Introduction

Why is 'shame' the emotion of now? Does it have anything to do with social media? We know that shame can make someone sad and hopeless but could there be a positive side to this feeling? Neil and Sam discuss the feeling of shame and teach you new vocabulary along the way.

This week's question

The chemical which was used to make cooking pans non-stick was discovered by accident, when was this? Was it…

a) 1930s

b) 1960s

c) 1980s

Vocabulary

shame (noun)

a strong feeling of guilt and embarrassment

to shame (verb)

to make someone feel shame by, for example, publicly highlighting their bad behaviour

crippling / debilitating

this could be emotional, physical or even financial and means making a situation impossible to deal with

to effect

to make something happen

Teflon

A brand name of the chemical PTFE which is used, amongst many other things, to make cooking pots and pans non-stick

coated

covered in

Transcript?

Note: This is not a word for word transcript??

Neil

Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.?

Sam

And I'm Sam.?

Neil

In this programme we'll be talking about the emotion of?shame. What can you tell us about this word, Sam??

Sam

Well, it can be a verb or a noun. As a noun it's an emotion for the uncomfortable feeling we have when we feel embarrassed or guilty about something that we've done. It’s a very strong feeling.?

Neil

We’ll explore this topic in more detail shortly, but first a question. Now it might seem like a random question, but all will become clear later, I promise. The chemical which was used to make cooking pans non-stick was discovered by accident, when was this? Was it…

a) 1930s

b) 1960s or

c) 1980s

What do you think, Sam??

Sam

Ah – well, first, I've no idea what non-stick cookware has to do with our topic of shame but as to the question itself, I think it has something to do with Nasa and the space programme, so I’m going to say 1960s.?

Neil

Well, we will find out later in the programme if you are right. The idea of shame is not new, by any means, but social media has made it a very modern concept, hasn’t it??

Sam

Yes, when it’s used as a verb, to?shame?someone, it means to say or write things in public designed to make other people feel bad about their behaviour and this is something we see a lot In social media.?

Neil

This topic was discussed on a recent edition of the BBC radio programme Woman’s Hour. One of the guests was Hetta Howes from City University, London. Does she think that shame is always a bad thing??

Hetta Howes

If you have too much?shame?it’s?crippling, it's sort of?debilitating?and that’s bad, but the right amount of?shame?can be really positive because it?effects?change and I wonder if we’re starting to see that a bit in modern culture as well from sort of social media platforms because if someone’s done something that we consider to be a little bit wrong, we can sort of publicly?shame?them and maybe?effect?some positive change.?

Neil?

So is shame always bad??

Sam

Well, she does say that too much shame can be?crippling?and?debilitating. Both these words mean that?shame?is so strong that we really can’t manage the emotion, we can’t deal with it, we can’t do anything to put it right. But she does say that a bit of shame can be positive because it?effects?change. This means that it causes change. If someone is shamed on social media, it’s very public and can mean that they change their behaviour.?

Neil

I suppose though there is one group?I think have to accept public shaming, and perhaps deserve it more than others.?

Sam

I think I can guess. Would it be politicians, perhaps? These days we are very cynical about politicians, aren’t we? Social media is one area where the public can directly contact and comment on what their representatives are or aren’t doing.?

Neil

But politicians are a particular kind of person, aren’t they? Cultural historian Tiffany Watt-Smith made this comment on the same Woman’s Hour programme.?

Tiffany Watt-Smith

Shame is ... can be very very useful and the idea of someone who doesn’t experience that at all, like a sort of?Teflon-coated?politician, I mean, that's… that’s a kind of frightening image.?

Neil

What’s she saying here, Sam??

Sam

She’s talking about how some politicians to do not seem to be bothered by shaming. They just ignore it and move on. She describes them as?Teflon coated. This is – aha – a reference to non-stick cookware! Teflon is the brand name of the chemical which was used to make pots and pans non-stick. The pans were?coated?or covered in this material. The reference to politicians is that there are some to whom criticism and shame just don’t stick. They manage to avoid any negative consequences of their actions and this, she says, is scary.?

Neil

Here’s Tiffany Watt-Smith again.?

Tiffany Watt-Smith

Shame is ... can be very very useful and the idea of someone who doesn’t experience that at all, like a sort of?Teflon-coated?politician, I mean, that's… that’s a kind of frightening image.?

Neil?

It’s nearly time now to review our vocabulary, but first, let’s have the answer to the quiz question, which was about non-stick coating on cookware, or Teflon, as we heard. When was it invented??

a) 1930s

b) 1960s or

c) 1980s

What did you think, Sam??

Sam

I guessed the 1960s as I think it was invented as part of the US space programme.?

Neil

Well, a lot of people think that and, like you, a lot of people are wrong. It was actually discovered, by accident, in 1938. So well done if you got that right but no shame if you didn’t! Now on with today’s words.?

Sam

OK. Yes, we were talking about?shame, an uncomfortable feeling of guilt and embarrassment at something we’ve done.

Neil

Shame can be?crippling?and?debilitating. Both these adjectives mean making someone unable to deal with the situation. They can feel so badly about what they have done that they find it difficult to move forward emotionally.?

Sam

We then had to?effect change. This means to make change happen. Note this is 'effect' with an 'e' and not 'affect' with an 'a'.?

Neil

Teflon?is a non-stick covering for cookware.?

Sam

And something that is?coated?with something is covered with something. So?Teflon coated?means covered in?Teflon.?

Neil

Well, that’s all for this programme. We’ll be with you again soon, but if you can’t wait, you can find us in all the usual places on social media, online and on our app. Just search for bbclearninglish. Goodbye!?

Sam?

Bye!

==========================================

雙語版Transcript

Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.

大家好，歡迎來到六分鐘英語。我是尼爾。

And I'm Sam.

我是薩姆。

In this programme we'll be talking about the emotion of shame.?What can you tell us about this word, Sam?

在本期節(jié)目中，我們將討論羞愧這種情感。薩姆，關(guān)于這個(gè)單詞你能告訴我們什么？

Well, it can be a verb or a noun.?As a noun it's an emotion for the uncomfortable feeling we have when we feel embarrassed or guilty about something that we've done.?It’s a very strong feeling.

好吧，它可以是動(dòng)詞也可以是名詞。作為一個(gè)名詞，它指的是當(dāng)我們對(duì)自己所做的事情感到尷尬或內(nèi)疚時(shí)所產(chǎn)生的不適感。它是一種非常強(qiáng)烈的感覺。

We’ll explore this topic in more detail shortly, but first a question.?Now it might seem?like a random question, but all will become clear later, I promise.

我們很快將更詳細(xì)地探討這個(gè)主題，但首先有一個(gè)問題?，F(xiàn)在它看起來似乎是一個(gè)隨意的問題，但我保證，稍后一切都會(huì)變得清晰起來。

The chemical which was used to make cooking pans non-stick was discovered by accident, when was this??Was it… a) 1930s, b)1960s, or c) 1980s??What do you think, Sam?

用于使烹飪鍋不粘的化學(xué)物質(zhì)是偶然被發(fā)現(xiàn)的，那是什么時(shí)候的事？是a) 20世紀(jì)30年代，b)20世紀(jì)60年代，還是c) 20世紀(jì)80年代？你覺得呢，薩姆？

Ah – well, first, I've no idea what non-stick cookware has to do with our topic of shame,?but as to the question itself, I think it has something to do with Nasa and the space programme,?so I’m going to say 1960s.

額，首先，我不知道不粘炊具和我們的羞愧話題有什么關(guān)系，但是就這個(gè)問題本身而言，我認(rèn)為它與美國(guó)國(guó)家航空航天局和太空計(jì)劃有關(guān)，所以我說是20世紀(jì)60年代。

Well, we will find out later in the programme if you are right.?The idea of shame is not new, by any means, but social media has made it a very modern concept, hasn’t it?

好吧，稍后我們將在節(jié)目中揭曉你是否正確?？傊呃⑦@個(gè)概念并不新鮮，但社交媒體已經(jīng)使它成為一個(gè)非?，F(xiàn)代的概念，不是嗎？

Yes, when it’s used as a verb, to shame someone,?it means to say or write things in public designed to make other people feel bad about their behaviour,?and this is something we see a lot in social media.

是的，當(dāng)它用作動(dòng)詞時(shí)，另某人羞愧，它的意思是在公共場(chǎng)合說或?qū)懸恍〇|西讓別人對(duì)他們的行為感到抱歉，這是我們?cè)谏缃幻襟w上經(jīng)?？吹降摹?/span>

This topic was discussed on a recent edition of the BBC radio programme Woman’s Hour.?One of the guests was Hetta Howes from City University, London.?Does she think that shame is always a bad thing?

BBC廣播節(jié)目《女性時(shí)間》最近一期就討論了這個(gè)話題。其中一位嘉賓是來自倫敦城市大學(xué)的海蒂·豪斯。她認(rèn)為羞愧總是一件壞事嗎？

If you have too much shame it’s crippling, it's sort of debilitating and that’s bad,?but the right amount of shame can be really positive because it effects change,?and I wonder if we’re starting to see that a bit in modern culture as well from sort of social media platforms,?because if someone’s done something that we consider to be a little bit wrong, we can sort of publicly shame them and maybe effect some positive change.

如果你有太多的羞愧，那會(huì)起到削弱作用，這是不好的，但是適量的羞愧可以很積極，因?yàn)樗鼤?huì)引起變化，而且我想知道我們是否在現(xiàn)代文化和社交媒體平臺(tái)上看到一點(diǎn)這種內(nèi)容，因?yàn)槿绻橙俗鲆恍┪覀冋J(rèn)為錯(cuò)誤的事情，我們可以公開使他們感到羞愧而且那可能引起一些積極的改變。

So is shame always bad?

羞愧總是不好的嗎？

Well, she does say that too much shame can be crippling and debilitating.?Both these words mean that shame is so strong that we really can’t manage the emotion, we can’t deal with it, we can’t do anything to put it right.?But she does say that a bit of shame can be positive because it effects change.?This means that it causes change.

好吧，她確實(shí)說太多的羞愧會(huì)起到削弱作用。這兩個(gè)詞都意味著羞愧是如此強(qiáng)烈以至于我們真的無法控制這種情緒，我們無法處理它，我們無法做任何事情來糾正它。但她也表示，一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)羞愧可能是積極的，因?yàn)樗鼤?huì)引起變化。這指的是它會(huì)引起變化。

If someone is shamed on social media, it’s very public and can mean that they change their behaviour.

如果某人在社交媒體上感到羞愧，它是非常公開的，而且可能意味著他們改變了自己的行為。

I suppose though there is one group?I think have to accept public shaming, and perhaps deserve it more than others.

然而我認(rèn)為有一個(gè)群體必須公然感到羞愧，也許比另其他人羞愧更值得。

I think I can guess.?This means that it causes change.?These days we are very cynical about politicians, aren’t we?

我想我能猜到?；蛟S是政治家們？現(xiàn)在我們對(duì)政治家們持懷疑態(tài)度，不是嗎？

Social media is one area where the public can directly contact and comment on what their representatives are or aren’t doing.

社交媒體是一個(gè)公眾可以直接聯(lián)系和評(píng)論他們的代表在做什么或沒有做什么的領(lǐng)域。

But politicians are a particular kind of person, aren’t they?

但是政治家是一種特殊的人，不是嗎？

Cultural historian Tiffany Watt-Smith made this comment on the same Woman’s Hour programme.

文化歷史學(xué)家蒂芙尼·瓦特·史密斯在同一 個(gè)節(jié)目《女性時(shí)間》中發(fā)表了這一評(píng)論。

Shame is ... can be very very useful and the idea of someone who doesn’t experience that at all, like a sort of Teflon-coated politician,?I mean, that's… that’s a kind of frightening image.

羞愧是……非常非常有用的，而且一個(gè)完全沒有經(jīng)歷過那的人，就像一個(gè)穿著鐵氟龍的政治家，我的意思是，那是……那是一種可怕的形象。

What’s she saying here, Sam?

她在說什么，薩姆？

She’s talking about how some politicians to do not seem to be bothered by shaming.?They just ignore it and move on.?She describes them as Teflon coated.?This is – aha – a reference to non-stick cookware!

她說的是一些政治家如何不受羞愧的困擾。他們只是忽視它，繼續(xù)前進(jìn)。她形容他們穿著鐵氟龍。這是——啊哈——參考不粘炊具！

Teflon is the brand name of the chemical which was used to make pots and pans non-stick.?The pans were coated or covered in this material.

鐵氟龍是一種用于制造不粘型圓鍋和不粘型平底鍋的化學(xué)物質(zhì)的商標(biāo)名。平底鍋是用這種材料包裹或者覆蓋起來的。

The reference to politicians is that there are some to whom criticism and shame just don’t stick.?They manage to avoid any negative consequences of their actions and this, she says, is scary.

對(duì)于政治家們則是指有些人不接觸批評(píng)和羞愧。他們?cè)O(shè)法避免自己行為的任何負(fù)面后果，她說，這很可怕。

Here’s Tiffany Watt-Smith again.

再聽一遍蒂芙尼·瓦特·史密斯說的。

Shame is ... can be very very useful and the idea of someone who doesn’t experience that at all, like a sort of Teflon-coated politician,?I mean, that's… that’s a kind of frightening image.

羞愧是……非常非常有用的，而且一個(gè)完全沒有經(jīng)歷過那的人，就像一個(gè)穿著鐵氟龍的政治家，我的意思是，那是……那是一種可怕的形象。

It’s nearly time now to review our vocabulary, but first, let’s have the answer to the quiz question,

現(xiàn)在差不多是時(shí)候復(fù)習(xí)詞匯了，但是首先，讓我們來揭曉今天問題的答案，

which was about non-stick coating on cookware, or Teflon, as we heard.

這個(gè)問題是關(guān)于炊具上的不粘涂層，或者我們所聽說的鐵氟龍。

When was it invented??a) 1930s, b) 1960s, or c) 1980s??What did you think, Sam?

它是什么時(shí)候被發(fā)明的？a) 20世紀(jì)30年代，b) 20世紀(jì)60年代，還是c) 20世紀(jì)80年代？你覺得呢，薩姆？

I guessed the 1960s, and I think it was invented as part of the US space programme.

我猜是20世紀(jì)60年代，而且我認(rèn)為它是作為美國(guó)太空計(jì)劃的一部分被發(fā)明的。

Well, a lot of people think that and, like you, a lot of people are wrong.

很多人都這么認(rèn)為，就像你一樣，但很多人都錯(cuò)了。

It was actually discovered, by accident, in 1938.

實(shí)際上，它是在1938年被偶然發(fā)現(xiàn)的。

So well done if you got that right but no shame if you didn’t!

如果你做對(duì)了，那很棒啊，但如果你做錯(cuò)了也沒什么好羞愧的！

Now on with today’s words.

現(xiàn)在繼續(xù)今天的單詞。

OK. Yes, we were talking about shame, an uncomfortable feeling of guilt and embarrassment at something we’ve done.

好的。是的，我們談?wù)摰氖切呃?，一種對(duì)自己所做事情內(nèi)疚和尷尬的不適感。

Shame can be crippling and debilitating.

羞愧會(huì)起到削弱作用。

Both these adjectives mean making someone unable to deal with the situation.

這兩個(gè)形容詞都表示使某人無法處理特定情況。

They can feel so badly about what they have done that they find it difficult to move forward emotionally.

他們會(huì)對(duì)自己所做的事情感到非常不好，以至于很難在情感上繼續(xù)向前。

We then had to effect change.?This means to make change happen.

然后我們必須做出改變。這意味著引起改變的發(fā)生。

Note this is 'effect' with an 'e' and not 'affect' with an 'a'.

注意，這是帶“e”的“effect”，而不是帶“a”的“affect”。

Teflon is a non-stick covering for cookware.?And something that is coated with something is covered with something.

鐵氟龍是炊具的一種不粘型覆蓋物。包裹有某物的物體被某物所覆蓋。

So Teflon coated means covered in Teflon.

所以包裹有鐵氟龍指的是覆蓋有鐵氟龍。

Well, that’s all for this programme.

好了，以上就是本期節(jié)目的全部?jī)?nèi)容。

We’ll be with you again soon,?Just search for bbclearninglish.

我們很快會(huì)再次和你見面，只需查找bbclearninglish。

Goodbye!