英語雞精班：笑聲中除「舊歲」 林爾雍

英語雞精班：笑聲中除「舊歲」

林爾雍   21/01/2021

    文字獄，讀過中國歷史的都知道是什麼。憑文字當然可以誅心，但笑聲呢？在現代中國政治文化原來也扮演重要和獨特角色。王安石有詩云：「爆竹聲中一歲除。」新中國連笑聲也可以除舊歲呢。

    手上正捧讀香港大學出版社2019年出版的一本舊書Maoist Laughter，中譯名為「毛時代的笑」。筆者一直想介紹此書，趁其剛於上月新鮮滾熱辣獲2020 Choice's Outstanding Academic Title，立馬向出版社取書一讀。此書得獎，實至名歸，以笑聲作維度分析毛時代滑稽作品的政治含義，有一段讀來怵目驚心：

    In all these art forms, laughter was used to either highlight antagonisms or downplay differences; it could be used to expose and ridicule the class enemy, yet it could also ameliorate (緩解) and conceal contradictions; it could be ritualistic or heartfelt, didactic (說教的) or cathartic (宣泄的), communal (集體的) or utopic (理想的). This versatile laughter in the Maoist period played a crucial role in aligning interiority with exteriority, in closing gaps between different social groups, in producing class identification, and in consolidating the newly founded nation-state.

    看戲也如坐針氈，好個現代版的伴君如伴虎！

    Maoist Laughter 提到毛澤東主義者高度留意敵人的笑聲。他們認為資產階級敵人的笑聲異於無產階級。1962年《紐約時報》其中一號刊登了新任駐日大使 Edwin Reischauer 接受一日本女孩獻花的照片。《前線》雜誌一篇題為「笑和騙」的文章寫道："Reischauer was using [his] smile to sell his 'political philosophy' in order to 'close the gap with Japan.' ... Reischauer, who plays the 'smile diplomacy,' is like a penniless (一貧如洗的) gambler. What else can we call him other than a swindler?"

    此說與冷戰交織：The "enemy," who was the capitalist United States here, could only laugh hypocritically or deceitfully […] the Maoist commentator exerted a kind of "clinical gaze" at the person who laughs; the smile on Reischauer's face became an outer sign of his inner malaise (萎靡) resulting from his identification with the declining old force […]

    社會主義者的笑聲則相反：In contrast, the socialist citizen's laughter was often described as cheerful, hearty, genuine, and healthy. Such laughter was the outer manifestation of the socialist spirit, which was euphoric (狂喜的), rhapsodic (狂熱的), and optimistic.

    這種笑聲也得到偉大的毛主席讚揚！

Maoist Laughter

edited by Ping Zhu, Zhuoyi Wang, and Jason McGrath