VOA常速英语2008年-YouTube Video Exposes Racism Among White S. Afr

By Delia Robertson
Johannesburg
28 February 2008

A video circulating on the Internet depicting¹ the humiliation² of older black workers by white students has outraged³ and sickened South Africans.  As VOA's Delia Robertson reports from our bureau in Johannesburg, it has already caused protests with more expected.

At first glance the scene seems to be one of normal university residence activity, young male students preparing a not very appetizing meal. 

But earlier scenes show the same white young men encouraging older black workers to quickly drink beer, a drink evidently not to the taste of some of the workers.  That had been followed by views of the same five workers, four female and one male, running races and playing rugby - the viewer is told they are auditioning⁴ for a racially integrated rugby team.

Back in the kitchen, the young man preparing the meal carries the bowl into the toilet, where he apparently⁵ urinates into the food.

The young man laughs, and then carries the food back into the kitchen, and says that as it is late, there is no time to prepare and cook the food on a barbeque, and that they will instead use the microwave.

Next the viewer is taken to a courtyard, where the workers kneel on the ground around two small trash buckets.  They are handed small containers of the contents from the bowl and urged to swallow it.

"Swallow, swallow, swallow, " the young man urges, his voice partly drowning out the gagging and vomiting⁶ that follows.

The video was filmed last September, following a decision to racially integrate university residences at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein.  The integration⁷ decision prompted widespread anger among white students, particularly at the whites-only Reitz male residence where the video was shot. 

The video came into the public domain⁸ this week, via a jilted girlfriend of one of the men involved.  Reaction to it has been swift and widespread.

It has sickened and outraged South Africans from across the spectrum⁹; and caused shock at the apparent depth of racism¹⁰ still so much part of society 14 years after the end of apartheid.  The young men involved were all younger than 10 years old in 1994.

Two of the students completed their studies at the end of last year; and the remaining two have been suspended and banned from the university campus. 

The South African Human Rights Commission, a constitutionally mandated¹¹ body, says it will investigate and the National Prosecuting¹² Authority is looking into whether any criminal acts were committed in the production of the video and the treatment of the black workers.

Lawyers for some of the young men say their clients are innocent and that, in fact, no one urinated into the food; and that the scene was faked by squirting liquid from a plastic bottle.  Some observers say that even if that is proved to be true, the entire video is a humiliation of the workers.

1 depicting   

描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• a painting depicting the Virgin and Child 一幅描绘童贞马利亚和圣子耶稣的画
• The movie depicting the battles and bloodshed is bound to strike home. 这部描写战斗和流血牺牲的影片一定会取得预期效果。

2 humiliation   

n.羞辱

参考例句：

• He suffered the humiliation of being forced to ask for his cards.他蒙受了被迫要求辞职的羞辱。
• He will wish to revenge his humiliation in last Season's Final.他会为在上个季度的决赛中所受的耻辱而报复的。

3 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

4 auditioning   

vi.试听（audition的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• She was auditioning for the role of Lady Macbeth. 她试演了麦克佩斯夫人的角色。
• Which part are you auditioning for? 你试音什么角色？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

7 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

8 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

9 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

10 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

11 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

12 prosecuting   

检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师

参考例句：

• The witness was cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel. 证人接受控方律师的盘问。
• Every point made by the prosecuting attorney was telling. 检查官提出的每一点都是有力的。