易怒之人动怒Snowflakes and taking offence

Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English, I’m Neil.
大家好。欢迎来到六分钟英语，我是尼尔。
And I’m Rob.
我是罗伯。
Rob, would you say that you were a snowflake?
罗伯，你会说自己是一个易怒的人吗？
Wow, I can’t believe you said that, that’s so offensive. How could you be so rude?
哇，不敢相信你说出那样的话，那太冒犯了。你怎么能如此无礼？
So I guess that’s a yes then? Sorry, I only asked.
所以我猜答案是肯定的了？抱歉，我只是问问而已。
Don’t worry, I wasn’t really upset. I just wanted to demonstrate the meaning of the word. The word ’snowflake’ has taken on a new meaning in recent years. These days it’s used as an insult. It’s used to criticise people or groups that are seen to be very easily offended or upset by things that others say.
别担心，我不是真的生气。我只是想要阐释那个词的意思。近些年来“snowflake”这个单词有了新的意思。现在它会用作一种冒犯性表达。它被用来批评那些非常容易被他人话语所惹怒或者动气的个人或群体。
There is usually a political side to it too, isn’t there?
通常它也涉及政治层面，不是吗？
Yes, people who use the word ’snowflake’ tend to be from the political right.And they usually use it about those on the political left, particularly millennials - young, socially aware adults.
是的，使用“snowflake”这个单词的人更有可能来自右翼党派。而且他们通常用这个词来谈论左翼党派，特别是千禧一代——年轻，关注社会的人。
Well, we’ll explore this topic in more detail shortly, but first a quiz question. In which year was ’snowflake’ one of Collins Dictionary’s words of the year? Was it… a) 1996 b) 2006 or c) 2016?
好的，我们将会很快探讨这个主题更多细节，但是首先是今天的测试问题。哪一年“snowflake”被收录入当年的柯林斯词典？是a) 1996年 b) 2006年 还是 c) 2016年？
Well, we said it’s quite a recent word, so I’m going for c) 2016.
好吧，我们说那是相当新的一个单词，所以我选c) 2016年。
Well, we’ll find out if you’re right later on in the programme. The topic of offence is a very complicated one. First what do we mean by offence, Rob?
好的，稍后我们将在节目中揭晓你是否正确。“冒犯”这个主题非常复杂。首先冒犯是指什么，罗伯？
Thanks for that. That is a really difficult question. Something that is offensive is rude, insulting and makes people feel hurt and upset. What’s difficult about it though is that we don’t all find the same things offensive. Some people can be deliberately offensive and some people may be offensive without meaning to be.
谢谢你了。那可真是个难题。某事是冒犯的就是粗鲁的，无礼的，而且使人们感到受伤与生气。然而困难之处在于我们发现冒犯不尽相同。有些人会故意冒犯别人，而且有些人不是故意冒犯。
Also, different people respond to offence in different ways. Some accept it as the price of free speech.And some try to stop the people they think are offensive from saying the things they do.
同样，不同的人对冒犯的反应不一样。一些人接受它，把它当做言论自由的代价。一些人想方设法阻止他们认为无礼的人冒犯。
These terms come up quite a lot in discussions about equality, race, religion and of course, politics.
在谈到平等，种族，区域当然还有政治时这些措辞会大量出现。
The topic was discussed in detail in the BBC Radio programme Sweet Reason. Evan Davis presented the programme and here is the first part of his summary of the discussion. What does he say is the reason some people talk about offence?
该主题在BBC广播节目Sweet Reason被详细讨论。伊万?戴维斯做客该节目，而且这是他对讨论所做总结的第一部分。他说一些人谈到冒犯的理由是什么？
First, on occasion, people probably do invoke offence when really they just have a political disagreement. And on occasion groups that suffer discrimination or exclusion perhaps find it exhilarating or uniting to call out that discrimination.
首先，有的时候当人们有政治分歧时，他们确实会援引冒犯事实。而且有的时候，遭受歧视或者排斥的群体或许会发现为所遭受的歧视辩解会让人愉悦或者团结起来。
He says that some people take offence when it’s just a political disagreement. He says they invoke offence.
他说当仅仅是一场政治分歧时候，一些人会动怒。他说他们援引冒犯事实。
If you invoke something, it means that you use it to support your point or explain your action. So to invoke offence is to say that we are acting this way because we are offended by what you have said, although the offence may only be a political difference rather than something truly offensive
如果你援引某事，那指的是你用它来支持你的观点或者解释你的行为。所以援引冒犯事实是说我们之所以动怒是因为你所说的冒犯了我们，尽管冒犯之处或许仅仅是政治分歧，而不是真的冒犯。
Davis goes on to say that groups that do suffer from discrimination may get some feelings of unity when they call out discrimination. They feel more together when they publicise and highlight the discrimination they have experienced. Even though some offence that is taken may not be genuine, that doesn’t mean people don’t have a right to be offended. Here’s Evan Davis again.
戴维斯继续谈到，当确实遭受到歧视的群体为他们所遭受的歧视辩解时，他们或许会有某种团结在一起的感觉。当他们公开并突出他们所遭遇的歧视时，他们感觉更紧密地团结在一起。尽管有些不是真的冒犯，但那不代表人们没有动怒的权利。这是伊万?戴维斯再次谈到的。
Well, the so-called snowflakes surely have a point in this, societies are entitled to make certain things taboo. And the millennials use of the word offensive is simply designed to say some views are not just wrong, they are in a special category of wrong.
好吧，所谓的易怒之人确实有这点特征，社会有权利认定一些特定的东西为禁忌。而且千禧一代说冒犯性的话单纯是想说某些观点不仅仅是错误的，它们还属于一种特殊范畴的错误。
His point here is that societies can decide that certain things are taboo. In this context something that is taboo is something that is regarded by society as being shocking and offensive.And that it is OK for people to be offended by these things.
在这里他的观点是社会可以决定特定的东西是禁忌。在这个背景下，禁忌的东西就是被社会认为是冲突性以及冒犯性的东西。而且人们被这些禁忌所惹怒是可以的。
And I think the point he makes is a good one. The word ’snowflake’ is usually used as an insult. But some people may feel proud to be a snowflake because it means they are standing up for a particular standard. They have a level of decency and social responsibility that is higher than that of those who are calling them snowflakes.
我认为他提出的观点是好的。“Snowflake”这个词通常被用作一种无礼的表达。但是一些人或许觉得作为易怒之人非常骄傲，因为那意味着他们为了特定标准而站出来。和那些把他们叫做易怒之人的人相比，他们有着更高层次的社会责任感。
Well, I hope we haven’t caused any offence today. Before we review the vocabulary, can we have the answer to today’s question, Neil?
好吧，我希望今天我们没有造成任何冒犯。在我们回顾单词之前可以揭晓今天问题的答案吗，尼尔？
Of course, I asked in which year was snowflake one of Collins Dictionary’s words of the year? Was it… a) 1996 b) 2006 or c) 2016?
当然，我问哪一年“snowflake”被收录入当年的柯林斯词典？是a) 1996年 b) 2006年 还是 c) 2016年？
And I said c) 2016. It’s got to be right!
我说是2016年。它肯定正确。
Well, do you want to hear the story? Interestingly the term was coined in 1996 in the book Fight Club. But it was in 2016 that it was one of the dictionary’s words of the year.Now let’s review our words of the day. First there is ’offence’.
好吧，你想听那个的故事吗？ 有趣的是这个词发明于1996年，在《搏击俱乐部》这本书里。但是在2016年它才收录进当年的字典单词中。现在让我们回顾一下今天的单词。首先是“冒犯”这个单词。
People can take offence and be offended by something that is offensive. Something that is offensive could be rude, insulting and shocking. It might take the form of humiliation or discrimination against a person or group.
人们会动怒，也可以被一些冒犯的事情惹怒。某事是冒犯的就是粗鲁的，无礼的以及冲突的。它的表现形式或许是对个人或者群体的羞辱，歧视。
The term ’snowflake’ is a word used by some people to talk about other people who they think get offended too easily and unnecessarily. They don’t want to change their language or ideas just because snowflakes get upset. Then we had the word ’invoke’. If you invoke something, you use it as a reason to explain your actions and feelings.
“Snowflake”是被一些人用来谈论他们认为太容易以及不必要动怒的人。他们不想仅仅因为那些人生气而改变他们的语言或者观念。然后我们学了“invoke”这个词。如果你援引某事，你就是把它作为解释你行为和感受的理由。
To call something out’ is to challenge it, to highlight it and look for justification.
“To call something out”就是挑战它，突出它以及寻求辩解。
And finally we have ’taboo’, something that society says is offensive and shocking. So there we have it. What do you think, Rob, of this topic?
最后我们学了“禁忌”，社会认为冒犯或者冲突性的东西。所以节目就到这里了。罗伯，你觉得这个主题怎么样？
Well, it is a very difficult subject, particularly when it comes to politics, religion and society. Free speech is good but at times, particularly on social media, I think can be unnecessarily unpleasant.
好吧，它是一个非常难的主题，特别是当它涉及政治，区域以及社会。言论自由是好的，但是有时候，特别是社交媒体时代，我觉得会有不必要的不悦产生。
Well, try not to be offended, but it is time for us to leave you for this programme. Do join us next time. Remember you can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and of course our website bbclearningenglish.com. And of course, we have a new app which you can find on our website. It’s free and it’s brilliant isn’t it Rob?
好的，尽量不要冒犯，但是到了我们节目结束的时间了。下次再加入我们啊。而且记得你可以在Instagram，Facebook，YouTube，当然还有我们的网站bbclearningenglish.com上找到我们。当然，我们有了新的应用程序，你可以在网站上找到它。它是免费的，而且很棒，不是吗，罗伯？
Absolutely!
绝对地！
See you soon, bye.
下次见，拜。
Bye bye!
拜拜！