美国国家公共电台 NPR Billboard About Gender Roles Sparks Debate, Protest In North Carolina

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

A billboard¹ along an interstate in North Carolina reads, real men provide. Real women appreciate it. Those behind the message remain anonymous². And, needless to say, not everyone appreciates the sentiment. Bethany Chafin of member station WFDD in Winston-Salem reports.

BETHANY CHAFIN, BYLINE³: It's a simple sign - no graphics⁴, just black-and-white text. But it's ignited debate.

TEMBILA COVINGTON: Real women are talented...

(CHEERING)

COVINGTON: ...Hard-working...

(CHEERING)

COVINGTON: ...Outspoken⁵.

(CHEERING)

CHAFIN: Pastor⁷ Tembila Covington spoke⁶ to a crowd in downtown Winston-Salem protesting the billboard that's off one of the city's main highways. The sign has been up for about a week. When business owner Molly Grace first saw it, she was shocked.

MOLLY GRACE: To me, I see that billboard and people rallying to support it as people wishing it was a little bit more like the olden days, annoyed that it's not and trying desperately⁸ to hold on to what is left of those olden days.

CHAFIN: Organizers say they're not protesting free speech, but they are protesting the thinking behind the sign. The group has already created messages of its own painted on bedsheets. One read, appreciate those who provide. Provide for those you appreciate. But they want to do more. They've raised enough money to rent their own billboard to counter the original.

GRACE: There are no gender⁹ roles that define what people can and cannot do for their households and how measurable their worth or their provisions are.

CHAFIN: At the rally, most people spoke against assigning roles to gender. But not everyone agreed. Dana Pavlick was there with her husband and six children.

DANA PAVLICK: If you want to bring people into the world, there's a responsible, good way to do it. And no one has shown how our following patriarchy has hurt society.

CHAFIN: The owner of the billboard hasn't revealed who's behind it, saying their client doesn't want to be identified and may not be done yet. There are plans to put up another billboard with a different message. For NPR News, I'm Bethany Chafin in Winston-Salem, N.C.

1 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

2 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 graphics   

n.制图法，制图学；图形显示

参考例句：

• You've leveraged your graphics experience into the video area.你们把图形设计业务的经验运用到录像业务中去。
• Improved graphics took computer games into a new era.经改进的制图技术将电脑游戏带进了一个新时代。

5 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

8 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

9 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。