异类之不一样的成功启示录 第113期:为自己的荣誉打拼

 　　The triumph of a culture of honor helps to explain why the pattern of criminality in the American South has always been so distinctive¹.

　　荣誉文化的胜利解释了为什么在美国南部犯罪模式一直是如此独特。

　　Murder rates are higher there than in the rest of the country. But crimes of property and "stranger" crimes, like muggings, are lower.

　　为什么谋杀率比美国的其他地区高？但是在这些地区，财产犯罪和"陌生人"犯罪--如抢劫案--的比例较低。

　　As the sociologist² John Shelton Reed has written,

　　正如社会学家约翰·谢尔顿·里德写的那样：

　　"The homicides in which the South seems to specialize are those in which someone is being killed by someone he, or often she, knows, for reasons both the killer³ and victim understand."

　　"南方的凶杀案中，几乎都是被害人（经常是女性）知道凶手是谁，杀手和受害者都知道被杀的原因。"

　　Reed adds: "the statistics show that the Southerner who can avoid arguments and adultery is as safe as any other American, and probably safer."

　　里德补充道："统计显示，南方人常能逃避法律制裁，而通奸和其他任何地方的美国人一样安全，而且还可能更安全。"

　　In the backcountry, violence wasn't for economic gain.

　　在穷乡僻壤的地方，暴力并非为了经济利益。

　　It was personal. You fought for your honor.

　　它纯粹是个人的，是为自己的荣誉打拼。

　　Many years ago, the southern newspaperman Hodding Carter told their story of how as a young man he served on a jury.

　　许多年前，南方的一位新间记者赫丁·卡特讲述了他年轻时担任陪审团的往事。

　　As Reed describes it: The case before the jury involved an irascible gentleman who lived next door to a filling station.

　　正如里德描述的那样："陪审团面对的案件嫌疑人是一位住在汽车加油站附近的、脾气暴躁的男士。

　　For several months he had been a butt⁴ of various jokes played by the attendants and the miscellaneous loafers who hung around the station, despite his warnings in his notorious short temper.

　　几个月来，他成为服务员和车站旁各色人等的笑柄。尽管他警告过这些人。这些人也了解他臭名昭着的急脾气。

　　One morning, he emptied both barrels of his shotgun at his tormenters, killing⁵ one, maiming another permanently⁶, and wounding a third....

　　一天早晨，他用猎枪打死一人，打伤两人，其中一人终身残疾。

　　When the jury was polled by the incredulous judge, Cater⁷ was the only jury who recorded his vote as guilty.

　　陪审团由不轻易相信别人的法官投票选出，卡特成为认为被告有罪的唯一陪审员。

　　As one of the others put it, "he wouldn't have been much of a man if he hadn't shot them fellows."

　　正如别人所说的那样"如果他没有开枪打死这些人，他也不至于落到如此田地。"

　　Only in a culture of honor would it have occurred to the irascible gentleman that shooting someone wasn't an appropriate response to a personal insult.

　　只有在荣誉文化的背景下，这种情况才会发生：为了维护个人尊严不受侮辱，脾气暴躁的男士用枪射击别人；

　　And only in a culture of honor would it have occured to a jury that murder, under those circumstances, was not a crime

　　也只有在文化荣誉下，陪审团才会认为谋杀--在这种情况下--不是一种罪行。

1 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

2 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。

3 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

4 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

7 cater   

vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务

参考例句：

• I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
• Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。