loving and hating new york 课文和翻译之欧阳化创编.docx

loving and hating new york 课文和翻译之欧阳化创编.docx

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lovingandhatingnewyork课文和翻译之欧阳化创编

LovingandHatingNewYork

时间：

2021.02.12

创作人：

欧阳化

ThomasGriffith

1ThoseadcampaignscelebratingtheBigApple,thoseT-shirtswithaheartdesignproclaiming“IloveNewYork,”aresigns,patheticintheirdesperation,ofhowthemightyhasfallen.NewYorkCityusedtoleavethebraggingtoothers,forbraggingwas“bush”Beingunique,thebiggestandthebest,NewYorkdidn’thavetoasserthowspecialitwas.

2Itisn’tthetopanymore,atleastifthetopismeasuredbywhobegetsthestylesandsetsthetrends.NowadaysNewYorkisoutofphasewithAmericantasteasoftenasitisoutofstepwithAmericanpolitics.Onceitwasthenation’sundisputedfashionauthority,butittoolongresistedtheincomingcasualstyleandlostitsmonopoly.Nolongersolookeduptoorcopied,NewYorkevenpridesitselfonbeingaholdoutfromprevailingAmericantrends,aplacetoescapeCommonDenominatorLand.

3Itsdeficienciesasapacesetteraremoreandmoreevident.AdozenothercitieshavebuildingsmoreinspiredarchitecturallythananybuiltinNewYorkCityinthepasttwentyyears.ThegiantManhattantelevisionstudioswhereToscanini’sNBCSymphonyonceplayednowsitemptymostofthetime,whilesitcomsclonedandcannedinHollywood,andtheJohnnyCarsonshowlive,preempttheairwaysfromCalifornia.TinPanAlleyhasmovedtoNashvilleandHollywood.VegascasinosroutinelypayheavysumstosingersandentertainerswhomnonightspotinManhattancanaffordtohire.Insports,thebiggersuperdomes,themoreexcitingteams,themostenthusiasticfans,areoftenfoundelsewhere.

4NewYorkwasneveragoodconventioncity–beingregardedasunfriendly,unsafe,overcrowded,andexpensive–butitismakingsomethingofacomebackasatouristattraction.Evenso,mostAmericanswouldprobablyrateNewOrleans,SanFrancisco,Washington,orDisneylandhigher.Adozenothercities,includingmyhometownofSeattle,arewidelyconsideredbettercitiestolivein.

5Why,then,domanyEuropeanscallNewYorktheirfavoritecity?

TheytakemorereadilythandomostAmericanstoitscosmopolitancomplexities,itssurviving,aloof,Europeanstandards,itsalienmixtures.PerhapssomeoftheseEuropeansarereassuredbythesight,onthetwinfashionavenuesofMadisonandFifth,ofallthosefamiliarinternationalnames–thejewelers,shoestores,anddesignershopsthatexisttoflatterandbilkthefrivolousrich.Butno;whatmostexcitesEuropeansisthecity’scharged,nervousatmosphere,itsvulgardynamism.

6NewYorkisaboutenergy,contention,andstriving.Andsinceitcontainsitsshareofarticulatelosers,itisalsoaboutmockery,theput-down,theloser’sshrug（“whaddyagonnado?

”）.Itisaboutconstantbattlesforsubwayseats,foracabdriver’soraclerk’sorawaiter’sattention,forafoothold,achance,abetteraddress,alargerbilling.TowininNewYorkistobeuneasy;toloseistoliveinjostlingproximitytothefrustratedmajority.

7NewYorkwasneverMeccatome.AndthoughIhavelivedtheremorethanhalfmylife,youwon’tfindmewearingan“ILoveNewYork”T-shirt.Butallinall,Ican’,tthinkofmanyplacesintheworldI’dratherli,ve.It’,snoteasytodefinewhy.

8Nature’spleasuresaremuchqualifiedinN,ewYork,.Youneverseeastar-filledsky;thecity’sbrightglowarrogantlyobscurestheheavens.Sunsetscanbespectacular:

orangesandredstintingtheskyovertheJerseymeadowsandgaudilyreflectedinathousandwindowsonManhattan’sjaggedskyline.NatureconstantlyyieldstomaninNewYork:

witnessthosefragilesidewalktreesgamelystrugglingagainstencroachingcementandpetrolfumes.CentralPark,whichFrederickLawOlmsteddesignedaslungsforthecity’spoor,isinplacesgrasslessandfilledwithtrash,nolongerpristineyetlivelywiththenoiseandvivacityofpeople,largelyyouths,blacks,andPuertoRicans,enjoyingthemselves.Onparkbenchessitolderpeople,mostlywhite,lookingdisplaced.Ithasbecomelessatranquilparkthananuntidycarnival.

9Nottheglamourofthecity,whichneverbeckonedtomefromadistance,butitsopportunity–topracticethekindofjournalismIwanted–drewmetoNewYork.Iwasn’tevensurehowI’dmeasureupagainstotherswhohadbeenmoresoundlyeducatedatIvyLeagueschools,orwhetherIcouldcompeteagainstthattoughlocalbreed,thoseintellectualsonsofimmigrants,sohighlymotivatedandsingle-minded,suchasAlfredKazin,whofordiversion（forheaven’tsake!

）playedBach’sUnaccompaniedPartitasontheviolin.

10Atestingofoneself,afearofgivingintothemostbanalandmarketableofone’stalents,stilldrawsmanyoftheyoungtoNewYork.Thatand,asalways,thecompanyofothersfleeingsomethingconstrictingwheretheycamefrom.Togethertheseyoungshareafreedom,acommunityofinexpensiveamusements,acasualliving,andsomeroughtimes.Itcan’tbethelivingconditionsthatappeal,foronlyfondmemorywillforgivetheinconvenience,risk,andsqualor.CommercialBroadwaymaybeinaccessibletothem,butthereisoff-Broadway,andthenoff-off-Broadway.IfpaintersdisdainMadisonAvenue’splushartgalleries,MadisonAvenuedealerssetupshopinthegrubbyprecinctsofSoho.Butthepurityofabohemiandedicationcanbeexaggerated.TheartisticyounginhabitthesameGreenwichVillageanditsfringesinwhichtheexperimentalistsintheartslivedduringtheDepression,unitedbyaworldagainstthem.Butthepresentgenerationisenoughofasubculturetobeasourceofprofitableboutiquesandcoffeehouses.Anditisnotallthatestranged.

11ManhattanisanislandcutoffinmostrespectsfrommainlandAmerica,butintwoareasitremainsdominant.ItisthebankingandthecommunicationsheadquartersforAmerica.Inboththeserolesitratifiesmorethanitcreates.WallStreetwilladvancethemillionstomakeaHollywoodmovieonlyifconvincedthatabestsellingtitleorastarnamewillensureitssuccess.Thenetworks’newscentersarehere,andthelargestbookpublishers,andthebiggestmagazines–andthereforethelargestbodyofcriticstoappraisethefilms,theplays,themusic,thebooksthatothershavecreated.NewYorkisajudgingtown,andofteninvokesstandardsthattherestofthecountrydeploresorignores.AmarketforknowingnessexistsinNewYorkthatdoesn’texistforknowledge.

12Theadagenciesareallheretoo,testingthemarketsanddevisingthecatchyjinglesthatwillmovemillionsfromMcDonald’stoBurgerking,sothattheadagency’s“creativedirector”canlunchinsteadinManhattan’sexpense-accountFrenchrestaurants.Thebankersandtheadmen.Themarketingspecialistsandathousandwell-paidancillaryservicepeople,reallysetthecity’sbrittletone—cateringtoawideAmericanpublicwhosenumbersmustberespectedbutwhosetastesdonothavetoshared.Thecondescendingviewfromthefiftiethfloorofthecity’scrowdsbelowcutsthesepeopleofffromhumanity.Sodoesanattitudewhichseesthepubliconlyintermsoflarge,malleablenumbers—asimpersonallyasdoestheclatteringsubwayturnstilebeneaththeofficetowers.

13Iamsurprisedbythelackofcynicism,particularlyamongtheyoungerones,ofthosewhoworkinsuchfields.Thetelevisiongenerationgrewupintheinsistentpresenceofhype,delightsinmuchofit,andhasnoscruplesaboutpracticingit.Menandwomandotheirjobsprofessionally,and,likethepilotswhofromgreatheightsbombedHanoi,seemunmarkedbyit.Theyleadtheirrealliveselsewhere,intheVillagebarstheyareindistinguishableindressorbehaviorfromwould-beartists,actors,andwriters.Theboundariesof“artforart’ssake”aren’tsorigidanymore;artitselfislesssharplydefined,andthosewhosepaintingsdon’tselldoillustrations;thosewhocan’getactingjobsdocommercials;thosewhoarewritingambitiousnovelssustainthemselvesonthemagazines.Besides,seriousartoftenfeedsinthepopularthesedays,changingitwithfondirony.

14Intimethenewcomersfindorfromtheirwonworlds;Manhattenismanysuchwords,huddledtogetherbutrarelyinteraction.Ithinkthisiswhatgivesthecityitssenseoffreedom.Thereareenoughlikeyou,whateveryouare.Anditisn’tasnecessarytoknowanythingaboutanapartmentneighbor-ortoworryabouthisjudgmentofyou-asitisaboutsomeonewithanadjoiningyard.InNewYork,likeseekslike,andbyeconomyofeffortexcludestherestasstranger.Thisdistancing,thisuncaringinordinaryencounters,hasanotherside:

innootherAmericancitycanthelonelybeaslonely.

15Somuchmoreneedstobesaid.NewYourisawoundedcity,declininginitsamenities.Overloadedbyitstaxburdens.Butitisnotdyingcity;thestreetsaresaferthantheywerefiveyearsage;Broadway,whichseemedtobesuccumbingtothetawdrinessofitsenvironment,isastiragain.

16Thetrash-strewnstreets,theunrulyschools,theuneasyfeelingormenace,thenoise,thebrusqueness-allconfirmoutsidersintheirconvictionthattheywouldn’tlivehereifyougavethemtheplace.YetshowaNewYorkerasplendidhomeinDallas,oraswimmingpoolandcabanainBeverlyHills,andhewillbeadmiringbutnotenvious.Somuchofwell-to-doAmericanowlivesantisepticallyinenclaves,tranquilandluxurious,thatshutouttheworld.Toostatic,theNewYorkerwouldsay.Tellhimaboutthevigorofyouroutdoorpleasures;hepreferstheunhealthyhassleandthevitalityofurbanlife.Heishopelesslyprovincial.TohimNewYork-despiteitsfaults,whichherwillimpatientlyconcede（“sowhatelseisnew?

”）—isthespoilerofallotherAmericancities.

17ItispossibleintwentyotherAmericancitiestovisitfirst-rat