向前一步:第168期 全能女人是个神话(1)

 Chapter 9 The Myth of Doing It All 第9章 “全能女人”是个神话

"Having it all." Perhaps the greatest trap ever set for women was the coining of this phrase. “拥有一切”也许是女人遭遇的最大陷阱。

Bandied about in speeches, headlines, and articles, 在各类交谈中、报纸头条和文章里，人们总是很随意地提到这句话。

these three little words are intended to be aspirational¹ but instead make all of us feel like we have fallen short. 这几个简单的词原本是想表现女人的理想状态，却让我们力不从心。

I have never met a woman, or man, who has stated emphatically, "Yes, I have it all." 我从没见过一个女人或男人敢断言：“是的，我什么都有了。”

Because no matter what any of us has—and how grateful we are for what we have—no one has it all. 因为不管我们拥有什么（不管我们对自己所拥有的一切多么感恩），没有一个人能够拥有他想要的一切。

Nor can we. The very concept of having it all flies in the face of the basic laws of economics and common sense. 我们也无法拥有一切，“拥有一切”这个概念公然地违背了经济学的基本定律与常识。

As Sharon Poczter, professor of economics at Cornell, explains, 康奈尔大学的经济学教授莎伦·波兹特对此解释说：

"The antiquated² rhetoric³ of 'having it all' disregards the basis of every economic relationship: the idea of trade-offs. “‘拥有一切’这种已经过时的说法忽视了各种经济关系的基础——即‘交换’的概念。

All of us are dealing⁴ with the constrained⁵ optimization⁶ that is life, 我们所有人都在进行人生的‘约束优化’，

attempting to maximize our utility based on parameters⁷ like career, kids, relationships, etc., doing our best to allocate⁸ the resource of time. 试图在事业、孩子、关系等要素的基础上把自己的效用最大化，竭尽全力去合理分配自己的时间资源。

Due to the scarcity⁹ of this resource, therefore, none of us can 'have it all,' and those who claim to are most likely lying." 由于资源的稀缺，没有人能‘拥有一切’。如果非要有人这么说，那么他很可能是在撒谎。”

"Having it all" is best regarded as a myth. “拥有一切”最多被看成是一个神话。

And like many myths, it can deliver a helpful cautionary message. 就像很多神话一样，它可以传递出有警示作用的讯息。

 

1 aspirational   

志同的，有抱负的

参考例句：

• Most of the images that bombard us all are aspirational. 轰击的图像，我们都期望最大。
• Analysts said self-help and aspirational reading could explain India's high figures. 分析师们指出，自助读书、热爱读书是印度人均读书时间超过别的国家的主要原因。

2 antiquated   

adj.陈旧的，过时的

参考例句：

• Many factories are so antiquated they are not worth saving.很多工厂过于陈旧落后，已不值得挽救。
• A train of antiquated coaches was waiting for us at the siding.一列陈旧的火车在侧线上等着我们。

3 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

6 optimization   

n.最佳化，最优化；优选法；优化组合

参考例句：

• Development of detergents has required optimization of the surfactants structure. 发展洗涤剂时，要求使用最恰当的表面活性剂结构。 来自辞典例句
• In the case of productivity tools and other non-entertainment-oriented products, this optimization means minimizing work. 对于生产工具和其他非娱乐导向的产品而言，这意味着将工作负荷降至最低。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 parameters   

因素，特征； 界限； （限定性的）因素( parameter的名词复数 )； 参量； 参项； 决定因素

参考例句：

• We have to work within the parameters of time. 我们的工作受时间所限。
• See parameters.cpp for a compilable example. This is part of the Spirit distribution. 可编译例子见parameters.cpp.这是Spirit分发包的组成部分。

8 allocate   

vt.分配，分派；把…拨给；把…划归

参考例句：

• You must allocate the money carefully.你们必须谨慎地分配钱。
• They will allocate fund for housing.他们将拨出经费建房。

9 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。