評論
打印
Now, it is the position, generally speaking, of our intellectual community that while we may not like this,
普遍來說，我們的學術界是這樣想的，雖然我們不喜歡這樣
we might think of this as "wrong" in Boston or Palo Alto,
我們覺得這樣是錯誤的，在波士頓或帕羅奧多
who are we to say that the proud denizens of an ancient culture
但我們怎么能說這些古老文化的驕傲后裔
are wrong to force their wives and daughters to live in cloth bags?
不應該強迫它們的妻子和女兒住在衣袋里？
And who are we to say, even, that they're wrong to beat them with lengths of steel cable,
我們怎么能說，他們是錯誤的，當他們用鋼索痛打她們
or throw battery acid in their faces if they decline the privilege of being smothered in this way?
或是把強酸潑到她們臉上，如果她們拒絕被這樣對待？
Well, who are we not to say this?
我們憑什么可以這樣說呢？
Who are we to pretend that we know so little about human well-being
我們怎么可以裝作我們完全不了解人類的幸福
that we have to be non-judgmental about a practice like this?
或是我們應該對此類行為保持中立？
I'm not talking about voluntary wearing of a veil
我不是在說那些自發性的蒙頭
women should be able to wear whatever they want, as far as I'm concerned.
我認為女人應該想穿什么就穿什么
But what does voluntary mean in a community where, when a girl gets raped, her father's first impulse,
但自發性是什么意思？在一個女孩被強暴，他的父親的第一個反應往往是謀殺她以免羞愧
rather often, is to murder her out of shame?
的這種社會，自發性是什么意思？
Just let that fact detonate in your brain for a minute:
讓這些事實在你腦中轉一轉：
Your daughter gets raped, and what you want to do is kill her.
你的女兒被強暴了，你的反應竟然是殺掉她
What are the chances that represents a peak of human flourishing?
請問你真的覺得這應該是人類幸福的一個可能嗎？
