若要了解一个国家的社会氛围，军队的阅兵游行就是一种快速而有效的指南。军事阅兵就是一种仪式性舞蹈，像芭蕾一样，表达了某种生活
哲学。比方说，正步走是世界上最为丑陋的景象之一，甚至比俯冲轰炸机还更令人感到恐怖。这就是一个赤裸裸的权力宣言，相当明确而刻意的存在其中的，是靴子
直冲着脸而来的景象。它的丑陋，是其中的一部分，因为它正在宣称的就是：“是的，我很丑陋，但你不敢嘲笑我”，就如同那向着他的受害者扮鬼脸的恃强凌弱者
一般。英国为什么不用正步走？天晓得有多少军队的军官想引进这种东西，不采用正步走是应为路上的行人会发笑。除非某些特殊情况外，军事阅兵只能在哪些普通
民众不敢嘲笑军队的国家才行得通。意大利人只有在德国人的控制之下时，才采用了正步走，而且你可以想象，他们没有德国人做的好。维希政府如果能幸存下去，
必然会把一种更为僵化的阅兵纪律引入现有的法国军队。在英国军队中，军事训练严格且复杂，充满了十八世纪的记忆，但并没有限定要昂首阔步，队形很少有形式
化的正步。毫无疑问，它属于一个由剑统治的社会，不过是一支从未出鞘的剑。
（One rapid but fairly sure guide to the social atmosphere of a country is the parade-step of its army. A military parade is really a kind of ritual dance, something like a ballet, expressing a certain philosophy of life. The goose-step, for instance, is one of the most horrible sights in the world, far more terrifying than a dive-bomber. It is simply an affirmation of naked power; contained in it, quite consciously and intentionally, is the vision of a boot crashing down on a face. Its ugliness is part of its essence, for what it is saying is ‘Yes, I am ugly, and you daren’t laugh at me’, like the bully who makes faces at his victim. Why is the goose-step not used in England? There are, heaven knows, plenty of army officers who would be only too glad to introduce some such thing. It is not used because the people in the street would laugh. Beyond a certain point, military display is only possible in countries where the common people dare not laugh at the army. The Italians adopted the goose-step at about the time when Italy passed definitely under German control, and, as one would expect, they do it less well than the Germans. The Vichy government, if it survives, is bound to introduce a stiffer parade-ground discipline into what is left of the French army. In the British army the drill is rigid and complicated, full of memories of the eighteenth century, but without definite swagger; the march is merely a formalized walk. It belongs to a society which is ruled by the sword, no doubt, but a sword which must never be taken out of the scabbard.）
————在此，奥威尔只是从审美的角度谈阅兵，恐怕还没想象到随之而来的工厂停工、医院停诊、菜市场关门等等，我想在动物庄园这一切也是顺理成章的。
如果对阅兵的痴迷只是一种品位，那也无伤大雅，周濂老师就在一篇文章中讲过自己重口味的历史，没有让自己汗颜的少年时光呢？退一万步说，一个人的好 恶品位也并不是多了不起的事，无论这个坏品位的人在什么位置上，从长远看——凯恩斯说从长远看我们都会死。这话没错，无怪雨果会说死亡是伟大的平等也是伟 大的自由。说直白点，领导不会总领导。
但如果上升到国民性就有点麻烦了，遭多大难最后都是自认倒霉，怪自己不开眼，做了盲人奥里翁。命苦不能怨政府，因为有什么样的人民就有什么样的政府 ——这当然是较为文艺的说法。翻译成现代汉语就是垃圾还需垃圾桶来配。可从内心深处来讲，尽管有点不好意思承认，我还算一个爱国者，总觉得我们 deserve better。心存一丝希望：或许应的是卢梭那句——有什么样的政府就有什么样的人民。
最后，附上奥威尔原文的链接。奥威尔是真正深沉的爱国者，虽然他总是说一些酸溜溜的话，也不喜欢当时的政府，标题更是用了类似“你国”这样的语言。 但这篇文章仍然是写英国人国民性的名篇，第一部分那段“这里的啤酒更苦、硬币更沉、草更绿……”非常感人，正如瞿秋白那句“中国的豆腐也是很好吃的东西， 世界第一”。
这些，自不必说。要说的是这也是一篇反对法西斯的文章，1941年纳粹横扫欧洲，可奥威尔坚信流行于欧洲大陆的“权力崇拜”不会在英国生根，这是真正的自信，让人羡慕。
我想，在反法西斯战争胜利的周年，真正重要的是记得我们反对的是什么。
（One rapid but fairly sure guide to the social atmosphere of a country is the parade-step of its army. A military parade is really a kind of ritual dance, something like a ballet, expressing a certain philosophy of life. The goose-step, for instance, is one of the most horrible sights in the world, far more terrifying than a dive-bomber. It is simply an affirmation of naked power; contained in it, quite consciously and intentionally, is the vision of a boot crashing down on a face. Its ugliness is part of its essence, for what it is saying is ‘Yes, I am ugly, and you daren’t laugh at me’, like the bully who makes faces at his victim. Why is the goose-step not used in England? There are, heaven knows, plenty of army officers who would be only too glad to introduce some such thing. It is not used because the people in the street would laugh. Beyond a certain point, military display is only possible in countries where the common people dare not laugh at the army. The Italians adopted the goose-step at about the time when Italy passed definitely under German control, and, as one would expect, they do it less well than the Germans. The Vichy government, if it survives, is bound to introduce a stiffer parade-ground discipline into what is left of the French army. In the British army the drill is rigid and complicated, full of memories of the eighteenth century, but without definite swagger; the march is merely a formalized walk. It belongs to a society which is ruled by the sword, no doubt, but a sword which must never be taken out of the scabbard.）
————在此，奥威尔只是从审美的角度谈阅兵，恐怕还没想象到随之而来的工厂停工、医院停诊、菜市场关门等等，我想在动物庄园这一切也是顺理成章的。
如果对阅兵的痴迷只是一种品位，那也无伤大雅，周濂老师就在一篇文章中讲过自己重口味的历史，没有让自己汗颜的少年时光呢？退一万步说，一个人的好 恶品位也并不是多了不起的事，无论这个坏品位的人在什么位置上，从长远看——凯恩斯说从长远看我们都会死。这话没错，无怪雨果会说死亡是伟大的平等也是伟 大的自由。说直白点，领导不会总领导。
但如果上升到国民性就有点麻烦了，遭多大难最后都是自认倒霉，怪自己不开眼，做了盲人奥里翁。命苦不能怨政府，因为有什么样的人民就有什么样的政府 ——这当然是较为文艺的说法。翻译成现代汉语就是垃圾还需垃圾桶来配。可从内心深处来讲，尽管有点不好意思承认，我还算一个爱国者，总觉得我们 deserve better。心存一丝希望：或许应的是卢梭那句——有什么样的政府就有什么样的人民。
最后，附上奥威尔原文的链接。奥威尔是真正深沉的爱国者，虽然他总是说一些酸溜溜的话，也不喜欢当时的政府，标题更是用了类似“你国”这样的语言。 但这篇文章仍然是写英国人国民性的名篇，第一部分那段“这里的啤酒更苦、硬币更沉、草更绿……”非常感人，正如瞿秋白那句“中国的豆腐也是很好吃的东西， 世界第一”。
这些，自不必说。要说的是这也是一篇反对法西斯的文章，1941年纳粹横扫欧洲，可奥威尔坚信流行于欧洲大陆的“权力崇拜”不会在英国生根，这是真正的自信，让人羡慕。
我想，在反法西斯战争胜利的周年，真正重要的是记得我们反对的是什么。
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