PBS高端访谈:遭到鄙夷的人生

JOHN YANG: Some call it political correctness. Others just call it decency¹. Either way, debates about how and what we can say have loomed² large recently in the national conversation. But not everyone feels they are being treated with the same consideration. Tonight, comedian³ Ashley Blaker shares his Humble⁴ Opinion on why there seems to be at least one least one category that is still treated with derision.

ASHLEY BLAKER, Comedian: So, let me just get it out the way: I am Jewish. In truth, you probably realize that, because I look more like an Orthodox Jew than I do a stand-up comedian. In fact, most people don't believe I'm a comedian, and just assume I'm a rabbi, not least my audiences. But it's amazing how quick people are to judge a book or, in my case, a copy of the Old Testament⁵ by its cover. So, as a result of wearing my religion so openly, everyone I meet thinks I must be an advocate for the state of Israel, and they either berate⁶ me with shouts of Free Palestine or tell me that the land of Israel was given to Abraham by Elohim, and you don't give away one inch of that land. I say to both types that I'm incredibly flattered that they think I'm that influential⁷, but it's really not up to me either way. Even worse is the assumption that anyone who looks like me is basically stuck in the 19th century, lives by a litany of bizarre practices, and has loads of children.

OK, so I do have six children, and it's true that many in my community have a lot more than that. In fact, my wife was recently at a wedding, and a woman asked how many children we have. When she replied six, this woman said, ah, did you have fertility issues? In this world, we are proper underachievers. But just because I'm allowed to make jokes about my life, should everyone else? Let me answer in a word. No. We'd rather you didn't. It seems to me that, in our super politically correct age, the religious are the last group of people that it's fair game to mock, that anyone religious is a crazy fantasist who believes in made-up fairy stories to give them comfort or, even worse, uses these fantasies as an excuse to perform the most terrible atrocities⁸. But why are the religious fair game? Is following your faith so much worse than having a fanatical interest in your favorite sports team? At least if you want to go to church, you don't need to spend loads of money buying a ticket from a scalper. And God is never going to let you down by heading off to the L.A. Lakers for an extra $10 million a year. We live in troubling times. There is so much that's worrying in the world. What's wrong with having a bit of faith in something bigger, that someone has a plan and that it's going to work out OK in the end? The nonbelievers will say that it is religion that has caused many of the world's biggest problems. But I say, don't judge religion by the religious. Sometimes, we all just need something to believe in. If it's not for you, that's OK, but please afford us the same respect we give to other minorities. God bless, or just bless.

约翰·杨：有些人称之为政治正确，有些人称之为是为了面子。无论是哪一种，讨论的内容和方式都成为了全国人民的话题。但并不是所有人都感到受到了平等对待。今晚，喜剧演员艾希莉·布莱克将分享他对于一类比嘲笑对象的看法。

艾希莉·布莱克，喜剧演员：我先开门见山——我是犹太人。说实话，大家很有可能已经发现了这一点，因为我长得很像犹太人，这比我是一名喜剧演员这件事更为明显。实际上，大多数人都不觉得我是喜剧演员，只是认为我是犹太人，尤其是我的观众。让人震惊的是：大家以貌取人的程度有多么严重。由于我的穿着打扮表明了我的宗教信仰，所以我遇到的所有人都认为我一定支持以色列成国，他们要么对我高喊巴勒斯坦自由这样的话，要么告诉我以色列的领土已经由上帝交给了亚伯拉罕，一寸都不再属于这里。我对这两类人的回应是：他们如此把我当成个人物，倒是让我受宠若惊，但他们所说的都不是我能决定的事。更糟糕的是：有人认为，像我这样长相的人应该活在19世纪，活在奇异的生活行为中，还要生一大群孩子才算标配。

好吧，我确实是有6个孩子。而且我的社群中，很多人生的孩子比这个数字还要多。实际上，我的妻子最近参加一次婚礼的时候，还有一位女性问到我们生了多少孩子的问题。当妻子回复有6个孩子的时候，这位女士说：天呐，你们是有什么生育方面的问题吗？人生在世，不如意之事十有八九。但我可以自嘲自己的人生，但别人凭什么？我的观点是：不，我们宁愿你们不这样做。在我看来，在这个政治正确的年代，宗教是最不应该拿来嘲笑的存在。他们嘲笑说，有宗教信仰的人是失了智的狂人，会相信编造出来的童话故事来寻找慰藉。更有甚者，以幻想为借口来实行暴行。但宗教为什么要成为被抨击的对象呢？奉行自己的信仰真的比痴迷于最喜欢的运动队差那么多吗？至少去教堂有一个优势，就是不用花很多钱从黄牛手里买票。毕竟与每年花1000万美元去看洛杉矶湖人队相比，上帝总是不会让你失望的。我们生活在多事之秋，世界上有太多糟心的事儿。对比较重要的事情抱有信念、制定计划并希望结局圆满，这样做究竟错在哪里呢？没有信仰的人会认为宗教是引发世界上许多麻烦的根源。但我认为，不能因噎废食。有时候，我们就是需要一个可以信仰的存在。如果这一点不适用于您，也请您给其他少数族裔以应有的尊重。无论您有没有宗教信仰。

1 decency   

n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重

参考例句：

• His sense of decency and fair play made him refuse the offer.他的正直感和公平竞争意识使他拒绝了这一提议。
• Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。

2 loomed   

v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• A dark shape loomed up ahead of us. 一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。
• The prospect of war loomed large in everyone's mind. 战事将起的庞大阴影占据每个人的心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

4 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

5 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

6 berate   

v.训斥，猛烈责骂

参考例句：

• He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness.他担心，由于健忘又要挨她的训斥了。
• She might have taken the opportunity to berate scientists for their closed minds.她也可能会去利用这个机会斥责那些抱成见的科学家。

7 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

8 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》