美國該燒掉"中國製造"的奧運隊服嗎?
Burn them or wear them?
燒掉它們，還是穿上它們？That's the question swirling around the Team USA uniforms for the 2012 Olympics after U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) responded unfavorably to an ABC World News report that the uniforms, designed by Ralph Lauren, had 'made in China' labels on them.
最近，上述有關2012美國奧運代表團隊服的問題正引起熱議。此前，美國廣播公司(ABC)“世界新聞”(World News)節目的一則報道引發了參議院多數黨領袖裏德(Harry Reid，來自內華達州的民主黨參議員)對這些隊服的批評。該報道稱，美國2012奧運代表團的隊服由拉爾夫・勞倫公司(Ralph Lauren)設計，衣服上有“中國製造”的標籤。'They should take all the outfits, put them in a big pile and burn them and start all over,' Mr. Reid said at a press conference last week, apparently angry that Ralph Lauren had chosen not to throw the business at the U.S.'s struggling textile industry. 'If they have to wear nothing but a singlet that says USA on it, painted by hand, that's what they should wear.'
裏德在上週的一次新聞發佈會上說，人們應該收回全部的隊服，將其堆做一堆，付之一炬，然後從頭到腳換新的。顯然，裏德對拉爾夫・勞倫公司沒有把這些服裝的生產任務交給美國舉步維艱的紡織業感到惱怒。他說，如果運動員們只能穿手繪“美國製造”字樣的背心參加奧運會，他們也應該這麼做。
On Monday, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency fired back with a commentary condemning the 'narrow nationalism and ignorance' displayed by U.S. politicians who oppose the Chinese-made uniforms and citing the importance of 'the Olympic Spirit, which has nothing to do with politics' but is instead about 'mutual understanding and fair play.'
週一，中國官方媒體新華社(Xinhua News Agency)在一篇評論文章中對裏德的態度進行了反擊，文章譴責美國政客在反對中國製造的奧運隊服時表現出的“狹隘民族主義心態”和“無知”，文章提到了奧運精神的重要性，指出奧運精神倡導的是相互理解和公平競爭，應該與政治分開。This is not the first time Ralph Lauren has outsourced production of the Team USA uniforms to China. Nor, it would seem, is China the only controversial country-of-origin for Olympic clothing.
拉爾夫・勞倫把美國代表隊隊服的生產工作外包給中國已經不是第一次了。中國似乎也不是唯一一個因爲生產奧運服裝而引發爭議的國家。One issue, of course, is money. Unlike in many other countries, the United States' Olympic Committee receives no government funding, relying instead on private contributions and corporate sponsorships. As WSJ's Elva Ramirez has noted (see video above), the extra expense of producing the uniforms in the U.S. would have likely doubled their cost.
當然，錢是一個問題。與許多其他國家不同，美國奧委會不會得到政府的資助，它依靠的是私人捐款和企業贊助。正如《華爾街日報》的拉米雷斯(Elva Ramirez)指出的那樣，在美國生產隊服所產生的額外花費很可能會讓隊服的成本加倍。But politics is another consideration. As Xinhua rightly notes, unemployment is a burning issue for the U.S. in this election year, and neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have been shy about fingering China as a culprit in the fading away of the American factory worker.
但是，政治同樣是一個納入考慮的因素。新華社說的沒錯，在今年這個選舉年裏，就業已經成了美國國內一個十分緊迫的問題，民主黨人和共和黨人都將中國視作美國工廠工人失業的罪魁禍首，毫不留情地對中國加以指責。On Monday, Ralph Lauren bowed to the pressure, releasing a statement promising that all future Team USA uniforms will be manufactured in the U.S.
週一，拉爾夫・勞倫迫於壓力發表了一份聲明，承諾未來美國奧運代表隊的隊服將由美國製造。Were Mr. Reid and other critics of the company right in demanding that patriotism trump cost considerations?
裏德和其他批評拉爾夫・勞倫的人士要求把愛國主義放在高於成本考慮的位置上，這樣做對嗎？Or are they guilty of trampling on the Olympic spirit for political gain?
或者，他們是否爲追求政治利益而踐踏了奧林匹克精神？
