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User Upload Audio - Vertigo - The Rise and Fall of Weimar Germany. Chapter 4 Destinies Behind Typewriter

发布时间:2025-02-23 12:34:06   原节目
以下是该段文字的中文翻译: 本章“打字机背后的命运”探讨了魏玛共和国时期(1920年代)德国新兴的女性办公室职员阶层。随着电话自动化的发展,被取代的电话接线员们在那个时代迅速扩张的行政办公室中找到了新的角色。这些“行政宫殿”象征着权力和效率,其代表是汉堡的Heelahouse和法兰克福的Ige Fábm大楼等令人印象深刻的建筑成就,后者甚至启发了对无休止官僚流程的卡夫卡式解读。 1914年至1933年间,办公室职员的数量翻了一番,其中女性占据了很大一部分,她们通常不到25岁。这些女性是“街头的新现象”,塑造了城市的面貌和未来。她们成为了社会学研究的对象,也出现在电影和文学作品的虚构描写中,甚至被喜剧舞台剧所性化。这种迷恋源于她们新获得的独立性、对金钱的支配以及对流行文化的影响。她们的消费能力影响了娱乐业和时尚潮流,使她们成为一个至关重要的人口群体。 然而,秘书生活的现实往往并不那么光鲜。虽然理想的状态是勤奋、美丽、可靠和轻松的结合,但这份工作本身通常是辅助性的、报酬低廉且地位低下。这种矛盾激发了媒体的好奇心,促使像《Das Leibem》和《Wu》这样的杂志去调查“速记打字员的动物学”,将女性归类为“好女孩”、“知识分子”和“荡妇”等类型(尽管该杂志声称后者只出现在电影中)。文章暗示,一位好的秘书应该是隐形的但不可或缺的,在不引起注意的情况下巧妙地引导老板。 这个新兴阶层在政治上不可靠,许多人出身于无产阶级,但又对体力劳动者拥有运营控制权。虽然她们参与了现代生活,但却过着双重生活。上班时衣着光鲜,时尚前卫,下班后却常常回到狭小而贫困的家中。这种差异突显了与办公室生活相关的扭曲的幸福经济,即外表和模仿更高的社会阶层对于保住工作至关重要。 本章还探讨了办公室环境中的动态,重点关注了从传统簿记方法到更多地使用打字机和女性打字员的转变。这导致了年长的男性簿记员的衰落,他们被能够更快地操作新机器的年轻女性所取代。人们批评这些女性用她们的行话“降低了”办公室的专业性。 本章强调了年龄歧视,特别是针对年长的女性秘书和男性簿记员,他们发现自己难以适应新技术,并且常常为了给更年轻、更廉价的劳动力让路而被排挤出工作岗位。工作的压力和独立性的不确定性导致一些人拼命地寻求婚姻作为经济保障的手段。 最后,本章深入探讨了办公室环境中存在的色情和剥削现象。虽然与老板结婚很常见,但骚扰、不想要的性暗示以及职业发展往往取决于与上级建立浪漫关系也司空见惯。尽管面临这些挑战,像《吉尔吉,我们中的一员》这样的长篇小说反驳了将秘书的生活描绘成天生悲惨的说法,而是突出了主人公对晋升和独立的渴望。本章以讨论通过公司郊游和体育俱乐部来培养员工满意度的尝试,以及豪华的办公环境与许多工人贫困的生活条件之间的巨大差异作结。最终,这些年轻的秘书们,被困在资产阶级世界和无产阶级世界之间,极易受到随之而来的经济危机的影响,因为她们体现了她们时代的矛盾。

This chapter, "Destinies Behind Typewriters," explores the burgeoning class of female office workers in Weimar Republic Germany during the 1920s. As telephone automation increased, the displaced switchboard operators found new roles in the rapidly expanding administrative offices that characterized the era. These "palaces of administration" symbolized power and efficiency, exemplified by impressive architectural achievements like the Heelahouse in Hamburg and the Ige Fábm building in Frankfurt, the latter even inspiring Kafkaesque interpretations of endless bureaucratic processes. The number of office workers doubled between 1914 and 1933, with women comprising a significant portion, often under the age of 25. These women, a "new phenomenon on the streets," shaped the face of cities and the future. They became the subject of sociological studies, fictional portrayals in film and literature, and even comedic stage productions that sexualized them. This fascination stemmed from their newfound independence, access to money, and influence on popular culture. Their spending power impacted the entertainment industry and fashion trends, making them a crucial demographic. The reality of the secretary's life was often less glamorous. While the ideal was a combination of hard work, beauty, reliability, and frivolity, the job itself was often ancillary, poorly paid, and subordinate. This ambivalence fueled media curiosity, prompting magazines like Das Leibem and Wu to investigate the "zoology of the shorthand typist," categorizing women into types like the "good girl," "intellectual," and "slut," (though the magazine claimed the latter only appeared in films.) A good secretary, it was suggested, was invisible yet indispensable, subtly steering the boss while remaining unnoticed. This new class was politically unreliable, caught between the proletariat origins of many and the operational control they exercised over manual workers. While they participated in the modern age, they lived a dual existence. Well-dressed and fashionable at work, they often returned to cramped, impoverished homes. This disparity highlighted the warped economy of happiness associated with office life, where appearance and the imitation of a higher social class were crucial for job security. The chapter also explores the dynamics within the office environment, focusing on the shift from traditional bookkeeping methods to the increased use of typewriters and female typists. This led to the decline of the older, male bookkeeper, replaced by young women who could operate the new machines with greater speed. The women were criticized for "deprofessionalizing" the office with their jargon. The chapter highlights ageism, particularly against older female secretaries and male bookkeepers, who found themselves struggling to adapt to new technologies and were often pushed out of their jobs in favor of younger, cheaper labor. The pressures of the job and the precarious nature of their independence led some to desperately seek marriage as a means of financial security. Finally, the chapter delves into the eroticism and exploitation present in the office environment. While marriage to the boss was common, so were harassment, unwanted advances, and the realization that career advancement often depended on romantic relationships with superiors. Despite these challenges, novels such as Gilgi, one of us pushed back against portraying the life of a secretary as inherently tragic and instead highlighted the protagonist's desire for advancement and independence. The chapter concludes by discussing the attempts to foster worker satisfaction through company outings and sports clubs, and the vast disparity between the opulent office environments and the impoverished living conditions of many of the workers. Ultimately, these young secretaries, trapped between the bourgeoisie world and proletarian world, were highly susceptible to the economic crisis that followed, as they embody the contradictions of their time.