[時事英文] 言論自由與冠狀病毒
在自由的社會中,每位公民都能依照個人的自由意志來行使權利。言論自由讓每位公民都能監督政府,要求政府改變不公不義的法規與政策。
In a free society, all citizens must be able to pursue their own paths, set their own goals, and think for themselves. The freedom of speech safeguards these rights as it enables us to challenge and change government regulations and laws we find oppressive and unjust.
歷史表明,在缺乏監督機制的情況下,政府的絕對權力將導致絕對的腐化。即便有些言論不合我們的心意,但禁止人們發聲不僅限制了言論自由,也剝奪了人們聽取他人意見的權利。禁止言論,並不能禁絕思想。唯有透過對話與協商,才能達成共識,而使社會進步。
History has shown that without the corrective mechanism of free speech, governments would consolidate their powers without regard for the rights and freedom of those whom they ought to serve. To deny people of free speech is a double wrong, because doing so would also deprive people of the right to listen, even though some speech would undoubtedly make us feel uncomfortable. Banning certain speech would not result in the elimination of ideas. It is through engagement and negotiation that we can reach consensus and progress as a society.
每個人都應享有批評政府的權利,而無需擔心遭受迫害。這也是當今公民得以贏得諸多權利的原因。言論自由是值得全體人類努力爭取的基本人權。
All people ought to have the right to criticize their government without fear of persecution, because it is how we have won the rights we have today. The freedom of speech is a fundamental human right and it’s worth fighting to protect.
★★★★★★★★★★★★
《紐約時報》報導:
Trevor Noah, the host of “The Daily Show,” has won praise on the Chinese internet for his searing criticism of the Trump administration’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic. So has Jerry Kowal, an American who makes Chinese-language videos chronicling the dire situation in New York.
1. win praise 贏得讚賞
2. searing criticism 猛烈抨擊
3. mishandle (v.) 對⋯⋯處理不當
4. chronicle 記錄
5. a dire situation 可怕的情況
因為猛烈抨擊川普政府對新冠病毒疫情的應對不當,《每日秀》主持人特雷弗・諾亞(編按:中國網民給他取了一個暱稱叫崔娃)在中國的網路上備受讚賞。受到追捧的還有郭傑瑞,作為美國人,他製作的中文影片記錄了紐約的可怕情形。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
China’s response to the virus has its own sharp-eyed critics at home, and they have found a vastly different reception. One resident of the virus-struck city of Wuhan who writes under the name Fang Fang documented despair, misery and everyday life in an online diary, and has endured withering attacks on social media. Three citizen journalists who posted videos from Wuhan in the first weeks of the outbreak disappeared and are widely believed to be in government custody.
6. response to 回應
7. sharp-eyed 眼尖的;目光敏銳的
8. a vastly different reception 截然不同的對待
9. virus-struck 病毒侵襲
10. document (v.) 記錄
11. endure attacks 忍受攻擊
12. withering 令人難堪的;嚴厲的
13. be in government custody 被政府監禁(或拘留)
中國對疫情的應對在國內也引發了尖銳的批評,但這些批評者卻遭到了截然不同的對待。在病毒肆虐的武漢,一位筆名方方的居民用網路日記記錄了人們的絕望、痛苦和日常生活,結果她在社群媒體上遭到了猛烈的攻擊。在疫情暴發的前幾週,三位在武漢發布影片的公民記者失蹤了,人們普遍認為政府把他們抓走了。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
The pandemic unfolded dramatically differently in China from the way it has in the rest of the world — at least, if one believes state-run Chinese media. Chinese news outlets used words like “purgatory” and “apocalypse” to describe the tragic hospital scenes in Italy and Spain. They have run photos of British and American medical workers wearing garbage bags as protective gear. A lot of the same miseries happened in China, but those reports were called “rumors” and censored.
14. pandemic 全球性流行病
15. unfold 展開;顯露
16. state-run 國營;國有
17. news outlet 新聞出處
18. purgatory 煉獄
19. apocalypse 末日(天啟)
在中國,這場大流行的展現方式與世界其他地方截然不同——至少,如果你相信中國官方媒體的話。中國的新聞媒體用「煉獄」和「末日」這樣的詞來描述義大利和西班牙醫院裡的悲慘情形。它們還登載了英國和美國的醫務人員把垃圾袋當防護服的照片。中國也有很多類似的悲劇,但那些報導被稱為「謠言」而遭到刪除。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
The death of Li Wenliang, the whistle-blowing doctor in Wuhan, on Feb. 6 galvanized many Chinese people into demanding freedom of speech. Online sentiment became much more skeptical, and many young people openly challenged the party’s message.
20. a whistleblower 吹哨者
21. galvanize somebody into… 激起;使震驚
22. freedom of speech 言論自由
23. online sentiment 網路輿情
24. skeptical 存疑的;持懷疑態度的
25. openly challenge 公開挑戰(或質疑)
2月6日,武漢吹哨醫生李文亮的去世激起了許多中國人對言論自由的要求。網路上的懷疑情緒更多,許多年輕人公開質疑黨的訊息。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
Then the United States and other countries bungled their own responses, and China’s propaganda machine saw an opportunity. Using the West’s transparency and free flow of information, state media outlets chronicled how badly others have managed the crisis. Their message: Those countries should copy China’s model. For good measure, the propaganda machine revved up its attacks on anybody who dared to question the government’s handling of the pandemic. For many people in China, the push is working. Wielding a mix of lies and partial truths, some young people are waging online attacks against individuals and countries that contradict their belief in China’s superior response.
26. bungle 弄糟;(笨手笨腳地)把……搞砸
27. propaganda machine 宣傳機器
28. see an opportunity 看見機會
29. manage a crisis
30. transparency 透明度
31. free flow of information 資訊的自由流動
32. chronicle (v.) 記錄
33. rev up sb/sth(使)活躍;(使)積極
34. dare to question 敢於質疑
後來,當美國和其它國家搞砸了各自的疫情應對時,中國的宣傳機器看到了機會。中國官媒利用西方媒體的透明度和資訊的自由流動,記錄了其它國家在應對危機時的糟糕表現。他們的訊息是:這些國家應該效仿中國模式。此外,宣傳機器還加大力度,攻擊那些敢質疑中國政府處理疫情方式的人。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
Many of the same people praising Mr. Noah have been slinging arrows and rocks at Fang Fang, whose real name is Wang Fang, for telling the truth about China. Her diary was moderate and personal, and a place where many of us turned for comfort during the darkest hours of China’s epidemic. But after Harper Collins announced plans to publish it in English, tens of thousands of online users descended on her Weibo account, saying she was a traitor for supporting the enemy’s narrative.
35. sling arrows and rocks 口誅筆伐
36. tell the truth about 說了關於⋯⋯的實話
37. moderate 溫和的
38. turn to comfort 尋求慰藉
39. the darkest hours 最黑暗的時刻
40. descend on 突襲;向⋯⋯湧來
41. a traitor 叛徒;賣國賊
在這些讚美諾亞的人中,有很多卻對真名為汪芳的方方口誅筆伐,就因為她說了關於中國的實話。她的日記是溫和而私人的,在中國疫情蔓延最黑暗的時刻,我們中的許多人都在這裡尋求安慰。但在哈珀柯林斯出版社宣布計劃出版該日記的英文版後,成千上萬的網民攻擊了方方的微博帳號,說她在支持敵人的敘事,是個賣國賊。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
The online backlash has been so severe, Fang Fang wrote on Weibo, that it reminds her of the Cultural Revolution, the decade of political violence and chaos that she saw as a child. The only comfort, she wrote, is that “this type of Cultural Revolution is only conducted in cyberspace.”
42. online backlash 網路上的強烈反對
43. the Cultural Revolution 文化大革命
44. remind sb of sth 使⋯⋯想起⋯⋯
45. political violence and chaos 政治暴力與混亂
方方在微博上寫道,這種網路叫罵是如此嚴重,令她回想起兒時目睹文化大革命的政治暴力和混亂的十年。唯一的寬慰是「這種文革只在網路空間進行著」,她寫道。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
May everyone in the world have the freedom to criticize their governments without fear. May we, no matter what our opinions are, speak out to safeguard human rights.
願世人都能享有言論自由,批評政府時無須擔驚受怕。即便意見相左,都能為捍衛人權而奮鬥。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
《紐約時報》完整報導:https://nyti.ms/35aI90l
圖片出處:https://bit.ly/2y6iN7X
★★★★★★★★★★★★
時事英文講義:https://bit.ly/2XmRYXc
時事英文大全:http://bit.ly/2WtAqop
如何使用「時事英文」:https://bit.ly/3a9rr38
#疫情英文
dare to be different中文 在 柳俊江 Lauyeah Facebook 的最佳貼文
Stand up. Respect ✊
(Update: 中文繹版連結:https://www.facebook.com/329728177143445/posts/1800273350088913/)
“An open letter to Eric Kwok, and for everyone re homophobia, discrimination and bullying”
Dear Eric,
Imagine this. You are one of the contestants on a TV talent show. You are sitting in a room with other hopefuls and one of the judges walks into the room and demanded this: “Raise your hand if you are not homophobic.”
I’m very sure you will raise your hand.
You don’t have to answer me whether or not you really are homophobic. But stay with the feeling inside your mind. How do you feel?
Your feelings are most likely the same as the feelings of your contestants when you walked into a room and asked them to raise their hands to declare their sexual orientation publicly. Because in this day and age, homophobia is just as “controversial” as homosexuality, if not more.
The reason why I’m writing this open letter to you is because after reading your apology, I want to take the opportunity to address to you, and everyone out there, the need for proper etiquette regarding LGBT issues, and to address the forms of micro-aggression, bullying and discrimination the LGBT community faces everyday especially in the workplace.
I’m taking this incident seriously because from my personal experience, this is not just a one-time slip-up for you.
I remember long time ago I was so looking forward to meeting and working with you because you are, after all, Eric Kwok the great songwriter.
You were very friendly when we talked privately. Then I started to notice how once there were audiences, media or other people around and when the cameras were turned on, you would start making insinuating and demeaning gay jokes about me and in front of me. Jokes and comments even my closest friends wouldn’t dare to make in public.
At first, I didn’t really pay too much attention. I just brushed it off as juvenile and trivial. In fact, I had been so used to these jokes since growing up that I learned not to react much.
However, as time progressed and we worked on more occasions, the same thing would happen repeatedly. The teasing and the stereotypical gay jokes continued and you would make sure that the spotlight would fall on me afterwards. The jokes no longer felt light. They felt hostile, even vindictive.
In fact, it felt like bullying.
One of these incidents was well documented in tabloids back then and you can still look it up yourself on the internet.
I came to the realization that it was not just a one-time thing. I don’t know if it’s intentional or unintentional but it’s definitely a habit and a pattern.
So many questions would be in my mind every time after working with you. Why does Eric do that every time? Is he picking on me? Does he hate me? Is he homophobic? Does he think homosexuality is something funny? Does he do this to other people too? Did I do something that pissed him off? I remember I was nothing but courteous. So why do I deserve this?
I had no answers for all of these questions. All I knew was I became fearful of working with you, dreading what words would fall out of your mouth to put me in an awkwardly embarassing position. But still I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt. You’re from California you shouldn’t be homophobic. I even defended you in my head by telling myself to loosen up.
But it’s not just you. Throughout my years in the entertainment industry, I have encountered and endured so many chauvinistic “tough guys” who like to use homosexuality as a laughing stock or source of bad comedy which were all discriminating and demeaning, yet not funny.
It’s not only me. I’m sure many people of the LGBT community face this everyday in their workplace. People around them would claim their intentions were harmless but we all knew deep down that these “jokes” have the power to put people someone in an embarrassing, inferior and even threatening positions.
We kept quiet and tolerated. Sometimes we even felt obligated to laugh along just so we couldn’t afford to look “petty” or “stiff”, especially in front of people of higher authority and stature.
So Eric I want to ask you.
Why have you been so obsessed with my sexuality all these years?
Why are you so fascinated by other people’s sexuality?
Why is being gay such a huge issue to you even to this day that you had to make it the first thing you asked your contestants?
Why you also had to specifically make a post on social media about that fact you questioned people about their sexuality?
Why do you take so much pride publicly in your ability to guess who are the gay contestants even when they weren’t ready to share that information?
And most of all why do you find all this to be so funny?
To begin with one’s sexual orientation is a very personal thing which others have no right to intrude, even in the entertainment industry where you are supposed to be fine with “controversy”.
This is for you and everyone out there: using your power and authority to demand someone to declare his or her sexual orientation, especially in a work environment, is ancient, barbaric and unacceptable.
Kicking someone out of the closet is just pure evil.
The fact you did what you did, especially with your stature and on broadcast TV, is not only wrong, but also you are telling the Hong Kong audience that it’s alright to continue this form of intrusion and micro aggression that the LGBT community wants to see gone.
You’re leading a very poor example by giving Hong Kong audience the impression that being gay is still a taboo.
How are your contestants, who are boys of young age, going to offer new perspectives to the Hong Kong audience under your guidance if you perpetuate stereotyping and demonstrate to them that being gay is still an issue?
I feel sorry for any contestants who are in fact gay sitting in that room that day too. They must have been traumatized seeing the way you forced your inquisition. The impression you left them with is that the entertainment industry is still a very unfriendly place for gays. Is that what you want them to think?
But most of all, it’s the attitude, tone and manner with which you shared about this incident on social media, giving people the impression that any matter regarding sexual orientation is still something shameful and laughable, which is on top of list the thing that the LGBT community fights hard everyday to change.
When you said in your apology you “have great respect for gay people, especially their hard fight for equality” I became baffled as what you did, in the past to me or in that room to the boys, is the exact thing that makes the LGBT community’s ongoing fight for equality so difficult.
Putting people down, perpetuate stereotypes, heckling and ridiculing yet making it look OK is anything but liberal and respectful, or Californian. I don’t see any “entertainment values” that are of good taste if they are made up at the expense of other people’s struggle.
If this incident happened in America, where you grew up, you would’ve gotten yourself in such hot waters that you probably can’t get out of.
I just want you and everyone out there to know that it’s not okay. And it never was. Never will be.
Being “as liberal as it gets” is great. Having gay friends is great too. Having dinner with your gay friends is absolutely fabulous! Playing all these cards to avoid being labelled as “homophobic” is very convenient. But having class, empathy, kindness and authentic respect is a completely different territory. These don’t come automatically with backgrounds.
At this point you don’t owe me an apology. I just hope that after this incident you can really start working and living with the essences of a truly liberal and creative individual. Inspire changes and end stereotypes. Start new trends and break old patterns. Embrace and not segregate. Do the work.
I had been away from Hong Kong and the industry for a few years now. It breaks me heart that I have to write this sort of open letter when it’s already 2018. I want to make this industry a safer, nicer and more accepting place to work in when I return. I want members of the LGBT community in Hong Kong, who have been so supportive of me and my music, to also have safer and nicer working environment in their respective lives.
I don’t mind coming off as an over-reacting petty bitch with no sense of humour if my message finally comes through and everyone, including you, “gets it”. I rather have no sense of humour than a bad one.
To all the contestants of the show. If anyone ever asks you if you are gay and you are not ready to discuss, it’s OK to stand up for yourself and say this: “It’s a rude question to begin with. You have no right to get an answer from me to begin with. And it doesn’t matter. It SHOULDN’T matter. It’s 2018. I hope one day I can use my craft to inspire the world and to make this become a non-issue.”
But if you are ready to be open, you have my complete support and love.
Let’s hope that through acceptance, learning and effort, one day there will no longer be any “controversial questions”. Wouldn’t we like that Eric?
Yours truly,
Pong
#LGBT
#homophobia
#safeworkplace
#中文版稍後會有
Eric Kwok 郭偉亮
dare to be different中文 在 人山人海 PMPS Music Facebook 的最讚貼文
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
(Update: 中文繹版連結:https://www.facebook.com/329728177143445/posts/1800273350088913/)
“An open letter to Eric Kwok, and for everyone re homophobia, discrimination and bullying”
Dear Eric,
Imagine this. You are one of the contestants on a TV talent show. You are sitting in a room with other hopefuls and one of the judges walks into the room and demanded this: “Raise your hand if you are not homophobic.”
I’m very sure you will raise your hand.
You don’t have to answer me whether or not you really are homophobic. But stay with the feeling inside your mind. How do you feel?
Your feelings are most likely the same as the feelings of your contestants when you walked into a room and asked them to raise their hands to declare their sexual orientation publicly. Because in this day and age, homophobia is just as “controversial” as homosexuality, if not more.
The reason why I’m writing this open letter to you is because after reading your apology, I want to take the opportunity to address to you, and everyone out there, the need for proper etiquette regarding LGBT issues, and to address the forms of micro-aggression, bullying and discrimination the LGBT community faces everyday especially in the workplace.
I’m taking this incident seriously because from my personal experience, this is not just a one-time slip-up for you.
I remember long time ago I was so looking forward to meeting and working with you because you are, after all, Eric Kwok the great songwriter.
You were very friendly when we talked privately. Then I started to notice how once there were audiences, media or other people around and when the cameras were turned on, you would start making insinuating and demeaning gay jokes about me and in front of me. Jokes and comments even my closest friends wouldn’t dare to make in public.
At first, I didn’t really pay too much attention. I just brushed it off as juvenile and trivial. In fact, I had been so used to these jokes since growing up that I learned not to react much.
However, as time progressed and we worked on more occasions, the same thing would happen repeatedly. The teasing and the stereotypical gay jokes continued and you would make sure that the spotlight would fall on me afterwards. The jokes no longer felt light. They felt hostile, even vindictive.
In fact, it felt like bullying.
One of these incidents was well documented in tabloids back then and you can still look it up yourself on the internet.
I came to the realization that it was not just a one-time thing. I don’t know if it’s intentional or unintentional but it’s definitely a habit and a pattern.
So many questions would be in my mind every time after working with you. Why does Eric do that every time? Is he picking on me? Does he hate me? Is he homophobic? Does he think homosexuality is something funny? Does he do this to other people too? Did I do something that pissed him off? I remember I was nothing but courteous. So why do I deserve this?
I had no answers for all of these questions. All I knew was I became fearful of working with you, dreading what words would fall out of your mouth to put me in an awkwardly embarassing position. But still I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt. You’re from California you shouldn’t be homophobic. I even defended you in my head by telling myself to loosen up.
But it’s not just you. Throughout my years in the entertainment industry, I have encountered and endured so many chauvinistic “tough guys” who like to use homosexuality as a laughing stock or source of bad comedy which were all discriminating and demeaning, yet not funny.
It’s not only me. I’m sure many people of the LGBT community face this everyday in their workplace. People around them would claim their intentions were harmless but we all knew deep down that these “jokes” have the power to put people someone in an embarrassing, inferior and even threatening positions.
We kept quiet and tolerated. Sometimes we even felt obligated to laugh along just so we couldn’t afford to look “petty” or “stiff”, especially in front of people of higher authority and stature.
So Eric I want to ask you.
Why have you been so obsessed with my sexuality all these years?
Why are you so fascinated by other people’s sexuality?
Why is being gay such a huge issue to you even to this day that you had to make it the first thing you asked your contestants?
Why you also had to specifically make a post on social media about that fact you questioned people about their sexuality?
Why do you take so much pride publicly in your ability to guess who are the gay contestants even when they weren’t ready to share that information?
And most of all why do you find all this to be so funny?
To begin with one’s sexual orientation is a very personal thing which others have no right to intrude, even in the entertainment industry where you are supposed to be fine with “controversy”.
This is for you and everyone out there: using your power and authority to demand someone to declare his or her sexual orientation, especially in a work environment, is ancient, barbaric and unacceptable.
Kicking someone out of the closet is just pure evil.
The fact you did what you did, especially with your stature and on broadcast TV, is not only wrong, but also you are telling the Hong Kong audience that it’s alright to continue this form of intrusion and micro aggression that the LGBT community wants to see gone.
You’re leading a very poor example by giving Hong Kong audience the impression that being gay is still a taboo.
How are your contestants, who are boys of young age, going to offer new perspectives to the Hong Kong audience under your guidance if you perpetuate stereotyping and demonstrate to them that being gay is still an issue?
I feel sorry for any contestants who are in fact gay sitting in that room that day too. They must have been traumatized seeing the way you forced your inquisition. The impression you left them with is that the entertainment industry is still a very unfriendly place for gays. Is that what you want them to think?
But most of all, it’s the attitude, tone and manner with which you shared about this incident on social media, giving people the impression that any matter regarding sexual orientation is still something shameful and laughable, which is on top of list the thing that the LGBT community fights hard everyday to change.
When you said in your apology you “have great respect for gay people, especially their hard fight for equality” I became baffled as what you did, in the past to me or in that room to the boys, is the exact thing that makes the LGBT community’s ongoing fight for equality so difficult.
Putting people down, perpetuate stereotypes, heckling and ridiculing yet making it look OK is anything but liberal and respectful, or Californian. I don’t see any “entertainment values” that are of good taste if they are made up at the expense of other people’s struggle.
If this incident happened in America, where you grew up, you would’ve gotten yourself in such hot waters that you probably can’t get out of.
I just want you and everyone out there to know that it’s not okay. And it never was. Never will be.
Being “as liberal as it gets” is great. Having gay friends is great too. Having dinner with your gay friends is absolutely fabulous! Playing all these cards to avoid being labelled as “homophobic” is very convenient. But having class, empathy, kindness and authentic respect is a completely different territory. These don’t come automatically with backgrounds.
At this point you don’t owe me an apology. I just hope that after this incident you can really start working and living with the essences of a truly liberal and creative individual. Inspire changes and end stereotypes. Start new trends and break old patterns. Embrace and not segregate. Do the work.
I had been away from Hong Kong and the industry for a few years now. It breaks me heart that I have to write this sort of open letter when it’s already 2018. I want to make this industry a safer, nicer and more accepting place to work in when I return. I want members of the LGBT community in Hong Kong, who have been so supportive of me and my music, to also have safer and nicer working environment in their respective lives.
I don’t mind coming off as an over-reacting petty bitch with no sense of humour if my message finally comes through and everyone, including you, “gets it”. I rather have no sense of humour than a bad one.
To all the contestants of the show. If anyone ever asks you if you are gay and you are not ready to discuss, it’s OK to stand up for yourself and say this: “It’s a rude question to begin with. You have no right to get an answer from me to begin with. And it doesn’t matter. It SHOULDN’T matter. It’s 2018. I hope one day I can use my craft to inspire the world and to make this become a non-issue.”
But if you are ready to be open, you have my complete support and love.
Let’s hope that through acceptance, learning and effort, one day there will no longer be any “controversial questions”. Wouldn’t we like that Eric?
Yours truly,
Pong
#LGBT
#homophobia
#safeworkplace
#中文版稍後會有
Eric Kwok 郭偉亮