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But, politics can be abstract; it can be complicated; people are busy living.
問題是，政治有時抽象有時復(fù)雜，而人們僅僅是忙著生活就已自顧不暇。
Politics often benefits from scandal, from prominent misbehavior, from a dramatization of the discourse.
另一方面，政治往往要從丑聞，從顯眼的不當(dāng)行為與戲劇化的語言中汲取養(yǎng)分。
And this was what was so remarkable about 2019: because of the coming election in these populist times,
而2019年格外引人注目的地方在于：面對這個民粹主義時代下即將到來的這場選舉，
it was already a year potentially full of trouble for the plutocrats—
對于巨富階層——我喜歡叫他們“巨富”（為了節(jié)省篇幅，繼而節(jié)省紙張，由此節(jié)省樹木）——而言，
or plutes, as I like to call them (to save space and, thus, paper and, therefore, trees).
2019年已經(jīng)是危機(jī)四伏的一年。
But, almost as if to assist the cause, the plutes seemed this year to put on an extended exhibit of performance art
然而，仿佛他們也想為環(huán)保事業(yè)添磚加瓦，巨富們今年似乎格外努力地在踐行一門行為藝術(shù)，
whose plain, if unstated, thesis is that plutocracy is maybe a bad idea.
這一藝術(shù)秉承的思想其實很簡單，如果說大家對此都已經(jīng)心照不宣了的話，那就是，富豪統(tǒng)治或許并不是什么好主意。
Exhibit A: Early in the year, Amazon, run by one of the world's richest people, Jeff Bezos,
證據(jù)A：今年早些時候，全世界最大的富豪之一杰夫·貝佐斯創(chuàng)辦的亞馬遜宣布，
announced it was pulling out of its planned Hydra-like "second headquarters" in New York City.
亞馬遜將停止推進(jìn)在紐約市成立九頭蛇式的“第二總部”的計劃。
It seemed to come as a surprise to Bezos that in a city where a significant number of people struggle to keep up with rising costs and stagnant pay,
讓貝佐斯感到驚訝的是，在紐約這個相當(dāng)一部分人連適應(yīng)不斷上漲的物價和停滯不前的工資都覺得吃力的城市，
many weren't excited by the idea of the state and city giving his company a few billion dollars in tax breaks
州和市給予他公司的數(shù)十億美元的稅收減免優(yōu)惠分明是普通創(chuàng)業(yè)者不可企及的優(yōu)惠，
that wouldn't be available to a regular Joe starting a business.
并未引起很多人的興趣。
In the debate that erupted, the conventional wisdom that it is always better to attract jobs,
在接下來引發(fā)的辯論中，認(rèn)為吸引就業(yè)總是上上之舉——即便要給企業(yè)更具吸引力的激勵舉措——
even by offering companies major incentives, came to be questioned.
的傳統(tǒng)觀點開始受到質(zhì)疑。
Exhibit B: The college-bribery scandal.
證據(jù)B：大學(xué)招生舞弊丑聞。
Wealth and privilege are already great guarantors of securing a spot in a university.
如今，財富和特權(quán)已經(jīng)成為獲取大學(xué)通行證的重要保證。
What the scandal unearthed by federal prosecutors illustrated is that many very rich people are not satisfied with the general advantage of hyper privilege,
但聯(lián)邦檢察官所揭露的丑聞表明，不少大富大貴之人已經(jīng)不再滿足于超級特權(quán)這一已經(jīng)十分普遍的優(yōu)勢，
not even with the specific advantage of donations to universities that give you an edge but not a guarantee.
甚至不再滿足于校友捐贈所帶來的，不能為大學(xué)通行打包票的特定優(yōu)勢。
The ascendant critics of capitalism in American politics have called the system "rigged" for years.
多年來，美國政壇上日益響亮的資本主義批評之聲反復(fù)表示，資本主義體系已經(jīng)“被操控了”。
But here was a biopsy of the rigging.
然而，這一操控也存在著這樣一個切面。
The most revealing subplot of the college scandal was the arrest of Bill McGlashan.
比爾·麥格拉漢被捕一事成了大學(xué)招生賄賂風(fēng)波最能說明問題的小插曲。
Many others ensnared in the scheme had bolder-faced names, but McGlashan was significant
很多被此案牽連的人的名頭都比麥格拉漢響亮，但他舞弊之事格外重大，
because he had become a symbol of the hope, promoted by so many of the winners of our age,
原因在于我們這個時代的無數(shù)成功人士都揚言要帶領(lǐng)大家邁向更公平的社會，
that they would lead the charge toward a fairer society.
麥格拉漢已然成了這一希望的代表。
McGlashan, through the Rise Fund that he helped create and is managed by his private-equity firm, TPG Growth,
麥格拉漢，通過他幫助創(chuàng)立，現(xiàn)由他名下的私募股權(quán)公司TPG Growth管理的投資團(tuán)隊Rise Fund,
had helped popularize the growing field of "impact investing"—
幫助推廣了“影響力投資”——即投資不僅要以經(jīng)濟(jì)效益為追求，
in which a fund pursues not only economic returns but also the betterment of the world.
還要以讓世界的明天變得更加美好為追求——領(lǐng)域的不斷發(fā)展。
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