everyone's been watching the same show,

去年，

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

每個人都看過這個節目。

but a horrifying, real-life drama

我不是在說 《冰與火之歌》

that's proved too fascinating to turn off.

而是一個恐怖的真人秀。

It's a show produced by murderers

人們捨不得關掉這個節目， 因為它太吸引人。

and shared around the world via the Internet.

這個節目是由殺人犯製作，

Their names have become familiar:

並且透過網路散播到世界。

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

他們的名字變得很熟悉：

Haruna Yukawa, Kenji Goto Jogo.

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

Their beheadings by the Islamic State

Haruna Yukawa, Kenji Goto Jogo

were barbaric,

他們被伊斯蘭國

but if we think they were archaic,

非常殘暴的斬首。

from a remote, obscure age,

但如果我們認為他們非常遠古，

then we're wrong.

來自一個很遠且不為人知的時代，

They were uniquely modern,

那麼我們就錯了。

because the murderers acted knowing well

他們是僅屬於現代世界的產物，

that millions of people would tune in to watch.

因為殺人兇手清楚知道他們的行為

The headlines called them savages and barbarians,

會被幾百萬人收聽、收看。

because the image of one man overpowering another,

各大新聞頭條稱他們為野蠻人

killing him with a knife to the throat,

因為一個男人

conforms to our idea of ancient, primitive practices,

用刀刺穿另一人喉嚨的畫面，

the polar opposite of our urban, civilized ways.

符合我們對原始人行為的看法。

We don't do things like that.

和我們這些都市文明人的行為 非常的不同。

But that's the irony.

我們不做這樣的事。

We think a beheading has nothing to do with us,

但那很諷刺

even as we click on the screen to watch.

我們認為斬首與我們無關

But it is to do with us.

甚至當我們打開銀幕收看節目時 也這樣認為

The Islamic State beheadings

但是這真的跟我們有關

are not ancient or remote.

伊斯蘭國的斬首行為

They're a global, 21st century event,

並不是古老或是遙遠的

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

他是21世紀的全球事件

on our computer screens.

一個發生在我們客廳、桌上

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

還有電腦螢幕上的21世紀事件

And whether we like it or not,

他們完全仰賴科技的力量 與我們聯繫

everyone who watches is a part of the show.

而不論我們是否喜歡

And lots of people watch.

每一個看到的人都是這場秀的一部份

We don't know exactly how many.

而很多人看了

Obviously, it's difficult to calculate.

我們不知道確切到底有多少人

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

顯然，這很難計算

estimated that 1.2 million people

但是英國做的民意調查顯示 如在2014年八月

had watched the beheading of James Foley

估計出約120萬人

in the few days after it was released.

在影片播出的幾天內

And that's just the first few days,

觀看了James Foley的斬首影片

and just Britain.

才一開始的短短幾天

A similar poll taken in the United States

甚至只侷限在英國 就有驚人的人數

in November 2014

2014年11月

found that nine percent of those surveyed

美國實施了一個類似的民調

had watched beheading videos,

他們發現約9%的受訪者

and a further 23 percent

已經看過斬首的影片

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

而且23%已經看過的人

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

在James死亡以前就停止觀看

but it's still a very large crowd.

9%的人可能是少數能夠看完的人

And of course that crowd is growing all the time,

但這仍然是很多的人數

because every week, every month,

當然那群人的人數總是在增加

more people will keep downloading and keep watching.

因為每個星期 每個月

If we go back 11 years,

越來越多人會持續下載並觀看

before sites like YouTube and Facebook were born,

如果我們回到11年前

it was a similar story.

回到像Youtube還有Facebook 這些網站出現以前

When innocent civilians like Daniel Pearl,

這是一個類似的故事

Nick Berg, Paul Johnson, were beheaded,

當無辜的百姓像Daniel Pearl,

those videos were shown during the Iraq War.

Nick Berg, Paul Johnson 被斬首的時候

Nick Berg's beheading

那些影片在伊拉克戰爭的時候 被放在網路上

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

Nick Berg 斬首

Within a day, it was the top search term

馬上成為網路搜尋的熱門項目

across search engines like Google, Lycos, Yahoo.

一天以內, 他就成為 各大搜尋引擎的排行榜第一名

In the week after Nick Berg's beheading,

包括Google, Lycos, Yahoo

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

在Nick Berg被斬首的一周後

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

這些仍然是美國熱門搜尋的前10名

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

Berg的斬首影片 為持續一週最熱門的關鍵字

runner-up only to "American Idol."

而整個五月它都是第二熱門的關鍵字

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

只有《美國偶像》這個節目超越它

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

蓋達組織掛鉤的網站 首先出現Nick Berg的斬首影片

One Dutch website owner said that his daily viewing figures

而由於大量瀏覽人數, 它在幾天內不得已關站

rose from 300,000 to 750,000

一個荷蘭的網站所有人說,

every time a beheading in Iraq was shown.

每當伊拉克地區的 斬首影片一播出

He told reporters 18 months later

他的每日瀏覽人次 就由30萬攀升至75萬

that it had been downloaded many millions of times,

他告訴記者, 18個月以後

and that's just one website.

這支影片已經被下載超過百萬次

A similar pattern was seen again and again

而且只計算一個網站上的下載次數

when videos of beheadings were released during the Iraq War.

類似的模式不斷的出現

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

當斬首的影片在伊拉克戰爭中被釋出

but if we take another step back in history,

社群網站已經使得 這些影像比以前更容易取得

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

但是如果我們在歷史中採取另外一步

in our history of beheadings as public spectacle.

我們將會看到是相機, 創造了第一個斬首的歷史鏡頭

As soon as the camera appeared on the scene,

而這也會是一項公共奇景

a full lifetime ago on June 17, 1939,

當相機一出現在現場

it had an immediate and unequivocal effect.

1939年6月17的情況就會完整被呈現

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

它具有立即且明確的效果

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

那天, 第一部公開的斬首影片 在法國拍攝

outside the prison Saint-Pierre in Versailles.

這是在凡爾賽聖皮埃爾監獄外

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

執行德國連環殺手, Eugen Weidmann死刑的景象

as was customary at the time,

Weidmann應該要在破曉時分被處決

but his executioner was new to the job,

因為這是處決的習慣性時間

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

但是他的行刑者是新人

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

他低估了準備的時間

by which time on a June morning,

所以Weidmann在早上4:30才被處決

there was enough light to take photographs,

那是六月的早上

and a spectator in the crowd filmed the event,

所以有足夠的光線可以拍照

unbeknownst to the authorities.

而一位人群中的觀眾拍下這個事件

Several still photographs were taken as well,

但當局並不知道

and you can still watch the film online today

另外好幾張照片也在當時被拍攝

and look at the photographs.

而你到今天也仍然可以在網路上 觀賞那些影片

The crowd on the day of Weidmann's execution

還有看那些照片

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

在Weidmann被處決那天的圍觀群眾

but that was nothing compared to the untold thousands of people

被媒體稱為"不受控制"還有"令人作噁"

who could now study the action

但是那跟現在可以重複 一次又一次的觀看影片,

over and over again,

並定格看每一個細節的

freeze-framed in every detail.

人數相比

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

根本不算什麼

but it's not just about the camera.

相機使得這些場景, 比以前更加容易取得,

If we take a bigger leap back in history,

但這不僅僅關乎相機

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

如果我們 跨一大步回到歷史之中,

public judicial executions and beheadings,

我們將會看到,

there have been the crowds to see them.

只要有過公開處決或斬首,

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

就會有群眾看到他們,

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

在倫敦, 最晚至19世紀初期,

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

可能已經有四萬或五萬人, 看到一個標準的絞刑,

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

可能有四萬或五萬人, 看到一個有名的犯人被殺,

attracted even more.

而在當時英國並不常見的斬首,

In May 1820,

更是吸引更多人圍觀

five men known as the Cato Street Conspirators

在1820年5月,

were executed in London for plotting

5個被稱為Cato Street conspirator的男人

to assassinate members of the British government.

在倫敦被處決

They were hung and then decapitated.

因為他們計劃刺殺英國政府的成員

It was a gruesome scene.

他們被吊死然後斬首

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

這是可怕的一幕

And 100,000 people,

每個男人的頭都分別被砍掉, 並向眾人展示

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

而超出Wembley體育館 可以負荷量的

had turned out to watch.

10萬名民眾,

The streets were packed.

都到現場觀看

People had rented out windows and rooftops.

街上擠滿了人

People had climbed onto carts and wagons in the street.

人們將窗戶還有屋頂出租給他人觀看

People climbed lamp posts.

人們甚至爬上在街上的車以及貨車

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

人們爬上路燈杆

Evidence suggests that throughout our history

有很多人, 在那些熱門的處決當天被踩死

of public beheadings and public executions,

證據顯示,

the vast majority of the people who come to see

在我們公眾處決 及斬首的歷史當中,

are either enthusiastic or, at best, unmoved.

大多數對前來觀看的人,

Disgust has been comparatively rare,

不是很熱衷,就是對此不為所動

and even when people are disgusted and are horrified,

對此反感的人相對少

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

即使人們對這些事感到噁心 以及害怕,

Perhaps the most striking example

也無法阻止他們出門觀看

of the human ability to watch a beheading and remain unmoved

或許人們看完斬首,

and even be disappointed

卻不為所動，甚至感到失望，

was the introduction in France in 1792 of the guillotine,

這異於尋常的現象發生

that famous decapitation machine.

是在1792年法國引進

To us in the 21st century,

這引人注目的斬首機器---斷頭台之後

the guillotine may seem like a monstrous contraption,

對我們這些活在21世紀的人來說

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

斷頭台可能看似是一個過時 且怪物般的機器

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

但是對第一群看到他的群眾來說, 這真的非常令人失望

where people were mutilated and burned and pulled apart slowly.

他們已經習慣看 在行刑台上漫長且折磨人的處決

To them, watching the guillotine in action,

在行刑台上, 犯人被肢解、燒燬、緩慢地被拉開

it was so quick, there was nothing to see.

對他們來說,

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

斷頭台的速度太快, 根本沒什麼東西可以看

and they called out,

刀掉下來, 頭掉進一個籃子裡,

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

之後立即消失在人們視線中,

The end of torturous public judicial executions in Europe and America

然後人們開始要求, "還我絞刑台, 還我木質絞刑台"

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

歐洲及美國痛苦的公眾處決的結束

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

是為了對犯人更加人道

in the way that they should.

但同時也是因為人們堅決拒絕

All too often, execution day

做他們應做的事情

was more like a carnival than a solemn ceremony.

處決日經常更像一個嘉年華會

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

而非嚴肅的儀式

but there are other scenarios that should make us cautious

在今天的歐洲以及美國, 公眾執法是無法想像的

about thinking that things are different now

但是, 仍有其他可能發生的情況, 我們應該謹慎思考

and we don't behave like that anymore.

因為事情跟以前不一樣,

Take, for example, the incidents of suicide baiting.

而我們也不像以前那樣表現了

This is when a crowd gathers

舉自殺誘導為例,

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

這就是,

in order to kill themselves,

當人群為了觀看一個人

and people in the crowd shout and jeer,

爬到公共建築物頂並企圖自殺而聚集時

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

”等什麼! 跳下來!“

This is a well-recognized phenomenon.

群眾會這麼嘲笑著大喊

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

這是一個非常常見的現象

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

一篇1981年的報告發現, 21人中有10人揚言自殺時

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

人群中會出現自殺誘導以及嘲諷的情況

This was a very widely reported incident

而今年報紙上刊登了一個事件

in Telford and Shropshire in March this year.

這是一個今年3月發生在 Telford和Shropshire,

And when it happens today,

被廣為報導的事件

people take photographs and they take videos on their phones

而今天當它發生的時候

and they post those videos online.

人們透過他們的手機拍照、錄影

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

並上傳那些影片到網路上

the Internet has created a new kind of crowd.

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

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

網路上就產生了一群新的群眾

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

今天, 那些行為因為發生在 離我們很遠的時間和地方

a sense of separation.

所以觀眾對於正在發生的事,

It's nothing to do with me.

有一種超脫感、分離感

It's already happened.

那些事與我們無關

We are also offered an unprecedented sense of intimacy.

它已經發生了

Today, we are all offered front row seats.

那些影片提供我們 這些事與我們史無前例的密切感

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

今天, 那些影片提供我們 近距離觀看斬首事件的機會

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

我們可以不受侵擾的, 在我們想要的時間地點看這影片

This sense of separation --

沒有人需要知道 我們已經按下按鍵並看了影片

from other people, from the event itself --

這與其他人、這個事件

seems to be key to understanding our ability to watch,

之間的脫離感

and there are several ways

看似成為了解我們俱有能夠 觀看那些影片能力的鑰匙

in which the Internet creates a sense of detachment

網路透過很多管道

that seems to erode individual moral responsibility.

創造了脫離感

Our activities online are often contrasted with real life,

而這似乎已經腐蝕了 個人的道德責任

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

我們的線上活動 往往對比出真實世界

We feel less accountable for our actions

儘管我們在網路上做的事 不那麼真實

when we interact online.

當我們在網路上互動的時候,

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

我們似乎可以對我們的行為 負少一點的責任

so we feel less accountable for our behavior.

因為在網路上的一切 都是匿名且看不見的

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

所以我們對我們在網路上的行為 總是覺得不需負責

things that we would usually avoid in everyday life.

網路也使得我們更輕易 且不經意的發現東西

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

而這些東西 往往是我們日常生活中想避免的

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

現在一部影片可以在 你知道內容前就自動開始播放

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

或許,你也可能被誘惑而觀看 那些你平常不會看的資料

And when the action is pre-recorded

或是有其他人跟你在一起時 你不會看的東西

and takes place in a distant time and space,

而當那些行為是事先被錄製

watching seems like a passive activity.

且發生在距離我們 很遠的時間及地點時

There's nothing I can do about it now.

而看影片好像是被動的行為

It's already happened.

現在沒有任何我可以做的事

All these things make it easier as an Internet user

因為它已經發生了

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

當一個網路使用者 讓這些事情都變簡單了

to push our personal boundaries,

因為它讓我們滿足 對死亡的好奇心

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

將我們推上個人的邊界

But we're not passive when we watch.

以測試並探索我們的震撼感

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

但是當我們看影片時 其實一點也不被動

When the victim of a decapitation is bound and defenseless,

相反的, 我們充滿了那種 像殺人犯一樣被看見的渴望

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

當受害者註定被斬首 而無法反抗或自我防衛

Unlike a trophy head that's taken in battle,

他本質上就成了 殺人犯這場表演中的棋子

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

不像在戰役中的戰利品

when a beheading is staged,

象徵著藉由幸運及技巧 才獲得的勝利

when it's essentially a piece of theater,

當斬首正在上演

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

當這本質上 是在戲院上映的一個作品

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

那股力量, 來自殺人犯表演時所獲得的能量

The event no longer takes place in a single location

換句話來說, 觀看其實占這事件中非常大部分

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