又中又英｜Bang their heads against a brick wall

Environmentalists have their work cut out for them. They often bang their heads against a brick wall trying to convince skeptics that reducing waste and fossil fuels can slow climate change. Their hearts are in the right place even though they have a tough job. But sometimes the methods they use to warn about climate change are too extreme. If you have your work cut out for you, it means you have a very difficult job. To bang your head against a brick wall means to try to do something so hard or almost impossible that you get frustrated. If your heart is in the right place, it means you have good intentions.

Two protesters from an environmental group recently threw pumpkin soup at the Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre in Paris. They were demanding healthy and sustainable food. Many people, including me, support healthy and sustainable food production and other measures to protect our planet from climate change. But insulting art by throwing soup at the world’s most famous painting is too childish a way to promote a sustainable environment. I have seen the Mona Lisa several times. It is a beautiful painting. The two protesters selfishly prevented visitors from enjoying the painting because security had to close the room containing the Mona Lisa for nearly two hours. 

Luckily, the Mona Lisa is protected by bulletproof glass. It is not clear how the protesters smuggled the soup into the Louvre, which has strict bag controls. Environmentalists have done many childish things before, including throwing a custard pie at the Mona Lisa in 2022, and tomato soup and mashed potatoes at other world-famous paintings.

環保人士要面臨艱巨的任務（have their work cut out for them）。他們努力遊說懷疑論者，減少廢物和減少使用化石燃料可以減慢氣候變化，但常常白費心機（bang their heads against a brick wall）。即使他們工作艱巨，但他們的出發點是好的（hearts are in the right place）。然而，有時他們用以警告氣候變化的方法太極端了。若你 have your work cut out for you，那是指你有着非常艱巨的工作。To bang your head against a brick wall是指你嘗試做一樣極難或近乎不可能的事，往往是徒勞無功的，令你感到氣餒。若 your heart is in the right place，那即是你的用意是好的，你心懷善意。

兩名來自環保團體的示威者，最近在巴黎羅浮宮向着畫作《蒙羅麗莎》投擲南瓜湯。他們的訴求是健康與可持續發展的食物。許多人，包括我，亦支持健康與可持續發展的食物製造，以及其他保護我們地球，逆轉氣候變化的措施。可是，向世上最知名的畫作投擲湯汁，用來推廣環境可持續發展，這種侮辱藝術的方式實在是太幼稚去了。我見過《蒙羅麗莎》幾次，那是一幅很美的畫作。那兩個示威者自私地令參觀人士無法欣賞畫作，因為保安需要關閉那放着《蒙羅麗莎》的整個房間接近兩小時。

幸而，《蒙羅麗莎》有着防彈玻璃的保護。現在還不清楚示威者到底是如何偷運湯品進入羅浮宮的，因為展館對於搜查參觀人士的隨行手袋一向有着嚴密的措施。環保人士此前也做過許多幼稚的事，包括於二零二二年向《蒙羅麗莎》擲奶油批，以及向其他世界知名的畫作擲番茄湯和薯蓉。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻