美国国家公共电台 NPR Appalachian Wrestling's Greatest Villain: 'The Progressive Liberal'

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

You know, when I was a kid, I watched pro¹ wrestling on TV. The matches often featured a good guy, like Hulk Hogan, against a bad guy, a bad guy like the Iron Sheik, a cartoonish Middle Eastern evil dude. Pro wrestling played off the news, you see, and still does. Consider a wrestling circuit in eastern Kentucky - big Donald Trump² territory.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: And here he is, The Progressive Liberal, Daniel Richards, possibly the most controversial figure in the Appalachian Mountain Wrestling world. As we get things kicked off...

INSKEEP: The Progressive Liberal is Daniel Harnsberger. He, too, grew up watching pro wrestling and admired the bad guys known as heels. He became a wrestler³ when he grew up.

DANIEL HARNSBERGER: I was wrestling for $5 and a hotdog and a soda⁴. There were times I didn't get paid at all.

INSKEEP: Around 2015, he discovered a character to play. He was wrestling before a tiny crowd in West Virginia. Trump had just started running for president.

HARNSBERGER: I said, I hope Trump doesn't build a wall around Mexico and said I hope he builds around this town so you people can't infiltrate⁵ the population. And that got a, you know, heated reaction.

INSKEEP: (Laughter) I imagine so.

HARNSBERGER: That reaction, pound for pound for that small group, was palpable.

INSKEEP: That's the job of a heel - to outrage⁶ the crowd. So he started wearing Hillary Clinton T-shirts and wrestling trunks with the words, progressive liberal, and acting⁷ like a coastal⁸ elitist.

HARNSBERGER: A great heel is someone who believes what they're saying and feels justified⁹ in their actions and in what they say.

INSKEEP: He's not really acting.

HARNSBERGER: I'm a progressive liberal in real life. So I'd think this would generate a reaction from fans - you know, especially the places I was going.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

HARNSBERGER: I know how you stupid Trump voters think. Allow me to illustrate¹⁰. Der-der-der (ph) I love coal. Der-der-der, I love mountains.

INSKEEP: Between matches, Harnsberger returns home to the Democratic city of Richmond, Va. We asked if his travels in Appalachia gave him a better understanding of the other side.

HARNSBERGER: I don't stand up for them.

INSKEEP: (Laughter) Not even a little bit?

HARNSBERGER: No.

INSKEEP: Although, his role as The Progressive Liberal gives us a better understanding of this divided national moment.

1 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

2 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

3 wrestler   

n.摔角选手，扭

参考例句：

• The wrestler tripped up his opponent.那个摔跤运动员把对手绊倒在地。
• The stronger wrestler won the first throw.较壮的那个摔跤手第一跤就赢了。

4 soda   

n.苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
• I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。

5 infiltrate   

vt./vi.渗入，透过；浸润

参考例句：

• The teacher tried to infiltrate her ideas into the children's minds.老师设法把她的思想渗透到孩子们的心中。
• It can infiltrate as much as 100 kilometers into enemy territory at night.可以在夜间深入敌领土100千米。

6 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

8 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

9 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

10 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。