The Social Dilemma · 2020 — 第 13 / 14 章 · 3'31" · C1

受訪者呼籲監管巨頭:put the genie back in the bottle

開場就有人把話挑明:問題不在幾個壞人,而在整套商業模式。一句 put the genie back in the bottle(已成定局,收不回去)點出局面難逆轉,後面又追問我們是否總要 defer to(聽命於)最有錢、最有權的人。想聊監管、慣性和利益驅動,這幾句現成能用。

發生了什麼

有人把話挑明:這些人並不是一開始就打定主意要作惡,問題出在商業模式。一句 put the genie back in the bottle(已成定局,收不回去)把局面說成難逆轉;接著一句 at the end of the day(說到底,歸根結底),把話收回到營收和使用者量必須季季漲。後面又落到監管:我們是否總要 defer to(聽命於)最有錢、最有權的人?聊商業倫理、政策監管或公司責任時,這些說法都能直接搬用。

表达 · 演讲动员解释劝说C1快速美音无脏话
IMDb ↗

這場戲看什麼

  • 留意他先給對方面子再反駁的順序
  • 看 genie、tree、whale 的比喻怎麼越鋪越大
  • 注意反問句替他省掉了多少解釋

留意這幾個短語

set out toput the genie back in the bottleat the end of the dayde facto

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點一句台詞就從那裡放

本章短語

put the genie back in the bottle

已成定局,收不回去to undo something already released

關停服務那句話把代價算完——兩百億股東價值、官司——再落到 put the genie back in the bottle,說這些一旦放出去就收不回來。

You can't put the genie back in the bottle once the code is public.程式碼一旦公開,就再也收不回去了。

本章還有

  • set out to

    一開始就打定主意要

  • at the end of the day

    說到底,歸根結底

  • de facto

    事實上的、實際上的

  • defer to

    聽從、聽命於

  • profit at all costs

    不惜一切代價賺錢

本章全部批註

47 句台詞裡標了 29 處

俚語 · A2guys

這幫人、這些人——口語裡指一群人,正式檔案別用,指上級也別用。

I don't think these guys set out to be evil.
短語 · B1a business model that rewards something

靠什麼賺錢的那套模式

It's just the business model that has a problem.
短語 · B2in practice, you can't do something

實際操作中、真做起來 不是「練習」或「開業」,是「真到動手的時候」。

But you can't, in practice, put the genie back in the bottle.
發音at the end

at the 輕得幾乎黏成一團,重音留到 day 上。

You can make some tweaks, but at the end of the day,
短語 · C1grow quarter over quarter

一個季度接一個季度(環比) 不是「四分之一」,是拿每個季度跟上一個季度比。

you've gotta grow revenue and usage, quarter over quarter. It's...
短語 · B2grow revenue and usage

把營收做上去

you've gotta grow revenue and usage, quarter over quarter. It's...
發音revenue and usage

revenue、usage 各自坐實,中間的 and 只留一點鼻音。

you've gotta grow revenue and usage, quarter over quarter. It's...
俚語 · A2gotta

不得不、得——口語縮寫,只用於朋友間或歌詞,合同裡別出現。

you've gotta grow revenue and usage, quarter over quarter. It's...
語法 · B2The bigger it gets, the harder it is

the…the 比較句:兩個 the 各帶一個比較級從句,意思是「越…就越…」;後半句的 it 指回前半句那件事。

The bigger it gets, the harder it is for anyone to change.
短語 · B2be trapped by something

被某樣東西困住出不來

What I see is a bunch of people who are trapped by a business model,
俚語 · B1a bunch of

一大群、一堆——熟人聊天常用,寫報告換成 a number of。

What I see is a bunch of people who are trapped by a business model,
短語 · B2an economic incentive to do something

錢上的利益驅動

an economic incentive, and shareholder pressure that makes it almost impossible to do something else.
語法 · C1shareholder pressure that makes it almost impossible to do something else

定語從句:that 引導的從句掛在 pressure 後面,說明這種壓力造成了什麼;前面還並列了兩個成分,句子才這麼長。

an economic incentive, and shareholder pressure that makes it almost impossible to do something else.
短語 · B2something runs the world

支配著世上所有決定 不是真的統治世界,是說所有決定最後都繞不開它。

Financial incentives kind of run the world,
俚語 · B1kind of

可以說是、有點——口語裡給自己留餘地,正式陳述裡刪掉更利落。

Financial incentives kind of run the world,
短語 · C1realign the incentives

把金錢激勵重新校準 不是「重新排隊」,是把利益的方向掰回來。

so any solution to this problem has to realign the financial incentives.
俚語 · B1tons of

海量的、多得嚇人——口語誇張說法,正式寫作換成 a large amount of。

The phone company has tons of sensitive data about you,
短語 · B1every piece of data on someone

每一條資料、一點不落

It gives them a fiscal reason to not acquire every piece of data on the planet.
短語 · B2run way behind on something

遠遠跟不上

The law runs way behind on these things,
短語 · B2the rights and privileges of a group

權利與特權(常一起用)

but what I know is the current situation exists not for the protection of users, but for the protection of the rights and privileges of these gigantic, incredibly wealthy companies.
語法 · C1not for the protection of users, but for the protection of the rights

not…but…對舉:先否掉一個說法,再給出真正的答案:不是為了保護使用者,而是為了保護巨頭。

but what I know is the current situation exists not for the protection of users, but for the protection of the rights and privileges of these gigantic, incredibly wealthy companies.
發音gonna defer to

gonna 趕過去,defer to 順勢黏上,別一個詞一個詞蹦。

Are we always gonna defer to the richest, most powerful people?
短語 · B1there are times when something matters more

有些時候確實會…

Or are we ever gonna say, "You know, there are times when there is a national interest.
短語 · C1undermine something

一點一點侵蝕民主 undermine 字面是挖牆腳,這裡是慢慢掏空。

These markets undermine democracy, and they undermine freedom, and they should be outlawed.
短語 · B2inevitable destructive consequences

破壞性的後果

Because they have inevitable destructive consequences.
短語 · B2short-term thinking based on something

只顧眼前的思路

This is short-term thinking based on this religion of profit at all costs, as if somehow, magically,
短語 · C1act in one's own interest

只算自己那一份好處 不是「自私的興趣愛好」,是「只顧自己划算」。

each corporation acting in its selfish interest is going to produce the best result.
短語 · B2the last straw that makes someone act

讓人忍無可忍的最後一件事 不是真的稻草,是忍到頭的那一下。

What's frightening, and what hopefully is the last straw that will make us wake up as a civilization to how flawed this theory has been in the first place
發音can be mined

can be 壓到最輕,mined 落下來要乾脆。

Our attention can be mined.

看懂「受訪者呼籲監管巨頭」

發音重點

  • at the end — at the 輕得幾乎黏成一團,重音留到 day 上。
  • revenue and usage — revenue、usage 各自坐實,中間的 and 只留一點鼻音。
  • gonna defer to — gonna 趕過去,defer to 順勢黏上,別一個詞一個詞蹦。
  • can be mined — can be 壓到最輕,mined 落下來要乾脆。
But you can't, in practice, put the genie back in the bottle.

但事實上,你沒法把妖怪重新塞回瓶子裡。 用一個童話畫面說清技術不可逆,比「無法撤銷」這種公文詞有力得多。

The bigger it gets, the harder it is for anyone to change.

它越大,任何人想改變它就越難。 把規模與惰性壓進一個對稱句裡,念出來就有因果的推力。

Are we always gonna defer to the richest, most powerful people?

我們難道永遠都要聽最有錢、最有權的人的話嗎? 一個反問把整章的順從問題翻出來,richest 與 most powerful 並排,不解釋也懂。

These markets undermine democracy, and they undermine freedom, and they should be outlawed.

這些市場侵蝕民主、侵蝕自由,就該被取締。 重複同一個動詞把兩條罪狀並排擺出,最後一句短促定性,收得像法槌。

Our attention can be mined.

我們的注意力是可以被開採的。 五個詞把採礦搬到注意力上,短得像廣告語,卻把整章的比喻全收回來。

關於這一章的問題

put the genie back in the bottle 是什麼意思?

意思是「已成定局,收不回去」。臺詞裡用來說某項服務一旦鋪開,現實中沒法像把妖怪塞回瓶子那樣恢復原狀。

「聽命於」用英語怎麼說?

可以說 defer to。臺詞裡問的是:我們是否總要 defer to 最有錢、最有權勢的人。

at the end of the day 是什麼語氣?

它是「說到底,歸根結底」的意思,語氣是把前面的話收住、下結論,常放在轉折後。臺詞裡後面接的就是收入和使用者量必須季季漲。

「不惜一切代價賺錢」英語怎麼說?

用 profit at all costs。臺詞把它稱作一種「信條」,批評只盯著利潤、不管後果的短視思路。

de facto governments 是什麼意思?

de facto 是「事實上的、實際上的」。臺詞說,在沒有監管、沒有規則、沒有競爭時,這些公司實際上就成了政府。

「注意力被當成礦來開採」英語怎麼說?

說 Our attention can be mined。mine 本來是採礦,這裡把注意力說成可以開採的資源。

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