美劇《新聞編輯室》中的一個經典片段：一個信心滿滿的學生問：為什麼美國是世上最偉大的國家？劇中的新聞主播Will McAvoy給出了令人意想不到的回答，值得深思。
演講中英對照全文
It's not the greatest country in the world. Professor, that's my answer.
美國不是世界上最偉大的國家，教授，這是我的答案。
Fine. Sharon, the NEA is a loser. Yeah, it accounts for a penny out of our paycheck, but he gets to hit you with it any time he wants. That doesn't cost money, it costs votes. That costs airtime and column inches. You know why people don't like liberals? Because they lose. If liberals are so f**kin'smart, how come they lose so goddamn always? And with a straight face you're gonna tell students that America is so star-spangled awesome that we're the only ones in the world who have freedom?
莎倫，報業協會是窩囊廢。沒錯，它花的都是納稅人的錢，卻反過來攻擊你。這不花錢，花的是票數，就花點兒廣播時間和專欄長度。你知道為什麼人們不喜歡自由主義者嗎？因為他們是窩囊廢。如果他們有那麼聰明，又怎麼會一次都沒贏過。你還能面不改色地跟學生說，美國是如此的了不起，如此的星光璀璨，美國是世界上唯一一個有自由的國家嗎？
Canada has freedom. Japan has freedom. The U.K., France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, Belgium has freedom! 207 sovereign states in the world, like 180 of them have freedom.
加拿大有自由，日本有自由，英國，法國，義大利，德國，西班牙，澳洲，比利時都有自由。世界上有207個主權國家，大概有180個是有自由的。
All right... And, yeah, you, sorority girl. Just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know, and one of them is there is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we're the greatest country in the world.
好吧……還有你，聯誼會女生。以免你以後不小心亂入了投票站，我覺得有些事你是要知道的。其中一件就是完全沒有數據，來支持你這種美國是世界上最偉大的國家的說法。
We're seventh in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labor force, and number four in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: Number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending where we spend more than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies.
讀寫能力我們排第7；數學第27，科學排第22；人均壽命第49；嬰兒死亡率排178；家庭收入中值排第3；勞動力排第4；出口額排第4。只有三項排名我們是排榜首的，監獄人員所佔總人口比，重信教人數和國防支出，這項支出比後面26個國家的總和還多，其中25國是北約成員國。
Now, none of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student, but you nonetheless are without a doubt a member of the worst period generation period ever period.
當然，這都不是你這個20歲大學生的錯，但你卻毋庸置疑生活在這個史上最糟糕最悲劇的年代。
So when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world. I don't know what the f**k you're talking about. Yosemite?
所以你問我是什麼造就了這個最偉大的國度，我真不懂***在放什麼狗屁。悠仙美地國家公園？
We sure used to be.
We stood up for what was right.
We fought for moral reasons.
We passed laws, struck down laws for moral reasons.
We waged wars on poverty, not poor people.
We sacrificed. We cared about our neighbors.
We put our money where our mouths were and we never beat our chest.
We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and we cultivated the world's greatest artists and the world's greatest economy.
我們過去的確輝煌過。
我們會為正義而拼，為道德而戰。
因合乎道德而立良法，因違背道德而廢惡法。
我們為窮人而戰，而並非討伐窮人。
甘願犧牲，關心鄰裡。
勤勞踏實而不是空口說大話。
我們有過偉大的發明，有過逆天的科學。
創造探索太空，治癒疾病。
還出過世界上最出色的藝術家，有過世界上最棒的經濟體制。
We reached for the stars, acted like men.
We aspired to intelligence.
We didn't be little it. That didn't make us feel inferior.
We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election and we didn't... we didn't scare so easy.
Ahem, we were able to be all these things and do all these things
because we were informed.
By great men, men who were revered.
The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one.
... ...
America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.
可上九天攬月，雖是一介凡人。
追求知識，不輕視，知識不會讓我們覺得低人一等。
不會以上屆選舉的投票選擇來給自己定性左右派
我們也...我們也不會輕易畏懼。
之所以曾做到過這些，是因為我們站在巨人的肩膀上
因為有那些受人尊敬的偉大人物。
解決問題的第一步，是要認清癥結所在。
... ...
美國再也不是世界上最偉大的國家了。