白宫有个记者兵团(White House Press Corp)，它的正式名称是White House Correspondents Association，简称白宫记协。记协集聚着一群特殊人才，他们个个有"敢把皇帝拉下马"的英雄气概，人人身怀"老虎头上拍苍蝇"的独步绝技，美国 总统对他们是爱少恨多。总统希望记者将自己的丰功伟绩和领导才能广告于天下，而记者却要监视总统并绞尽脑汁挖掘一切有关总统的糗事。从这对矛盾中，美国民 众最大限度地得到了来自政治决策层面的信息。美国的孔夫子Thomas Jefferson说过: Information is the currency of democracy。说得多好啊! 只是美国佬自古至今就这点出息，任事都离不开钱，好好的一个民主制度，非得要带上点铜臭味 -- 难怪经济危机总跟美利坚过不去。 记者让总 统常年不得消停，但一年有一日记者们也让总统有机会吐口怨气，这就是一年一度的白宫记协晚宴。在这台晚宴上，记协给足总统面子，让他单口耍宝，把平日里想 说不能说的话语、想要得罪而不能得罪的人，统统用笑话的方式抖漏出来；也把政治对手对自己的攻击，用自嘲的方式，展现给观众。总之一句话，整个晚会没有政 治对错只有笑话，总统如果不能把参与饭局的各路名流各派名贵逗乐喷了饭，那就算他没能耐。 今年的五月九号又是白宫记协晚宴的日子，主角当仁不让是新任美利坚总统、马了个巴子的奥巴马。奥总统人称黑人俊杰，这名头可不是那么随便白给。他这一通政治宣言，晚宴当场人无分老幼、地无分南北，男的开怀女的捂嘴，龇牙欢声尽开笑颜。 奥 总统的另一职责Command in Chief，平日人们也都知道，幽默搞笑是总统的业余爱好。但因这晚奥总统搞笑获巨大成功，事后的评论说: 奥巴马现在真正职业是Comedian in Chief，他的Command in Chief就只能当第二职业来完成了(He will have to moonlight as Command in Chief)。奥总统巴马，人才啊! 哈佛双专业 -- 主修法律，副业喜剧。 要听懂奥总统单口中的欢声笑语，需要了解一些美国的时政背景。我搞笑才能低劣，但在美国阴错阳差地接触一些地方政治，就这样有"知心网友"误认为我是合适人选，能把这段美国政治幽默给整明白并呈现给网民们。 世 上有些误会是极其顽固的，比如美国人看你是中国人就以为你了解认识中国，中国人见你在美国(地方)政府工作就认定你懂得美国政治。对于这类误解我无力纠 正，只能是听之任之、顺之随之。反正周末来了，我就勉为其难地"拿棒槌当针使"，对奥总统的单口逐"笑"进行"曲苑杂谈"。 开场白有些过长，这正漏出我的胆怯。奥氏段子也长，需分上下两段。您就自当是看书读报关心时政，既学政治又练英文，边读边看视频，一举两得一石两鸟，我们一起一心两用地要把这奥氏幽默整个一清二白。 (第二笑) Good evening. (Laughter.) Pause for laughter. (Laughter.) Wait a minute, this may not be working as well as I ─ (laughter.) Let me try that again. (第三 笑) Good evening, everybody. (Applause.) I would like to welcome you all to the 10-day anniversary of my first 100 days. (Laughter.) I am Barack Obama. Most of you covered me. All of you voted for me. (Laughter and applause.) Apologies to the Fox table. (Laughter.) They're ─ where are they? I have to confess I really did not want to be here tonight, but I knew I had to come ─ just one more problem that I've inherited from George W. Bush. (Laughter.) (第 四笑) But now that I'm here, it's great to be here. It's great to see all of you. Michelle Obama is here, the First Lady of the United States. (Applause.) Hasn't she been an outstanding First Lady? (Applause.) She's even begun to bridge the differences that have divided us for so long, because no matter which party you belong to we can all agree that Michelle has the right to bare arms. (Laughter and applause.) (第五笑) Now Sasha and Malia aren't here tonight because they're grounded. You can't just take Air Force One on a joy ride to Manhattan. (Laughter.) I don't care whose kids you are. (Laughter.) We've been setting some ground rules here. They're starting to get a little carried away. (第六笑) Now, speaking ─ when I think about children obviously I think about Michelle and it reminds me that tomorrow is Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in the audience. (Applause.) I do have to say, though, that this is a tough holiday for Rahm Emanuel because he's not used to saying the word "day" after "mother." (Laughter.) That's true. (Laughter.) (第七笑) David Axelrod is here. You know, David and I have been together for a long time. I can still remember ─ I got to sort of ─ I tear up a little bit when I think back to that day that I called Ax so many years ago and said, you and I can do wonderful things together. And he said to me the same thing that partners all across America are saying to one another right now: Let's go to Iowa and make it official. (Laughter and applause.) (第 八笑) Michael Steele is in the house tonight. (Applause.) Or as he would say, "in the heezy." (Laughter.) What's up? (Laughter.) Where is Michael? Michael, for the last time, the Republican Party does not qualify for a bailout. (Laughter.) Rush Limbaugh does not count as a troubled asset, I'm sorry. (Laughter.) (第九笑) Dick Cheney was supposed to be here but he is very busy working on his memoirs, tentatively titled, "How to Shoot Friends and Interrogate People." (Laughter.) (第十笑) You know, it's been a whirlwind of activity these first hundred days. We've enacted a major economic recovery package, we passed a budget, we forged a new path in Iraq, and no President in history has ever named three Commerce Secretaries this quickly. (Laughter.) Which reminds me, if Judd Gregg is here, your business cards are ready now. (Laughter.) (这里还提到干细胞研究、孩童健康保险、以及因联邦拯救汽车工业，奥被提名为auto executive of the year--略过) (十 一笑) We've also begun to change the culture in Washington. We've even made the White House a place where people can learn and can grow. Just recently, Larry Summers asked if he could chair the White House Council on Women and Girls. (Laughter.) And I do appreciate that Larry is here tonight because it is seven hours past his bedtime. (Laughter.) Gibbs liked that one. (Laughter.) (十二笑) In the last hundred days, we've also grown the Democratic Party by infusing it with new energy and bringing in fresh, young faces like Arlen Specter. (Laughter.) Now, Joe Biden rightly deserves a lot of credit for convincing Arlen to make the switch, but Secretary Clinton actually had a lot to do with it too. One day she just pulled him aside and she said, Arlen, you know what I always say -- "if you can't beat them, join them." (Laughter.) (十 三笑) Which brings me to another thing that's changed in this new, warmer, fuzzier White House, and that's my relationship with Hillary. You know, we had been rivals during the campaign, but these days we could not be closer. In fact, the second she got back from Mexico she pulled into a hug and gave me a big kiss. (Laughter.) Told me I'd better get down there myself. (Laughter.) Which I really appreciated. I mean, it was -- it was nice. (Laughter.) (十 四笑) And of course we've also begun to change America's image in the world. We talked about this during this campaign and we're starting to execute. We've renewed alliances with important partners and friends. If you look on the screen there, there I am with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso. There I am with Gordon Brown. (十 五笑) All this change hasn't been easy. Change never is. So I've cut the tension by bringing a new friend to the White House. He's warm, he's cuddly, loyal, enthusiastic. You just have to keep him on a tight leash. Every once in a while he goes charging off in the wrong direction and gets himself into trouble. But enough about Joe Biden. (Laughter.) (十 六笑) All in all, we're proud of the change we've brought to Washington in these first hundred days but we've got a lot of work left to do, as all of you know. So I'd like to talk a little bit about what my administration plans to achieve in the next hundred days. (十 七笑) In the next hundred days, our bipartisan outreach will be so successful that even John Boehner will consider becoming a Democrat. After all, we have a lot in common. He is a person of color. (Laughter.) Although not a color that appears in the natural world. (Laughter.) What's up, John? (Laughter.) (十八笑) In the next hundred days, I will meet with a leader who rules over millions with an iron fist, who owns the airwaves and uses his power to crush all who would challenge his authority at the ballot box. It's good to see you, Mayor Bloomberg. (Laughter.) ...... 这篇奥氏幽默整整三页半英文，加上译文和解释就更长了(后面还有几小段，但多属于正经官文，大家都看得懂，我们就此略过)。对美国政治幽默不感兴趣的，这篇恐怕很难成为"可持续阅读"。 但纵观奥氏幽默大片，透着美式政治家的彻底幽默。政治，不论是民主的也好独裁的也罢，不能只是你死我活，更应该有欢声笑语。 这 让人想起改革开放后的中国政坛，幽默元素也逐步见多，但还不够，尤其在幽默的层次上急待改善。中国的幽默不能总是东北老汉斜戴破帽耍贫嘴，要不就是女裤男 穿走偏裆装兔爷，再有就是饭前酒后茶余的黄段子。"高粱地里十八摸"劳动人民喜闻乐见这也没错，但吃多了腻没档次不能持续发展。如果领袖人物在接受歌功颂 德的同时，也能把自己开放给幽默、呈献出中国的政坛十八笑，定能造就中国幽默市场的新一轮红火。 奥氏十八笑，一笑倾城、二笑倾国、三笑秋香妹倾心...... 这位黑人俊才媚力无穷，政治才能卓越，演讲技能语言智慧都远胜白种同类。这真应了中国那句老话: 人不可貌相，海水有点咸还凉......。 |
| [打印] |
| 由尹文张贴 @ 2009-05-17 20:51:50 (2292) |
| |||
 | |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
|
http://blog.wenxuecity.com/blogview.php?date=200905&postID=24800&page=1#mark
http://blog.wenxuecity.com/blogview.php?date=200905&postID=24832
/
没有评论:
发表评论