硅谷风格的爱情回归现实 - 达人(blue)

2004/01/25 | 硅谷风格的爱情回归现实
类别(Learning) | 评论(2) | 阅读(251) | 发表于 16:09: 硅谷风格的爱情回归现实财富究竟和爱情是何关系?
昔日硅谷，新贵层出不穷，被单身女子视为寻找梦中王子的场所；
今日硅谷，因为股票暴跌，男人不再趾高气扬，女人也不再挑三拣四。
或许从本文中可以窥视美国的高科技企业家文化……

The love of silicon valley style returns to earth(硅谷风格的爱情回归现实)

During one incredible month in its dotcom heyday, Silicon Valley was minting 64 millionaires every day, many young and mostly male.
在网络业如日中天、不可一世的日子里,硅谷每天创造64个百万富翁,其中许多是年轻人,多半又都是男性。

The San Francisco Bay Area, by media accounts, was a bachelorette's dream " The Valley of the Guys." Palo Alto boasted 36 percent more men than women. Magazines and Internet sites profiled male tech magnates in all their Palm-Pilot splendor, inviting women to drool over " Hunks of the Web."
按照媒体的说法,旧金山湾是单身女子梦中追寻的地方--"男子谷"。帕洛阿尔托一度吹嘘其男性人口超出女性人口36％。杂志和互联网描述男性技术显贵都是一副手持掌上电脑,神采奕奕的样子,引得女性对这些"网络猛男"倾慕不已。

But when the dotcom bubble deflated, hot air left the singles scene, too. In the wake of dotcom breakups, many singles are trying harder to build long-term relationships in their personal lives.Men are less arrogant,women less choosy.
但是,当网络泡沫破灭时,这种火热的景象也从单身汉的生活中消失了。网络业衰退带来的是许多未婚者更加努力地在个人生活中建立长久的婚恋关系。男人不那么趾高气扬了,女人也不那么挑三拣四了。

The saga of courtship here, in America's capital of new wealth, accompanies sudden riches and the realignment that results when wide-eyed dreams collapse.
在美国的这个新贵之都,有关求爱的传说可能伴随着一夜暴富,或是惊人梦想破灭时出现的资金重组。

While the tale reflects wider societal trends, it is also a window on the unique culture of America's high-tech entrepreneurs.
尽管这种故事折射出更广泛的社会趋势,但它也是窥视独特的美国高科技企业家文化的一个窗口。

Thanks to company shutdowns, Palo Alto the erstwhile Mecca of masculinity is now just 49 percent male.
由于公司倒闭,帕洛阿尔托--从前充满阳刚之气的圣地--目前的男性人口比例仅49％。

But bigger than any numerical adjustment is the shift in mood.
比任何数字调整更为显著的是情绪的变化。

It's evident at City Tavern, a mecca for 20-somethings in San Francisco's ritzy Marina district. Gianni Arnoldi, who has worked behind the U- shaped bar for five years, recalls the frenzied social scene. Swaggering dotcomers, with exuberance matched by narcissism, often approached romance as another adventure in capitalism, he says. " Guys would say, ' I work for this company, this is how much money I'm making, this is what I'm driving' and that's what the girls would gravitate to." Today, several Nasdaq nosedives later, the bravado is gone.
这一点在锡蒂塔弗恩显而易见,这个地方位于旧金山奢华的马里纳地区,它是20来岁的人向往的地方。在U形吧台后工作了5个年头的詹尼·阿诺尔迪回忆起那些狂热的社交情景时说,趾高气扬的网络从业者富有而自恋,他们往往将爱情当作资本主义的另一场冒险去追求。"小伙们会说,'我为这家公司工作,我赚这么多钱,我开这样的车--这就是吸引姑娘们的东西'。"在纳斯达克股价几次暴跌后的今天,这种虚张声势的场面没有了。

Personal ads have also undergone a sea change, growing more numerous and more humble. Where ads in the late 1990s hinted at expensive lifestyles, today's wishlists are " more down to earth." ，
征婚启事也大有改观,数量更多且更为谦逊。20世纪90年代的征婚启事都暗示要求对方生活富足,今天的求偶意向则希望"更脚踏实地"。

Julie Paiva of Table for Six, a San Francisco matchmaking club for " elite singles," also sees a dramatic value shift. She says the men she interviews now have wishlists emphasizing personality and mothering skills. It's no longer " someone who's 5-foot, 8-inches and 120 pounds," or " someone who looks good on my arm when I go to ... benefits."
"六人桌"是旧金山一个为"单身贵族"提供婚介服务的俱乐部。该俱乐部的朱莉·派瓦也注意到了价值观的巨大转变。她说,她现在接待的男士在择偶意向中都强调女方的性格--以及相夫教子的能力。再也不是什么"觅身高5英尺8英寸,体重120磅"或"落落大方,在晚会上光彩照人"之类的要求了。

And where women once demanded men with impeccable social skills, they're now focusing on " his values, if he's interested in family" and are more open to " nerds."
女性一度要求男性具备无可挑剔的社交能力,她们如今却把目光集中在"他的价值观上,看他是否热爱家庭"--而且更垂青"书呆子"。

And since the crash, she says, clients " freeze" memberships far more often meaning they've found serious partners, and are taking a break from singles events.
派瓦说,自经济受挫以来,俱乐部的会员们比以往更多地"冷冻"会员身份--说明他们已经找到了正式交往的对象,暂时中止参加单身活动。

Marriages, indeed, are on the rise. Between the " boom time" of 1997～ 1999 and the bust of 2000～ 2001, the number of marriage licenses issued annually in Santa Clara County leapt 19 percent.
结婚人数确实呈上升趋势。在"经济快速增长"的1997至1999年和经济下挫的2000至2001年间,圣克拉拉县结婚许可证的发放量每年增长19％。

But if the race to the altar has quickened, the pace of life in general has slowed -- a trend reflected in the trappings of the singles scene.
但是,如果说迈向婚姻圣坛的步伐加快了,生活节奏总的说来是放慢了--这种趋势反映在单身聚会的细节方面。

Lavish tables laden with caviar and sushi have made way for mashed potatoes and bread, and cookies have replaced petits fours and tiny frosted cakes. Events once set in plush rooms with famous bands have moved to more humble settings, with local bands or DJs.
摆满鱼子酱和寿司的丰盛餐桌让位给了土豆泥和面包,饼干取代了小点心和蛋糕。从前在豪宅里举行并有知名乐队助兴的活动移至更为朴素的背景中,并且是本地乐队或DJ伴奏。

So what, exactly, has disappeared? The word that comes up most often is " entitlement."
那么,失去的到底是什么呢?人们常常想起的一个词是:权力。

For all its dynamism, the tech world is a bastion of male wealth. As of 2000, women entrepreneurs received just 2.3 percent of venture-capital dollars, and of the 100 highest-paid Silicon Valley execs, only nine were women.
从科技行业的所有动力来说,它是一个男性财富的基地。就2000年来说,以美元计算,女企业家得到的风险资本只占总数的2.3％,而硅谷前100名收入最高的经理中只有9位女性。

With men dominating tech jobs and tech wealth, the industry boom and dating hype accentuated stereotypes: wealthy nerd bachelors versus gold-digging women.
由于男性垄断着技术界的职位和财富,因此本行业的繁荣--也是约会诀窍--遵循着老套的规律:郎才女貌。

Enchanted with quick success, and used to high-tech's flux, singles often weren't seeking long-term relationships.
单身汉们被迅速的成功冲昏了头脑并习惯了高科技变迁,因此往往不去追寻长久的爱情。

That easy-come, easy-go atmosphere -- intoxicating to some -- fed an anxious scene. Skewed sex ratios raised the competition.
这种来得容易、去得也容易的气氛--麻醉了一些人--组成了一幅令人焦虑的画面。倾斜的性别比例引发了竞争。

With almost everyone short on time, formal courtship went the way of typewriters.That isn't to say that no one sought a soul mate before the crash of 2000, or that singles here no longer care about money.
因为大家的时间都不多,因此正式求婚就像打字机一样快。这并不是说,在2000年技术行业破产之前,没有人寻觅心灵上的伴侣;也不是说,这里的未婚者不在乎钱了。

Indeed, to Rich Gosse, chairman of American Singles, motivations of love in the Valley are the same as those on any of the six continents he serves. " The one thing a woman will not tolerate in a man is a lack of money," he declares.
里奇·戈斯是美国未婚青年协会的主席,在他看来,硅谷中的爱情动力与他在世界其他所有地方看到的没什么两样。他说:"女人对男人无法忍受的一件事就是没钱。"

On the other side, some professional women found Valley pickings slim. They all had their own money,[so] the lure of a guy with a big bank account completely diminished.
另一方面,一些职业女性感觉在硅谷的选择机会少了。"她们自己有钱,因此有着大笔银行存款的男人的吸引力已经完全消失了。

The search for money may have intensified as cash grew scarce. But today, uncertain dotcomers have for the most part changed their courtship tune, looking for someone to cling to when the market heads south.
因为现金变少了,女孩子找有钱人的竞争可能更激烈了。但是,那些靠不住的网络从业者多半要改变他们求爱时的口气,在股市下跌的时候找个可以依靠人。

P.S.:今天没时间看啦，先贴上来再说：）
特别感谢Mr.H提供破解代码。; 0

http://blue.5d.cn/

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