令人厌恶的"自由"

　　编者按：随着2008年北京奥运会的临近，民众越来越关心“中国”品牌的树立，学习英语的热情也被点燃。越来越多的外宣干部和业内同行向我们表达了期待看到双语栏目的愿望。因此，我们自2006年第1期起开办了“双语视窗”栏目以满足广大读者的需求。

　　看看周围的媒体，在《北京青年报》、《参考消息》、《国门时报》上有许多精粹的小短文，像一只只啄木鸟，善意地提醒了中国人习以为常的行为背后“尚未和国际接轨”的细节，读后让人回味不已。在获得借鉴意义的同时，也带来更深入的思考。我们效仿中英文对照的版面形式，旨在通过外国友人的视角来看中国，从中折射出东西方观念、习俗的异同。通过一篇篇这样的文章，让读者在领略异域文化的同时，也能达到学习英语的目的。

　　

　　为了说明19世纪的美国西部多么野蛮残暴、目无法纪，著名的英国剧作家和智者奥斯卡・王尔德叙述了这样一件事情：当他在美国旅行时，他走进一家酒吧，发现酒吧的告示牌上写道：“请不要枪击弹钢琴的人――他正在尽力演奏。”

　　从告示牌上我们有可能了解一个社会的许多情况。当我在耗资巨大的国贸大厦这个现代化中国的象征周围漫步时，看到溜冰场上放有一块告示牌，上面写道：“请不要向溜冰场内投掷物品。”这使我又想起了王尔德的见闻。

　　读着这一告示，我的第一个反应就是笑，但接下来我陷入了思考：在北美完全没有必要立这样的告示牌。看着孩子们在溜冰场里笨拙地兜圈子，美国人和加拿大人想都不会想往里面扔东西。我又想起第一次也是最后一次在北京一家豪华剧院看电影的情景，在那儿我注意到许多令人不快的事情，由于我已经习惯了北美剧场里的行为准则，这些事情我看不惯。

　　看电影时，手机的机主会接到电话并且大声地交谈，似乎电影搅了他的谈话而很不高兴。在美国，这样的人会被邻座报以嘘声。如果还有人没完没了地打电话，就会有人上来一把夺过他的电话，或者去叫管理人员把这蠢货撵出去。但那个晚上，比起我邻座自始至终的闲聊，那些打电话的人对我的打扰倒算是温和的了。

　　可能电影院里看电影的人属于另类，就像星空下爱呱呱叫的青蛙。但我发现“受过教育”的人也不比其他人强。我曾经去看过一场戏，戏开始时，导演孟京辉和他的演员们走到舞台上，突然，孟京辉的手机响了，他对着手机说：“对不起，现在不能谈，我正在导演一场戏。”演员们立即把他放倒在地，开始“踢”他。在这个戏剧性的序幕末尾，一位演员走到台前对观众们说：“请关掉你们的手机。”我认为孟京辉的200名观众都属于受过良好教育的阶层，因而不禁惊诧演员们还要煞费苦心采取这样的方式来说明这一道理。更让我吃惊的是，经过这样的劝诫后，观众里竟然还有人的手机在演出期间响起来！

　　今天的中国人比历史上任何时候都享受着更加广泛的个人自由，但这些事例却告诉我很多人把这些自由运用得如何拙劣。人们在寻求自身快乐的时候，却忽视公众的意见，忽视了对社会的责任。其结果是，他们一味追求自己的目标，丝毫不顾及周围人的感受。

　　在西方，极少有人敢干这些事，去国外的中国人发觉他们从前不假思索就随便做的事情现在竟会招致路人愤怒的目光。换句话说，在西方的中国人注意到为了保持社会的和谐，人们心甘情愿地限制个人的自由，极少数鲁莽地在电影院里讲话的人会受到制止。几乎没有人会想到往体育场扔垃圾或是为寻求刺激向别人扔东西。在加拿大和美国，人们的目光已经足以制止大多数鲁莽的不负责任的反社会行为。

　　当然，我是一个外国人，批判中国的社会行为准则与我又有何相干呢？我只是觉得生活在一个群体中的人们应该互相尊重。如果中国人在缺乏相互尊重的情况下也能共处，那也就罢了。当然，如果现代中国人能在不损害社会、集体感及相互关心――这些使生活变得有意义――的前提下来享受个人自由，那就比北美人幸运多了。但是，我必须要说，有时我听到了有损社会的不和谐音。

　　原文：

　　To illustrate how violent and lawless the American West was during the nineteenth century, the famous British playwright and wit Oscar Wilde wrote about how, when he was traveling in America , he entered a saloon with the sign�lease don� shoot the piano play-er�e is trying his best.?It is possible to learn much about society from its signs, and I was reminded of this Oscar Wilde story when I was walking around the China World Tower, an expen-sive symbol of modernized China, and saw a sign above the skating rink that said, �lease do not throw things into the rink.? When I read the sign, my first reaction was to laugh, but then I began thinking: In North Ame-rica there would be no need for the sign, because Americans and Canadians would not even think of throwing things into a rink where children skate in clumsy circles. Then I recalled watching a film at an expensive movie theater for the first and last time in Beijing. I noticed many unpleasant things, things I could not get used to, accustomed as I am to the norms of North American theatres.

　　While watching the movie, people would receive calls on their mobile phones and converse loudly, apparently quite annoyed that the film was distracting them form their phone calls. In America these people would be shushed by their neighbors, and if one of them kept on blabbing, someboby would go over and snatch away the phone, or get the manager to put the fool out of the theater. But that evening in Beijing phone calls proved to be a mild annoy-ance compared with my neighbors chatting away during the entire film.

　　Perhaps the people who watch movies here are a different breed, akin to the frogs who croak away under the stars. One thing I have discovered is that �ducated?peo-ple are no better than the rest. I once went to see a play, at the beginning of which Meng Jinghui and his actors came out on stage. Suddenly Meng received a call on his mobile and said,�orry, I can� talk now�� directing a play.?The actors then tossed him to the ground and started kicking him. At the end of this dramatic prelude, an actor walked to the front of the stage and said to the audience, �lease shut off your mobile phones.?Having assumed that the 200 people in Meng Jinghui� audience were of the educated class, I was surprised that the actors had to go to such lengths to state their case. I was even more surprised when after this exhortation some in the audience still received calls during the performance!

　　Chinese today enjoy much greater personal freedom than ever before. But what these examples illustrate for me is that many of them are using these new liberties badly. People are enjoying themselves while ignoring social opinion and neglecting their responsibilities to society�n effect, pursuing their own goals without giving a damn about their fellow human beings.

　　In the West few people would dare commit any of these actions, and Chinese who venture abroad have discovered that things they did so casually and thoughtlessly before bring angry glances from passers-by.

　　In other words, Chinese in the West observe that there are many voluntary constraints on personal freedom there in order to maintain social harmony. The few people so rash as to talk in a theater are silenced, and virtually no one would think of tossing garbage in sports facilities or th-rowing thing at other people for kicks. In Canada and the US, glances are enough to police most reckless and irresponsible anti-social behavior.

　　Of course, I am a foreigner, so what business do I have in criticizing the social norms in China? I merely believe that for people to live together they must respect one another. And if in China people can live together without respecting one another, then so be it. Certainly, if thecitizens of modern China can enjoy all these personal freedoms without harming the social fabric, the sense of community and the mutual concern thatmake life worthwhile, then they are luckier than North Americans. But there are times, I must say, when I think I hear the fabric ripping.

　　

　　（本栏目文章选自《北京青年报》“双语视窗”，得到栏目编辑张爱学的授权。英文部分的稿费由本编辑部支付，请作者本人看到此启事后与编辑部联系。）

　　责编：周瑾