Heritage versus Marketing

 

 

       “I have a dream...” It is among the most celebrated¹ speeches in American history. “My four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today...” This is the way the “I Have A Dream” speech looked and sounded on August 28, 1963.

     In 2001, it looks like this.

     (“I have a dream that one day...”) A ¹⁾solitary² Martin Luther King ²⁾digitally ³⁾altered for a television commercial. “Before you can inspire... (‘We hold these truths to be self-evident...’) before you can touch, (‘That all men are created equal...’) you must first connect. And the company that connects more of the world is Alcatel, a leader in communication networks. (‘I have a dream today...’)”

Julian Bond: When I saw that on TV, I fell back in my chair. I could not believe I was seeing what I saw.

     Julian Bond, now chairman of the ⁴⁾NAACP, was a student-leader of the civil rights movement.

Julian Bond: I was there when that speech was made. I was right below him. I saw that crowd around me. And when I saw that ad, with all those people ⁵⁾excised and heard the voice-over say it was about communication. It wasn’t about communication. This was about justice! That’s what that speech was about, it was justice.

Joseph Lowery: If Martin were alive, he and I would be meeting with Alcatel right now saying, “How many Blacks and women are on your board? How many Black executives do you have in this company...”

     ⁶⁾Reverend Joseph Lowery who worked with Martin Luther King for years says King was a revolutionary, not a salesman.

Joseph Lowery: Martin Luther King must not be used as a ⁷⁾huckster or so-called...

Journalist: A huckster?

Joseph Lowery: Yes, that’s what he’s doing, he’s huckstering for Alcatel. He is not selling the message of character and justice and equality, he’s selling Alcatel.

Journalist: What would he be saying if he saw himself selling something for a corporation?

Joseph Lowery: These guys have hired me in death when they couldn’t hire me in life.

     Alcatel was able to hire Dr. King in death by paying several hundred thousand dollars to the estate of Martin Luther King Jr. Inc., a company set up by King’s family, his widow Coretta and their four children. It is they who hold the legal rights to his words and image, and it is they who made the decision to license⁴ them to Alcatel.

Andrew Young: You know I like the ad.

     Former UN ambassador Andrew Young was one of King’s top aides at SCLC, the Southern Christian⁵ Leadership Conference, and he remains⁶ a close friend and strong defender⁷ of the King family.

Andrew Young: There’s nothing wrong with selling a commercial product even for a ⁸⁾saint.

Journalist: What would Martin Luther King Jr. say about this?

Andrew Young: I don’t know.

Journalist: Come on.

Andrew Young: But he doesn’t even have a right to say. His children do, his family does.

     Young argues that King didn’t leave his family much in the way of material wealth, but as we said he did copyright much of his work including the “I Have A Dream” speech. That ⁹⁾inheritance belongs ¹⁰⁾solely⁸ to them, Young says, to do with as they please.

Andrew Young: Nobody can decide but them.

Journalist: You see, I think a lot of people think he belongs to more than just them.

Andrew Young: But he does not. He really does not.

Journalist: People think he belongs to the country.

Andrew Young: No, he does not.

Journalist: You know we have a ¹¹⁾national holiday.

Andrew Young: You have a national holiday, but you don’t have a right to control his words, his images, his ideas.CE

 

15、民族梦对抗营销梦

 

“我有一个梦想……”这是美国历史上最著名的演讲之一。“我的四个孩子将在一个不是以他们的肤色，而是以他们的品格优劣来评价他们的国度里生活。我今天有一个梦想……”这是在1963年8月28日《我有一个梦想》的演讲情景。

而在2001年，它却变成如下：

（我有一个梦想，有朝一日……）经数码修改过的马丁·路德·金孑身一人出现在电视广告上。“要使别人得到鼓舞……（‘我们认为这些真理是不言而喻的……’）要使别人受到感动，（‘即人人生而平等……’）你首先需要联系。阿尔卡特公司，通讯网络领导者，联系世界各地。（‘我今天有一个梦想……’）”

朱利安·邦德∶我在电视上看到这则广告时，跌坐到椅子上。我简直不能相信我的亲眼所见。

朱利安·邦德现任美国有色人种协进会主席，从前他是民权运动的学生领袖。

朱利安·邦德∶演讲那天我在现场。我正在马丁的下方。我看得到周围的人群。而在那则广告上，我看到人群给切掉了，还听到一个声音说什么通讯。那与通讯无关。它说的是正义！那篇演讲说的是正义。

约瑟夫·罗尔里∶如果马丁依然在世，他会立即和我一起到阿尔卡特公司问：“你们董事会里有多少黑人和妇女？你们公司有多少名黑人经理……”

曾与马丁·路德·金共事多年的约瑟夫·罗尔里教士说，马丁·路德·金是革命家，不是推销员。

约瑟夫·罗尔里：马丁·路德·金不该给用来叫卖或者所谓的……

记者：叫卖？

约瑟夫·罗尔里∶是的，他在广告上是在给阿尔卡特叫卖。他不是去推崇品格、正义和平等，他是在给阿尔卡特叫卖。

记者：如果他能亲眼看见自己在为一家公司叫卖产品，他会怎样说呢？

约瑟夫·罗尔里∶这些家伙在我生前请不起我，便在我死后请。

阿尔卡特聘请金博士，是付了几十万美金给马丁·路德·金地产公司的，建立该公司的是金的家人——他的妻子科丽塔及四个孩子。他们拥有他讲话和肖像的合法版权，也是他们决定了许可阿尔卡特公司制作广告的。

安德鲁·杨：你知道，我喜欢那则广告。

前任联合国大使安德鲁·杨曾是SCLC（南部基督教领导大会）中金的得力助手之一，他与金的一家人保持着深厚友谊并大力地维护他们。

安德鲁·杨：售卖商品并无不妥，哪怕是圣人。

记者：马丁·路德·金会怎么说？

安德鲁·杨：不知道。

记者：不会吧。

安德鲁·杨：可即使他现在也无权过问。有此权利的是他的孩子、他的家人。

杨争论道，金并没有给他的家人留下许多财产，不过正如我们所说过的，他给自己许多作品注册了版权，包括《我有一个梦想》演讲。杨说，这项遗产只属于他的家人，他们有权做任何处理。

安德鲁·杨：除了他们，谁也无权干涉。

记者：你看，我认为很多人觉得他不仅仅属于家人。

安德鲁·杨：但不是这样。真的不是这样。

记者：人们认为他属于国家。

安德鲁·杨：不，不是的。

记者：你知道我们有国家节日。

安德鲁·杨：是有个国家节日，但人们无权控制他的讲话、他的形象和他的意念。CE

 

1) solitary [5sClitEri] a. 孤独的

2) digitally [5didVitEli] adv. 数码地

3) alter [5C:ltEr] v. 改变

4) NAACP 即National Association for the Advancement⁹ of Colored People，（美国）全国有色人种协进会

5) excise³ [ik5saiz] v. 切除

6) reverend [5revErEnd] n. 教士，牧师

7) huckster [5hQkstEr] n. 叫卖，小贩    

8) saint [seint] n. 圣人

9) inheritance [in5heritEns] n. 遗传，遗产

10) solely [5sEuli] adv. 独自，单独

11) national holiday 每年一月份的第三个星期一是美国法定的马丁·路德·金纪念日。

 

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

3 excise   

n.(国产)货物税；vt.切除，删去

参考例句：

• I'll excise the patient's burnt areas.我去切除病人烧坏的部分。
• Jordan's free trade zone free of import duty,excise tax and all other taxes.约旦的自由贸易区免收进口税、国内货物税及其它一切税收。

4 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

8 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

9 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。