乌克兰餐厅恶搞俄罗斯宣传部

Ukraine Restaurant Spoofs¹ Russian Propaganda 乌克兰餐厅恶搞俄罗斯宣传部

 KYIV, UKRAINE—

Russia's propaganda on the conflict in Ukraine has often reached absurd levels, such as labeling government leaders “Nazis²” and “fascists” to revive emotions from World War II. A recently opened restaurant in Kyiv pokes⁴ fun at the propaganda as well as the politics behind the conflict.

“Glory to Nazis!” the waiter shouts  to customers arriving at the restaurant, Karatel, which means “The Punisher.”

The play on words with the national slogan “Glory to Ukraine!” spoofs Russian propaganda that labels Ukraine's revolution as a fascist³ movement.

Founder⁵ Eugene Vasyliev said his business is a lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek operation.

“By replacing propaganda with the absurd, we demonstrate to people that there is nothing but lies in it,” he said.

The menu is titled in German, “Long Live the Junta” — the term Russian state media use for the government in Kyiv.

Menu items like “Minsk Agreement” (potatoes with herring) make fun of political negotiations⁶ that so far have failed to end Ukraine's conflict.

While others, like “Grilled Separatist,” push the boundaries of good taste, Kyiv entrepreneur Yulia thinks the restaurant concept is not inappropriate.

“If there is war it doesn’t mean we should close up and dig ourselves into a hole and wait for something bad to happen,” she said.

But some members of Ukrainian battalions⁷ like Azov show fascist leanings, which the Kremlin plays up.

Russia is returning to Soviet-style propaganda methods, said political scientist Vladyslav Grynevych. But he warned that both sides are using dehumanizing insults that could make a lasting⁸ peace difficult to achieve.

“When we’re all reunited again — and this will happen at some point — then we will have to find a certain consensus," Grynevych said. "And the fewer painful injuries we inflict⁹ on each other, the easier it will be to live together.”

Peter Pomerantsev is an author of a book on Kremlin propaganda called Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible. He said parody¹⁰ can be a powerful counterpropaganda tool, but is also used by what he calld "neo-authoritarian states," like Russia.

“If you look at the Kremlin’s propaganda, it’s very satirical, it’s very tongue in cheek," he said. "And you can never tell when they’re being ironic¹¹ or not. And everything is done with this very sarcastic¹² smile. So I don’t think humor itself will be the magic bullet.”

Pomerantsev said the only way to effectively counter propaganda is to win the trust of audiences, to return them to reality-based discourse¹³.

Economies and societies flourish when they have accurate information, he said, while those living in a state of disinformation are effectively digging their own graves.

1 spoofs   

n.（进行）滑稽的模仿( spoof的名词复数 )；哄骗；戏弄；讽刺

参考例句：

• Nobody likes those clumsy spoofs of yours. 谁都不喜欢你那拙笨的玩笑。 来自辞典例句
• The show successfully spoofs the TV programs and commercials. 这场表演通过模仿成功地讽刺了那些电视节目和商业广告。 来自互联网

2 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 fascist   

adj.法西斯主义的；法西斯党的；n.法西斯主义者，法西斯分子

参考例句：

• The strikers were roughed up by the fascist cops.罢工工人遭到法西斯警察的殴打。
• They succeeded in overthrowing the fascist dictatorship.他们成功推翻了法西斯独裁统治。

4 pokes   

v.伸出( poke的第三人称单数 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• He pokes his nose into everything. 他这人好管闲事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Only the tip of an iceberg pokes up above water. 只有冰山的尖端突出于水面。 来自辞典例句

5 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

6 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

7 battalions   

n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍

参考例句：

• God is always on the side of the strongest battalions. 上帝总是帮助强者。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Two battalions were disposed for an attack on the air base. 配置两个营的兵力进攻空军基地。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

9 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。

10 parody   

n.打油诗文，诙谐的改编诗文，拙劣的模仿；v.拙劣模仿，作模仿诗文

参考例句：

• The parody was just a form of teasing.那个拙劣的模仿只是一种揶揄。
• North Korea looks like a grotesque parody of Mao's centrally controlled China,precisely the sort of system that Beijing has left behind.朝鲜看上去像是毛时代中央集权的中国的怪诞模仿，其体制恰恰是北京方面已经抛弃的。

11 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

12 sarcastic   

adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的

参考例句：

• I squashed him with a sarcastic remark.我说了一句讽刺的话把他给镇住了。
• She poked fun at people's shortcomings with sarcastic remarks.她冷嘲热讽地拿别人的缺点开玩笑。

13 discourse   

n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述

参考例句：

• We'll discourse on the subject tonight.我们今晚要谈论这个问题。
• He fell into discourse with the customers who were drinking at the counter.他和站在柜台旁的酒客谈了起来。