The treadmill's dark and twisted past - Conor Heffernan

跑步機扭曲黑暗的由來 - 康納赫弗南

譯者: Ru Hochen 審譯者: May Wu

你腳下持續的落地聲

The constant thud underneath your feet,

the constrained space,

受限的空間

and the monotony of going nowhere fast.

且無法快速抵達任何地方的單調感

It feels like hours have gone by, but it's only been eleven minutes,

感覺如此漫長,其實才過了11分鐘罷了

於是你納悶"我幹嘛自討苦吃?"

and you wonder,

"Why am I torturing myself?

This thing has got to be considered a cruel and unusual punishment."

這東西絕對是殘忍且非人的懲罰

Actually, that's exactly what it is, or was.

其實還真是如此

至少曾是如此

You see, in the 1800s,

事實上,19世紀的時候

treadmills were created to punish English prisoners.

跑步機是為了懲罰英國囚犯而創

當時英國的監獄體系簡直糟透了

At the time, the English prison system was abysmally bad.

Execution and deportation were often the punishments of choice,

處以死刑和驅逐出境是慣用的懲處

而那些被關起來的人,則鎮日待在骯髒的牢房裡

and those who were locked away faced hours of solitude in filthy cells.

So social movements led by religious groups, philanthropies,

社會運動應運而生,由宗教團體與慈善團體

and celebrities, like Charles Dickens,

以及狄更斯等名流引領

sought to change these dire conditions and help reform the prisoners.

試圖改變這些慘況,並協助改造這些囚犯

When their movement succeeded,

他們的社會運動成功後

entire prisons were remodeled and new forms of rehabilitation,

監獄悉數重建,且新形式的犯人重塑設施

such as the treadmill, were introduced.

例如跑步機,也從而引進

Here's how the original version,

這是原版跑步機

invented in 1818 by English engineer Sir William Cubitt, worked.

1818年英國工程師邱比特爵士發明時的運作方式

Prisoners stepped on 24 spokes of a large paddle wheel.

囚犯踩踏一座大型滾輪的24條輪輻

隨著輪子旋轉

As the wheel turned,

the prisoner was forced to keep stepping up or risk falling off,

犯人被迫持續踏步,否則便會跌落

similar to modern stepper machines.

跟現代的踏步機原理相似

Meanwhile, the rotation made gears pump out water,

同時,旋轉促使齒輪打水出來

crush grain,

碾壓麥子

or power mills,

或讓磨坊發動

跑步機(腳踏磨坊)一詞便是由此而來

which is where the name "treadmill" originated.

These devices were seen as a fantastic way of whipping prisoners into shape,

這些設施被視作鞭策犯人改造的絕佳良方

and that added benefit of powering mills

且推動磨坊運作的額外效益

helped to rebuild a British economy decimated by the Napoleonic Wars.

有助於重振被拿破崙戰爭削弱的英國經濟

It was a win for all concerned, except the prisoners.

除了囚犯以外,這對各方而言都是一大良策

It's estimated that, on average,

平均估算下來

prisoners spent six or so hours a day on treadmills,

囚犯每天有6到8小時在用跑步機

the equivalent of climbing 5,000 to 14,000 feet.

相當於爬了5千到1萬4千呎

14,000 feet is roughly Mount Everest's halfway point.

1萬4千呎大約是聖母峰半山腰的高度

Imagine doing that five days a week with little food.

試想在吃得少的情況下每週五天如此工作

Cubitt's idea quickly spread across the British Empire and America.

邱比特的點子旋即傳遍大英帝國及美國

Within a decade of its creation,

在跑步機發明後的十年內，

over 50 English prisons boasted a treadmill,

超過50座英國監獄均坐擁跑步機

and America, a similar amount.

美國的數量也不相上下

Unsurprisingly, the exertion combined with poor nutrition

不出所料,由於勞累且營養不良

saw many prisoners suffer breakdowns and injuries,

許多囚犯因而崩潰且受傷

not that prison guards seemed to care.

不過獄卒似乎不以為意

In 1824, New York prison guard James Hardie credited the device

1824年,紐約的獄卒詹姆哈迪

認為這項設施幫助他馴服了較為狂躁的囚犯

with taming his more boisterous inmates, writing that

the "monotonous steadiness, and not its severity...constitutes its terror,"

他寫道

"它的恐怖之處不在於嚴苛,而是一成不變的性質"

a quote many still agree with.

許多人至今仍贊同這句話

跑步機在英國一直存活到19世紀末

And treadmills lasted in England until the late 19th century,

when they were banned for being excessively cruel

因為太過殘忍

under the Prison's Act of 1898.

1898年的監獄法才明令禁止

But of course the torture device returned with a vengeance,

但這個刑具顯然又捲土重來

this time targeting the unsuspecting public.

這次它將毫無戒心的大眾列為目標

In 1911, a treadmill patent was registered in the U.S.,

1911年,有人在美國註冊了跑步機的專利

and by 1952, the forerunner for today's modern treadmill had been created.

1952年,現代跑步機的初代機誕生了

When the jogging craze hit the U.S. in the 1970s,

1970年代,慢跑這項運動風靡美國

the treadmill was thrust back into the limelight

跑步機再度受到眾人矚目

as an easy and convenient way to improve aerobic fitness,

成為一種能改善有氧體能的簡便途徑

and lose unwanted pounds,

還能甩去贅肉

which, to be fair, it's pretty good at doing.

講句公道話,跑步機其實挺有效的

And the machine has maintained its popularity since.

跑步機的人氣從此歷久不衰

So the next time you voluntarily subject yourself to what was once

下次,當你甘願屈服於

這項曾為殘忍且非比尋常的懲罰器具

a cruel and unusual punishment,

just be glad you can control when you'll hop off.

慶幸一下你至少能自己決定何時跳下來吧