不爽貓：身價過億還“不爽”

Grumpy Cat makes bank

身價過億還“不爽”

A cat has raked in $100 million (619 million yuan) since she became Internet famous two years ago, reported UK newspaper Daily Express last week.

據(jù)上周英國《每日快報》的消息：自從2012年走紅網(wǎng)絡后，有只貓的身價已經(jīng)超過了1億美元(約合6.19億人民幣)。

Tabatha Bundesen, 29, is the owner of Internet sensation Grumpy Cat. She lives in Arizona, US and was working as a waitress.

它就是轟動網(wǎng)絡的“不爽貓”。而它的主人——居住在美國亞利桑那州、29歲的塔芭莎•邦德森曾當過女服務生。

On Sept 22, 2012, Bundesen’s brother took a photo of her grumpy-looking cat and posted it to Internet forum site Reddit. The photo went viral and Grumpy Cat quickly became a meme. The cat’s fame is largely due to her unique peeved look. Grumpy Cat has a form of dwarfism and an underbite that gives her a perpetual frown.

2012年9月22日，邦德森的哥哥給這只表情不爽的貓拍了張照片，并將其傳到了網(wǎng)絡論壇Reddit上。照片一夜走紅，對不爽貓的各種模仿令它更瘋狂地傳播。這只貓之所以名聲大噪主要是因其獨一無二的憤怒表情。而其實是它(天生的)侏儒癥和反頜癥讓它總是愁眉不展。

In most cases, just being Internet famous can’t make one rich. Grumpy Cat has her own agent who transformed her into a money-making machine. Grumpy Cat’s empire includes a line of stuffed toys and T-shirts; various self-help and life-advice books (One of them is titled The Grumpy Guide to Life.); an original TV-movie (Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever) and soundtrack. Grumpy Cat even has her own line of coffee called “Grumppucino”, according to the Business Insider.

多數(shù)時候，網(wǎng)絡走紅并不能令誰成為富豪。但是不爽貓的經(jīng)紀團隊讓它變成了“吸金神器”。不爽貓的“帝國”里有(以他為原型的)毛絨玩具、(印著它照片的)T恤、一系列勵志與生活建議類圖書(其中一本名為《不爽貓生活指南》)、原創(chuàng)電視影片(《不爽貓最糟糕的圣誕節(jié)》)以及音樂作品。另據(jù)(美國知名博客)Business Insider報道，它還有自己代言的咖啡，名為“Grumppucino”。

In more recent media reports, the cat’s owner Bundesen was quoted as saying the $100 million figure is “completely inaccurate”, although she didn’t say if the actual figure is higher or lower.

在媒體的最新報道中，不爽貓的主人邦德森稱1個億收入的說法“并不完全準確”，但她并未透露實際數(shù)字到底是多少。

Money machine

吸金神器

The cat changed her owner’s life. “I was able to quit my job as a waitress within days of her first appearance on social media and the phone simply hasn’t stopped ringing since,” Bundesen tells The Daily Express.

在接受《每日快報》的采訪時，不爽貓的主人邦德森說，“它的照片亮相社交網(wǎng)絡的幾天之內(nèi)我的手機一直響個不停，而我很快就有能力辭掉服務生的工作了。”

The news that a cat has earned in two years what most folks couldn’t make in a lifetime has irked quite a lot of people. They feel it’s unfair that someone without any talent or who hasn’t done any hard work should earn so much. “The fact that this woman made $100 million because her stupid cat looksbummed out fills me with unspeakable rage,” tweeted Ben White, a US journalist.

據(jù)報道，這只貓兩年內(nèi)的收入是大多數(shù)人終其一生都望塵莫及的，這讓很多人心生不爽。他們覺得貓的主人毫無天賦、無所事事、絲毫沒有付出努力就掙了這么多錢實在有失公平。美國記者本•懷特就在Twitter上寫到：一只看上去垂頭喪氣的蠢貓竟為它的主人賺來1億美元，這事兒讓我怒不可遏。

But people make money from their looks, or equally randomly advantages, all the time, says Derek Thompson writing in The Atlantic. Brazilian super model Gisele Bundchen is worth $290 million. Her height, place of birth, skin tone, or bone structure is in no way any less a natural lottery than GrumpyCat’s unamused scowl. As just like Gisele, says Derek, Grumpy Cat’s owner works hard to get licensing and endorsement deals for her pet.

但是，《大西洋月刊》的(專欄作家)德瑞克•湯普森則寫到：人們因為外貌長相或是同樣偶然的機遇發(fā)財致富卻是常有之事。巴西超模吉賽爾•邦辰就擁有2.9億美元的身價。而她的出生地、膚色、骨架無一不是像不爽貓的愁眉苦臉一樣與生俱來。德瑞克認為，正如吉賽爾一樣，不爽貓的主人為了讓自己的寵物獲得許可、簽下代言合同也付出了努力。

The Internet is a whirlwind of massive media exposure, says Derek, and random memes and personalities get super famous for reasons that can’t be fully explained all the time. “It’s pointless to bemoralistic about the fortune of Grumpy Cat any more than we’re condemning of the fortune of any other celebrity,” he says.

德瑞克還說，互聯(lián)網(wǎng)就是大量媒體曝光帶來的一陣“旋風”，偶然的走紅或是名人們因某些原因而聲名大噪并不總能解釋得一清二楚。“因此，站在道德的高度對不爽貓吸金加以評論，就像我們指責名人們的收入一樣毫無意義。”