Why Public Beheadings Get Millions of Views | Frances Larson | TED Talks

譯者: Chen Wan-Chien 審譯者: Xiaoya Song

For the last year,

去年，

everyone's been watching the same show,

每個人都看過這個節目。

and I'm not talking about "Game of Thrones,"

我不是在說 《冰與火之歌》

but a horrifying, real-life drama

而是一個恐怖的真人秀。

that's proved too fascinating to turn off.

人們捨不得關掉這個節目， 因為它太吸引人。

It's a show produced by murderers

這個節目是由殺人犯製作，

and shared around the world via the Internet.

並且透過網路散播到世界。

他們的名字變得很熟悉：

Their names have become familiar:

James Foley, Steven Sotloff, David Haines, Alan Henning, Peter Kassig,

James Foley, Steven Sotloff, David Haines, Alan Henning, Peter Kassig

Haruna Yukawa, Kenji Goto Jogo.

Haruna Yukawa, Kenji Goto Jogo

Their beheadings by the Islamic State

他們被伊斯蘭國

were barbaric,

非常殘暴的斬首。

but if we think they were archaic,

但如果我們認為他們非常遠古，

來自一個很遠且不為人知的時代，

from a remote, obscure age,

then we're wrong.

那麼我們就錯了。

They were uniquely modern,

他們是僅屬於現代世界的產物，

because the murderers acted knowing well

因為殺人兇手清楚知道他們的行為

that millions of people would tune in to watch.

會被幾百萬人收聽、收看。

The headlines called them savages and barbarians,

各大新聞頭條稱他們為野蠻人

因為一個男人

because the image of one man overpowering another,

用刀刺穿另一人喉嚨的畫面，

killing him with a knife to the throat,

conforms to our idea of ancient, primitive practices,

符合我們對原始人行為的看法。

the polar opposite of our urban, civilized ways.

和我們這些都市文明人的行為 非常的不同。

We don't do things like that.

我們不做這樣的事。

But that's the irony.

但那很諷刺

We think a beheading has nothing to do with us,

我們認為斬首與我們無關

even as we click on the screen to watch.

甚至當我們打開銀幕收看節目時 也這樣認為

但是這真的跟我們有關

But it is to do with us.

The Islamic State beheadings

伊斯蘭國的斬首行為

are not ancient or remote.

並不是古老或是遙遠的

They're a global, 21st century event,

他是21世紀的全球事件

a 21st century event that takes place in our living rooms, at our desks,

一個發生在我們客廳、桌上

on our computer screens.

還有電腦螢幕上的21世紀事件

They're entirely dependent on the power of technology to connect us.

他們完全仰賴科技的力量 與我們聯繫

And whether we like it or not,

而不論我們是否喜歡

everyone who watches is a part of the show.

每一個看到的人都是這場秀的一部份

And lots of people watch.

而很多人看了

We don't know exactly how many.

我們不知道確切到底有多少人

Obviously, it's difficult to calculate.

顯然，這很難計算

But a poll taken in the UK, for example, in August 2014,

但是英國做的民意調查顯示 如在2014年八月

estimated that 1.2 million people

估計出約120萬人

had watched the beheading of James Foley

在影片播出的幾天內

in the few days after it was released.

觀看了James Foley的斬首影片

And that's just the first few days,

才一開始的短短幾天

and just Britain.

甚至只侷限在英國 就有驚人的人數

A similar poll taken in the United States

2014年11月

美國實施了一個類似的民調

in November 2014

found that nine percent of those surveyed

他們發現約9%的受訪者

had watched beheading videos,

已經看過斬首的影片

and a further 23 percent

而且23%已經看過的人

had watched the videos but had stopped just before the death was shown.

在James死亡以前就停止觀看

Nine percent may be a small minority of all the people who could watch,

9%的人可能是少數能夠看完的人

but it's still a very large crowd.

但這仍然是很多的人數

And of course that crowd is growing all the time,

當然那群人的人數總是在增加

because every week, every month,

因為每個星期 每個月

more people will keep downloading and keep watching.

越來越多人會持續下載並觀看

If we go back 11 years,

如果我們回到11年前

before sites like YouTube and Facebook were born,

回到像Youtube還有Facebook 這些網站出現以前

it was a similar story.

這是一個類似的故事

When innocent civilians like Daniel Pearl,

當無辜的百姓像Daniel Pearl,

Nick Berg, Paul Johnson, were beheaded,

Nick Berg, Paul Johnson 被斬首的時候

those videos were shown during the Iraq War.

那些影片在伊拉克戰爭的時候 被放在網路上

Nick Berg's beheading

Nick Berg 斬首

quickly became one of the most searched for items on the Internet.

馬上成為網路搜尋的熱門項目

Within a day, it was the top search term

一天以內, 他就成為 各大搜尋引擎的排行榜第一名

across search engines like Google, Lycos, Yahoo.

包括Google, Lycos, Yahoo

In the week after Nick Berg's beheading,

在Nick Berg被斬首的一周後

these were the top 10 search terms in the United States.

這些仍然是美國熱門搜尋的前10名

The Berg beheading video remained the most popular search term for a week,

Berg的斬首影片 為持續一週最熱門的關鍵字

and it was the second most popular search term for the whole month of May,

而整個五月它都是第二熱門的關鍵字

runner-up only to "American Idol."

只有《美國偶像》這個節目超越它

The al-Qaeda-linked website that first showed Nick Berg's beheading

蓋達組織掛鉤的網站 首先出現Nick Berg的斬首影片

had to close down within a couple of days due to overwhelming traffic to the site.

而由於大量瀏覽人數, 它在幾天內不得已關站

One Dutch website owner said that his daily viewing figures

一個荷蘭的網站所有人說,

每當伊拉克地區的 斬首影片一播出

rose from 300,000 to 750,000

every time a beheading in Iraq was shown.

他的每日瀏覽人次 就由30萬攀升至75萬

He told reporters 18 months later

他告訴記者, 18個月以後

that it had been downloaded many millions of times,

這支影片已經被下載超過百萬次

and that's just one website.

而且只計算一個網站上的下載次數

A similar pattern was seen again and again

類似的模式不斷的出現

when videos of beheadings were released during the Iraq War.

當斬首的影片在伊拉克戰爭中被釋出

Social media sites have made these images more accessible than ever before,

社群網站已經使得 這些影像比以前更容易取得

but if we take another step back in history,

但是如果我們在歷史中採取另外一步

we'll see that it was the camera that first created a new kind of crowd

我們將會看到是相機, 創造了第一個斬首的歷史鏡頭

in our history of beheadings as public spectacle.

而這也會是一項公共奇景

As soon as the camera appeared on the scene,

當相機一出現在現場

a full lifetime ago on June 17, 1939,

1939年6月17的情況就會完整被呈現

it had an immediate and unequivocal effect.

它具有立即且明確的效果

That day, the first film of a public beheading was created in France.

那天, 第一部公開的斬首影片 在法國拍攝

這是在凡爾賽聖皮埃爾監獄外

It was the execution, the guillotining, of a German serial killer, Eugen Weidmann,

執行德國連環殺手, Eugen Weidmann死刑的景象

outside the prison Saint-Pierre in Versailles.

Weidmann was due to be executed at the crack of dawn,

Weidmann應該要在破曉時分被處決

as was customary at the time,

因為這是處決的習慣性時間

but his executioner was new to the job,

但是他的行刑者是新人

他低估了準備的時間

and he'd underestimated how long it would take him to prepare.

So Weidmann was executed at 4:30 in the morning,

所以Weidmann在早上4:30才被處決

by which time on a June morning,

那是六月的早上

there was enough light to take photographs,

所以有足夠的光線可以拍照

and a spectator in the crowd filmed the event,

而一位人群中的觀眾拍下這個事件

unbeknownst to the authorities.

但當局並不知道

Several still photographs were taken as well,

另外好幾張照片也在當時被拍攝

而你到今天也仍然可以在網路上 觀賞那些影片

and you can still watch the film online today

and look at the photographs.

還有看那些照片

The crowd on the day of Weidmann's execution

在Weidmann被處決那天的圍觀群眾

was called "unruly" and "disgusting" by the press,

被媒體稱為"不受控制"還有"令人作噁"

but that was nothing compared to the untold thousands of people

但是那跟現在可以重複 一次又一次的觀看影片,

who could now study the action

並定格看每一個細節的

人數相比

over and over again,

freeze-framed in every detail.

根本不算什麼

相機使得這些場景, 比以前更加容易取得,

The camera may have made these scenes more accessible than ever before,

but it's not just about the camera.

但這不僅僅關乎相機

If we take a bigger leap back in history,

如果我們 跨一大步回到歷史之中,

we'll see that for as long as there have been

我們將會看到,

只要有過公開處決或斬首,

public judicial executions and beheadings,

there have been the crowds to see them.

就會有群眾看到他們,

In London, as late as the early 19th century,

在倫敦, 最晚至19世紀初期,

there might be four or five thousand people to see a standard hanging.

可能已經有4千或5千人, 看到一個標準的絞刑,

There could be 40,000 or 50,000 to see a famous criminal killed.

可能有4千或5千人, 看到一個有名的犯人被殺,

而在當時英國並不常見的斬首,

And a beheading, which was a rare event in England at the time,

attracted even more.

更是吸引更多人圍觀

In May 1820,

在1820年5月,

five men known as the Cato Street Conspirators

5個被稱為Cato Street conspirator的男人

were executed in London for plotting

在倫敦被處決

因為他們計劃刺殺英國政府的成員

to assassinate members of the British government.

They were hung and then decapitated.

他們被吊死然後斬首

It was a gruesome scene.

這是可怕的一幕

Each man's head was hacked off in turn and held up to the crowd.

每個男人的頭都分別被砍掉, 並向眾人展示

And 100,000 people,

而超出Wembley體育館 可以負荷量的

that's 10,000 more than can fit into Wembley Stadium,

10萬名民眾,

都到現場觀看

had turned out to watch.

The streets were packed.

街上擠滿了人

People had rented out windows and rooftops.

人們將窗戶還有屋頂出租給他人觀看

People had climbed onto carts and wagons in the street.

人們甚至爬上在街上的車以及貨車

People climbed lamp posts.

人們爬上路燈杆

People had been known to have died in the crush on popular execution days.

有很多人, 在那些熱門的處決當天被踩死

證據顯示,

Evidence suggests that throughout our history

在我們公眾處決 及斬首的歷史當中,

of public beheadings and public executions,

the vast majority of the people who come to see

大多數對前來觀看的人,

are either enthusiastic or, at best, unmoved.

不是很熱衷,就是對此不為所動

Disgust has been comparatively rare,

對此反感的人相對少

and even when people are disgusted and are horrified,

即使人們對這些事感到噁心 以及害怕,

it doesn't always stop them from coming out all the same to watch.

也無法阻止他們出門觀看

Perhaps the most striking example

或許人們看完斬首,

of the human ability to watch a beheading and remain unmoved

卻不為所動，甚至感到失望，

這異於尋常的現象發生

and even be disappointed

was the introduction in France in 1792 of the guillotine,

是在1792年法國引進

這引人注目的斬首機器---斷頭台之後

that famous decapitation machine.

對我們這些活在21世紀的人來說

To us in the 21st century,

the guillotine may seem like a monstrous contraption,

斷頭台可能看似是一個過時 且怪物般的機器

but to the first crowds who saw it, it was actually a disappointment.

但是對第一群看到他的群眾來說, 這真的非常令人失望

They were used to seeing long, drawn-out, torturous executions on the scaffold,

他們已經習慣看 在行刑台上漫長且折磨人的處決

where people were mutilated and burned and pulled apart slowly.

在行刑台上, 犯人被肢解、燒燬、緩慢地被拉開

To them, watching the guillotine in action,

對他們來說,

斷頭台的速度太快, 根本沒什麼東西可以看

it was so quick, there was nothing to see.

刀掉下來, 頭掉進一個籃子裡,

The blade fell, the head fell into a basket, out of sight immediately,

之後立即消失在人們視線中,

and they called out,

然後人們開始要求, "還我絞刑台, 還我木質絞刑台"

"Give me back my gallows, give me back my wooden gallows."

The end of torturous public judicial executions in Europe and America

歐洲及美國痛苦的公眾處決的結束

was partly to do with being more humane towards the criminal,

是為了對犯人更加人道

but it was also partly because the crowd obstinately refused to behave

但同時也是因為人們堅決拒絕

in the way that they should.

做他們應做的事情

All too often, execution day

處決日經常更像一個嘉年華會

was more like a carnival than a solemn ceremony.

而非嚴肅的儀式

Today, a public judicial execution in Europe or America is unthinkable,

在今天的歐洲以及美國, 公眾執法是無法想像的

but there are other scenarios that should make us cautious

但是, 仍有其他可能發生的情況, 我們應該謹慎思考

about thinking that things are different now

因為事情跟以前不一樣,

and we don't behave like that anymore.

而我們也不像以前那樣表現了

Take, for example, the incidents of suicide baiting.

舉自殺誘導為例,

This is when a crowd gathers

這就是,

當人群為了觀看一個人

to watch a person who has climbed to the top of a public building

爬到公共建築物頂並企圖自殺而聚集時

in order to kill themselves,

and people in the crowd shout and jeer,

”等什麼! 跳下來!“

群眾會這麼嘲笑著大喊

"Get on with it! Go on and jump!"

This is a well-recognized phenomenon.

這是一個非常常見的現象

One paper in 1981 found that in 10 out of 21 threatened suicide attempts,

一篇1981年的報告發現, 21人中有10人揚言自殺時

there was incidents of suicide baiting and jeering from a crowd.

人群中會出現自殺誘導以及嘲諷的情況

And there have been incidents reported in the press this year.

而今年報紙上刊登了一個事件

This was a very widely reported incident

這是一個今年3月發生在 Telford和Shropshire,

in Telford and Shropshire in March this year.

被廣為報導的事件

And when it happens today,

而今天當它發生的時候

people take photographs and they take videos on their phones

人們透過他們的手機拍照、錄影

and they post those videos online.

並上傳那些影片到網路上

When it comes to brutal murderers who post their beheading videos,

而當我們提及那些將斬首影片 發佈到網路上,殘忍的殺人犯

the Internet has created a new kind of crowd.

網路上就產生了一群新的群眾

Today, the action takes place in a distant time and place,

今天, 那些行為因為發生在 離我們很遠的時間和地方

which gives the viewer a sense of detachment from what's happening,

所以觀眾對於正在發生的事,

有一種超脫感、分離感

a sense of separation.

It's nothing to do with me.

那些事與我們無關

It's already happened.

它已經發生了

We are also offered an unprecedented sense of intimacy.

那些影片提供我們 這些事與我們史無前例的密切感

Today, we are all offered front row seats.

今天, 那些影片提供我們 近距離觀看斬首事件的機會

We can all watch in private, in our own time and space,

我們可以不受侵擾的, 在我們想要的時間地點看這影片

and no one need ever know that we've clicked on the screen to watch.

沒有人需要知道 我們已經按下按鍵並看了影片

This sense of separation --

這與其他人、這個事件

from other people, from the event itself --

之間的脫離感

seems to be key to understanding our ability to watch,

看似成為了解我們俱有能夠 觀看那些影片能力的鑰匙

and there are several ways

網路透過很多管道

in which the Internet creates a sense of detachment

創造了脫離感

that seems to erode individual moral responsibility.

而這似乎已經腐蝕了 個人的道德責任

Our activities online are often contrasted with real life,

我們的線上活動 往往對比出真實世界

as though the things we do online are somehow less real.

儘管我們在網路上做的事 不那麼真實

We feel less accountable for our actions

當我們在網路上互動的時候,

when we interact online.

我們似乎可以對我們的行為 負少一點的責任

There's a sense of anonymity, a sense of invisibility,

因為在網路上的一切 都是匿名且看不見的

so we feel less accountable for our behavior.

所以我們對我們在網路上的行為 總是覺得不需負責

The Internet also makes it far easier to stumble upon things inadvertently,

網路也使得我們更輕易 且不經意的發現東西

things that we would usually avoid in everyday life.

而這些東西 往往是我們日常生活中想避免的

Today, a video can start playing before you even know what you're watching.

現在一部影片可以在 你知道內容前就自動開始播放

Or you may be tempted to look at material that you wouldn't look at in everyday life

或許,你也可能被誘惑而觀看 那些你平常不會看的資料

or you wouldn't look at if you were with other people at the time.

或是有其他人跟你在一起時 你不會看的東西

而當那些行為是事先被錄製

And when the action is pre-recorded

and takes place in a distant time and space,

且發生在距離我們 很遠的時間及地點時

watching seems like a passive activity.

而看影片好像是被動的行為

現在沒有任何我可以做的事

There's nothing I can do about it now.

It's already happened.

因為它已經發生了

當一個網路使用者 讓這些事情都變簡單了

All these things make it easier as an Internet user

for us to give in to our sense of curiosity about death,

因為它讓我們滿足 對死亡的好奇心

to push our personal boundaries,

將我們推上個人的邊界

以測試並探索我們的震撼感

to test our sense of shock, to explore our sense of shock.

But we're not passive when we watch.

但是當我們看影片時 其實一點也不被動

On the contrary, we're fulfilling the murderer's desire to be seen.

相反的, 我們充滿了那種 像殺人犯一樣被看見的渴望

When the victim of a decapitation is bound and defenseless,

當受害者註定被斬首 而無法反抗或自我防衛

he or she essentially becomes a pawn in their killer's show.

他本質上就成了 殺人犯這場表演中的棋子

Unlike a trophy head that's taken in battle,

不像在戰役中的戰利品

that represents the luck and skill it takes to win a fight,

象徵著藉由幸運及技巧 才獲得的勝利

when a beheading is staged,

當斬首正在上演

when it's essentially a piece of theater,

當這本質上 是在戲院上映的一個作品

the power comes from the reception the killer receives as he performs.

那股力量, 來自殺人犯表演時所獲得的能量

In other words, watching is very much part of the event.

換句話來說, 觀看其實占這事件中非常大部分

The event no longer takes place in a single location

這個事件不久後

將不像以前一樣只出現在 一個特定的時間地點

at a certain point in time as it used to and as it may still appear to.

Now the event is stretched out in time and place,

現在, 這些事件 已經向外延伸

and everyone who watches plays their part.

而每個觀看的人 就是在飾演自己負責的部分

We should stop watching,

我們應該停止觀看

但我們知道我們不會

but we know we won't.

History tells us we won't,

歷史告訴我們, 我們不會

and the killers know it too.

而殺人犯也知道

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

(掌聲)

Bruno Giussani: Thank you. Let me get this back. Thank you.

謝謝你 讓我把這個拿回來,謝謝

Let's move here. While they install for the next performance,

我們來這裡 在他們準備下一場的時候

I want to ask you the question that probably many here have,

我想問你個問題 可能這裡很多人也想問

which is how did you get interested in this topic?

為什麼和如何 你會對這件事感興趣？

我以前,

Frances Larson: I used to work at a museum

在牛津的Pitt Rivers博物館工作

called the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford,

which was famous for its display of shrunken heads from South America.

它以展示南美洲皺縮的頭顱聞名

People used to say, "Oh, the shrunken head museum, the shrunken head museum!"

人們總是說 "噢！那個皺縮頭顱的博物館！"

And at the time, I was working on the history

從那時候開始

我開始研究科學家 搜集頭骨的歷史

of scientific collections of skulls.

I was working on the cranial collections,

我開始研究頭蓋骨的搜集

and it just struck me as ironic

但人們來這裡, 看這段殘暴,原始且野蠻的文化時

that here were people coming to see this gory, primitive, savage culture

幾乎只透過幻想和自我創造

而非仔細了解他們正在看的

that they were almost fantasizing about and creating

without really understanding what they were seeing,

這讓我覺得很諷刺

and all the while these vast -- I mean hundreds of thousands

而所有這些很多的, 我的意思是

在我們博物館中橫越歐美 成千成百的頭骨

of skulls in our museums, all across Europe and the States --

有點像是維護著我們 對理性科學和啓蒙思想的追逐

were kind of upholding this Enlightenment pursuit of scientific rationality.

So I wanted to kind of twist it round and say, "Let's look at us."

所以, 我想要換個面向 然後說我們來看看我們自己

We're looking through the glass case at these shrunken heads.

我們正透過玻璃櫥窗 看這些皺縮頭骨

Let's look at our own history and our own cultural fascination with these things.

讓我們藉由這些事情, 一窺 我們的歷史以及文化的迷人之處

BG: Thank you for sharing that.

謝謝您的分享

FL: Thank you.

謝謝

(掌聲)

(Applause)