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It has been some week for The Simpsons.
辛普森家庭再次走红已经有些时日了。
First, they received international acclaim for forecasting Donald Trump's election victory, then they were nominated for a Critics Choice award, and now the University of Glasgow has launched a philosophy course based on the musings of Homer Simpson.
首先，他们因为准确预测特朗普的当选而受到国际赞誉，随后他们又被提名为“杰出评论家 ”。最近，英国格拉斯哥大学还专门开设了一门哲学课来研究辛普森爸爸。
The Simpsons is one of the modern world's greatest cultural artefacts, partly because it is so full of philosophy, according to the course description.
据课程简介，大概是《辛普森一家》丰富的哲学性，使它成为现代社会最为伟大的文化产品之一。
Since it first aired in 1989, The Simpsons has never been afraid to touch on the key issues of the day.
自1989年第一次播出开始，《辛普森一家》总是紧跟时代话题。
Politics, family, relationships, parenting, religion, education - you name it, they've done it.
无论是政治、家庭、人际关系、为人父母、宗教亦或教育，只有你想不到，没有他们做不到的话题。
And any glance at Homers greatest quotes shows that the cartoons main man has a view on everything from gender equality to fatherhood.
只需略读辛普森爸爸的最佳语录，就会发现这部动画的主角关注众多话题，从两性平等到父亲的职责。
In light of this, what can we learn from his pearls of wisdom?
因此，我们能够如何借鉴他的如珠妙语呢？
What can he teach us about life?
他能够给我们什么生活上的启发呢？
Through the medium of Homers idiocy, The Simpsons has shone a light on some of the most pressing societal issues in the modern world, such as...
借辛普森爸爸这些“蠢话”，《辛普森一家》让现代一些最为急迫的社会问题浮出水面。比方说……
Loneliness among the elderly
孤寡老人
The problem: More than a quarter of people over 65 who live alone are lonely, while it was revealed in 2014 that Britain is the loneliness capital of Europe - with people here less likely to know their neighbours or have strong friendships than people anywhere else in Europe.
问题现状：超过1/4的65岁以上的独居老人表示深感寂寞，而2014年的调查显示，英国更是欧洲孤独之都。英国人不太认得他们的邻居，也比欧洲其他地方更难有坚固友谊。
Homer says:
辛普森爸爸说：
Old people don't need companionship. They need to be isolated and studied so it can be determined what nutrients they have that might be extracted for our personal use.
“老人家需要被孤立和研究而不是陪伴，因此他们的营养素就能确定下来，以被我们个人使用。”
Being a man
作为男人
The problem: There is a "crisis in modern masculinity", with men failing to cope with personal and professional pressures, according to a report by mental health charity CALM.
问题现状：心理健康机构CALM最新报告表明，现在出现了“现代男子气概危机”，男性难以应对个人及职业压力。
Phrases like "man up" are commonplace, damaging and can blur our understanding of masculinity and manhood.
“拿出男人的样子来”这种话早已耳熟能详。然而这样的话会破坏和混淆我们对男子气概和男儿气质的理解。
Homer says:
辛普森爸爸说：
“The code of the schoolyard, Marge! The rules that teach a boy to be a man. Let’s see. Don’t tattle. Always make fun of those different from you. Never say anything, unless you’re sure everyone feels exactly the same way you do.”
“玛姬，学校的真谛就是要让一个男孩长成一个男人。走着瞧，不要多嘴。记得要捉弄那些跟你不一样的人。如果你不确定是否跟大家同感的话，什么都不要说”。
Coping with pressure
应对压力
The problem:
问题现状：
Research from mental health charity Mind found that four in five 18 to 34-year-old men put on a brave face when they are anxious.
心理健康慈善机构Mind的研究表明，4/5的18到34岁的男性都会在焦虑的时候强作镇定。
Repressing those feelings won't help anyone.
然而，抑制焦虑只是无济于事。
Homer says:
辛普森爸爸说：
Just squeeze your rage up into a bitter little ball and release it at an appropriate time, like that day I hit the referee with the whisky bottle.
“你应该把怒气攒到合适的时间爆发，就像那天我用威士忌瓶子砸了裁判那样”。
Young people
年轻人
The problem:
问题现状：
A controversial one, this, but there is no denying that many young people feel that the future they wanted has been prevented by older generations.
这其实挺棘手的，但事实是，很多当代年轻人都认为老一辈人阻止他们去追求他们自己想要的未来。
Not only was there the referendum vote to leave the EU, but also claims of inter-generational unfairness prompted by fears that the younger people are essentially getting turned over by a system that favours older people.
这不仅说的是脱欧投票，也指因担心年轻人会被一个更偏向老者的体制颠覆所产生的代际不公。
Homer says:
辛普森爸爸说：
I believe that children are our future. Unless we stop them now.
“我相信如果我们不加干涉的话，孩子就是我们的未来。
Diversity
多样性
The problem: Hate crimes against ethnic minorities in the UK leapt by more than 40 percent in the month following the EU referendum.
问题现状：在脱欧公投之后的那个月里，英国出于对于少数族裔的仇恨心理而引发的犯罪行为激增超40%。
Homer says:
辛普森爸爸说：
Just blame it on the guy who doesn't speak English.
“怪那些不说英语的人（即少数族裔）好了。”
I'm a white male, age 18 to 49. Everyone listens to me, no matter how dumb my suggestions are.
“我是一个年龄在18-49岁以内的白种男性。不管我的意见有多蠢，大家都听我的。”
Politics
政治
The problem: We are so far beyond telling the truth in politics that Oxford Dictionaries has announced a joint US-UK word of the year: post-truth.
问题现状：我们已经偏离政治真相太远了，为此，牛津词典颁布了2016英美年度词汇，即“后真相”。
The word, which follows in the wake of Brexit and Trumps victory, is defined as relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.
这个在脱欧公投及特朗普当选之后出现的词，被定义为一种情感及个人信仰比客观事实更能左右公众舆论的环境。
Homer says:
辛普森爸爸说：
People can come up with statistics to prove anything.
“人们可以用数据来证实所有的事情。”
Fourteen percent of all people know that.
“14%的人都知道这一点。”
Working life
工作
The problem: It was warned last year that a slump in productivity over the summer months could cost the private sector 8bn each year.
问题现状：去年，有人警告每年夏季出现的生产力衰退将会造成私营企业损失约80亿英镑。
The price of laziness is not to be sniffed at.
因为懒惰而付出的代价不容小觑。
Homer says:
辛普森爸爸说：
Lisa, if you don't like your job don't strike. Just go in every day and do it really half-assed.
“丽莎，要是你不喜欢你的工作，也不能罢工。你可以每天去做做样子就好啦。”
"I want to share something with you - the three little sentences that will get you through life.
我想跟你说点事，下面这三个短句能够帮你顺利度过这一生。
Number one: Cover for me.
第一句是，“替我应付一下”。
Number two: Oh, good idea, boss!
第二句是，“老板您说得对”！
Number three: It was like that when I got here.
第三句是，“我来这的时候就已经那样了”。
Fatherhood
为人父亲
The problem: Piling pressure on children can be both debilitating and damaging.
问题现状：给孩子太重的压力很有可能会适得其反。
Two years ago the Lancashire FA launched an initiative that urged parents to not shout or communicate with their children while they were playing football, with welfare officer Neil Yates saying he recently watched an under-nine game where a child was reduced to tears by baying parents.
两年前，兰卡斯尔足协呼吁父母不要在孩子上场踢球的时候试图对他们大喊大叫，而福利干事尼尔?耶茨也提到他最近看过的一场九岁以下孩子的球赛，其中一个小球员因自己父母的咆哮伤心流泪。
When sporting success can be a ticket to riches and a new life for the entire family, it's no surprise that the pressure can become a little overbearing (just watch the American documentary Trophy Kids), but quite clearly this is not going to help the poor child.
运动方面的功成名就确实可以让整个家庭过上好日子，因此说是“压力山大”一点也不为过。（只用看看美国纪录片《奖杯孩子》就知道了），然而，这对于穷人家的孩子而言却没什么用处。
Indeed, a 2014 study by researchers at the University of Colorado showed that making children take part in structured activities like football training or music practice hinders their ability to set and reach goals.
实际上，据科罗拉多大学2014年的研究表明，让孩子参加一些结构化的活动，比如说足球或音乐训练，会阻碍他们设定目标和达成目标的能力。
Homer says:
辛普森爸爸说：
OK, son. Just remember to have fun out there today. And if you lose, I'll kill you.
“儿子，只用记住我们今天是来玩的。如果你输了，我就会‘杀了你’。”
Marriage
婚姻
The problem: Figures released earlier this month showed that women do 60 percent more unpaid household work than men.
问题现状：本月早些时候公布的数据表明，女性比男性要多做六成的家务活，还分文不取。
Women still spend twice as much time in the kitchen as men, and around two hours more per week on laundry, despite the rise of the supposed "new man".
尽管分担家务及照顾子女重担的“新派男子”正在兴起，女性花在厨房的时间依然是男性的两倍，而且每周也会在洗衣方面多花大约两小时。
Homer says:
辛普森爸爸说：
"Marge, I'm going to miss you so much. And it's not just the sex. It's also the food preparation."
“玛姬，我会很想你的。不只是因为做爱，也是因为你能做饭。”
