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第14章 A Bourgeois Bohemian波波族(1)

While bemoaning the Bobo s “boring politics”, the Bobos are an elite superior to their intolerant and warring predecessors—they ve certainly made shopping more fun, and they have a good morality for building a decent society.

It s hard to miss them: the epitomeepitome n.摘要 of casual “geek chic”and organised within the warrantywarranty n.理由, 根据, 授权, 担保, 保证, 根据 of their Palm Pilots, they sip labour intensive coffee, chat on sleek cellphones and ponder the road to enlightenment.

在人们为“波波”们的“乏味政治”感到悲哀的同时,他们却胜过那些缺乏容忍且好战的先辈精英们——他们起码会把购物变得更为有趣,并且对于建设美好社会有一套很好的道德标准。

波波族

很难不去留意他们:身着“酷毙了”的休闲装,日程在掌上电脑的“打理下”安排得井然有序,啜饮着精工细磨的牛奶咖啡,对着豪华手机侃侃而谈,同时思考着如何开展文化启蒙运动。

In the US they worry about the environment as they drive their gasguzzling sports utility vehicles to emporiumsemporium n.商场, 商业中心, 大百货商店 of haute design to buy a 50 titanium spatula; they think about their tech stocks as they explore speciality shops for Tibetan artefact in Everestworthy hiking boots. They think nothing of laying out 5 for a wheatgrass muff, much less 500 for some alternative rejuvenationrejuvenation n.返老还童,恢复活力,回春,[生]复壮 at the dayspa—but don t talk about raising their taxes.

They are “Bourgeois Bohemians” —or “Bobos”—and they re the new “enlightened elite” of the information age, their lucrativelylucrative adj.有利的 busy lives a seeming synthesis of comfort and conscience, corporate success and creative rebellionrebellion n.谋反, 叛乱, 反抗, 不服从 . Welleducated thirtytoforty somethings, they have forged a new social ethos from a logicdefying fusion of 1960s counterculture and 1980s entrepreneurial materialism.

在美国,当他们为买一个50美元的钛制刮刀而驾驶着耗油量大的多功能厢式跑车奔赴高级购物中心时,他们为环境忧虑着;当他们脚踏适于登珠穆朗玛峰的登山靴在特色店淘弄西藏的手工艺品时,心里却还惦记着自己的科技股票。他们觉得花5美元买一副草编手套不算什么,而花500美元去享受一次日间时尚水疗这样的另类休闲就更不在话下了——但千万别跟他们说增税的事儿。

这些人就是“布尔乔亚·波西米亚族”——或者说“波波族”——他们是信息时代新兴的“知识型精英”,他们富足而又繁忙的生活似乎是舒适享受与道德良知、事业成功与创新叛逆的结合体。 这些三四十岁、受良好教育的人将20世纪60年代的反文化和80年代的实利主义这两种逻辑上相互过抵触的东西融合成一种新的社会精神特质。

Combining the freespirited, artistic rebelliousnessrebelliousness n.造反, 难以控制 of the Bohemian beatnik or hippie with the worldly ambitions of their bourgeois corporate forefathers, the Bobo is a comfortable contortion of caring capitalismcapitalism n.资本主义 . “It s not about making money, it s about doing something you love. Life should be an extended hobby. It s all about working for a company as cool as you are.”

It is a world inhabitedinhabited adj.有人居住的 by dotcom millionaires, management consultantsconsultant n.顾问, 商议者, 咨询者 , “culture Industry” entrepreneurs and all manner of media folk, most earning upwards of 100,000 a year—their money an incidental byproductbyproduct n.副产品 of their maverickmaverick adj.闹独立的 mores, the kind of money they happen to earn while they are pursuing their creative vision.

“波波”们将波西米亚式或嬉皮式的精神自由和艺术家式的叛逆与其小资白领前辈们的世俗追求相结合,是爱心资本主义的惬意的另类版。“这不是为了赚钱,而是做自己喜欢的事情;生活本应是兴趣的延伸,是为一个和你一样‘酷’的公司工作。”

这是一个由网络富翁、管理咨询人士、“文化产业”企业家以及各式媒体人士组成的群体,他们中的大多数年收入超过10万美元——但金钱只不过是他们独特道德观的偶然的副产品而已,是他们在追求创造性时于不经意间获得的。