又中又英｜A load of codswallop

Political correctness can sometimes go so far that it becomes a load of codswallop. The organization that awards the Oscars has imposed new rules that I think are a load of codswallop. The rules will become effective in 2025 for the best picture nominations. Movies nominated for the best picture Oscar in 2025 must have a percentage of actors, actresses, or film crew from racial or ethnic minorities. Movies that don’t follow these rules will not be eligible for nomination as best picture. To me, this is a load of codswallop, which is a British slang expression that means nonsense.
The rules mean movies nominated for best picture must have at least one lead character from a racial or ethnic minority. At least 30 percent of the general cast must be from underrepresented groups such as ethnic minorities, women, or LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgender). The movie must focus on one of these groups if the 30 percent rule cannot be met. Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss, who played a leading role in the 1975 movie Jaws, said in a TV interview the new rules made him want to vomit. The rules make me want to vomit too even though I am a minority in Hong Kong and the US.
The 2008 movie Slumdog Millionaire won best picture and seven other Oscars. It had an all-Indian cast. There were no known gays or lesbians. It didn’t have white people, a minority in India. Would it qualify as best picture now? Politically correct movies don’t float my boat, which means to interest me. Directors should choose the best people, whatever their skin colour or sexual preference.

政治正確有時會做得過了頭，變成了一派胡言（a load of codswallop）。負責頒發奧斯卡金像獎的機構，實施了我認為是胡說八道（a load of codswallop）的新規定。這些規定將會限制最佳電影的提名資格，於2025生效。二零二五年要角逐奧斯卡最佳電影，電影的演員和製作團隊中就必須有一定百分比的少數族裔。沒有遵從這些規定的電影就沒有資格獲提名最佳電影。對我來說，這都是a load of codswallop——這是一個英式俚語，意指胡說八道、廢話連篇。
這些規定的意思是，要角逐最佳電影，電影就必須有至少一個主角是來自少數族裔，全體演員裏必須有至少30%是來自「代表性不足」的群體，例如少數族裔、女性，或 LGBT（女同性戀者、男同性戀者、雙性變者和跨性別者）。如果未能達到這個30%的比例，那電影必須專注於這些群體中的其中一個組別。在一九七五年電影《大白鯊》中擔任主角的李察‧德雷福斯，在一個電視訪問中說，這些新規定令他想吐。這些新規定也令我想吐，雖然我自己在香港和美國都是少數族裔。
2008年的電影《一百萬零一夜》贏得了最佳電影及另外七個奧斯卡獎項。它的演員全是印度人，沒有已知的同性戀者，沒有在印度屬於少數族裔的白人。那它現在是否還合資格被稱為最佳電影？政治正確的電影 don’t float my boat，意即一點都不吸引我、我對它不感興趣。導演應該選擇最好的人，不論其膚色或性取向。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻