We have hated this “but,” this coordinating conjunction, ever since the dawn of the Soviet era. Then we were told that freedom is good, but that one can’t live in an individualist society without common concern for the communist state.
自苏联时代末期以来，我们就对“但是”这个连词深恶痛绝。我们被告知说自由是好的，“但是”一个人是不能在一个缺乏共产主义国家意识的个人主义社会中生存的；我们被告知说民主是伟大的，“但是”只能服务于工人阶级的利益。