经济学人两篇+翻译.docx

Disney Star Wars, Disney and myth-makingHow one company came to master the business of storytellingFROM a galaxy far, far away to a cinema just down the road: “The Force Awakens”, the newest instalment of the Star Wars saga, is inescapable this Christmas. The first Star Wars title since Lucasfilm, the owner of the franchise, was acquired by Disney in 2012 for $4.1 billion, it represents more than just the revival of a beloved science-fiction series. It is the latest example of the way Disney has prospered over the past decade from a series of shrewd acquisitions (see article). Having bought Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm, Disney has skilfully capitalised on their intellectual propertyand in so doing, cemented its position as the market leader in the industrialisation of mythology. Its success rests on its mastery of the three elements of modern myth-making: tropes, technology and toys.From Homer to Han SoloStart with the tropes. Disney properties, which include everything from “Thor” to “Toy Story”, draw on well-worn devices of mythic structure to give their stories cultural resonance. Walt Disney himself had an intuitive grasp of the power of fables. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, is an avid student of the work of Joseph Campbell, an American comparative mythologist who outlined the “monomyth” structure in which a hero answers a call, is assisted by a mentor figure, voyages to another world, survives various trials and emerges triumphant. Both film-makers merrily plundered ancient mythology and folklore. The Marvel universe goes even further, directly appropriating chunks of Greco-Roman and Norse mythology. (This makes Disneys enthusiasm for fierce enforcement of intellectual-property laws, and the seemingly perpetual extension of copyright, somewhat ironic.)The internal mechanics of myths may not have changed much over the ages, but the technology used to impart them certainly has. That highlights Disneys second area of expertise. In Homers day, legends were passed on in the form of dactylic hexameters; modern myth-makers prefer computer graphics, special effects, 3D projection, surround sound and internet video distribution, among other things. When Disney bought Lucasfilm it did not just acquire the Star Wars franchise; it also gained Industrial Light & Magic, one of the best special-effects houses in the business, whose high-tech wizardry is as vital to Marvels Avengers films as it is to the Star Wars epics. And when Disney was left behind by the shift to digital animation, it cannily revitalised its own film-making brand by buying Pixar, a firm as pioneering in its field as Walt Disney had been in hand-drawn animation. Moreover, modern myths come in multiple media formats. The Marvel and Star Wars fantasy universes are chronicled in interlocking films, television series, books, graphic novels and video games. Marvels plans are mapped out until the mid-2020s.But these days myths are also expected to take physical form as toys, merchandise and theme-park rides. This is the third myth-making ingredient. Again, Walt Disney led the way, licensing Mickey Mouse and other characters starting in the 1930s, and opening the original Disneyland park in 1955. Mr Lucas took cinema-related merchandise into a new dimension, accepting a pay cut as director in return for all the merchandising rights to Star Warsa deal that was to earn him billions. Those rights now belong to Disney, and it is making the most of them: sales of “The Force Awakens” merchandise, from toys to clothing, are expected to be worth up to $5 billion alone in the coming year. In all, more than $32 billion-worth of Star Wars merchandise has been sold since 1977, according to NPD Group, a market-research firm. Even Harry Potter and James Bond are scruffy-looking nerf-herders by comparison.Those other franchises are reminders that Disneys approach is not unique. Other studios are doing their best to imitate its approach. But Disney has some of the most valuable properties and exploits them to their fullest potential. It is particularly good at refreshing and repackaging its franchises to encourage adults to revisit their childhood favourites and, in the process, to introduce them to their own children. This was one reason why Pixar, whose films are known for their cross-generational appeal, was such a natural fit. Now the next generation is being introduced to Star Wars by their nostalgic parents. At the same time, Disney has extended its franchises by adding sub-brands that appeal to particular age groups: childrens television series spun off from Star Wars, for example, or darker, more adult tales from the Marvel universe, such as the “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones” series on.Do, or do notthere is no tryWhat explains the power of all this modern-day mythology? There is more to it than archetypal storytelling, clever technology and powerful marketing. In part, it may fill a void left by the decline of religion in a more secular world. But it also provides an expression for todays fears. The original “Star Wars” film, in which a band of plucky rebels defeat a technological superpower, was a none-too-subtle inversion of the Vietnam war. The Marvel universe, originally a product of the cold-war era, has adapted well on screen to a post-9/11 world of surveillance and the conspiratorial mistrust of governments, large corporations and the power of technology. In uncertain times, when governments and military might seem unable to keep people safe or stay honest, audiences take comfort in the idea of superheroes who ride to the rescue. Modern myths also have the power to unify people across generations, social groups and cultures, creating frameworks of shared references even as other forms of media consumption become ever more fragmented.Ultimately, however, these modern myths are so compelling because they tap primordial human urgesfor refuge, redemption and harmony. In this respect they are like social-media platforms, which use technology to industrialise social interaction. Similarly, modern myth-making, reliant though it is on new tools and techniques, is really just pushing the same old buttons in stone-age brains. That is something that Walt Disney understood instinctivelyand that the company he founded is now exploiting so proficiently.迪士尼 星球大战,迪士尼和神话创造一个公司如何成为兜售故事的商业传奇从遥远的星际抵达你周边的电影院星球大战7：原力觉醒这部星战系列的最新影片就在圣诞期间上映，不容错过。早期星战系列电影出自卢卡斯影业名下，该公司在2012年被迪士尼以41亿美元收购。不仅又让拥趸颇多的科幻系列重回影迷视野，还成为迪士尼公司另一个成功收购案例在过去十年，迪士尼走了一条通过成功收购而实现蒸蒸日上的发展路径（另见文）。它先后收购了皮克斯，漫威和卢卡斯影业，并巧妙的利用自己的知识产权获益。在这一过程中，迪士尼也巩固了奇幻题材故事产业的领导者地位.。它的成功依赖于掌握了现代奇幻电影制作的三大要素：类型化，高科技和相关玩具产品。从荷马到韩索罗先从类型化说起。迪士尼旗下的众多作品，包括雷神、玩具总动员等等，都采用了老调重弹的神话故事架构来让观众产生文化共鸣。沃特迪士尼自身非常清楚寓言故事的魅力。星战系列导演乔治卢卡斯热衷于借鉴约瑟夫坎贝尔的作品。坎贝尔是一名比较神话学者，他提出了“神话故事原型论”（Monomyth）。即在一个英雄的旅程当中，英雄主角需要完成一个使命，他通常在某个导师的指引下去到另一个世界，历经千难万险最终成功。两大电影制作公司也钟情借用古代神话和民间传说。漫威超级英雄更夸张，直接取材于许多古希腊罗马和中世纪斯堪的纳维亚的神话。（这让一向严格实施版权保护，并不停延长其版权期限的迪士尼公司，看起来多少有些讽刺。）神话故事架构可能未随时间流转变样，但是让其流传开来的技术手段却日新月异。这也是迪士尼公司科技特长的精彩所在。在荷马史诗的年代，英雄故事要用长短格六步格韵体写就；而在现代，计算机绘图，特效，3D，环绕立体声，在线视频转发等等媒介就能够承载这些故事。迪士尼买下卢卡斯影业不仅获得了星球大战系列的版权，还同时把光影魔幻工业（特效行业最佳公司之一）收入囊中，这家公司对星战系列的重要性不亚于它对成就复仇者联盟做出的贡献。动画制作在数字化转型，老牌迪士尼曾一度跟不上脚步，但收购皮克斯使其动画制作重焕生机。毕竟皮克斯在数字动画制作领域的地位堪比当时手绘动画时代的沃特迪士尼。而且，现代奇幻作品通常采用多平台推广，漫威和星战就陆续出品系列电影、电视剧，图书，漫画和电游。漫威影业要推出的作品续集已经排到了2020年。但是，目前神话故事也将以实体形式呈现，如玩具、商品和主题公园等形式，这也是神话创作的第三要素。沃特迪士尼成为了行业中的典范，从二十世纪30年代开始，他们为米老鼠以及其他的一些角色申请专利，并于1955年开放了最初的迪士尼乐园。卢卡斯将电影相关产品带上了新的维度，作为导演他接受降低薪资以换取所有有关星球大战的商品权这个协议让他赚了数十亿。这些商品化权现在隶属于迪士尼，并得到了充分利用：从玩具到服装，原力觉醒相关商品的预期销售额仅明年一年就能达到50亿美元。美国市场调研机构NPD集团的调研报告显示，自1977年起累计，销售星球大战附加品已带来320亿美元的收入。与之相比，甚至连哈利波特和詹姆士邦德看起来都是如此的上不了台面。其他系列电影表明，迪士尼的策略不是唯一的。其他一些影城也竭尽全力地效仿迪士尼的做法。但迪士尼拥有最有价值的资源，并能最大程度开发这些资源，尤其 擅长再更新和再包装其产品，以此鼓励成人回忆他们的童年最爱，在此过程中，将喜好介绍给自己的孩子。皮克斯擅长制作吸引两代人的电影，这也使得它与迪士尼的合作成为天作之合。现在，怀旧的父母们也将把星球大战传承给下一代。与此同时，迪士尼通过增加吸引特定年龄的子品牌拓宽系列经营权：例如，源于星球大战的少儿电视节目，始于漫威宇宙系列的更黑暗、更成人化的故事，比如网飞公司的超胆侠和杰西卡琼斯等电影。要么去做，要么放手，没有尝试一说当代神话故事为何有如此大的魅力？绝不仅仅是原始的讲述故事、灵活的科学技术和强大的营销能力。在某种程度上，这种神话可以弥补当下越来越世俗的世界中宗教地位下降带来的空虚。然而，这也表现出了现代人的恐惧。在最初的电影星球大战中，讲述了一个勇敢的反叛者对决强大的科技超能量者，这实际是越南战争的写照。漫威宇宙系列，最初是冷战时代的产物，在后911时代，监视无处不在以及人们对政府、大公司和科技力量等的不信任，漫威调整创作，将后911时代精彩地呈现于荧幕。在不稳定时期，当政府和军队似乎无法保证民众以及自身绝对忠诚时，民众便只能寄希望于拯救世界的超级英雄。即使在媒体消费的其他形式变得越来越碎片化的时候，当代神话也可以跨越时代、阶层、文化将人们联合起来，创造出一个拥有一些共性的架构。然而，究其根源，现代神话的魅力是因为它激发了人们对于庇护、救赎与和谐的原始诉求。在这方面，它们更像是工业化的社交平台，使用技术使得社交产业化。同样地，现代神话创作加入了新工具和新技术，也不过是旧瓶装新酒。这是沃特迪士尼领悟到并正在有效地运用于他所创立的公司。翻译：吴茂&王坤 校对：马里奥Transgender lifeRestroom rumpusA fault line runs through the stalls“THESE children have fewer rights than prison inmates,” says Tom Morrison, a Republican state representative in Illinois. Mr Morrison is talking about girls at a high school in his constituency, Palatinate, who share a locker-room with a transgender girl. Late last year the Department of Education ruled that the school had violated anti-discrimination laws by banning a pupil, who was born male but identifies as a girl, from the girls locker room. Male prison inmates have successfully argued in court that letting female guards supervise them when they are taking a shower violates their privacy, reasons Mr Morrison, so they now have more rights than Illinois schoolchildren.Schools in Illinois, as in many other states, have a patchwork of rules governing where transgender people can pee. Some allow them to use the locker and restrooms (or loos to Brits) of their choice; others make them use designated facilities. This is confusing for parents and children, says Mr Morrison, which is why he introduced a bill in the legislature on January 20th that would require all pupils at high schools in Illinois to use loos and changing rooms that correspond to the gender on their birth certificate. The bill would make it optional for schools to provide separate facilities for transgender pupils.The debate in Illinois is part of a national discussion that pits those who think of gender as something a person is born with against those who argue that being male or female can be a choice. Progressives have taken the “choice” side of the argumentin April 2015 the White House added a gender-neutral toiletprompting conservatives to take the opposing one. In South Dakota a bill similar to Mr Morrisons is moving forward in the legislature. Last autumn voters in Houston, Texas, rejected a broad anti-discrimination ordinance because its opponents had depicted it as a “bathroom ordinance” that would enable potentially predatory men and even registered sex offenders to enter womens loos.In Indiana Jim Tomes, a Republican state senator, introduced a bill last December which would make the use of a facility that does not correspond with a persons birth certificate a misdemeanour, punishable with up to one year in jail and a fine of $5,000. A spokesman for Mr. Tomes says the bill will not be submitted to a vote in the legislature, but that does not mean that “similar language in a different bill couldnt be considered”.Given all the troubles faced by transgender people, who make up just 0.1% of the population according to the least unreliable estimate, why the focus on loos? According to Human Right Campaign, a gay lobby group, in the first ten months of 2015 at least 21 transgender peoplenearly all of them black or Hispanic womenwere killed, more than in any other year recorded by activists. Unemployment among transgender people is double the national rate and as much as four times that of the general population for non-whites. Fully 90% of those who have a job say they have experienced harassment at work.The issue is more pressing than it seems, says Kim Hunt of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Some transgender people do not go to the loo all day because they have been harassed, assaulted or kicked out of one. This can result in dehydration, urinary-tract infections and kidney problems. A survey by the Williams Institute, a think-tank, found that 68% of those questioned had been subjected to slurs while using a bathroom. This month San Francisco joined Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Austin, Seattle and Santa Fe in requiring all businesses and city buildings to designate single-stall loos as all-gender.The bigger battle, though, is over multi-stall restrooms and locker rooms, especially in schools. Title IX , an amendment tacked on to the Higher Education Act in 1972, says that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education programme or activity receiving federal financial assistance”.The Obama administration has interpreted this as meaning that transgender pupils must be allowed to use facilities for the gender with which they identify. In October it filed a legal brief in a federal appeals court backing the legal challenge of Gavin Grimm, a transgender boy, to the policy of his school in rural Virginia which bans him from using the boys toilets. On January 27th the judges will hear oral arguments in GG v. Gloucester County School Board. It is the first time a federal court will have to weigh up the question.跨性别者的生活卫生间风波卫生间里的错误划分“这些孩子享有的权利比囚犯还要少。”伊利诺斯州共和党众议员汤姆莫里森（Tom Morrison）说道。莫里森指的是其选区巴列丁奈特（Palatinate）内一所高中学校的女生们，她们与一名跨性别女生共用一间更衣室。去年年末，教育部判定该学校违反了反歧视的相关法律，其原因是学校禁止校内一名性别认同为女性的男学生使