又中又英 | Interwoven | 褚簡寧

　　Many people believe sports and politics should be separate. It is a moral high ground worth taking but is a deeply debated issue with no consensus. The reality is that sports and politics are too interwoven to be separated. The moral high ground means behaving in an honest and ethical way compared with others. The word “interwoven” means two or more parts twisted or linked together to form a whole part that cannot be easily separated. National anthems are played at international sporting events, such as the Olympics, when winners receive their medal.

　　Winning athletes wrap their country’s flag around their shoulders in a politicized way. FIFA withdrew a red card from an American player during the recent World Cup after US President Donald Trump called FIFA’s president. It was a clear example of politics in sports. Should movies be separated from politics? That is another hotly debated issue. It is a fact that movies and politics are intertwined. The word “intertwined” means the same as “interwoven”. Some winners make political speeches when they receive their Oscars.

　　The new movie The Odyssey is a big hit, but some American political commentators have criticized the director for using a Black actress to play Helen of Troy. These critics are dumb as a rock, which means stupid or unintelligent. Helen, described as the world’s most beautiful woman in Greek mythology dating back many centuries, is not a real person. Ancient Greeks classified people by culture and region, not by skin colour. Directors should have the freedom to choose whoever they want for people who are not real. A White and a Black actor have played Captain America because he is not real.

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　　許多人認為，體育運動跟政治應該分開。這是個值得採取的道德高地（moral high ground），但卻是個會被深入探討而未有共識的議題。現實是，運動跟政治是那麼密不可分（interwoven）以至難以分隔開來。The moral high ground是指比別人表現得更誠實和道德高尚。Interwoven是指兩個或更多的部分交織或連成了一片，以至不能輕易分開。在國際競技活動，例如奧運的會場上，當勝出比賽的運動員獲頒獎牌時，就會奏起國歌。

　　勝出的運動員在肩上披上他們自己的國旗，富有政治色彩。在最近的世界盃，當美國總統特朗普打過電話給國際足協主席後，國際足協就收回一個美國球員的紅牌。這是政治存在於運動之中的明確例子。電影又應否與政治分隔開來？那是另一個備受爭議的議題。電影與政治密不可分（intertwined）是事實。Intertwined跟Interwoven的意思一樣。一些奧斯卡得獎者領獎時，會在台上發表政治宣言。

　　新上畫的電影《奧德賽》大受歡迎，但一些美國政治評論員批評導演起用黑人女演員出演特洛伊的海倫。這些批評者是 dumb as a rock，意即笨得像石頭、愚蠢至極。在始於許多世紀以前的希臘神話中，被形容為世上最美麗女人的海倫，並非真實存在的人。古希臘人用文化和地域，而非膚色，去將人分類。導演理應有自由選取任何他們覺得合適的人，去出演並非真人的角色。美國隊長就有白人和黑人演員出演過，因為這個角色並非真實存在。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻