VOA慢速英语2014 伊斯兰国家的激进分子在歌曲中遭调侃

 

AS IT IS 2014-10-17 Islamic State Militants² Become Target for Jokes 伊斯兰国家的激进分子在歌曲中遭调侃

Across the Middle East artists are attacking Islamic State fighters with jokes, making fun of them with music, cartoons and videos. In Beirut, a band called "The Great Departed" makes jokes about Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Its humor gets people laughing and cheering. Band members say they are not only making fun of the militants, but the political systems that enable them to exist.

People in the theater shout out the names of their favorite songs as The Great Departed returns for a final song. 

The band plays “Madad Baghdadi,” a humorous song that makes fun of the Islamic State militant¹ group and its extremist version of Islam. “Madad Baghdadi” is the band’s most popular song. It has received more than 50,000 hits on Youtube. Leading media groups around the world have talked about it.

Khaled Soubeih writes songs for The Great Departed, and plays piano in the band. He says when a group like the Islamic State claims to be holy, and then uses violence to control people, humor is the best way to fight back.

But the musician is quick to note that Islamic State is not the only group his band criticizes. He says dictators and corruption³ in the Middle East created an atmosphere that let extremism and militancy⁴ develop. He says they are equally to blame for the current crisis.

As the band prepares for a performance, male lead singer Naim Asmar says jokes serve an important purpose. He says they help people deal with the almost unimaginable violence in the area.  

“Plus when you see the contradictions in that reality and the absurdity⁵ of many contradictions you cannot but be sarcastic⁶ about it.  Or makes jokes about it. Well, it’s an escape in order not to get mad, not to lose it actually.”

The band’s success comes as other media have made fun of the militants, who have taken control of large areas in Iraq and Syria.  Videos and cartoons show images of murderous, but largely untrained fighters using the name of Islam to justify⁷ crimes. These films have appeared both on the Internet and on television.

One online joke involves Kurdish fighters now battling Islamic State militants in Kobani, a Syrian town near the Turkish border. Islamic State forces recently entered the area.

The joke reads, “What do ISIS and Little Miss Muffet have in common? They both have curds⁹ in their whey!

The joke comes from an old nursery rhyme – a poem or song meant for young children. Curd⁸ is a substance that forms when milk turns sour or bitter. The word curd sounds like the name of the ethnic¹⁰ group. Similarly, the words way and whey also sound alike. Whey is the watery¹¹ part of milk that forms after the milk becomes sour.

Back at the theater, band members say their own satirical criticism of the Islamic State has not produced the effect they expected. 

Abed Kobeissy plays the Buzuq, a traditional instrument that looks like a guitar. He says politicians use fear of the Islamic State as a way to direct people’s attention away from issues like corruption, poverty and development.

The song, “Madad Baghdadi,” he says, gained a lot of attention, adding to news reports about the Islamic State and blocking out everything else.

But, he says, his listeners in Beirut will not just hear a critic of the Islamic State.

The band’s other songs touch on different, important issues, he says.  Some songs criticize dictators who praise victories while ignoring the people they rule. 

This song notes how some things do not mix well together, like yogurt and fish, and politics and religion. 

Band members say older Arabic music deals heavily with love and relationships. They say they are working to create a new style that gives a voice to what really occupies people’s minds in the Arab world. Which is sadly, they say, the reality of politics and war.

Words in this Story

cartoons – n. images in magazines or newspapers meant to be funny; animated¹² films

humorous – adj. funny, causing laughter

extremism – n. belief in and support for ideas that are very far from what most people consider correct or reasonable

unimaginable – adj. very difficult or impossible to understand or imagine

curds and whey – n. solids and liquids from milk; (in the joke, the words sound like the words ‘Kurds’ and ‘way,’ get it?)

satirical – adj. a way of using humor to show that something is foolish, bad or undesirable

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

5 absurdity   

n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论

参考例句：

• The proposal borders upon the absurdity.这提议近乎荒谬。
• The absurdity of the situation made everyone laugh.情况的荒谬可笑使每个人都笑了。

6 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。

7 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

8 curd   

n.凝乳；凝乳状物

参考例句：

• I'd like to add some pepper to the bean curd.我想在豆腐里加一点辣椒粉。
• The next one is bean curd with crab roe.下一个是蟹黄豆腐。

9 curds   

n.凝乳( curd的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Little miss muffet sat on a tuffet eating some curds and whey. 小玛菲特小姐坐在垫子上，吃着凝乳和乳清。 来自互联网
• The curds contain casein, fat and minerals. 凝乳中有酪蛋白、脂肪、矿物质。 来自互联网

10 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

11 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

12 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。