(xué)院獎）這樣的場合，發(fā)言者有兩類觀眾。他們不會達(dá)成聯(lián)盟，但彼此間都能清晰地意識到對方的存在。其中一類就在頒獎典禮現(xiàn)場，這是一個行業(yè)的頒獎典禮。在這個行業(yè)中，大多數(shù)人都是光環(huán)加身，享受著世人的夸獎與贊美，穿著綴滿亮片的連衣裙，拿著和電話號碼位數(shù)一樣的工資。他們相聚在此，彼此祝賀，同時言外之意也是祝賀他們自己，獲得了成功。
The second audience is one of “overhearers”.They are watching the televised broadcast—and this audience is far larger, far more politically and socially diverse.And it isn't invited.It may well tune in because it likes and admires the celebrities involved, but it may equally well be vulnerable to looking at the scene in toto and feeling excluded, as a class, from the world those entertainers inhabit.
第二類觀眾是“旁聽者”，他們看著電視直播，實時關(guān)注頒獎的進(jìn)行。這種觀眾數(shù)量則更加龐大，政治信仰和社會階級更加不盡相同。這種觀眾不請自來?？赡苁菧?zhǔn)時調(diào)臺，因為頒獎上有他們喜歡的明星；同樣也有可能看著頒獎暗自神傷。階級上，他們感覺自己與明星的世界是彼此隔絕的。
The celebrities' instinct, as is human, was to respond to their proximate audience: any speaker's emotional feedback loop is to do with reading the energy in the room.And here, I'd suggest, is where the disconnect likely makes itself manifest.In a room full of like-minded liberal millionaires, a speaker will feel encouraged and validated in telling his or her truth.
名人們也都是人，他們的本能就是與眼前的觀眾互動：任何發(fā)言者的情感變化都跟屋子里的氣氛息息相關(guān)。這里我想說的就是，我認(rèn)為，這里就是斷層彰顯的地方。在一個屋子里，如果全都是思維相近、自由主義的百萬富翁，那么演講者就會感到倍受鼓舞，堅定地說出他/她認(rèn)為的真相。
The show business and entertainment media that amplifies and effectively endorses their views is similarly affirming: it's an industry that is a handmaid to celebrity itself.But the celebrity-entertainment complex is also part of the much-mistrusted “mainstream media” in the first place.
演藝界和娛樂媒體放大明星的聲音或為他們背書就證明了這一點：這個行業(yè)本身就是名人的女仆。不過首先藝人經(jīng)紀(jì)公司和這些不值得信任的“主流媒體”是一伙的。
While all can look rosy in your own filter bubble, it may be harder to make out how your message is received by the audience on the outside.
盡管在你自己的“過濾氣泡”中，一切看起來都很美好，但是可能因此你更不容易分辨外面的觀眾對你傳達(dá)的信息反應(yīng)如何。
“Virtue signalling” is the phrase now used to sneer at displays of liberal conscience; and it's unfair and under-nuanced to the extent that it implies mere narcissism and reduces political seriousness to peacocking.But it does capture in some sense how an earnest affirmation of a collective ethos can look to those who are not with you in the room but also have a stake in what you are saying.
人們現(xiàn)在用“Virtue signaling”（美德信號）來嘲笑故意展示的泛濫的道德心。某種程度上，“Virtue signalling”（美德信號）如果僅僅意味著自戀心理，而且把嚴(yán)肅的政治變?yōu)橐环N炫耀的手段，那是很不公平的。不過這確實在某些層面上顯示了在共同的道德觀中，人們真誠地想要顧及到不在頒獎禮上的人但卻與你所說的事情息息相關(guān)的人。
Which is to say, as a matter of communicative dynamics rather than ideology, that an impassioned Katy Perry or Beyoncé or J-Lo may, with the best intentions in the world, still struggle to turn the heart of a diehard Trump-voting Toby Keith fan.
也就是說，熱情洋溢的凱蒂·佩里，碧昂斯，珍妮弗·洛佩茲，帶著最好的意愿，努力想要轉(zhuǎn)變堅持給特朗普投票的，頑固的托比·基思的粉絲，這是一種交際動力，而非意識形態(tài)。
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