wishful thinking

2019/12/17 04:12:43 網誌分類: 生活

17 Dec

        　　A common refrain at protests nowadays is: "Five demands, not one less." I have heard this refrain many times when I go to protests as a journalist. Protesters have said they will continue to protest until the government gives in (agrees) to their remaining four demands. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has said it is wishful thinking for the protesters to think she will give in to their demands. Some government officials told me Hong Kong and mainland leaders refuse to give in to the remaining demands, including an independent commission of inquiry into the social unrest, because they feel if the government gives in to even one of the demands, the protesters will make more demands.

        　　There is a saying for this. It is: Give them an inch and they will take a mile. Government officials believe if they give the protesters an inch, the protesters will demand a mile. The expression "give them an inch and they will take a mile." means if you agree to give in to someone's demands, they will demand more. The word "refrain" is an interesting word because it has several meanings which are very different. The most common meaning of "refrain" is to stop yourself from doing something. For example, you can say you will refrain from smoking cigarettes, which means you will stop smoking. But the word "refrain" also means a comment that is often repeated, just like the "five demands, not one less".

        　　The expression "wishful thinking" means you believe something that you want to happen will actually happen even though it's not possible it will happen. When Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said it's wishful thinking she will give in to the demands of the protesters, she meant she will not give in to the demands of the protesters. Is it right to say to the protesters that if the government gives them an inch they will take a mile? I don't know but I personally don't think the protesters will demand even more if the government gives in to their demands.

        *****

        　　在今時今日的示威現場，一句很常聽見的重複口號（refrain）是：「五大訴求，缺一不可」。我以記者身份到訪抗議活動時，就聽過這句重複的口號（refrain）許多遍。示威者說他們會繼續抗爭，直至政府讓步，接受（gives in）他們餘下的四個訴求。特首林鄭月娥也說過，示威者以為她會讓步、接受（give in）他們的訴求，是一廂情願的想法（wishful thinking）。有些政府官員告訴我，香港和內地的領導人也拒絕妥協，接受（give in）餘下的那些訴求，包括成立獨立調查委員會調查社會動亂，因為他們覺得，若政府讓步（gives in），即使只是其中一個訴求，示威者只會有更多的訴求。

        　　有一個諺語形容這個狀況，那就是："Give them an inch and they will take a mile."政府官員相信，若他們給予示威者一吋，示威者就會想要一哩；習語"give them an inch and they will take a mile"是指若你願意妥協於某人的要求，對方就會得寸進尺，想要更多。Refrain是個有趣的字，因為它有很多不同的意思。Refrain最常見的意思是克制自己做某事。譬如你可以說，你會refrain from smoking cigarettes，即是說你會戒煙，節制（refrain）自己不去吸煙。但 refrain也解作一再重複的一句話，例如「五大訴求，缺一不可」。

        　　習語"wishful thinking"即是你一廂情願的想法，以為你想發生的事真的會發生，即使它其實不大可能會發生。當林鄭月娥說，她會讓步接受（give in）示威者的訴求，是種wishful thinking，她的意思就是她不會接受（give in）示威者的訴求。但只要政府讓步，示威者就會得寸進尺（gives them an inch they will take a mile）——這樣跟示威者說是對的嗎？我不知道，但我個人不認為若政府妥協（gives in）於示威者的訴求，他們還會要求更多。

        mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯：七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

回應 (0)

我要發表

wishful thinking

網誌分類

最新網誌

月曆