2021年经济学人 枪支与种族--双重标准(1)

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Guns and race - Double standard

枪支与种族——双重标准

The Second. By Carol Anderson.

《第二》 作者卡罗尔·安德森

A Black man with a gun has been white America's nightmare since before the republic was founded.

自共和国成立以来，持枪的黑人一直是美国白人的噩梦。

Slave uprisings, black soldiers fighting in the country's wars, even African-American motorists — all have spurred fear and violence backed by white-supremacist authority.

奴隶起义，黑人士兵参与国家战争，甚至非裔美国人驾驶车辆——所有这些都激起了恐惧和暴力，并得到了白人至上主义当局的支持。

In "The Second", a compact yet sweeping¹ history of guns and race in America,

《第二》描述关于美国枪支和种族的简洁而全面的历史，

Carol Anderson argues that the right "to keep and bear arms" has never been about an abstract liberty to carry guns.

卡罗尔?安德森在书中指出，“持有和携带武器”的权利从来不是一种抽象的携带枪支的自由。

Its primary role has been "black exclusion² and debasement".

它的主要作用是“排斥和贬低黑人”。

The Second Amendment³, Ms Anderson writes, was born in sin.

安德森女士写道，第二修正案诞生于罪恶之中。

The word "slavery" never appears in the constitution. Racism⁴ is not explicitly⁵ inscribed⁶ in the Second Amendment.

“奴隶制”一词从未出现在宪法中。种族主义也并没有明确写入宪法第二修正案。

But, she claims, it was at the heart of the guarantee.

但是，她说，这才是保障的核心。

When the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention (of whom 25 were slave-owners) drafted a replacement⁷ for the Articles of Confederation in 1787,

当参加制宪会议的55位代表(其中25位是奴隶主)在1787年起草那份取代《邦联条例》的文件时，

they knew they needed the assent⁸ of southern states.

他们知道需要得到南方各州的同意。

The amendment, Ms Anderson says, was a "bribe⁹ to the South using the control of black people as the payoff".

安德森女士说，修正案是“以对黑人的控制为筹码，给南方的贿赂”。

Slave-owners, terrified that their suffering property would rise up, could be sure of arming themselves.

奴隶主们害怕他们饱受磨难的奴隶财产会奋起反抗，需要确保可以武装保护自己。

Other scholars offer more nuanced accounts of the amendment's origins,

其他学者对修正案的起源提供了更细致入微的描述，

but there is little question that its "well-regulated militia¹⁰" carried a glint of racial dominance.

但毫无疑问，修正案中“竟然有序的民兵”含有一丝种族优势。

It was buttressed¹¹ by the Uniform Militia Act of 1792, which required white males aged¹² 18 to 45 to join state militias¹³ and buy guns.

1792年的《统一民兵法案》也支持了这种做法，该法案要求18岁至45岁的白人男性加入州民兵并购买枪支。

By contrast, a free black Virginian caught carrying a firearm in 1832 earned 39 lashes¹⁴.

相比之下，在1832年，一名自由的弗吉尼亚黑人因携带枪支被抓，被鞭笞39下。

The same punishment applied¹⁵ in Florida and could be enforced by white citizen patrols on the spot.

同样的惩罚也适用于佛罗里达州，可以由白人巡逻人员当场执行。

In 1846 Georgia's Supreme¹⁶ Court found that the Second Amendment protected the "right of the whole people, old and young, men, women and boys… to keep and bear arms of every description".

1846年，乔治亚州最高法院裁定，宪法第二修正案保护“所有人的权利，无论年龄性别……拥有和携带各种武器的权利”。

But it declined to strike down a law barring "any free persons of colour" from owning them.

但它拒绝废除禁止“任何有色自由人”拥有法律的禁令。

Several other states had similar prohibitions¹⁷.

其他几个州也有类似的禁令。

1 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

2 exclusion   

n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行

参考例句：

• Don't revise a few topics to the exclusion of all others.不要修改少数论题以致排除所有其他的。
• He plays golf to the exclusion of all other sports.他专打高尔夫球，其他运动一概不参加。

3 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

4 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

5 explicitly   

ad.明确地，显然地

参考例句：

• The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
• SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条，清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

6 inscribed   

v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接

参考例句：

• His name was inscribed on the trophy. 他的名字刻在奖杯上。
• The names of the dead were inscribed on the wall. 死者的名字被刻在墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

8 assent   

v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• I cannot assent to what you ask.我不能应允你的要求。
• The new bill passed by Parliament has received Royal Assent.议会所通过的新方案已获国王批准。

9 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

10 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

11 buttressed   

v.用扶壁支撑，加固( buttress的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The court buttressed its decision. 法院支持自己的判决。 来自辞典例句
• The emotional appeal was buttressed with solid and specific policy details. 情感的感召有坚实的和详细的政策细节支持。 来自互联网

12 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

13 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

14 lashes   

n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• Mother always lashes out food for the children's party. 孩子们聚会时，母亲总是给他们许多吃的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Never walk behind a horse in case it lashes out. 绝对不要跟在马后面，以防它突然猛踢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

16 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

17 prohibitions   

禁令，禁律( prohibition的名词复数 )； 禁酒； 禁例

参考例句：

• Nowadays NO PARKING is the most ubiquitous of prohibitions. 今天，“NO PARKING”（禁止停车），几乎成了到处可见的禁止用语了。
• Inappropriate, excessive or capricious administration of aversive stimulation has led to scandals, lawsuits and prohibitions. 不恰当的、过度的或随意滥用厌恶性刺激会引起人们的反感、控告与抵制。