Facebook上充斥着人们往自己头上倒冰桶的视频。

　　They’re taking the#icebucketchallenge, a viral phenomenon whose ostensible purpose is to raise money for charity. The challenge is simple: Either donate $100 to a given cause, or douse yourself with ice, film it, and pass the challenge on to others via social media.

　　他们在参加热门的“冰桶挑战”。这项活动宣称目的在于为慈善募捐。挑战规则很简单：要不捐出100美元，要不就往自己身上倒一桶冰，拍下来并通过社交媒体点名其他人接受挑战。

　　TheBoston Globe, Mashable, and others have followed the nonprofit ALS Association in crediting the idea to Pete Frates, a 29-year-old former Boston College baseball player who was diagnosed with ALS in 2012.

　　非盈利组织肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症(ALS)协会宣称，29岁的皮特·弗雷茨是该项活动的发起人，他曾是波斯顿学院的一名棒球运动员，2012年被诊断出患有ALS。之后，波斯顿环球报、Mashable网站和其他一些媒体也纷纷如此报道。

　　That makes for a nice origin story, but it’s not quite accurate. Matt Lauer’s challenge, along with that of Martha Stewart and many others, predated Frates’ involvement and had nothing to do with ALS. Rather, it came from a dare that was circulating among a group of pro athletes. Those who declined the ice bath were compelled to give $100 to charity of the challenger’s choice.

　　这个故事源头很不错，不过却未必准确。其实在皮特参与挑战之前，马特·劳尔、玛莎·斯图尔特和其他许多名人就已经参与了“冰桶挑战”，而且这项运动一开始与ALS毫无关系。实际上，这项活动本是职业运动员间的一个挑战游戏，拒绝倒冰桶的人必须向挑战者所选的慈善机构捐出100美元。

　　It’s hard to blame the ALS Association, then, for commandeering the bandwagon, or even for the bit of revisionist history in which the nonprofit credited Frates as its originator. Turning a pointless viral meme to noble ends can only be a good thing.

　　ALS协会利用了这股风潮，甚至将皮特树立为活动发起人，这虽然有些“历史修正主义”，不过人们也不好怪罪，毕竟将无意义的挑战变成一项高尚活动无疑是一件好事。

　　And the campaign is clearly working: The ALS Association told Fox Boston that it has raised $1.35 million in the past two weeks. It raised just $22,000 in the same period last year.

　　活动的成效也显而易见：ALS协会向Fox Boston透露，其在过去两周内已募集到135万美元，而去年同期，协会只募集到2万2千美元。

　　Yet it’s hard to shake the feeling that, for most of the people posting ice bucket videos of themselves on Facebook, Vine, and Instagram, the charity part remains a postscript. Remember, the way the challenge is set up, the ice-drenching is the alternative to contributing actual money. Some of the people issuing the challenges have tweaked the rules by asking people to contribute $10 even if they do soak themselves. Even so, a lot of the participants are probably spending more money on bagged ice than on ALS research.

　　不过我仍然感觉，对于大多数在Facebook、Vine和Instagram上上传冰桶挑战视频的人，慈善只是附带的。还记得吗，挑战最初的规则是要么淋冰水，要么捐钱。一些参与挑战的人后来更改了规则，要求参与者即使浇了冰水还要捐10美元出来。况且相比为ALS捐出的钱，很多参与者大概花在买冰上的钱更多。

　　As for “raising awareness,” few of the videos I’ve seen contain any substantive information about the disease, why the money is needed, or how it will be used. More than anything else, the ice bucket videos feel like an exercise in raising awareness of one’s own zaniness, altruism, and/or attractiveness in a wet T-shirt.

　　至于“提高人们对这一疾病的关注”，我看到的视频中很少有提及这一疾病的实质内容，捐款原因或是善款用途。相比之下，冰桶挑战视频更像是在彰显人们自己的愚蠢、利他主义和对湿T恤的喜爱。

　　That’s why I’m proposing what is sure to be an unpopular alternative to the #icebucketchallenge. It’s called the no ice bucket challenge, and it works like this:

　　因此，我要在此提倡另一种不受欢迎的“冰桶挑战”，叫“无冰桶挑战”，规则是这样的：

　　* Do not fetch a bucket, fill it with ice, or dump it on your head.

　　不要拿一个装满冰的桶，把冰倒在头上。

　　* Do not film yourself or post anything on social media.

　　不要把你自己拍下来，或在社交网站上发布任何东西。

　　* Just donate the damn money, whether to the ALS Association or to some other charity of your choice. And if it’s an organization you really believe in, feel free to politely encourage your friends and family to do the same.

　　就把钱给捐了！捐给ALS协会也行，其他慈善机构也行，只要你信任这个机构。礼貌地鼓励你的朋友和家人也加入进来。

　　Congratulations! Not only have you contributed to a good cause, but you’ve done your part for the environment by conserving the energy and fresh water required to make and transport large bags of ice.

　　恭喜你！这样，你不仅做了一桩善事，而且你还节省了用来制冰和运送冰袋的能源和淡水，为环保事业做出了贡献。

　　Be warned, though, the #noicebucketchallenge is not for the faint of heart. It requires real fortitude to give away your hard-earned cash without the promise of receiving piles of Facebook likes in return.

　　请注意！“无冰桶挑战”可不是胆小鬼的游戏。它不仅需要你捐出辛苦挣来的钞票，而且你还不能在Facebook上收获大把的“赞”。