雙語閱讀：世界上著名的快閃行動
快閃行動”，又譯“聰明暴民”、“暴民”、“快閃暴走族”、“快閃族”、“聰明行動幫”等等。是新近在國際流行開的一種嬉皮行爲，可視爲一種短暫的行爲藝術。
On August 5th, 2007, a small group of young people gathered at the Hongqi Street in city Changchun, Jilin Province, China. These young people, in matching clothes, and each holding a guitar, stood in line and began to sing a pop song. And suddenly, they dispersed1).
This was the first case of the globally renowned "Flash Mob" landing in Changchun, China. Fourteen participants staged their event in three downtown areas of the city, puzzling a lot of passers-by in the process.
Is it performance art? The cutting edge of a new social movement? Or just the ultimate surprise Party?
2007年8月5日,一小羣年輕人聚集在中國吉林省長春市的紅旗街。這些年輕人穿着統一的服裝,每人揹着一把吉他,站成一排開始演唱一首流行歌曲。然後很突然地,他們就四散離開了。
這是風靡全球的“快閃行動”首次登陸中國長春。14名參與者在該市的三處繁華路段開展了活動,使得這期間路過的許多行人一頭霧水。
這是一種行爲藝術?是一項最前沿的新社會運動?抑或只是一場終極的驚喜派對?
關於快閃行動
A relatively new phenomenon, a flash mob is a spontaneous2) gathering of people who assemble in a predetermined3) location, perform an action, and then disperse. Participants network4) through email, bulletin boards, and social networking sites, including Facebook, Myspace, private blogs, public forums, personal websites, as well as by word of mouth and text messaging, and generally assemble silently and without comment before vanishing equally mysteriously.
The general purpose of a flash mob is to create a light-hearted gathering of people to intrigue5) and mystify6) bystanders. Yan Hao, a college student, was one of the 14 team members who took part in the Changchun Flash Mob. "I love fresh ideas," said the young man. "And I have been longing to take part in the 'Flash Mob'." Unlike Yan, some other members took the activity as a way to release pressure. "We don't know each other. Who cares who you are and what you're doing?"
快閃行動是一種相對而言比較新的現象,一羣人自發聚集到某個事先約定好的地點,做出一個舉動,然後迅速四散離開。參與者在網絡上通過電子郵件、公告板和Facebook、Myspace等社交網站、私人博客、公共論壇、個人網站,以及口口相傳、手機短信等形式相互徵求意見。通常情況下,他們都會悄無聲息地聚集,然後在同樣神祕消失前不發表隻字片語。
快閃行動的一般目的是組織一個輕鬆的聚會,激起旁觀者的好奇心,讓他們感到困惑不解。大學生閆昊(音譯)是參與長春快閃行動的14名成員之一。“我喜歡新鮮的主意,”這位年輕人說。“我一直希望參加‘快閃行動’。”與閆昊不同,其他一些成員則將這項活動視爲宣泄自身壓力的一種途徑。“我們互不認識。誰關心你是誰,你在做什麼?”
第一次快閃行動
The first flash mob was organized in Manhattan, New York, US, in May 2003 by Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper's Magazine7). But this first event, like many, was unsuccessful.
The first successful flash mob was assembled on June 3, 2003 at New York's Macy's department store. More than one hundred people converged8) on the ninth floor rug9) department of Macy's department store, gathering around one particularly expensive rug. Anyone approached by a sales assistant said that they lived together in a warehouse on the outskirts of New York, that they were shopping for a Love Rug and that they made all purchase decisions as a group. You could imagine how the store's sales assistants were puzzled by these people!
2003年5月,《哈潑氏》雜誌資深編輯比爾·瓦西克在美國紐約曼哈頓組織了第一次快閃行動。但是和許多活動的第一次一樣,這次活動並沒有成功。
2003年6月3日,第一次成功的快閃行動在紐約的梅西百貨公司上演。一百多人聚集在梅西百貨公司九層的地毯專櫃,圍在一塊無比昂貴的地毯旁。若被銷售助理問起,他們每個人都會說,他們一起居住在紐約市郊的一個倉庫裏,正在選購一塊“愛的地毯”,而且他們所有的購買行爲都是集體決定的。你可以想象店裏的銷售助理被這些人搞得多麼迷惑不解!
世界上著名的快閃行動
★Silent Disco
A well known flash mob was the April 2006 Silent Disco in London. At various underground stations around London, people gathered with their portable music devices and at a set time all started dancing to their music. At the time this was by far the largest flash mob gathering by a considerable amount. It was reported that at Victoria Station more than 4,000 people were in attendance. This impacted the regular service of the London underground system enough for the city's police to begin crowd control and slowly clear people.
★Worldwide Pillow Fight Day
Worldwide Pillow Fight Day (or International Pillow Fight Day) was a pillow fight flash mob that took place on March 22, 2008. Over 25 cities around the globe participated in the first international flash mob, which was the world's largest flash mob to date. According to The Wall Street Journal, over 5,000 participated in New York City, overtaking London's 2006 Silent Disco gathering as the largest recorded flash mob.
★The London Underground Tube Party
In response to a ban on drinking alcohol on the London Underground, citizens in the city organized a final Tube party on 31 May 2008, the night before the ban took effect. The party took place primarily on the Circle line, with smaller events taking place along the system. Although there are no definite figures on the turnout10), experts say there were thousands of Londoners in attendance.
★The Mp3 Experiment
In this flash mob, participants downloaded musical tracks before attending the event, and spontaneously broke into dance, following instructions embedded11) in the tracks.
The Mp3 Experiment has become an annual event. The original one took place indoors at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre12) in 2004. The audience watched a projected countdown clock and then all pressed play together. A few minutes later, the seats were empty as the entire crowd was dancing on the stage. Participants blew bubbles, hit balloons in the air, and hugged each other before being led by Santa Clause out the theatre and down the street to a nearby bar.
★The No Pants Subway Ride
The No Pants Subway Ride is annual event staged every January in New York City. The first ride began in 2002, which included 7 participants, all male. One participant entered the train pantless for 7 consecutive stops. They pretended not to notice each other, and if asked, they claimed that they "just forgot" their pants. On the 8th stop, someone came through with a duffle bag13) selling pants for $1.
This year, the eighth annual No Pants ride had 1,200 participants in New York and 1,000 more in 21 other cities across the globe.
★Frozen in Shanghai
On March 8, 2008, an assembly of people gathered on Nanjing Road to "freeze in place14) at the same time."
Although it was raining a little and many couldn't make it on time, the event was a great success in terms of how Chinese and foreign passers-by immediately joined in. In a matter of seconds, pedestrians15) stopped to take pictures, film, and comment on the crowd of 50-or-so people that had turned into "stone" in various positions. The group performed the "freeze" twice, once at 3 and then at 3:20 to allow late-comers to join in.
★無聲迪斯科
2006年4月發生在倫敦的“無聲迪斯科”是一次廣爲人知的快閃行動。在倫敦多個地鐵站內,人們帶着便攜式音樂裝置聚集在一起,在一個設定好的時刻,所有人都開始隨着音樂跳舞。這次活動的參與者人數之多,使其成了當時規模最大的一次快閃聚會。據報道,在維多利亞站就有超過4000人蔘與到了活動當中。這次活動給倫敦地鐵系統的正常運作造成了衝擊,倫敦市警方不得不進行人流控制,慢慢地疏散人羣。
★世界枕頭大戰日
“世界枕頭大戰日”(或“國際枕頭大戰日”)是於2008年3月22日進行的一次枕頭大戰快閃行動。全球有超過25個城市參加了第一次國際快閃行動,這也是迄今爲止全球最大的一次快閃行動。據《華爾街日報》報道,紐約市有超過5000人蔘與了此次行動,該數目超過了倫敦2006年的“無聲迪斯科”快閃行動,並取而代之,成了有記載的規模最大的一次快閃行動。
★倫敦地鐵派對
爲了迴應倫敦地鐵頒佈的一項禁酒令,倫敦市民在2008年5月31日,即禁令生效的前一個晚上組織了一次最後的地鐵派對。派對主要在地鐵環線列車上舉行,在地鐵的其他路段也舉行了一些更小規模的活動。儘管當時聚集的具體人數無法確定,專家稱數以千計的倫敦市民參與了活動。
★Mp3實驗
在這一次快閃行動中,參加者在參與活動前先下載好音樂,然後根據已嵌入旋律中的提示,在同一時刻起舞。
“Mp3實驗”已經變成了每年一次的活動。2004年,第一次活動在正直的市民旅劇場內舉行。觀衆們看着一個投影的倒計時鐘,然後所有人同時按下播放鍵。幾分鐘後,所有的人全都在舞臺上跳舞,觀衆席上空無一人。參與者吹泡泡,擊打空中的氣球,互相擁抱,隨後在“聖誕老人”的帶領下離開劇場,沿着街道走去附近的一家酒吧。
★不穿褲子乘地鐵
“不穿褲子乘地鐵”是每年1月份在紐約市舉辦的一次活動。第一次活動開始於2002年,參與者有7個人,且全部都是男性。在此次活動中,連續7站,每站都會上來一個不穿褲子的參與者。他們假裝互相都沒有注意到彼此,如果有人問起,就說只是忘了穿褲子。到了第8站,有人上車揹着行李袋兜售褲子,1美元1條。
今年,第八屆年度“不穿褲子乘地鐵”活動在紐約有1200人蔘加,在全球其他21個城市有超過1000人蔘加。
★定格在上海
2008年3月8日,一羣人聚集在南京路“同一時間在原地定格”。
儘管天空下着小雨,很多人無法按時參加,但僅從路過的中外行人都立即加入其中就能說明這次活動取得了巨大的成功。僅幾秒鐘的工夫,行人紛紛停下腳步,對着這50多個以各種姿勢變成“石頭”的人開始拍照、錄像,並對他們加以評論。這羣人表演了兩次“定格”,第一次是在下午3點,第二次是在3點20分,以使後來的人也能參與進來。
Vocabulary
1. disperse [dIs5pE:s] vi. 分散;散開;散去
2. spontaneous [spCn5teInIEs] adj. (衝動、自然現象等)自發的;非出於強制的;非由外力誘發的
3. predetermine [7pri:dI5tE:mIn] vt. 預先決定,預先確定
4. network [5netwE:k] vt. <俚> 在同行之中徵求對(問題等)的意見
5. intrigue [In5tri:^] vt. 激起……的好奇心(或興趣);迷住
6. mystify [5mIstIfaI] vt. 把……難住,使困惑不解;使大爲驚奇
7. Harper's Magazine: 《哈潑氏》,美國主要英文雜誌
8. converge [kEn5vE:dV] vi. 聚集,集中
9. rug [rQ^] n. (鋪於室內部分地面上的)小地毯;毛皮地毯
10. turnout [5tE:naut] n. (爲特定目的)聚集的人羣;聚集人數
11. embed [Im5bed] vt. 把……嵌入(或放入、埋入、插入)
12. Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre: 正直的市民旅劇場,美國紐約市著名的喜劇劇場。規模不大,但以其劇場內上演的喜劇古怪且可笑而聞名。
13. duffle bag: = duffel bag,(圓筒狀的)行李袋;duffel [5dQfEl] adj. 粗厚起絨呢料制的
14. in place: 在合適的(或常處的、原來的、指定的)位置
15. pedestrian [pI5destrIEn] n. 步行者,行人
