Why Are There So Many Dark Themes in TV and Movies？
影視劇裡的黑暗主題為何如此之多？
Molly Driscoll
莫莉·德裡斯科爾
Looking for a bright comedy or unambiguously good characters in a movie or TV show？
想找一部歡快的喜劇，或者是影視節目裡絕對的正面角色？
Such entertainment fare seems increasingly rare these days. Pop culture now favors dark， gloomy worlds filled with morally conflicted protagonists. For example， HBO's 「Game of Thrones」 takes place in a fantasy world where those who try to do the right thing are often punished， sexually assaulted， or killed for their actions. The 「Hunger Games」 film series， which takes place in a dystopian world where children are forced to fight to the death， is now one of the most successful film franchises of all time.
這樣的娛樂節目現在似乎越來越少了。大眾文化如今青睞黑暗陰鬱的世界，裡面儘是存在道德衝突的主角。例如，HBO有線電視公司的《權力的遊戲》發生在幻想世界，想做好事的人往往因為他們的行為而遭到懲罰、性侵或殺害。系列電影《飢餓遊戲》發生在兒童被迫展開殊死搏鬥的反烏託邦世界，如今是有史以來最成功的系列電影之一。
Even Superman， the DC comic hero who was traditionally the prototype of a clean-cut do-gooder， is now ethically challenged： In the 2013 film 「Man of Steel，」 he shocked die-hard fans by brutally murdering the villain， General Zod.
DC漫畫英雄超人歷來是輪廓分明的行善者的典型代表，如今連他都有了道德欠缺：在2013年的影片《鋼鐵之軀》中，他殘忍殺死了反派角色佐德將軍，令鐵桿粉絲深感震驚。
Why are global audiences increasingly drawn to these dives into dark worlds populated by flawed and violent heroes — and are these tales helping to strengthen humanity's moral fiber or weakening it?
為什麼全球觀眾越來越痴迷於進入有瑕疵的暴力英雄生活的黑暗世界？這些故事強化還是削弱了人類的道德品行？
Jesse Klein， a sociologist at Florida State University， says viewers are drawn to these themes in entertainment because they『re personally working through the disconnect they see between the ethically challenging world they live in and the moral guidelines and norms they've been taught.
佛羅裡達州立大學的社會學家傑西·克萊因說，觀眾之所以痴迷於娛樂節目中的這些主題，是因為他們自身處於他們所生活的存在道德挑戰的世界與所學的道德準則和規範相脫節狀態。
Some say that Hollywood is attempting to fill a vacuum left by religious leaders， as US church and synagogue attendance drops. 「There's been the dramatic rise of the so-called nones — those who no longer subscribe to any religious tradition， and who include increasing numbers of those who label themselves atheists and agnostics. This diverse group now includes nearly 1 in 4 American adults and 35 percent of Millennials， researchers say，」 writes Harry Brunius for The Christian Science Monitor.
有人說，隨著美國參加教堂和猶太會堂宗教活動的人數減少，好萊塢試圖填補宗教領袖留下的真空。哈裡·布呂紐斯為《基督教科學箴言報》撰文寫道：「所謂的無宗教信仰者顯著增加，也就是不再遵從任何宗教傳統的人，還包括越來越多自稱是無神論者和不可知論者的人。研究人員說，這個多樣化的群體如今包括將近1/4的美國成年人和35%的千禧一代。」
Some viewers simply see these entertainment properties with darker themes as inherently more authentic and sophisticated， says Junhow Wei， an instructor in the department of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. Like other observers， Wei says people want morally complex characters because viewers themselves may struggle with moral questions.
賓夕法尼亞大學社會學系講師魏軍豪說，有些觀眾只不過認為這些有著較黑暗主題的娛樂產品本來就比較可信，也比較不落俗套。如同其他觀察家一樣，魏說，人們之所以需要道德複雜的角色，是因為觀眾自身可能受到了道德問題的困擾。
Most superhero films are now filled with moral shades of gray. For example， 「Captain America： Civil War」 finds the Marvel team pondering the consequences of their world-saving， as heroes consider questions such as collateral damage — bystanders being injured and killed when they take out villains. It's a subject that arises in the real world when drones are sent to assassinate suspected Al Qaeda or ISIS terrorists.
大多數超級英雄電影如今充滿了灰色的道德陰影。例如，在《美國隊長：內戰》中，這個漫威團隊在思索他們拯救世界的後果：英雄們思考附帶損失等問題，也就是他們消滅反派時傷及和殺害的旁觀者。這是現實世界中當無人機被派去刺殺「基地」組織和「伊斯蘭國」組織恐怖分子嫌疑人時會出現的話題。
While some observers say there may be value in the moral wrestling or self-examination prompted by these portrayals， that's not why filmmakers or TV execs make them. This is a business， and controversy draws attention， especially in social media. 「If you have more complex， maybe dark shows with complex and morally ambiguous characters， that maybe is one way to cause more conversation，」 Wei says.
有些觀察家說，這些展現方式激發的道德鬥爭或自我審視可能是有價值的，但那不是影片攝製者和電視劇製作者的初衷。這是一門生意，爭議能吸引關注，在社交媒體上尤其如此。魏說：「如果劇情比較複雜，或許比較黑暗，角色性格複雜，道德上模稜兩可，那或許是一種製造更多談資的方式。」（葛雪蕾譯自美國《基督教科學箴言報》網站6月30日文章）
下一頁：【媒庫文選】取得政治成功的關鍵是什麼？當麥霸