金融时报:开纳粹的玩笑有什么问题？

开纳粹的玩笑有什么问题？

英国明星厨师Paul Hollywood近日不得不作出公开道歉，只因他14年前穿着纳粹制服参加化装舞会的一张照片遭到曝光。但事实上，Hollywood的行为并非刻意冒犯纳粹的受害者，也并没有支持任何纳粹行为，我们有必要对这样一个无伤大雅的滑稽玩笑如此敏感吗？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

strut[strʌt] v. 趾高气扬地走

slapstick['slæpstɪk] n. 打闹剧

flak [flæk] n. 高射炮，抨击

peril['perəl] n. 危险，冒险

herd[hɜːd] vt. 群集，使…成群

instill [ɪn'stɪl] v. 滴注，逐渐灌输

engender[ɪn'dʒendə(r)] v. 产生, 引起

malign[mə'laɪn] adj. 有害的，恶性的

punchline['pʌntʃlaɪn] n. 妙语

Is it ever OK to joke about the Nazis?(671 words)

By Robert Shrimsley

Poor Paul Hollywood, the TV baker, who this week felt forced to apologise for dressing up in a Nazi uniform for a fancy-dress party 14 years ago. It all seemed rather rough. After all, who among us has not at some time felt the urge to don jackboots or strut hilariously around the village pub?

Sadly, Hollywood’s hijinks came to light when someone gave the papers a snap of him from 2003 in full Nazi costume. His explanation — which no one has challenged — was that he and some friends were dressed as characters from the slapstick war comedy ’Allo ’Allo!. Since there is no previous evidence of any extremist sympathies, it seems reasonable to believe this was not a secret meeting of Bakers for Blitzkrieg. I was surprised, however. I’d have marked him down more as the japey fun-loving rugby-club type who would go dressed up as one of the lingerie-clad women.

The baker is not the first public persona to face flak over a fondness for Wehrmacht-wear. Most notably, Prince Harry suffered for a similar stunt but, as a royal, he is held to higher standards than the host of Bake Off. Unfortunately, the modern Mr Pastry was not a celebrity in 2003 and so had yet to read the chapter on the perils of the Luftwaffe look.

But it does raise an interesting question. Can we joke about Nazis? Clearly, at one level the answer is easy. There is nothing funny about what the Nazis did or believed. I have known Holocaust survivors who felt strongly that Nazis were so evil that they should not be reduced to figures of fun. These uniforms might be the last thing a victim saw as they were herded into the gas chambers. For those with this view, wearing a Nazi uniform even in jest is to diminish the crimes and disrespect the victims. It is to normalise Nazism and humanise the inhuman. In Germany, of course, Hollywood would be up on criminal charges.

This argument is clearly powerful. For me, however, the real issue when censuring celebs or others is one of intent. The decisive factor is whether the costume is meant to give offence or signify approval. Wittingly or not, our feted baker was taking on the valuable work of helping to make Nazis look ridiculous. Real Nazis, after all, were about blood and thunder, not croissants and buttercream.

The strutting iconography of the Nazi regime was designed to instil awe and terror. This is a key part of its appeal to society’s losers. Walking to work, I often pass a man stripped to the waist to reveal impressive muscles and a huge swastika tattoo and walking two pit bulls. He patently enjoys the anxiety he engenders. Now, as then, Nazism’s appeal is to social inadequates trying to feel like big men.

That is why it is so important to make Nazis figures of ridicule and mockery, to revel in Basil Fawlty’s silly walks, Smith and Jones’ Nazi generals and Mitchell and Webb’s SS officers - not that fancy dress is in quite the same league of humour, of course.

This is not to diminish the crimes of the real Nazis but to send a message to their modern-day admirers. For me - while one does need to be sensitive to where you are planning to make the joke - the mockery does not diminish the crimes, just the criminals.

For some, these arguments will not do. Even if no malign motive exists, they see this behaviour as insensitive. It is, they contend, something a considerate, decent person would not do and so we should think less of anyone who does.

I doubt the Pieman thought about it that deeply. He probably just saw it as a piece of fun. But such disregard is the final insult to that lethal creed. To place Nazis beyond ridicule is to afford them a victory in history. At a time when similar ideologies are enjoying a renaissance, reducing them to a costume-party punchline may be a good way to diminish their appeal.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Why does Paul Hollywood make a public apology this week?

A. Because he extolled the Nazi regime and denied the Holocaust.

B. Because he baked a cake decorated with an image of Adolf Hitler.

C. Because he dressed up in a Nazi uniform on a television programme.

D. Because he was found dressing up in a Nazi uniform 14 years ago.

答案(1)

2.The public is satisfied with Hollywood's explanation because ____.

A. there is no previous evidence of a secret meeting of Bakers for Blitzkrieg.

B. there is no previous evidence of him showing any sympathies to extremist.

C. he is not the first public persona to face flak over a fondness for Nazi uniform.

D. people believe a baker is held to lower moral standard than other public figures.

答案(2)

3.The author believes Hollywood's Wehrmacht-wear forgivable because ____.

A. he helped to make Nazis look ridiculous and meant no disrespect to the victims.

B. wearing a Nazi uniform in jest is to diminish the crimes of the real Nazis.

C. he sent a message to Nazis' admirers that the fondness for Nazis is deplorable.

D. decent person would not see wearing a Nazi uniform as a insensitive behaviour.

答案(3)

4.The author of the passage would be most likely to approve of which of the following?

A. It is reasonable for modern people to find what Nazis did or believed funny.

B. Wearing a Nazi uniform is to diminish the crimes and disrespect the victims.

C. Nazism appeals to society’s losers because it creates the sense of awe and terror.

D. Making fun of Nazi uniform is to normalise Nazism and humanise the inhuman.

答案(4)

* * *

(1) 答案：A.Because he was found dressing up in a Nazi uniform 14 years ago.

解释：可怜的电视烘焙明星Paul Hollywood，本周他不得不为14年前穿着纳粹制服参加化装舞会而道歉。

(2) 答案：B.there is no previous evidence of him showing any sympathies to extremist.

解释：人们很容易就接受了Hollywood的解释，因为他从未对极端主义思想表现过任何同情。

(3) 答案：A.he helped to make Nazis look ridiculous and meant no disrespect to the victims.

解释：判断此类事件的最关键因素是，他的制服是否是故意冒犯他人或支持纳粹主义。但我们的厨师只是让纳粹看起来更加荒唐了。

(4) 答案：C.Nazism appeals to society’s losers because it creates the sense of awe and terror.

解释：作者认为纳粹主义之所以能吸引社会底层，是因为纳粹政权给人们灌输了威严和恐惧，它让地位低微的人也觉得自己伟大。