Homer Simpson vs. the economy
Link : https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1102751823
Homer Simpson vs. the economy : Planet Money
When the beloved Simpsons family made its TV debut in 1989, it squarely represented middle-class America. Today ... not so much. That house, those two cars, those three kids all on one salary doesn't seem so believable anymore. Today we examine the changin
www.npr.org
SYLVIE DOUGLIS, BYLINE: This is PLANET MONEY from NPR.
(SOUNDBITE OF COIN SPINNING)
STACEY VANEK SMITH, HOST:
The average American - most Americans, if you ask them, will say that they are just that, the average American earning a middle-class wage or maybe a little more, a little less. We are a country that measures itself largely by its middle.
+ mesarues : ˈme-zhər
PADDY HIRSCH, BYLINE: But who exactly is the average American, this most mysterious and talked about person? How much does the average American earn? How does the average American family actually live?
+ most talked-about person : 화제의 인물 (Trending)
S SMITH: I mean, we could talk facts and figures all day, but we have to say there's definitely one American - one family, really, that has kind of claimed that title for a while. They were, in fact, designed to be the definition of middle class.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE SIMPSONS THEME")
+ for a while : 한동안, 당분간
(ex : I havne't seen him for a while 한동안 그를 (쭉) 보지 못했다.)
+ in a while : 얼마간, 얼마있다가
(ex : I havne't seen him in a while 한동안 그를 보지 못했다. -> 오랜만에 그를 본다.)
(ex : I'll call back in a while 좀 있다가 다시 연락하겠습니다.)
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) The Simpsons.
HIRSCH: Back in 1989, just over 30 years ago, the very first episode of "The Simpsons" aired on Fox. And since then, the Simpsons have become an iconic American family.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
JULIE KAVNER: (As Marge Simpson) Kids, we're late for church.
YEARDLEY SMITH: (As Lisa Simpson) Ready for inspection, Mom.
KAVNER: (As Marge Simpson) Oh, very nice, Maggie - and Lisa, you look lovely.
DANI ALEXIS RYSKAMP: "The Simpsons" had a lot to do with the way I understood the world as a kid and as a teenager.
+ have sth to do with A : A와 관계가 있다.
HIRSCH: Growing up with "The Simpsons," Dani Alexis Ryskamp saw a lot of their family and community in the show.
RYSKAMP: I have a embarrassingly encyclopedic knowledge of the first 10 or 11 seasons.
+ embarrassingly : 당황스러울 정도로
+ encyclopedic [ in-ˌsī-klə-ˈpē-dik ] : 백과사전의, 박식한, 해박한, 정통한
S SMITH: Are you serious? That's so awesome. Really?
RYSKAMP: Yeah. Oh, I was obsessed with "The Simpsons."
S SMITH: Dani is a freelance writer in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and they started to think about "The Simpsons" and had this realization.
+ She had this realization : 이 사실을 깨달았습니다.
+ realization [ˌrē-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən] : 리얼라이가 아니라 리얼리 발음
RYSKAMP: The idea that you could have one breadwinner in a family of five, who had a high school education, working a union job at a power plant and buying a nice house in the suburbs and supporting a spouse and these three other kids - the Simpsons' life, which had so closely reflected my life growing up and the lives of basically everyone I knew, was, at this point, not normal but aspirational.
+ could have pp : 1. ~할 수 있었는데 (못했다) 2. ~였을지도 몰라 (may, might)
+ breadwinner : 생계비를 버는 사람, 가장
+ spouse [spau̇z]
+ aspirational [ˌa-spə-ˈrā-sh(ə-)nəl] : having a showing a desire to achieve a high level of success or social status
S SMITH: Dani wrote about this in an article for The Atlantic a couple of years ago.
HIRSCH: The Simpsons haven't changed much over the decades. Homer has the same job, same house. Lisa is still in second grade. The world, though, has changed a lot around it. Homer was introduced as a kind of economic everyman back in 1989. Would someone imagine that same life now? Is Homer Simpson's 1989 life out of reach in 2022?
+ decade [ˈde-ˌkād] : 디가 아닌 데 발음 주의
+ everyman : the typical or ordinary person
+ out of reach : 손이 닿지 않는 곳에, 힘이 미치치지 않는 곳에
S SMITH: We got so fascinated by this idea that "The Simpsons" could reveal deep truths about the American dream and the economy...
HIRSCH: Yes, they did.
S SMITH: ...Deep truths. And we actually made an entire Indicator episode about this a year ago.
HIRSCH: Yeah. And truly beyond any American podcast dream of our own, the writers of "The Simpsons" actually heard that episode.
S SMITH: Yes, they did. And they responded with an episode of "The Simpsons" based on our economic questions.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
NANCY CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson) Dad, is that your paycheck?
+ paycheck : 급료
+ We live paycheck to paycheck : 하루 벌어 하루 살고 있다. (경제적 여분 없이 생계를 꾸림)
DAN CASTELLANETA: (As Homer Simpson) Sure is.
S SMITH: Their 33rd season finale just aired.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
+ finale [fə-ˈna-lē ] : 피날리에 더 가까운 발음
CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson) Oh, you get all that every week?
CASTELLANETA: (As Homer Simpson) Every two weeks.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
S SMITH: Oh, we loved it. It was the best. It was so nerdy.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
+ nerdy : 찐따같은 뜻으로도 쓰이지만 다른 긍정의 뜻도 있다.
= Term used for people or persons who are into books, computers, and are unbeliviably attractive.
CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson, laughter).
CASTELLANETA: (As Homer Simpson) Ah, the laugh of respect.
S SMITH: It features a rapping economist. And you know, Paddy, while we were watching this episode, we started talking about it. And we were like, you know, they just answered us. We can't leave them hanging.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
+ rapping : 노래 '랩'에 ing. 여기서 뜻은 랩을 하는 경제학자를 뜻함
+ leave sby hanging : 오래 기다리게 하다
CASTELLANETA: (As Homer Simpson) D'oh.
S SMITH: Hello and welcome to PLANET MONEY. I'm Stacey Vanek Smith.
HIRSCH: And I'm Paddy Hirsch. The biggest changes in the economy happen little by little, and you only really notice them when you step back and look at how things have evolved over a lifetime.
S SMITH: And in that way, the Simpsons are kind of, like, this archaeological dig, right? I mean, they are a representation of the middle class from about a generation ago that has survived intact, just sitting there, waiting for an economics podcast to come along with our shovels and our little brushes and our deep and strange love of data and start excavating.
+ archaeological [ˌär-kē-ˈä-lə-jē] : 고고학적 (알키올로지 발음 주의)
+ archaeological dig : 고고학적 발굴
+ intact : 온전한, 전혀 다치지 않은
(ex : Most of the house remains intact even after thwo hundred years)
+ excavate : 발굴하다, (구멍을) 파다, 출토하다
HIRSCH: A lot of economic changes are subtle day to day, but truly they are seismic. So today on the show, we dig into "The Simpsons" to understand how the American dream has changed.
+ seismic [ˈsīz-mik] : 지진의, 지진에 의한, (영향, 규모가) 엄청난
S SMITH: And fear not, we will get joyfully meta. We fact-checked "The Simpsons" season finale and dropped some economic truth bombs on 2022 Springfield.
+ meta : an effevtive way to achieve the goal of the game, whether it's to beat other players or beat the game itself
+ fear not : there is no reason to be afraid or worried
HIRSCH: There will be jokes. There will be songs, Hugh Jackman acting as a magical janitor, lots of economic data and the dashed dreams of a fourth grader.
+ dashed (비격식) : 지독한(굉장한), 빌어먹을
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson) I can't wait to live the American dream.
Y SMITH: (As Lisa Simpson) Well, actually...
CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson) What?
Y SMITH: (As Lisa Simpson) Oh, nothing.
S SMITH: "The Simpsons" - an iconic American family and a kind of economic touchstone for middle-class America - at least, it was. The dopey, goodhearted Homer working his job at the local power plant.
+ touchstone [təch-ˌstōn 톤에 집중된 발음 주의] : 시금석, 기준, 표준
+ dopey : 바보 같은, 멍청한, (약에 취하거나 해서) 몽롱한
HIRSCH: D'oh.
S SMITH: (Laughter).
HIRSCH: Sorry, I couldn't resist.
+ I couldn't resist : 저항할수 없었다는 직역보다는 '참을 수 없었다'로 이해하자
S SMITH: That's your Homer. All right, OK, gauntlet down. Here we go. Marge - rock of the family, practical and loving, stay-at-home mom. (Imitating Marge Simpson) Homer.
+ gauntlet down = throw down the gauntlet : 도전하다, 결투를 신청하다
+ rock of sth : 무언가의 돌, 의역하면 의지가 되는 대상 = 기둥
HIRSCH: Very good, Stacey.
S SMITH: (Laughing) Thank you - been honing it. Three kids, two cars, a house, a dog - money for the Simpsons is often very tight, but they always make it work.
+ 여기서 tight은 빠듯한이라는 뜻
+ hone : 연마하다, 갈고닦다, 갈다
HIRSCH: Al Jean is a long-time executive producer of "The Simpsons" and one of the original writers on the show. He says he took a lot of the inspiration from the show from his own life growing up.
AL JEAN: My dad - he's not Homer Simpson but shares some qualities with Homer - ran a hardware store. We weren't rich. We weren't poor. We were in the middle. And, you know, with what my dad made, he had five kids and we could afford it.
+ share A with B : B와 A를 공유하다 (A를 공통적으로 가지고있다는 뜻)
+ quality : an inherent feature (property)
+ hardware store : 철물점
S SMITH: Homer has a really solid job. He works at a nuclear power plant. It's a great job with benefits. And Al says Homer's life lined up with the lives of a lot of people that he knew growing up.
+ solid : good substantial quality or kind.
-> safe job이라기에는 사실 호머의 직장이 (물리적인 의미로) 근무환경에 있어서는 안정적이지는 않다. (방사능 플렌트 관리자)
-> 대신 조건적으로 안정적인 직장인데(고수익, 정년 보장), 이때 safe대신 solid를 쓰면 더 자연스럽다.
+ line up with : ~와 조화를 이루다. ~와 일치하다.
JEAN: I was born in Detroit, and when I was born in '61, you know, people would go, oh, you can get a job on the assembly line that, you know, whatever, paid up to $30 an hour guaranteed. It's a great job. You know, Detroit's always going to be making cars.
S SMITH: Right. Well, that is how it started. So how's it going?
HIRSCH: Yeah. Well, we talked about that a year ago in an Indicator episode, and Simpsons writer Tim Long heard that show and wanted to take the idea further.
TIM LONG: You know, it's obviously crazy that Homer has managed to maintain this middle-class lifestyle. Like, how are they living so well? But just the issue - the hard economic facts of the show just struck me as kind of like an interesting topic. So I started kicking that around in my mind, and then I thought, well, what's the funniest way that we could respond? And then it felt like, what if it were a musical?
+ strike A as B : A 에게 B라는 인상을 주다
+ kick around : 막 대하다, 토론하다
S SMITH: I hope kind of that Jerome Powell is taking some notes because I'm just imagining, like, a musical Fed meeting. Like, inflation numbers set to music might help us feel better about everything.
+ Jerome Powell : 연준위 의장 이름
HIRSCH: OK, OK, now back to "The Simpsons." In this episode, which is called Poorhouse Rock, Homer's son Bart embraces the American Dream, that idea that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can do a little better than your parents did.
+ by the rules : (관영구) 원칙적으로
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson) I never thought about it, but Homer makes enough to pay for this awesome crib, two cars, with enough left over to fill the freezer with three kinds of French fries - waffle, curly and steak cut.
+ crib : 아기 침대
S SMITH: Three kinds of French fries.
HIRSCH: That is the American dream. And Bart decides that he, like Homer, will work at the nuclear power plant and replicate his father's middle-class life.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
HUGH JACKMAN: (As Janitor) So you're visiting your old man at work today?
+ old man : (비격식) husband, farther, boyfriend
CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson) I sure am. And this sweet job will be mine someday.
+ sure 위치 기억
JACKMAN: (As Janitor) Hate to burst your bubble, kid, but the kind of job your dad has just doesn't exist anymore. Bart, come with me to a magical place far in the past - America in the 20th century.
+ Hate to burst your bubble, kid : 네 거품을 터뜨리고 싶진 않지만, 꼬마야
+ 여기서 bubble은 오래가지 않을 호황, 환상을 뜻함
CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson) Oh, sure. But you better not start singing.
+ better not : ~ 하지 않는게 좋을거야
JACKMAN: (As janitor, singing) 1945, we won the war. Our boys came back to the factory floor.
LONG: The primary voice in the song is none other than Hugh Jackman, and he plays a sort of magical singing janitor who takes Bart on a musical journey through the American economy from the end of the Second World War until now.
+ none other than : 다름아닌 ~인
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing) Oh, and so it came to pass. With hard work and grit and brass, bit by bit, we built our middle class - nice little middle class.
+ it came to pass : 그렇게 됐다
+ grit and brass : 작은 돌이 놋쇠가 된다는 말로, 이 문구의 해석은 Do your best로 해석될 수 있음
+ bit by bit : 하나씩, 서서히, 조금씩
HIRSCH: Yeah, and that magical singing janitor, Hugh Jackman, takes us back in time to when Homer, who does not have a college education, gets a job as the safety inspector at a power plant.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing) Oh, boy, that middle class. Oh, boy, that middle class.
CASTELLANETA: (As Homer Simpson, singing) Well, I'm not smart. I'm not a go-getter. My drinking problem is not getting better. What job could I possibly do?
+ go-getter : (특히 사업에서) 성공하려고 단단히 작정한 사람
HARRY SHEARER: (As Monty Burns, singing) Nuclear safety inspector.
CASTELLANETA: (As Homer Simpson) Woo hoo.
S SMITH: (Laughter) OK. So the jury's out on whether Homer would have gotten that job at any point in history. But Homer's job is the first stop on our archaeological dig. Would Homer have that kind of job today? And back in 1989, about 16% of jobs in the U.S. were manufacturing jobs. And today, it is just over 8%. So Homer would be way less likely to work one of those jobs. But, of course, you know, it's still possible. There's still a lot of those jobs.
+ is out on = (phrasal verb) ~에 대한 결론을 내리다
+ phrasal : [ˈfrā-zəl] 구로 된, 구의
HIRSCH: Well, yeah, for some people, but I'm afraid definitely not for Homer. And that's because Homer never went to college, and that simply would not fly for that kind of job in 2022. Bart's sister, Lisa, breaks it down for us.
+ fly for : fly가 날다라는 뜻인데, 여기서 확장해석하면 아래와 같은 뜻이 나옴
(ex : fly for a doctor : 의사를 부르러 급히 가다, fly for your life : 필사적으로 도망가다)
+ break down : 1. 고장나다 2. 실패하다 3. 아주 나빠지다 4. (분석할 수 있도록) 나누어지다 -> 4번
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
Y SMITH: (As Lisa Simpson, singing) You want a job like dad? Too bad, so sad. You'll never have the life our flabby dad had.
+ flabby : (군살이) 축 늘어진, 무기력한, 힘없는
CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson, singing) Yo, all I need is a foot in the door, and I'll take dad's job when he dies at 44.
Y SMITH: (As Lisa Simpson, singing) That job you see now needs a Ph.D., while paying student loans leaves you in poverty.
+ 구문 기억
S SMITH: A Ph.D. - that is not good news for Homer, I'm going to say. I feel like...
HIRSCH: Yeah, not unless Ph.D. stands for a packet of happy donuts.
+stand for : 상징하다, 의미하다, 대표하다
+ pacekt : (데이터) 패킷, 소포, 꾸러미
S SMITH: I love that a lot. But, you know, I do feel like any job that requires a doctorate or even, like, a bachelor's is probably kind of a non-starter for our average American hero.
+ doctorate : 박사학위
HIRSCH: Yeah, and that takes us on to our next stop on "The Simpsons" economic excavation - money and pay.
S SMITH: What about Homer's pay and his lifestyle? Was it realistic back then? Is it realistic now?
OK, so they do not talk about Homer's salary directly in the 33rd season finale. But it has come up in "Simpsons" days of yore. And to find it took some real excavation back into the archives of "The Simpsons." And for this, we got some help.
+ yore : 옛날, 옛날에
+ come up : happen
+ archive : ˈär-ˌkīv (알 카이 브)
HIRSCH: Dani Alexis Ryskamp, our "Simpsons" superfan and freelance writer, was determined to figure out exactly how much Homer made. And they started sleuthing through episodes until they find their evidence.
+ determined : [di-ˈtər-mən] 발음 주의 (마인드 X, ㅌ에서 발음 강조)
+ be determined vs determined : 전자는 제대로 해내겠다는 '결심', 후자는 선택을 한다는 '결정'
+ sleuth : [ˈslüth] 탐정, 탐정처럼 행동하다, 정보를 모색하다
RYSKAMP: I started with the 1996 episode "Much Apu About Nothing," where we get a shot of Homer's paycheck.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
CASTELLANETA: (As Homer Simpson) Woo-hoo. A perfect day - zero bears and one big, fat, hairy paycheck. Hey. How come my pay is so low?
+ How come my pay is so low? : 구문 순서 기억
+ how come? : 왜 (어째서) ?
RYSKAMP: And we can actually see his gross pay and the taxes he pays on it and all of that. And if you do the math on it, his annual income works out to about $25,000.
+ gross : 1. (비격식) 역겨운, 지그러운 2. 총 (ex : 총 합계)
+ do the math : (관용어) To do the calculation for oneself
+ work out : (자동사)1. 잘 풀리다 2. 운동하다 3. 총합이 나오다(at, to와 함께쓰임)
(타동사). 1. 계산하다 2. 산출하다, 3. 해결하다 4. 계확해(생각해) 내다
S SMITH: That is roughly - not quite - 50,000 of today's dollars, which is a solid salary. But is it enough for the Simpsons to afford their life - you know, a house, two cars, three kinds of fries?
+ not quite : 완전히 ~ 하지 않은, 그다지 ~하지 않는
HIRSCH: Yeah, rapping in 2022, Lisa Simpson, our resident downer, is skeptical that this is all still attainable for her brother. She tells Bart, lower your economic expectations.
+ rap : 랩을 하다, 혹평 하다, 지껄이다, 떠들다
+ downer : 진정제, 우울한 경험
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
Y SMITH: (As Lisa Simpson, rapping) You're going to pinch every dollar and cent, and you'll still have to choose between health care and rent. No brand-new car...
+ pinch : 꼬집다, (고통스럽게) 쥐어짜다(= squeeze)
JACKMAN: (As the Janitor) No.
Y SMITH: (As Lisa Simpson, rapping) ...No fancy house, no hot dinners cooked by your stay-at-home spouse.
JACKMAN: (As the Janitor) Yeah.
S SMITH: OK, so this is very harsh from Lisa, Paddy. This is very...
HIRSCH: Well, no change there, then.
S SMITH: ...Lots and lots of bad news. But let's look at the data and see if what she's saying is actually true, if her doomsday prophecies are correct. So back in 1989, the median home price in the U.S. was $125,000. That is adjusted for inflation. Today, the median home price is about $430,000. Now, if we compare this to Homer's salary, back in 1989, the house would cost him about six times what he earned. Today, it is nearly 10 times his salary.
+ prophecy : [ˈprä-fə-sē] 예언
+ median : 중간값의, 중앙에있는, 중앙값
HIRSCH: Yeah, and the likelihood of 2022 Homer owning that home with the big yard - probably lower today than it would have been in 1989.
S SMITH: OK, Paddy. So far, 2022 Homer does not have a job or a house. Maybe he can move in with Bart.
HIRSCH: Oh, my God. Yes, maybe. But would Bart be able to afford a house? I mean, how are his economic prospects looking?
S SMITH: All that plus a rapping economist after a word from our sponsor.
+ All that (plus a rapping economist) after a word from our sponsor.
+ plus 위치 기억
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
CASTELLANETA: (As Homer Simpson) The ad in the beer podcast is an ad for beer. That is so smart.
(SOUNDBITE OF JEREMY SWEET'S "MY FAVORITE GIRL")
HIRSCH: OK, so we've basically established that 1989 Homer was living pretty large compared to what 2022 Homer can expect.
S SMITH: And the 33rd season finale of "The Simpsons" goes a step further. It says, this is not just Homer. Well, they sing it, actually.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Singing) And so it came to pass.
ROBERT B REICH: (As himself) Really rich men kicked our ass.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Singing) Fiddling while they burned...
+ fiddle : 만지작거리다, (비격식) (세부사항을) 조작하다
JACKMAN: (As the Janitor, singing) Our middle class.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Singing) Our middle, middle class.
HIRSCH: Burn the middle class is kind of a strong statement, right? I mean, yes, there are fewer manufacturing jobs than there were 30 years ago, but there are lots of really good jobs today that didn't exist back then. I mean, the tech industry alone, for example, has created millions of jobs.
S SMITH: There are many, many new kinds of opportunities for wealth. And Bart, you know, in a lot of ways has more options than he did 30 years ago.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson, rapping) Because there's a lot of new ways a guy can make a dollar. I'll ride the money train, make it rain...
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Holler.
+ holler : (비격식) 소리지르다, 고함지르다 (= yell)
CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson, rapping) I'll buy and sell Bitcoin, build a new app, do pranks on YouTube - I'm great at that crap - film TikTok tricks on my sick motorbike.
+ prank : practical joke, 몰카의 의미로도 쓰임
+ crap : 허튼소리, 헛소리
REICH: (As himself) Your chances are slim.
+ slim : 얇다라는 뜻이 확장해석돼서 희박하다로 쓰임
CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson, rapping) Go to hell, Robert Reich.
S SMITH: Robert Reich.
HIRSCH: Robert Reich.
S SMITH: Amazing.
HIRSCH: Yes, the former labor secretary from the Clinton administration came on the show to, as "Simpsons" writer Tim Long puts it, throw down some facts.
+ secretary : 비서, 총무, 장관
+ throw down : overthrow(뒤집다, 넘어뜨리다), 버리다
LONG: But I just wanted someone to just start spitting facts for about 30 seconds, and I thought, well, who else to get?
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
+ spit : 뱉다
+ 여기서는 facts랑 합쳐서 '팩트 폭격'과 같은 뉘앙스로 해석됨
+ who else to get? : 또 누굴 데려올까?
JACKMAN: (As the Janitor, singing) Your dad and his buddies had it swell, but gradually, it all...
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Singing) ...Went to hell.
JACKMAN: (As the Janitor) Factories closed, unemployment would spike - here to explain it is Robert B. Reich.
+ spike : 1. 찌르다, 2. (남의 음료음식에 몰래 술 독약을) 타다, 3. (자동사) 급등하다
REICH: (As himself) The decline of unions, rampant corporate greed, Wall Street malfeasance and the rise of short-sighted politics all contributed to increased economic inequality, widespread real unemployment, wage stagnation and a lower standard of living for millions of Americans.
+ rampant [ ˈram-pənt] : 걷잡을 수 없는, 만연한
+ malfeasance [mal-ˈfē-zᵊn(t)s] : 불법 행위, 나쁜짓
+ short-sighted : 근시안적인, 선경지명이 없는
S SMITH: You know, Paddy, you and I, we love economists. We always love our data. But, you know...
HIRSCH: We do.
S SMITH: ...We wanted to fact-check all this for ourselves. Is the middle class actually smaller than it was 30 years ago? Is Bart less likely to be in the middle class than his dad?
+ fact-check : (동사) 사실임을 입증하다, 확인하다
+ for ourselves : 직접 (= ourselves, by ourselves)
HIRSCH: Good question. So let's look at the data. The Pew Research Center looked into this, and they found that back around 1990, 56% of American families were in the middle class.
S SMITH: And today, it's half. Fifty percent of American families are technically middle class right now. So the middle class has gotten smaller in 30 years - about 6% smaller. And one of the families that is no longer making the cut - the Simpsons.
+ make the cut : (구어) 특정 목표를 달성하다
+ miss the cut : 특정 목표를 달성하지 못하다
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
CASTELLANETA: (As Homer Simpson) D'oh!
S SMITH: That's right. Our hero, Homer J. Simpson, isn't technically middle class anymore.
HIRSCH: Yeah, we looked at Homer's income and the size of his family, and used this calculator that the Pew Research Center designed. And according to that, the Simpsons back in 1989 were solidly middle class.
+ soildly : 튼튼하게, 직역하면 그렇지만 여기서는 의역해서 '정확히', '딱' 이라는 뜻으로 쓰인다
(ex : He stood solidy in my path : 그는 내가 가는 길에 딱 버티고 서 있었다)
S SMITH: But today, even when we adjust Homer's old paycheck for inflation, the 2022 Simpsons are a low-income family. But not everybody in Springfield is struggling.
+ adjust : 조정하다, 적응하다 (= adapt)
HIRSCH: Example A - Montgomery Burns, the owner and CEO of the nuclear plant where Homer works.
S SMITH: Monty Burns. When "The Simpsons" debuted, CEOs made (on average) about 60 times the average worker's salary. Today, CEOs make around 350 times the average worker's salary.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
SHEARER: (As Monty Burns) Excellent.
S SMITH: So if we use Homer's paycheck to extrapolate out Mr. Burns's pay, Monty Burns would have been earning about $1.3 million a year back in 1989. And today, he'd be pulling in around $17.5 million a year.
+ extrapolate [ik-ˈstra-pə-ˌlāt ] : 추론(추정)하다
+ interpolate : 덧붙이다 (사담을 붙인다는 뉘앙스), 말참견하다
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
SHEARER: (As Monty Burns) What's the smallest amount of money I can think of? A thousand dollars.
(SOUNDBITE OF ATM DISPENSING MONEY)
S SMITH: Yes, the rich are getting a lot richer than the middle class. But, you know, that is not necessarily at the heart of the American dream question, I would argue, Paddy. I would say that that question really centers around this idea that every generation can live a little bit better than the one before, have a few more opportunities. So I put this to "Simpsons" executive producer Al Jean. He agrees with you, Paddy. He does not think this is the case anymore.
+ at the heart of : ~의 핵심에, 본질에, 중심에
+ I would argue : 확실하게 입증된것은 아니나, 화자의 말이 사실이라 생각하며 말함
+ cetner : 중심(점)에 있다, 집중하다 (+ on, upon, around, round)
JEAN: Sometimes I say, you know, it's possible that our show has declined, but the world has declined further. You know, I remember growing up and, you know, you just thought, oh, we're in the luckiest country in the world and, you know, things will always get better. And I don't believe the majority of the public thinks - at least, they don't think the second thing anymore.
HIRSCH: When Homer was born in 1950, about 80% of kids could expect to earn more than their parents. For the Simpsons' kids, born in the 1980s, only about half of them will earn more than their parents. And as far as the Simpsons' kids go, my money's on Lisa.
S SMITH: So 2022 Homer will wrap up, probably does not have a house or a job, and even though Homer's earnings are no longer economically middle-of-the-road, Bart probably cannot expect to do any better.
+ wrap up : 옷을 따뜻하게(단단히) 챙겨입다, 그만하다, 끝내다, 마무리 짓다
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson, singing) I get it, dude. Abandon hope. We can't escape our slippery slope. The future's a sandwich made of poo. Just tell me, what do you want me to do?
S SMITH: Oh, Paddy. How did we get here?
HIRSCH: It is so bleak. But never fear. I have some silver lining "Simpsons" cheer.
+ bleak : 암울한, 절망적인, 으스스한, 황량한
+ silverline : ~에서 희망을 발견하다
+ silver linging : 구름의 흰 가장자리, 밝은 희망(전망)
S SMITH: Oh.
HIRSCH: Did you hear my rhyme?
S SMITH: I need it. I need the silver lining. I appreciate it.
HIRSCH: Here it comes. So the unemployment rate is a lot lower now than it was 30 years ago. And a record number of people have started businesses in the last couple of years, so, you know, there's a big entrepreneurial spirit alive and well in the United States. So Homer can always start that beer podcast and make his millions.
+ enterpreneurial : 사업가의, 기업가의 (ex : enterpreneurial skills : 사업 수완)
+ record : 기록적인
S SMITH: He probably really could. And by the way, we asked Al Jean if, you know, "The Simpsons" might consider adjusting Homer Simpson's lifestyle for inflation, like maybe, you know, making the family economically realistic by 2022 standards - you know, just a thought for Season 34. The answer seemed to be - it's, like, a hard no. That was a hard no.
+ That was a hard no : no (강력하게 부정함)
JEAN: We did one once where they lost their house, and people said, it's too sad. People are out losing their houses. It just made me just too - you know, if we had Flanders buy it and rent it back to them, but, you know, even that - they were like, it's just sad. So you have this, like, a platform that they never go below because then it turns from comedy to tragedy, and nobody wants that.
S SMITH: Did you hear that, Paddy? Nobody wants 2022 Homer.
HIRSCH: Yeah, nobody wants tragedy.
S SMITH: I mean, there's nothing wrong with a little bit of suspension of disbelief.
+ suspension : 정학, 연기, 보류, 유예
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
HANK AZARIA: (As Frank Grimes) How can - how in the world can you afford to live in a house like this, Simpson?
CASTELLANETA: (As Homer Simpson) I don't know. Don't ask me how the economy works.
(SOUNDBITE OF ANDREW JAMES LODGE'S "TWISTS AND TURNS")
HIRSCH: This episode of PLANET MONEY was produced by Audrey Dilling and edited by Alex Goldmark. It was fact-checked by Taylor Washington.
S SMITH: Our engineers were Gilly Moon and Josh Newell, and the original Indicator episodes were edited by Kate Concannon, produced by Brittany Cronin, Jess Kung, James Willetts, Corey Bridges and Sam Sy (ph).
HIRSCH: And PLANET MONEY is a production of NPR.
(SOUNDBITE OF ANDREW JAMES LODGE'S "TWISTS AND TURNS")
HIRSCH: Did Robert Reich look over the script?
LONG: Yeah, he did. He did. And he didn't have a single change.
HIRSCH: So this means that we could say that this show was in some way inspired by The Indicator and fact-checked by Robert Reich.
LONG: Yeah, that's one way to put it.
(SOUNDBITE OF ANDREW JAMES LODGE'S "TWISTS AND TURNS")