Facebook has become saturated with videos of people dumping buckets of ice on their heads.

　　Facebook上充斥著人們往自己頭上倒冰桶的視頻。

　　They re taking the#icebucketchallenge, a viral phenomenon whose ostensible purpose is to raise money for charity. The challenge is simple: Either donate $100 to a given cause, or douse yourself with ice, film it, and pass the challenge on to others via social media.

　　他們在參加熱門的“冰桶挑戰”。這項活動宣稱目的在于為慈善募捐。挑戰規則很簡單：要不捐出100美元，要不就往自己身上倒一桶冰，拍下來并通過社交媒體點名其他人接受挑戰。

　　TheBoston Globe, Mashable, and others have followed the nonprofit ALS Association in crediting the idea to Pete Frates, a 29-year-old former Boston College baseball player who was diagnosed with ALS in 2012.

　　非盈利組織肌萎縮性脊髓側索硬化癥(ALS)協會宣稱，29歲的皮特·弗雷茨是該項活動的發起人，他曾是波斯頓學院的一名棒球運動員，2012年被診斷出患有ALS。之后，波斯頓環球報、Mashable網站和其他一些媒體也紛紛如此報道。

　　That makes for a nice origin story, but it s not quite accurate. Matt Lauer s challenge, along with that of Martha Stewart and many others, predated Frates involvement and had nothing to do with ALS. Rather, it came from a dare that was circulating among a group of pro athletes. Those who declined the ice bath were compelled to give $100 to charity of the challenger s choice.

　　這個故事源頭很不錯，不過卻未必準確。其實在皮特參與挑戰之前，馬特·勞爾、瑪莎·斯圖爾特和其他許多名人就已經參與了“冰桶挑戰”，而且這項運動一開始與 ALS毫無關系。實際上，這項活動本是職業運動員間的一個挑戰游戲，拒絕倒冰桶的人必須向挑戰者所選的慈善機構捐出100美元。

　　It s hard to blame the ALS Association, then, for commandeering the bandwagon, or even for the bit of revisionist history in which the nonprofit credited Frates as its originator. Turning a pointless viral meme to noble ends can only be a good thing.

　　ALS協會利用了這股風潮，甚至將皮特樹立為活動發起人，這雖然有些“歷史修正主義”，不過人們也不好怪罪，畢竟將無意義的挑戰變成一項高尚活動無疑是一件好事。

　　And the campaign is clearly working: The ALS Association told Fox Boston that it has raised $1.35 million in the past two weeks. It raised just $22,000 in the same period last year.

　　活動的成效也顯而易見：ALS協會向Fox Boston透露，其在過去兩周內已募集到135萬美元，而去年同期，協會只募集到2萬2千美元。

　　Yet it s hard to shake the feeling that, for most of the people posting ice bucket videos of themselves on Facebook, Vine, and Instagram, the charity part remains a postscript. Remember, the way the challenge is set up, the ice-drenching is the alternative to contributing actual money. Some of the people issuing the challenges have tweaked the rules by asking people to contribute $10 even if they do soak themselves. Even so, a lot of the participants are probably spending more money on bagged ice than on ALS research.

　　不過我仍然感覺，對于大多數在Facebook、Vine和Instagram上上傳冰桶挑戰視頻的人，慈善只是附帶的。還記得嗎，挑戰最初的規則是要么淋冰水，要么捐錢。一些參與挑戰的人后來更改了規則，要求參與者即使澆了冰水還要捐10美元出來。況且相比為ALS捐出的錢，很多參與者大概花在買冰上的錢更多。

　　As for “raising awareness,” few of the videos I ve seen contain any substantive information about the disease, why the money is needed, or how it will be used. More than anything else, the ice bucket videos feel like an exercise in raising awareness of one s own zaniness, altruism, and/or attractiveness in a wet T-shirt.

　　至于“提高人們對這一疾病的關注”，我看到的視頻中很少有提及這一疾病的實質內容，捐款原因或是善款用途。相比之下，冰桶挑戰視頻更像是在彰顯人們自己的愚蠢、利他主義和對濕T恤的喜愛。

　　That s why I m proposing what is sure to be an unpopular alternative to the #icebucketchallenge. It s called the no ice bucket challenge, and it works like this:

　　因此，我要在此提倡另一種不受歡迎的“冰桶挑戰”，叫“無冰桶挑戰”，規則是這樣的：

　　* Do not fetch a bucket, fill it with ice, or dump it on your head.

　　不要拿一個裝滿冰的桶，把冰倒在頭上。

　　* Do not film yourself or post anything on social media.

　　不要把你自己拍下來，或在社交網站上發布任何東西。

　　* Just donate the damn money, whether to the ALS Association or to some other charity of your choice. And if it s an organization you really believe in, feel free to politely encourage your friends and family to do the same.

　　就把錢給捐了!捐給ALS協會也行，其他慈善機構也行，只要你信任這個機構。禮貌地鼓勵你的朋友和家人也加入進來。

　　Congratulations! Not only have you contributed to a good cause, but you ve done your part for the environment by conserving the energy and fresh water required to make and transport large bags of ice.

　　恭喜你!這樣，你不僅做了一樁善事，而且你還節省了用來制冰和運送冰袋的能源和淡水，為環保事業做出了貢獻。

　　Be warned, though, the #noicebucketchallenge is not for the faint of heart. It requires real fortitude to give away your hard-earned cash without the promise of receiving piles of Facebook likes in return.

　　請注意!“無冰桶挑戰”可不是膽小鬼的游戲。它不僅需要你捐出辛苦掙來的鈔票，而且你還不能在Facebook上收獲大把的“贊”。