又中又英 | Interwoven | 褚简宁

　　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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　　许多人认为，体育运动跟政治应该分开。这是个值得采取的道德高地（moral high ground），但却是个会被深入探讨而未有共识的议题。现实是，运动跟政治是那么密不可分（interwoven）以至难以分隔开来。The moral high ground是指比别人表现得更诚实和道德高尚。Interwoven是指两个或更多的部分交织或连成了一片，以至不能轻易分开。在国际竞技活动，例如奥运的会场上，当胜出比赛的运动员获颁奖牌时，就会奏起国歌。

　　胜出的运动员在肩上披上他们自己的国旗，富有政治色彩。在最近的世界杯，当美国总统特朗普打过电话给国际足协主席后，国际足协就收回一个美国球员的红牌。这是政治存在于运动之中的明确例子。电影又应否与政治分隔开来？那是另一个备受争议的议题。电影与政治密不可分（intertwined）是事实。Intertwined跟Interwoven的意思一样。一些奥斯卡得奖者领奖时，会在台上发表政治宣言。

　　新上画的电影《奥德赛》大受欢迎，但一些美国政治评论员批评导演起用黑人女演员出演特洛伊的海伦。这些批评者是 dumb as a rock，意即笨得像石头、愚蠢至极。在始于许多世纪以前的希腊神话中，被形容为世上最美丽女人的海伦，并非真实存在的人。古希腊人用文化和地域，而非肤色，去将人分类。导演理应有自由选取任何他们觉得合适的人，去出演并非真人的角色。美国队长就有白人和黑人演员出演过，因为这个角色并非真实存在。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻