The Story We Tell About Poverty Isn't True | Mia Birdsong | TED Talks

Prevoditelj: Nina Sabolić Recezent: Tilen Pigac - EFZG

For the last 50 years,

U posljednjih 50 godina,

mnogo pametnih ljudi s bogatim resursima -- zasigurno ih ima među vama --

a lot of smart, well-resourced people -- some of you, no doubt --

have been trying to figure out how to reduce poverty

pokušavali su dokučiti kako umanjiti siromaštvo

in the United States.

u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama.

People have created and invested millions of dollars

Ljudi su stvorili, i uložili milijune dolara

u neprofitne organizacije

into non-profit organizations

with the mission of helping people who are poor.

s ciljem da pomognu siromašnim ljudima.

They've created think tanks

Stvorili su trustove mozgova

koji proučavaju pitanja kao što su obrazovanje, stvaranje poslova i imovine,

that study issues like education, job creation and asset-building,

and then advocated for policies to support our most marginalized communities.

te tada zagovarali politiku koja bi podržala naše najmarginaliziranije zajednice.

They've written books and columns and given passionate speeches,

Pisali su knjige i članke te davali strastvene govore,

decrying the wealth gap that is leaving more and more people

osuđujući imovinski jaz zbog kojeg se sve više i više ljudi

entrenched at the bottom end of the income scale.

nalazi na dnu skale dohotka.

I taj trud je pomogao.

And that effort has helped.

Ali nije dovoljan.

But it's not enough.

Naša stopa siromaštva se nije značajno promijenila u posljednjih 50 godina,

Our poverty rates haven't changed that much in the last 50 years,

since the War on Poverty was launched.

otkad je započela borba protiv siromaštva.

I'm here to tell you

Ovdje sam da vam kažem

that we have overlooked the most powerful and practical resource.

da smo previdjeli najsnažniji i najpraktičniji izvor.

Here it is:

Taj slijedi:

people who are poor.

siromašni ljudi.

Up in the left-hand corner is Jobana, Sintia and Bertha.

Gore u lijevom kutku su Jobana, Sintia i Bertha.

They met when they all had small children,

One su se upoznale kad su imale malu djecu,

through a parenting class at a family resource center

na roditeljskom tečaju u obiteljskom centru

in San Francisco.

u San Franciscu.

As they grew together as parents and friends,

Kako su se zbližavale kao roditelji i kao prijateljice,

they talked a lot about how hard it was

puno su pričale o tome kako je teško

to make money when your kids are little.

zarađivati kad imaš malu djecu.

Child care is expensive,

Dječji vrtići su skupi,

more than they'd earn in a job.

skuplji od iznosa koji bi zaradile.

Their husbands worked,

Njihovi su muževi radili,

but they wanted to contribute financially, too.

no i one su željele financijski doprinijeti.

So they hatched a plan.

Stoga su skovale plan.

They started a cleaning business.

Započele su posao čišćenja.

Oblijepile su susjedstvo letcima

They plastered neighborhoods with flyers

and handed business cards out to their families and friends,

i dijelile posjetnice svojim obiteljima i prijateljima,

and soon, they had clients calling.

i uskoro su ih počeli zvati klijenti.

Two of them would clean the office or house

Dvije od njih bi čistile ured ili kuću

and one of them would watch the kids.

a jedna od njih bi čuvala djecu.

They'd rotate who'd cleaned and who'd watch the kids.

Mijenjale bi raspored koje bi čistile a koja bi čuvala djecu.

(Laughs) It's awesome, right?

(Smijeh) Odlično je, zar ne?

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

And they split the money three ways.

I dijelile su novac na tri dijela.

It was not a full-time gig,

Nije bilo za puno radno vrijeme,

no one could watch the little ones all day.

nitko ne može paziti na malene cijeli dan.

But it made a difference for their families.

Ali je bilo značajno za njihove obitelji.

Dodatan prihod za platiti račune kad se mužu sreže plaća.

Extra money to pay for bills when a husband's work hours were cut.

Novac da kupe djeci odjeću u skladu s rastom.

Money to buy the kids clothes as they were growing.

A little extra money in their pockets

Malo dodatnog novca u džepu

to make them feel some independence.

da se osjećaju nezavisno.

Up in the top-right corner is Theresa and her daughter, Brianna.

Gore u desnom kutku su Theresa i njena kćer Brianna.

Brianna je jedna od one djece

Brianna is one of those kids

with this sparkly, infectious, outgoing personality.

s vrlo živahnom, zaraznom, društvenom osobnošću.

For example, when Rosie,

Na primjer, kad se Rosie,

a little girl who spoke only Spanish, moved in next door,

djevojčica koja je govorila samo španjolski, doselila preko puta,

Brianna, who spoke only English,

Brianna, koja je govorila samo engleski,

borrowed her mother's tablet and found a translation app

posudila je majčin tablet i našla aplikaciju za prevođenje

so the two of them could communicate.

da bi njih dvije mogle komunicirati.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

I know, right?

Znam, jelda?

Rosie's family credits Brianna with helping Rosie to learn English.

Rosie-na obitelj zahvalna je Brianni što je pomogla Rosie naučiti engleski.

A few years ago,

Prije nekoliko godina,

Brianna je počela imati problema u školi.

Brianna started to struggle academically.

She was growing frustrated and kind of withdrawn

Postajala je frustrirana i nekako povučena

and acting out in class.

te se iskaljivala na satovima.

I njenoj se majci slomilo srce zbog toga.

And her mother was heartbroken over what was happening.

Then they found out that she was going to have to repeat second grade

Tad su saznali da će morati ponavljati drugi razred

and Brianna was devastated.

i Brianna je bila slomljena.

Njena majka osjećala se beznadno i preplavljeno i usamljeno

Her mother felt hopeless and overwhelmed and alone

because she knew that her daughter was not getting the support she needed,

jer je znala da njena kćer ne dobiva podršku koja joj je potrebna,

and she did not know how to help her.

a ona nije znala kako joj pomoći.

One afternoon, Theresa was catching up with a group of friends,

Jednog popodneva, Theresa je pričala sa svojim prijateljima,

and one of them said,

i netko od njih je pitao,

"Theresa, how are you?"

"Theresa, kako si?"

And she burst into tears.

I ona je briznula u plač.

After she shared her story, one of her friends said,

Nakon što je s njima podijelila svoju priču, jedan od njih je rekao,

"Ja sam prošao kroz isto to sa svojim sinom prije godinu dana."

"I went through the exact same thing with my son about a year ago."

And in that moment,

I u tom trenutku,

Theresa realized that so much of her struggle

Theresa je shvatila da je velik dio njenog problema

was not having anybody to talk with about it.

to što nema s kime pričati o tome.

So she created a support group for parents like her.

Tako je osnovala grupu podrške za roditelje poput nje.

Prvom sastanku prisustvovali su ona i još dvoje ljudi.

The first meeting was her and two other people.

But word spread, and soon 20 people, 30 people

Ali se pročulo, i uskoro se 20 ljudi, 30 ljudi

were showing up for these monthly meetings that she put together.

počelo pojavljivati na tim mjesečnim sastancima koje je pokrenula.

She went from feeling helpless

Umjesto da se osjeća bespomoćno,

postala je svjesna koliko je sposobna da podupre svoju kćer,

to realizing how capable she was of supporting her daughter,

with the support of other people who were going through the same struggle.

uz podršku drugih ljudi koji su prolazili kroz iste teškoće.

And Brianna is doing fantastic -- she's doing great academically

I Brianni ide fantastično -- ide joj dobro u školi

and socially.

i u društvu.

That in the middle is my man Baakir,

Ovdje u sredini je moj prijatelj Baakir,

standing in front of BlackStar Books and Caffe,

stoji ispred BlackStar Books and Caffe, (kafić s knjigama BlackStar),

koji vodi u dijelu svoje kuće.

which he runs out of part of his house.

As you walk in the door,

Kad uđete kroz vrata,

Baakir greets you with a "Welcome black home."

Baakir vas pozdravi sa "Dobrodošli kući, rođo."

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Once inside, you can order some Algiers jerk chicken,

Kad ste tamo možete naručiti alžirsku sušenu piletinu,

perhaps a vegan walnut burger,

možda veganski burger od oraha,

ili pureći sentvič.

or jive turkey sammich.

And that's sammich -- not sandwich.

I zove se sentvič -- ne sendvič.

You must finish your meal with a buttermilk drop,

Morate završiti obrok s malo mlaćenice,

which is several steps above a donut hole

koja je vrlo ukusna

i napravljena po vrlo tajnom obiteljskom receptu.

and made from a very secret family recipe.

For real, it's very secret, he won't tell you about it.

Ozbiljno, vrlo je tajan, neće vam ga odati.

But BlackStar is much more than a café.

Ali BlackStar je više od kafića.

Za djecu u susjedstvu,

For the kids in the neighborhood,

it's a place to go after school to get help with homework.

to je mjesto gdje idu nakon škole da dobiju pomoć sa zadaćom.

For the grown-ups, it's where they go

Za odrasle, to je mjesto gdje idu

to find out what's going on in the neighborhood

da saznaju što je novo u susjedstvu

and catch up with friends.

i proćaskaju s prijateljima.

To je mjesto performansa.

It's a performance venue.

It's a home for poets, musicians and artists.

To je dom za pjesnike, glazbenike i umjetnike.

Baakir and his partner Nicole,

Baakir i njegova partnerica Nicole,

with their baby girl strapped to her back,

s njihovom malom kćerkom koju nosi na leđima,

are there in the mix of it all,

su u središtu svega toga,

serving up a cup of coffee,

serviraju šalicu kave,

teaching a child how to play Mancala,

uče djecu kako igrati mancalu (igre na ploči),

or painting a sign for an upcoming community event.

ili oslikavaju natpis za nadolazeći društveni događaj.

I have worked with and learned from people just like them

Radila sam i učila od ljudi poput ovih

for more than 20 years.

više od 20 godina.

Zalagala sam se protiv sustava zatvora,

I have organized against the prison system,

which impacts poor folks,

koji utječe na siromašne,

especially black, indigenous and Latino folks,

posebno crnačko, domorodačko i Latinoameričko stanovništvo,

at an alarming rate.

uznemirujućom brzinom.

I have worked with young people who manifest hope and promise,

Radila sam s mladim ljudima koji zrače nadom i obećanjem,

despite being at the effect of racist discipline practices in their schools,

usprkos rasističkim praksama s kojima se susreću u školama,

and police violence in their communities.

i policijskim nasiljem u svojim društvima.

I have learned from families

Učila sam od obitelji

who are unleashing their ingenuity and tenacity

koje oslobađaju svoju domišljatost i žilavost

to collectively create their own solutions.

da bi kolektivno stvorili svoja vlastita rješenja.

And they're not just focused on money.

I ne vodi ih samo novac.

They're addressing education, housing, health, community --

Usmjeravaju se na obrazovanje, kućanstvo, zdravlje, zajednicu --

the things that we all care about.

stvari do kojih nam je svima stalo.

Everywhere I go,

Gdje god idem,

I see people who are broke but not broken.

vidim ljude koji se trgaju bez novca, ali nisu potrgani.

I see people who are struggling to realize their good ideas,

Vidim ljude koji se bore da ostvare svoje dobre ideje,

kako bi stvorili bolji život za sebe,

so that they can create a better life for themselves,

their families, their communities.

svoje obitelji, svoje zajednice.

Jobana, Sintia, Bertha, Theresa and Baakir are the rule,

Jobana, Sintia, Bertha, Theresa i Baakir su pravilo,

not the shiny exception.

a ne blistava iznimka.

I am the exception.

Ja sam iznimka.

I was raised by a quietly fierce single mother in Rochester, New York.

Odgojila me mirno oštra samohrana majka u Rochesteru, New York.

I was bussed to a school in the suburbs, from a neighborhood

Išla sam u školu autobusom u predgrađe, iz susjedstva

that many of my classmates and their parents considered dangerous.

koje su mnogi moji suučenici i njihovi roditelji smatrali opasnim.

At eight, I was a latchkey kid.

S osam godina, bila sam samostalno dijete.

I'd get myself home after school every day and do homework and chores,

Došla bih kući iz škole svaki dan i napisala zadaću i obavila poslove,

and wait for my mother to come home.

i čekala majku da se vrati kući.

After school, I'd go to the corner store

Poslije škole išla bih u trgovinu

and buy a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli,

i kupila konzervu gotovih raviola,

koje bih zagrijala na štednjaku kao popodnevnu užinu.

which I'd heat up on the stove as my afternoon snack.

Ako bih imala viška novca, kupila bih gotovu voćnu pitu.

If I had a little extra money, I'd buy a Hostess Fruit Pie.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Trešnju.

Cherry.

Ne tako dobru kao mlaćenica.

Not as good as a buttermilk drop.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

We were poor when I was a kid.

Bili smo siromašni kad sam bila mala.

But now, I own a home in a quickly gentrifying neighborhood

No sada, ja imam dom u novoobnovljenom susjedstvu

in Oakland, California.

u Oaklandu, California.

I've built a career.

Izgradila sam karijeru.

My husband is a business owner.

Moj muž vodi posao.

I have a retirement account.

Imam umirovljeničku štednju.

My daughter is not even allowed to turn on the stove

Ne dozvoljavam kćeri ni da uključi štednjak

unless there's a grown-up at home

ukoliko nema odraslih kod kuće

and she doesn't have to,

i ona to ne treba

because she does not have to have the same kind of self-reliance

jer ne mora biti tako samostalna

that I had to at her age.

kao što sam ja morala biti u njenim godinama.

My kids' raviolis are organic

Ravioli koje moja djeca jedu su organski

i puni stvari poput špinata i svježeg sira,

and full of things like spinach and ricotta,

because I have the luxury of choice

jer volim luksuz izbora

when it comes to what my children eat.

kad je u pitanju hrana za moju djecu.

I am the exception,

Ja sam iznimka,

not because I'm more talented than Baakir

ne zato što sam talentiranija od Baakira

or my mother worked any harder than Jobana, Sintia or Bertha,

ili je moja majka radila više od Jobane, Sintie ili Berthe,

or cared any more than Theresa.

ili brinula više od Therese.

Marginalized communities are full of smart, talented people,

Marginalne zajednice su pune pametnih, talentiranih ljudi,

hustling and working and innovating,

koji rade i uvode novine,

just like our most revered and most rewarded CEOs.

jednako kao naši cijenjeni i mnogo nagrađivani direktori.

They are full of people tapping into their resilience

Pune su ljudi koji nalaze elastičnost

to get up every day, get the kids off to school

da ustanu svaki dan, odvedu djecu u školu

i idu na posao koji ne plaća dovoljno,

and go to jobs that don't pay enough,

ili se školuju i time zadužuju.

or get educations that are putting them in debt.

They are full of people applying their savvy intelligence

Pune su ljudi koji se svojom zdravorazumskom inteligencijom

to stretch a minimum wage paycheck,

krpaju s minimalcem,

ili usklađuju posao i poslove sa strane da spoje kraj s krajem.

or balance a job and a side hustle to make ends meet.

They are full of people doing for themselves and for others,

Pune su ljudi koji rade za sebe i za druge,

whether it's picking up medication for an elderly neighbor,

bilo da je to podizanje lijekova za starijeg susjeda,

or letting a sibling borrow some money to pay the phone bill,

ili posuđivanje novca braći da plate račun za telefon,

or just watching out for the neighborhood kids

ili samo paze na susjedovu djecu

from the front stoop.

sa trijema.

I am the exception because of luck and privilege,

Ja sam iznimka zbog sreće i privilegije,

not hard work.

ne zbog teškog rada.

And I'm not being modest or self-deprecating --

I nisam skromna ili samoosuđujuća --

I am amazing.

ja sam odlična.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

But most people work hard.

Ali većina ljudi teško radi.

Hard work is the common denominator in this equation,

Težak rad je učestali nazivnik ove jednadžbe,

i umorna sam od priče koju pričamo

and I'm tired of the story we tell

that hard work leads to success,

da težak rad vodi uspjehu,

jer to dopušta --

because that allows --

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

... because that story allows those of us who make it to believe we deserve it,

... jer takva priča dopušta onima od nas koji uspiju da vjeruju da to zaslužuju,

čime se podrazumijeva,

and by implication,

those who don't make it don't deserve it.

da oni koji ne uspiju to ne zaslužuju.

Govorimo si, u podsvijesti,

We tell ourselves, in the back of our minds,

and sometimes in the front of our mouths,

i nekad to izreknemo naglas,

"There must be something a little wrong with those poor people."

"Mora da nešto nije u redu s tim siromašnim ljudima."

We have a wide range of beliefs

Imamo širok spektar vjerovanja

about what that something wrong is.

o tome što je to što nije u redu.

Some people tell the story that poor folks are lazy freeloaders

Neki ljudi pričaju da su siromašni lijeni paraziti

who would cheat and lie to get out of an honest day's work.

koji bi varali i lagali da izbjegnu pošten radni dan.

Others prefer the story that poor people are helpless

Drugima je draža priča da su siromašni bespomoćni

and probably had neglectful parents that didn't read to them enough,

koji su vjerojatno imali zanemarujuće roditelje koji im nisu dovoljno čitali,

and if they were just told what to do

i ako im se samo kaže što činiti

and shown the right path,

i pokaže pravi put,

mogli bi uspjeti.

they could make it.

For every story I hear demonizing low-income single mothers

Za svaku priču koju čujem koja ponižava samohrane majke s niskim prihodima

ili odsutne očeve,

or absentee fathers,

which is how people might think of my parents,

što je način na koji su ljudi možda gledali na moje roditelje,

I've got 50 that tell a different story about the same people,

imam 50 koje pričaju drukčiju priču o istim tim ljudima,

koji svaki dan daju sve od sebe.

showing up every day and doing their best.

I'm not saying that some of the negative stories aren't true,

Ne kažem da neke negativne priče nisu istinite,

but those stories allow us to not really see who people really are,

ali te nam priče dopuštaju da ne vidimo tko ljudi zapravo jesu,

because they don't paint a full picture.

jer ne prikazuju cijelu sliku.

The quarter-truths and limited plot lines have us convinced

Polovične istine i ograničeni zapleti uvjerili su nas

da su siromašni ljudi problem koji treba riješiti.

that poor people are a problem that needs fixing.

What if we recognized that what's working is the people

Što ako bismo prepoznali da ono što funkcionira jesu ljudi

and what's broken is our approach?

a što je pokvareno je naš pristup?

What if we realized that the experts we are looking for,

Što ako bismo shvatili da su stručnjaci koje tražimo,

the experts we need to follow,

stručnjaci koje trebamo slijediti,

are poor people themselves?

upravo sami siromašni ljudi?

What if, instead of imposing solutions,

Što ako bismo, umjesto nametanja rješenja,

we just added fire

samo dodali ulje

to the already-burning flame that they have?

na vatru koja u njima već gori?

Not directing --

Da ih ne usmjeravamo --

čak niti osnažujemo --

not even empowering --

but just fueling their initiative.

već samo potičemo njihovu inicijativu.

Sjeverno odavde,

Just north of here,

we have an example of what this could look like:

imamo primjer kako bi to moglo izgledati:

Silicon Valley.

Silicijska dolina.

A whole venture capital industry has grown up around the belief

Čitava industrija je izgrađena oko vjerovanja

that if people have good ideas and the desire to manifest them,

da ako ljudi imaju dobre ideje i želju da ih ostvare,

trebali bismo im dati puno i puno i puno novca.

we should give them lots and lots and lots of money.

(Smijeh)

(Laughter)

Je li tako? Ali gdje je naša strategija za Theresu i Baakira?

Right? But where is our strategy for Theresa and Baakir?

Za njih nema inkubatora,

There are no incubators for them,

no accelerators, no fellowships.

ni akceleratora, ni stipendija.

How are Jobana, Sintia and Bertha really all that different

Koliko su Jobana, Sintia i Bertha zapravo različite

from the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world?

od Markova Zuckerberga ovog svijeta?

Baakir has experience and a track record.

Baakir ima iskustvo i policijski dosje.

I'd put my money on him.

Ja bih se kladila na njega.

So, consider this an invitation to rethink a flawed strategy.

Zato, smatrajte ovo pozivom da razmislite o manjkavoj strategiji.

Let's grasp this opportunity

Uhvatimo ovu priliku

to let go of a tired, faulty narrative

da pustimo umornu, krivu priču

and listen and look for true stories,

te slušamo i gledamo istinite priče,

more beautifully complex stories,

ljepše složenije priče,

about who marginalized people and families and communities are.

o tome tko su marginalizirani ljudi i obitelji i zajednice.

Uzet ću trenutak da kažem svojim ljudima.

I'm going to take a minute to speak to my people.

We cannot wait

Ne možemo čekati

for somebody else to get it right.

nekog drugog da učini ispravnu stvar.

Sjetimo se za što smo sposobni;

Let us remember what we are capable of;

all that we have built with blood, sweat and dreams;

sve što smo izgradili svojom krvlju, znojem i snovima;

all the cogs that keep turning;

svi zupci koji se okreću;

svi ljudi održani na vodi zbog našeg napornog rada.

and the people kept afloat because of our backbreaking work.

Let us remember that we are magic.

Sjetimo se da smo mi čarolija.

If you need some inspiration to jog your memory,

Ako trebate inspiraciju da vas podsjeti,

read Octavia Butler's "Parable of the Sower."

pročitajte "Prispodobu o sijaču" Octavie Butler.

Listen to Reverend King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail."

Poslušajte "Pismo iz Birminghamskog zatvora" velečasnog Kinga.

Poslušajte recitaciju Suheir Hammade "Prvo pismo od tad",

Listen to Suheir Hammad recite "First Writing Since,"

or Esperanza Spalding perform "Black Gold."

ili Esperanzu Spalding kako izvodi "Crno zlato."

Set your gaze upon the art of Kehinde Wiley

Usmjerite pogled na umjetnost Kehinde Wiley

or Favianna Rodriguez.

ili Favianne Rodriguez.

Look at the hands of your grandmother

Pogledajte ruke svoje bake

or into the eyes of someone who loves you.

ili u oči nekog tko vas voli.

We are magic.

Mi smo čarolija.

Zasebno, mi nemamo puno bogatstva i moći,

Individually, we don't have a lot of wealth and power,

but collectively, we are unstoppable.

no zajedno, mi smo nezaustavljivi.

I trošimo puno vremena i energije

And we spend a lot of our time and energy

organizing our power to demand change from systems that were not made for us.

organizirajući našu moć da zahtijeva promjene u sustavu koji nije za nas.

Instead of trying to alter the fabric of existing ways,

Umjesto da pokušavamo prilagoditi tkaninu postojećih načina,

tkujmo i režimo čvrsto novo sukno.

let's weave and cut some fierce new cloth.

Let's use some of our substantial collective power

Iskoristimo neku našu suštinsku kolektivnu moć

toward inventing and bringing to life

za izum i oživljavanje

new ways of being that work for us.

novih načina življenja koji nama odgovaraju.

Desmond Tutu talks about the concept of ubuntu,

Desmond Tutu govori o pojmu ubuntu,

in the context of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation process

u kontekstu procesa istine i mirenja Južne Afrike

koji su prihvatili nakon rasne diskriminacije.

that they embarked on after apartheid.

He says it means,

On kaže da to znači,

"My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in yours;

"Moja ljudskost je isprepletena, neraskidivo povezana, s tvojom;

we belong to a bundle of life."

pripadamo u zavežljaj života."

A bundle of life.

Zavežljaj života.

Proces istine i mirenja

The Truth and Reconciliation process

started by elevating the voices of the unheard.

počeo je uzdizanjem neslušanih glasova.

Ako će ova država živjeti prema svojim obećanjima o slobodi i pravdi za sve,

If this country is going to live up to its promise of liberty and justice for all,

onda mi trebamo uzdizati glasove neslušanih,

then we need to elevate the voices of our unheard,

ljudi poput Jobane, Sintie i Berthe,

of people like Jobana, Sintia and Bertha,

Theresa and Baakir.

Therese i Baakira.

We must leverage their solutions and their ideas.

Moramo dati snagu njihovim rješenjima i njihovim idejama.

We must listen to their true stories,

Moramo slušati njihove istinite priče,

their more beautifully complex stories.

njihove ljepše složenije priče.

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Pljesak)

(Applause)