PBS高端访谈:叙利亚男孩在空袭中死里逃生的照片触动全球

 　　HARI SREENIVASAN: It's hard not to be moved by images like that, but some pictures capture the world's attention more than others.

　　We begin with an image that emerged last night from the frantic¹ attempts to rescue people caught in the aftermath of air strikes. And again, another warning: some images in this story may disturb some viewers.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Airstrikes are Aleppo's terrible routine. This one hit an apartment a building in the city's rebel-held area. Amateur video captured the frantic scramble² to save lives amid horror.

　　Then, a boy, pulled from the rubble³, sits in an ambulance. He's dazed, bloodied⁴, covered in dust. He wipes his face. His name: Omran Daqneesh. Age five. He survived without major injuries. So did his parents and three young siblings⁵.

　　Almost immediately, his image swept across social media worldwide, making Omran the latest symbol of heartbreak in the now-five year old conflict.

　　But do such images spark action? If so, when? And how?

　　Last year, as the refugee crisis swelled⁶, one photo came to embody⁷ the tragedy. A drowned, three-year-old Syrian boy, pictured lying face down on a Turkish beach. It galvanized European leaders to review how they take in refugees and asylum-seekers.

　　Other instances had less impact. In 2012, a documentary about Ugandan war-lord Joseph Kony went viral. It detailed⁸ the brutal⁹ tactics of his "Lord's Resistance Army," and the group's use of child soldiers. With the hashtags "Kony 2012" and "Stop Kony," it sparked global calls for his arrest. But four years later, Kony reportedly remains¹⁰ at large.

　　And in April 2014, the Islamist group Boko Haram seized more than 270 girls from their school in northeast Nigeria. It led to the "Bring Back Our Girls" campaign, repeated and circulated by prominent figures like first lady Michelle Obama.

　　But this week, new video from Boko Haram surfaced showing dozens of the girls still in captivity¹¹, more than two years later.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: We take a closer look at the power of these images with Anne Barnard, "The New York Times" Beirut bureau chief, and Susan Moeller, she is a professor in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism¹² at the University of Maryland. She's also author of "Compassion¹³ Fatigue¹⁴: How the Media Sell Disease, Famine, War and Death."

　　Anne, I want to start with you. Every day on social media, there are more graphic¹⁵, more violent pictures of little children than this. What is it about this image of the little Omran that connected?

　　叙利亚男孩在空袭中死里逃生的照片触动全球

　　ANNE BARNARD, The New York Times: Well, you know, speaking for myself, I see pictures that are literally¹⁶ gruesome beyond belief, that are hard to process mentally, and they are painful and compelling in one way. But this picture resonated in some ways because it's easier to connect to, it's a child in distress¹⁷. So many of the — it's almost ineffortable to explain why but some of the gestures he made could easily remind you of a child you've known. Some of the — you know, his clothing, he was wearing a shirt with a Nickelodeon character on it.

　　I think it's like with Alan Kurdi, who's body was — he was dead but his body was intact and it reminded people, you know, of a child sleeping on a beach. And I think in a way that's more shareable in a social media age than a really gruesome picture of death.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Susan, why did this picture pop? Why did it get around the world in 20 seconds?

　　SUSAN MOELLER, International Center for Media and the Public Agenda: I think one of the reasons is because the child is looking at us. But with a blank stare, where often we see on the news and we see in relief aid agency comment that, you know, help this child, and the child is looking at us, and it almost seems like the child is asking us to do something.

　　And Omran was also that same pleading character.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: So, Anne, what impacts do these images have the potential to yield?

　　ANNE BARNARD: Well, you know, that's a mixed bag. We can certainly think of examples in history like the famous picture of the girl burned by napalm by the U.S. military in Vietnam, that arguably changed public opinion and maybe moved policy ultimately.

　　I think, on the other hand, many images go viral or touch people for a moment and then people move on.

　　So, I think, certainly, among Syrians on all sides of the conflict, there is an increasing mix of anger that comes up when people express sympathy about an image like this because it's, like, well, really? You only just notice now that this is happening after five years? And it happened enough times without anything changing that people's expectations are really low.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Susan, is it a potential for a government policy shift or people moved on a certain level?

　　SUSAN MOELLER: As Anne suggests that normally government policy doesn't shift with images. There may be rhetoric¹⁸, there may be a press conference held, there maybe sympathy expressed, but you don't typically get change. What you do get is attention, and with enough attention, then you may get reaction that has an effect.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Anne, are people motivated to take action? Are there cases where it might not be a government policy shift but individuals mobilize to such an extent that there is impactful change?

　　ANNE BARNARD: Well, I certainly have had many people ask me, how can I help people like this? What organizations are doing work that can help civilians¹⁹ caught in this conflict?

　　Other advocacy groups are jumping on this to say, well, this is — enough is enough, it's time to take more robust²⁰ action to stop these air strikes by the Russians and the Syrian government. Others are, you know, saying, well, there is not an easy answer. Some people don't find this a reason to change U.S. policy.

　　So, it depends on the person. Some reactions are political, some are more humanitarian²¹, but I do think a lot of people felt it like a punch in the gut²², even I did after all this time covering the conflict.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Susan, what are people left to do about it? Is writing a check the answer? I mean, there is a sense of helplessness when you see this image, too.

　　SUSAN MOELLER: Yes, I think Omran has become, you know, the current poster child for Syria for this moment in time, just like Alan Kurdi did a year ago, and we've had other small children do in years' past.

　　And I think a poster child does help us reach into our wallets, reach into our pockets, and give. I wrote a book called "Compassion Fatigue", and in that, I suggested that one of the reasons why people sometimes say enough is when they feel helpless, is when they feel like they can't make a difference. And I think, being able to figure out how to make a difference can be something that a photograph like Omran can do. In other words, identifying an aid agency.

　　Alan Kurdi, for example, in the 24 hours after that photograph appeared, just one refugee agency received almost a quarter million dollars. So, we can say that help is given that wouldn't have been given otherwise.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Anne, is there a correlation²³ between things that we can do at home, say a Confederate flag issue or an LGBT issue that people get fired up about versus²⁴ things overseas that might require the action of different governments and armies and tanks to move into places?

　　ANNE BARNARD: Well, I do think people find it a bit opaque²⁵ how they can affect foreign policy, especially nowadays in the era of just wars that are going on behind the scenes and with drones.

　　And I do think, however, that, you know, now that there is a more active protest movement going on in the United States, anything can happen. But again the issues are very complex and multi-sided. You know, people remember that the war in Iraq was a huge failure and they're wary²⁶ of the Middle East in general, they don't know much about it.

　　And I also think there is an element that we've seen, there is a fear of Muslims and an element of racism²⁷ and there is perhaps a conflation of innocent Muslim civilians with a fear of terrorism that is an obstacle to empathy for many people.

　　And so, pictures like this hopefully, whatever your political stripe remind you that we're talking about just ordinary human beings.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Anne Barnard of "The New York Times" joining us from Beirut, Susan Moeller of the University of Maryland — thanks for being here.

　　SUSAN MOELLER: Thank you.

1 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

2 scramble   

v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料

参考例句：

• He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
• It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

3 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

4 bloodied   

v.血污的( bloody的过去式和过去分词 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• His pants leg was torn and bloodied when he fell. 他跌交时裤腿破了，还染上了血。 来自辞典例句

5 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

6 swelled   

增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染，他的手肿了起来。
• After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后，河水猛涨。

7 embody   

vt.具体表达，使具体化；包含，收录

参考例句：

• The latest locomotives embody many new features. 这些最新的机车具有许多新的特色。
• Hemingway's characters plainly embody his own values and view of life.海明威笔下的角色明确反映出他自己的价值观与人生观。

8 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

9 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

12 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

13 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

14 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

15 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

16 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

17 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

18 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

19 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

20 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。

21 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

22 gut   

n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏

参考例句：

• It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
• My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。

23 correlation   

n.相互关系，相关，关连

参考例句：

• The second group of measurements had a high correlation with the first.第二组测量数据与第一组高度相关。
• A high correlation exists in America between education and economic position.教育和经济地位在美国有极密切的关系。

24 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

25 opaque   

adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的

参考例句：

• The windows are of opaque glass.这些窗户装着不透明玻璃。
• Their intentions remained opaque.他们的意图仍然令人费解。

26 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

27 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。