Said of an action, idea, or person that goes against what Americans generally think of as American values — freedom, fairness, loyalty to the country, the right to speak.

Said of用來說 an action, idea, or person一個行為、想法或人 goes against違背了 what Americans generally think of as American values美國人普遍心目中的美國價值——freedom自由、fairness公平、loyalty to the country對國家的忠誠、the right to speak說話的權利。

But this word is almost never a neutral description. It is an accusation, and a loaded one. Calling something un-American is a way of saying it does not just disagree with me, it does not belong here — which makes it a strong political weapon, because it puts the other side outside the country rather than inside the argument.

But但 this word這個字 almost never幾乎從來不是 a neutral description中性的描述。It is它是 an accusation一種指控，and a loaded one而且火藥味很重。Calling something un-American說某個東西 un-American，is a way of saying等於在說：it does not just disagree with me它不只是跟我意見不同，it does not belong here而是它不屬於這裡——which makes it這使它成為 a strong political weapon一件強力的政治武器，because因為 it puts the other side它把對方放到 outside the country國家之外，rather than inside the argument而不是放在論辯之內。

The word carries the memory of the House Un-American Activities Committee, a US congressional committee that from the late 1930s through the 1950s investigated Americans suspected of communist sympathies and ruined many careers on thin evidence. Because of that history, many Americans hear the word as a warning sign about the speaker, not about the person being accused.

The word carries the memory of這個字帶著一段記憶：the House Un-American Activities Committee「眾議院非美活動調查委員會」，a US congressional committee一個美國國會的委員會，from the late 1930s through the 1950s從 1930 年代末到 1950 年代 investigated調查 Americans suspected of communist sympathies被懷疑同情共產主義的美國人，on thin evidence憑著薄弱的證據 and ruined many careers毀了許多人的職業生涯。Because of that history因為那段歷史，many Americans許多美國人 hear the word as聽到這個字時會把它當成 a warning sign一個警訊——about the speaker指向說話的人，not about the person being accused而不是被指控的人。

It keeps its capital A because America is a name, and it keeps the hyphen. You will also hear it lightly and jokingly — "Not liking baseball is un-American" — where the exaggeration is the joke.

because因為 America is a name America 是名字，It keeps its capital A它保留大寫 A，and it keeps the hyphen也保留連字號。You will also hear it你也會聽到 lightly and jokingly輕鬆開玩笑的用法——"Not liking baseball is un-American"「不喜歡棒球就是 un-American」——where the exaggeration is the joke好笑就在那份誇張。