又中又英 | Swatting | 褚简宁

　　It's summer, the season when insect activity increases. Insects are part of nature. I avoid killing them when they get into my apartment. I use various methods to safely put them back outdoors. There are only three types of insects I kill when they get into my home: cockroaches, flies, and mosquitoes. Cockroaches that fly make my skin crawl, which means they disgust or frighten me. I use insect spray to kill them when they get into my apartment. I stayed for many months in my younger brother's Manhattan apartment a few years ago when he was living in another US state.

　　A huge fly came in through the window. I did not have insect spray or a fly swatter and rushed out to buy insect spray. A fly swatter is a flat object with a long handle to kill flies. Swatting a fly requires sudden and quick action because flies immediately sense danger and fly away. The word "swatting" has another, very different, meaning. It means a dangerous type of criminal harassment when someone makes a fake emergency call to trick the police to raid the home of an innocent person. Pete Buttigieg, the transport secretary when Joe Biden was president, was a victim of swatting two months ago.

　　Buttigieg is openly gay. He and his husband have twins aged four who they adopted when the twins were born. An anonymous caller falsely told the Child Protective Services that the twins were in danger because Buttigieg had committed crimes. Officials rushed to the gay couple's home, sent the twins to their grandparents, and began an investigation which showed Buttigieg was a victim of swatting.

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　　现在是夏天，昆虫更为活跃的季节。昆虫是大自然的一部分。牠们闯进我的单位时，我会避免杀灭牠们，而用各种的方法安全地将牠们放回室外。有三种昆虫进我家时我会扑杀：蟑螂、苍蝇和蚊。那些会飞的蟑螂make my skin crawl，即令我起鸡皮疙瘩，感到恶心或恐惧。牠们闯进我的单位时，我会用灭虫喷雾杀死牠们。几年前，我住在我弟弟在曼哈顿的单位，那时他住在美国另一个州。

　　有一次，一只巨型的苍蝇从窗户飞进来。我没有任何灭虫喷剂或fly swatter，惟有冲出去买灭虫喷剂。A fly swatter是有长长手柄的苍蝇拍，用来扑杀苍蝇。拍打（swatting）苍蝇需要突然而快速的动作，因为苍蝇会立即感到危机而飞走。Swatting这个字亦有另一个截然不同的意思。它是指有人打紧急电话报假案，骗警方突袭一个无辜市民的家，属于危险的刑事滋扰。在拜登任总统时期担任运输部长的彼得．布塔朱吉，两个月前就成为了报假案（swatting）的受害者。

　　布塔朱吉是公开的同性恋者。他和丈夫有一对现年四岁的双胞胎，是在双胞胎出生的时候领养的。一个匿名人士致电美国儿童保护服务，谎称双胞胎有危险，因为布塔朱吉犯了罪。官员冲去这对同性伴侣的家，把双胞胎带到他们的祖父母处，再展开调查，最后证实布塔朱吉只是报假案（swatting）的受害者。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻