英文演讲录 憨豆先生：言论自由(3)

For me, the best way to increase society's resistance to insulting or offensive speech is to allow a lot more of it.

对我来说，要加强社会对侮辱性言论的容忍度，就干脆放开一点，多听一点。

As with childhood diseases, you can better resist those germs to which you have been exposed.

就像儿童传染病一样，可能接触到那些细菌，反而抵抗力更强。

We need to build our immunity¹ to taking offence, so that we can deal with the issues that perfectly² justified³ criticism can raise.

社会也需要建立起对抗侮辱性言论的免疫系统，来应对合理批评所引发的问题。

Our priority should be to deal with the message, not the messenger.

我们应把精力集中在信息本身，而不是信息的传播者。

As President Obama said in an address to the United Nations only a month or so ago: 'Llaudable efforts to restrict speech can become a tool to silence critics or oppress minorities.

之前奥巴马总统在联合国发言中说：“一味控制言论，只会压制批评家，或压迫少数群体。

The strongest weapon against hateful speech is not repression⁴, it is more speech.'

对抗仇恨言论最有力的武器不是镇压，而是听取更多的声音。”

And that is the essence of my thesis, more speech.

这也是我的观点，听取更多的声音。

If we want a robust⁵ society, we need more robust dialogue and that must include the right to insult or to offend.

要建设一个强大的社会，我们就需要更多有力的话语，其中就难免包括一些冒犯性的言论。

And as, even if, as Lord Dear says, you know, the freedom to be inoffensive is no freedom at all.

就如我们亲爱的主所说的，无害温情的自由，根本不算自由。

The repeal⁶ of this word in this clause will be only a small step, but it will, I hope, be a critical one in what should be a longer-term project to pause and slowly rewind a creeping culture of censoriousness.

废除这一条款虽然只是一小步，但我希望它会成为关键的一步，促成一个长期的计划，终止或慢慢改变这样一种苛刻的文化。

It is a small skirmish in the battle, in my opinion, to deal with what Sir Salman Rushdie refers to as the 'outrage⁷ industry' - self-appointed arbiters⁸ of the public good, encouraging media-stoked outrage, to which the police feel under terrible pressure to react.

我认为，这是一场战斗中的一起小冲突以应对萨尔曼·拉什迪爵士所说的“愤怒行业”：自诩的公共利益仲裁者，鼓励用媒体的力量激起民愤，向警方施压，从而促使他们采取行动。

A newspaper rings up Scotland Yard: 'Someone has said something slightly insulting on Twitter about someone who we think a national treasure.

曾经有报社给伦敦警察厅苏格兰场打电话，说有人在推特上发表了略带侮辱性的言论，"被侮辱"的对象是公认的英国国宝级人物。

What are you going to do about it?'

报社问警方打算如何处置。

And the police panic and they scrabble around and then grasp the most inappropriate lifeline of all, Section 5 of the Public Order Act, that thing where they can arrest anybody for saying anything that might be construed⁹ by anyone else as insulting.

警察们慌了，赶紧查阅各种材料拼拼凑凑，最终从公共秩序法第五条里找到了最不妥当的救命稻草：警方有权逮捕任何人，只要此人说了可能被其他人理解为侮辱性的话。

You know, they don't seem to need a real victim, they need only to make the judgment¹⁰ that somebody could have been offended if they had heard or read what has been said.

这种逮捕甚至不需要原告，不需要真正受侮辱的受害者，只要某人的言行举止可能冒犯到他人，警方就可自行裁定将其抓捕。

The most ludicrous degree of latitude¹¹.

真是荒唐至极！

The storms that surround Twitter and Facebook comment have raised some fascinating issues about free speech, which we haven't really yet come to terms with.

这场刷屏推特和脸书的舆论风暴中，也提及了一些关于言论自由值得探讨的问题，但目前并无相关法律条文能解释这些问题。

Firstly, that we all have to take responsibility for what we say, which is quite a good lesson to learn.

首先，人人都要对自己说的话负责，学会这一点很重要。

But secondly¹², we've learnt how appallingly¹³ prickly and intolerant society has become of even the mildest adverse¹⁴ comment.

其次，要意识到，我们的社会已变得极度不宽容，即使是非常温和的异见，也不被接受。

The law should not be aiding and abetting¹⁵ this new intolerance.

法律不应对这种新型不容忍起推波助澜的作用。

Free speech can only suffer if the law prevents us from dealing¹⁶ with its consequences.

法律若是不让公众合理应对言论自由的后果，那才真的失去了言论自由。

I offer you my wholehearted support to the Reform Section 5 campaign.

所以对公共秩序法第五条的改革，我举双手双脚赞成。

Thank you very much.

谢谢大家。

1 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

2 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

3 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

4 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

5 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

6 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

7 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

8 arbiters   

仲裁人，裁决者( arbiter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In the forensicfield, the final arbiters of quality are the courts. 在法医学领域，质量的最后仲裁者是法庭。
• They are, increasingly, arbiters of which types of borrowers get credit. 它们正越来越多地充当决定哪几种借款人可获得信贷的裁决人角色。

9 construed   

v.解释（陈述、行为等）( construe的过去式和过去分词 )；翻译，作句法分析

参考例句：

• He considered how the remark was to be construed. 他考虑这话该如何理解。
• They construed her silence as meaning that she agreed. 他们把她的沉默解释为表示赞同。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

11 latitude   

n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区

参考例句：

• The latitude of the island is 20 degrees south.该岛的纬度是南纬20度。
• The two cities are at approximately the same latitude.这两个城市差不多位于同一纬度上。

12 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

13 appallingly   

毛骨悚然地

参考例句：

• His tradecraft was appallingly reckless. 他的经营轻率得令人吃惊。
• Another damning statistic for South Africa is its appallingly high murder rate. 南非还有一项糟糕的统计，表明它还有着令人毛骨悚然的高谋杀率。

14 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

15 abetting   

v.教唆（犯罪）( abet的现在分词 )；煽动；怂恿；支持

参考例句：

• On Earth, unknowingly abetting a criminal doesn't merit this kind of punishment. 在地球上，不知不觉地帮助罪犯并不构成这种惩罚。 来自电影对白
• "By aiding and abetting murder, the Taliban regime is committing murder." 援助和唆使谋杀的塔利班政权与杀人犯同罪。 来自互联网

16 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。