Why I love a country that once betrayed me | George Takei

Prevoditelj: Tea Ilijašević Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

I'm a veteran of the starship Enterprise.

Veteran sam svemirskog broda Enterprise.

I soared through the galaxy

Letio sam kroz galaksiju

driving a huge starship

vozeći ogromni svemirski brod

with a crew made up of people

s posadom sastavljenom od ljudi

from all over this world,

iz svih krajeva svijeta,

many different races, many different cultures,

mnogo različitih rasa, mnogo različitih kultura,

many different heritages,

mnogo različitih običaja,

all working together,

radeći svi zajedno,

and our mission was to explore strange new worlds,

a naša misija je bila istraživati nepoznate svjetove,

to seek out new life and new civilizations,

tražiti nove oblike života i nove civilizacije,

to boldly go where no one has gone before.

hrabro ići tamo gdje još nitko nije išao.

Well —

Dakle —

(Applause) —

(Pljesak) —

I am the grandson of immigrants from Japan

Ja sam unuk japanskih imigranata

who went to America,

koji su otišli u Ameriku,

boldly going to a strange new world,

u nepoznat svijet,

seeking new opportunities.

u potrazi za novim prilikama.

My mother was born in Sacramento, California.

Moja majka je rođena u Sacramentu, u Kaliforniji.

My father was a San Franciscan.

Moj otac je iz San Francisca.

They met and married in Los Angeles,

Upoznali su se i vjenčali u Los Angelesu,

and I was born there.

gdje sam ja rođen.

I was four years old

Imao sam četiri godine

when Pearl Harbor was bombed

kada je Japan bombardirao Pearl Harbor

on December 7, 1941 by Japan,

7. prosinca 1941. godine,

and overnight, the world was plunged

i preko noći svijet je utonuo

into a world war.

u svjetski rat.

America suddenly was swept up

U Americi je zavladala

by hysteria.

histerija.

Japanese-Americans,

Japanski Amerikanci,

American citizens of Japanese ancestry,

američki građani japanskog podrijetla,

were looked on

gledani su

with suspicion and fear

sa sumnjom, strahom

and with outright hatred

i s otvorenom mržnjom

simply because we happened to look like

samo zbog toga jer smo izgledali

the people that bombed Pearl Harbor.

kao ljudi koji su bombardirali Pearl Harbor.

And the hysteria grew and grew

Histerija je rasta i rasla

until in February 1942,

sve dok u veljači 1942.,

the president of the United States,

američki predsjednik,

Franklin Delano Roosevelt,

Franklin Delano Roosevelt,

ordered all Japanese-Americans

nije naredio da se svi Amerikanci japanskog podrijetla

on the West Coast of America

na američkoj Zapadnoj obali,

to be summarily rounded up

po kratkom postupku privedu

with no charges, with no trial,

bez optužbi, bez suđenja

with no due process.

i bez pravičnog postupka.

Due process, this is a core pillar

Pravični postupak, ovo je stup

of our justice system.

našeg pravosudnog sustava.

That all disappeared.

Toga više nije bilo.

We were to be rounded up

Bilo smo skupljeni

and imprisoned in 10 barbed-wire prison camps

i zatočeni u 10 zatvoreničkih logora okruženih bodljikavom žicom

in some of the most desolate places in America:

u najizoliranijim mjestima u Americi:

the blistering hot desert of Arizona,

užasno vruća pustinja u Arizoni,

the sultry swamps of Arkansas,

sparne močvare Arkansasa,

the wastelands of Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorado,

pustopoljine Wyominga, Idaha, Utaha, Colorada

and two of the most desolate places in California.

i dva najnapuštenija mjesta u Kaliforniji.

On April 20th, I celebrated my fifth birthday,

20. travnja, proslavio sam peti rođendan,

and just a few weeks after my birthday,

i samo nekoliko tjedana nakon mog rođendana,

my parents got my younger brother,

moji roditelji su probudili mog mlađeg brata,

my baby sister and me

malu sestricu i mene

up very early one morning,

ranije jednog jutra

and they dressed us hurriedly.

i žurno su nas počeli oblačiti.

My brother and I were in the living room

Brat i ja smo bili u dnevnoj sobi,

looking out the front window,

gledali smo kroz prozor

and we saw two soldiers marching up our driveway.

i vidjeli dva vojnika kako marširaju na našem kolnom prilazu.

They carried bayonets on their rifles.

Nosili su bajonete na puškama.

They stomped up the front porch

Prišli su trijemu

and banged on the door.

i zalupali na vrata.

My father answered it,

Otac je otvorio,

and the soldiers ordered us out of our home.

a vojnici su nam naredili da napustimo kuću.

My father gave my brother and me

Otac je bratu i meni dao

small luggages to carry,

nositi male kufere,

and we walked out and stood on the driveway

izašli smo van i stali na prilaz

waiting for our mother to come out,

čekajući da izađe i naša majka,

and when my mother finally came out,

a kada je moja majka napokon izašla,

she had our baby sister in one arm,

u jednoj je ruci držala moju sestricu,

a huge duffel bag in the other,

a u drugoj veliku torbu,

and tears were streaming down both her cheeks.

i suze su joj tekle niz obraze.

I will never be able to forget that scene.

Nikada neću zaboraviti taj prizor.

It is burned into my memory.

Urezao mi se u sjećanje.

We were taken from our home

Odveli su nas iz našeg doma

and loaded on to train cars

i ukrcali na vagone

with other Japanese-American families.

u kojima su bile druge japansko-američke obitelji.

There were guards stationed

Na oba kraja vagona

at both ends of each car,

stajali su stražari,

as if we were criminals.

kao dao smo kriminalci.

We were taken two thirds of the way across the country,

Prešli smo dvije trećine zemlje,

rocking on that train for four days and three nights,

ljuljajući se na tom vlaku četiri dana i tri noći,

to the swamps of Arkansas.

sve do močvara Arkansasa.

I still remember the barbed wire fence

Još se sjećam ograde od bodljikave žice

that confined me.

gdje su me zatvorili.

I remember the tall sentry tower

Sjećam se visoke promatračnice

with the machine guns pointed at us.

sa strojnicama uperenim u nas.

I remember the searchlight that followed me

Sjećam se reflektora koji me je pratio

when I made the night runs

kada sam noću trčao

from my barrack to the latrine.

od barake do zahoda.

But to five-year-old me,

A ja, kao petogodišnjak,

I thought it was kind of nice that they'd lit the way

mislio sam da je baš lijepo što mi osvjetljavaju put

for me to pee.

dok idem piškiti.

I was a child,

Bio sam dijete,

too young to understand the circumstances

premlad da bih razumio okolnosti

of my being there.

zbog kojih sam se tamo našao.

Children are amazingly adaptable.

Djeca su nevjerojatno prilagodljiva.

What would be grotesquely abnormal

Ono što bi bilo groteskno nenormalno

became my normality

postalo mi je normalno

in the prisoner of war camps.

u logorima za ratne zarobljenike.

It became routine for me to line up three times a day

Postala mi je rutina stajati u redu tri puta dnevno

to eat lousy food in a noisy mess hall.

kako bih jeo lošu hranu u bučnoj menzi.

It became normal for me to go with my father

Postalo mi je normalno ići s ocem

to bathe in a mass shower.

kako bih se oprao u zajedničkom tušu.

Being in a prison, a barbed-wire prison camp,

Biti u zatvoru, u zatvoreničkom logoru okruženom bodljikavom žicom,

became my normality.

postala je moja svakodnevica.

When the war ended,

Kada je rat završio,

we were released,

bili smo oslobođeni

and given a one-way ticket

i dobili smo jednosmjernu kartu

to anywhere in the United States.

za bilo koje mjesto u SAD-u.

My parents decided to go back home

Moji roditelji su se odlučili vratiti kući

to Los Angeles,

u Los Angeles,

but Los Angeles was not a welcoming place.

ali Los Angeles nije više bio prijateljski nastrojen prema nama.

We were penniless.

Bili smo bez novca.

Everything had been taken from us,

Sve nam je bilo oduzeto,

and the hostility was intense.

a neprijateljsko ozračje je raslo.

Our first home was on Skid Row

Naš prvi dom bio je u četvrti Skid Row

in the lowest part of our city,

u najsiromašnijem dijelu grada,

living with derelicts, drunkards

gdje smo živjeli sa skitnicama, alkoholičarima

and crazy people,

i luđacima,

the stench of urine all over,

svugdje se osjetio smrad urina,

on the street, in the alley,

na ulicama, uskim prolazima,

in the hallway.

hodnicima.

It was a horrible experience,

To je bilo užasno iskustvo

and for us kids, it was terrorizing.

za nas djecu.

I remember once

Sjećam se kad nam je jednom

a drunkard came staggering down,

pijanac došao teturajući,

fell down right in front of us,

pao je točno ispred nas

and threw up.

i povratio.

My baby sister said, "Mama, let's go back home,"

Moja sestrica je rekla: "Mama, vratimo se kući,"

because behind barbed wires

jer mjesto iza bodljikave žice

was for us

za nas je bio

home.

dom.

My parents worked hard

Moji roditelji su naporno radili

to get back on their feet.

kako bi ponovno stali na noge.

We had lost everything.

Sve smo bili izgubili.

They were at the middle of their lives

Bili su na polovici svog životnog puta

and starting all over.

i morali su početi od nule.

They worked their fingers to the bone,

Krvavo su radili,

and ultimately they were able

i na kraju su uspjeli

to get the capital together to buy

zajedno prikupiti dovoljno novca

a three-bedroom home in a nice neighborhood.

kako bi kupili kuću s tri spavaće sobe u lijepom susjedstvu.

And I was a teenager,

Bio sam tinejdžer,

and I became very curious

i postao sam vrlo znatiželjan

about my childhood imprisonment.

u vezi svog djetinjstva provedenog u zatočeništvu.

I had read civics books that told me about

Pročitao sam knjige o građanskim pravima

the ideals of American democracy.

koje su govorile o idealima američke demokracije.

All men are created equal,

Svi su ljudi stvoreni jednaki,

we have an inalienable right

imamo neotuđivo pravo

to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,

na život, slobodu i potragu za srećom.

and I couldn't quite make that fit

i to se nikako nije poklapalo

with what I knew to be my childhood imprisonment.

sa onim što sam poznavao kao djetinjstvo u zatočeništvu.

I read history books,

Čitao sam povijesne knjige

and I couldn't find anything about it.

i nisam mogao naći ništa o tome.

And so I engaged my father after dinner

I tako sam s ocem nakon večere

in long, sometimes heated conversations.

počeo voditi duge, ponekad i žustre rasprave.

We had many, many conversations like that,

Imali smo mnogo, mnogo takvih razgovora,

and what I got from them

a ono što sam dobio iz toga

was my father's wisdom.

bila je mudrost mog oca.

He was the one that suffered the most

On je bio taj koji je najviše patio

under those conditions of imprisonment,

u tim zatvorskim uvjetima,

and yet he understood American democracy.

a ipak je shvaćao američku demokraciju.

He told me that our democracy

Rekao mi je da je naša demokracija

is a people's democracy,

narodna demokracija,

and it can be as great as the people can be,

i da može biti divna poput ljudi,

but it is also as fallible as people are.

ali i da baš poput ljudi može i podbaciti.

He told me that American democracy

Rekao je da američka demokracija

is vitally dependent on good people

nužno ovisi o dobrim ljudima

who cherish the ideals of our system

koji njeguju ideale našeg sustava

and actively engage in the process

i aktivno sudjeluju u procesu

of making our democracy work.

funkcioniranja naše demokracije.

And he took me to a campaign headquarters —

Odveo me je u predizborni centar —

the governor of Illinois was running for the presidency —

guverner Illinoisa se kandidirao za predsjednika —

and introduced me to American electoral politics.

i upoznao s Američkom izbornom politikom.

And he also told me about

Također mi je pričao o

young Japanese-Americans

mladim Amerikancima japanskog podrijetla

during the Second World War.

u razdoblju Drugog svjetskog rata.

When Pearl Harbor was bombed,

Kada je bombardiran Pearl Harbor,

young Japanese-Americans, like all young Americans,

mladi Amerikanci Japanskog podrijetla, poput svih mladih Amerikanaca,

rushed to their draft board

pohitali su svojim novačkim komisijama

to volunteer to fight for our country.

kako bi se prijavili za dobrovoljno sudjelovanje u borbi za svoju zemlju.

That act of patriotism

Kao odgovor na ovaj domoljubni čin

was answered with a slap in the face.

dobili smo pljusku.

We were denied service,

Odbili su nas

and categorized as enemy non-alien.

i svrstali u kategoriju domaćih neprijatelja.

It was outrageous to be called an enemy

Nečuveno je da vas zovu neprijateljem

when you're volunteering to fight for your country,

kada se želite dobrovoljno boriti za svoju zemlju

but that was compounded with the word "non-alien,"

To je bilo dopunjeno riječju "domaći,"

which is a word that means

koja se odnosi na građanina,

"citizen" in the negative.

ali u negativnom smislu.

They even took the word "citizen" away from us,

Oduzeli su nam građanski status

and imprisoned them for a whole year.

i držali nas u zatočeništvu godinu dana.

And then the government realized

Nakon toga Vlada je shvatila

that there's a wartime manpower shortage,

da im nedostaje ratne snage,

and as suddenly as they'd rounded us up,

i jednako naglo kao što su nas i uhitili,

they opened up the military for service

sada su dozvolili uključivanje u vojsku

by young Japanese-Americans.

i mladim Amerikancima Japanskog podrijetla.

It was totally irrational,

Odluka je bila potpuno neshvatljiva,

but the amazing thing,

ali ono što je bilo nevjerojatno

the astounding thing,

i zapanjujuće

is that thousands of young

je to da su tisuće mladih

Japanese-American men and women

Amerikanaca i Amerikanki Japanskog podrijetla

again went from behind those barbed-wire fences,

iza tih ograda od bodljikave žice,

put on the same uniform as that of our guards,

navukli na sebu istu onu uniformu koju su nosili stražari,

leaving their families in imprisonment,

ostavili svoje obitelji u zatočeništvu

to fight for this country.

i krenuli u borbu za svoju zemlju.

They said that they were going to fight

Rekli su da će se boriti

not only to get their families out

ne samo kako bi izbavili svoje obitelji

from behind those barbed-wire fences,

iza bodljikave žice,

but because they cherished the very ideal

nego i zbog poštivanja ideala

of what our government stands for,

za koji se zalaže naša Vlada,

should stand for,

ili za koji bi se trebala zalagati,

and that was being abrogated

a koji je bio obezvrijeđen

by what was being done.

onim što se činilo.

All men are created equal.

Svi ljudi su stvoreni jednaki.

And they went to fight for this country.

Oni su se otišli boriti za ovu zemlju.

They were put into a segregated

Svi japansko-američki vojnici

all Japanese-American unit

stavljeni su u posebnu jedinicu

and sent to the battlefields of Europe,

i poslani na europska bojišta

and they threw themselves into it.

i jako su se trudili.

They fought with amazing,

Borili su se nevjerojatno

incredible courage and valor.

hrabro i odvažno.

They were sent out on the most dangerous missions

Bili su poslani na najopasnija mjesta

and they sustained the highest combat casualty rate

i njihove jedinice pretrpjele su više gubitaka

of any unit proportionally.

od bilo koje druge jedinice.

There is one battle that illustrates that.

Postoji bitka koja to najbolje ilustrira.

It was a battle for the Gothic Line.

To je bila bitka za Gotičku liniju.

The Germans were embedded

Nijemci su se stacionirali

in this mountain hillside,

na planinskom obronku,

rocky hillside,

stjenovitom planinskom obronku

in impregnable caves,

u teško pristupačnim špiljama,

and three allied battalions

a tri savezničke bojne

had been pounding away at it

su ih napadale

for six months,

šest mjeseci,

and they were stalemated.

i našle su se u bezizlaznom položaju.

The 442nd was called in

442. pukovnija pozvana je

to add to the fight,

da se priključi u borbu,

but the men of the 442nd

ali ljudi iz pukovnije

came up with a unique

došli su na jednu

but dangerous idea:

opasnu ideju:

The backside of the mountain

Stražnja strana planine

was a sheer rock cliff.

bila je stjenovita litica.

The Germans thought an attack from the backside

Nijemci su mislili da je napad sa stražnje strane

would be impossible.

nemoguće izvesti.

The men of the 442nd decided to do the impossible.

Ljudi iz 442. pukovnije odlučili su učiniti nemoguće.

On a dark, moonless night,

U tamnoj noći bez mjesečine,

they began scaling that rock wall,

počeli su se penjati uz stjenoviti zid,

a drop of more than 1,000 feet,

na više od 300 metara dug uspon,

in full combat gear.

u borbenoj opremi.

They climbed all night long

Penjali su se cijelu noć

on that sheer cliff.

po toj strmovitoj litici.

In the darkness,

U mraku,

some lost their handhold

neki su izgubili svoj hvat

or their footing

ili svoja uporišta

and they fell to their deaths

i pali u smrt

in the ravine below.

u provaliju ispod njih.

They all fell silently.

Svi su pali tiho.

Not a single one cried out,

Nitko nije ni kriknuo,

so as not to give their position away.

kako ne bi otkrili svoj položaj.

The men climbed for eight hours straight,

Muškarci su se uspinjali osam sati,

and those who made it to the top

a oni koji su se uspjeli popeti na vrh

stayed there until the first break of light,

ostali su tu sve do zore,

and as soon as light broke,

i s prvim zrakama sunca,

they attacked.

napali su.

The Germans were surprised,

Nijemci su bili iznenađeni

and they took the hill

i počeli su se povlačiti,

and broke the Gothic Line.

čime je Gotička linija bila slomljena.

A six-month stalemate

Šestomjesečna pat-pozicija

was broken by the 442nd

je okončana od strane 442. pukovnije

in 32 minutes.

za 32. minute.

It was an amazing act,

To je bila nevjerojatna akcija.

and when the war ended,

A kada je rat završio,

the 442nd returned to the United States

442. pukovnija se vratila u SAD

as the most decorated unit

kao jedinica s najviše odlikovanja

of the entire Second World War.

u Drugom svjetskom ratu.

They were greeted back on the White House Lawn

Na travnjaku Bijele kuće dočekao ih je

by President Truman, who said to them,

predsjednik Truman, koji im je rekao,

"You fought not only the enemy

"Borili ste se ne samo protiv neprijatelja,

but prejudice, and you won."

nego i protiv predrasuda. I pobijedili ste."

They are my heroes.

Oni su moji heroji.

They clung to their belief

Držali su se svojih uvjerenja

in the shining ideals of this country,

o sjajnim idealima ove zemlje,

and they proved that being an American

dokazali su da se Amerikancem

is not just for some people,

ne mogu smatrati samo neki ljudi

that race is not how we define being an American.

i da Amerikanca ne određuje rasa.

They expanded what it means to be an American,

Proširili su značenje te riječi,

including Japanese-Americans

koja je sada uključivala i Amerikance Japanskog podrijetla

that were feared and suspected and hated.

kojih su se plašili, sumnjičili ih i mrzili.

They were change agents,

Oni su bili pokretači promjena,

and they left for me

koji su mi ostavili

a legacy.

jedno naslijeđe.

They are my heroes

Oni su moji heroji,

and my father is my hero,

i moj otac je moj heroj,

who understood democracy

koji je razumio demokraciju

and guided me through it.

i vodio me kroz nju.

They gave me a legacy,

Ostavili su mi naslijeđe,

and with that legacy comes a responsibility,

a s tim naslijeđem dolazi i odgovornost.

and I am dedicated

Ja sam posvećen tome

to making my country

da moja Amerika

an even better America,

bude još bolja zemlja,

to making our government

da naša Vlada bude

an even truer democracy,

istinski demokratska,

and because of the heroes that I have

i zahvaljujući mojim herojima

and the struggles that we've gone through,

i poteškoćama kroz koje smo prošli

I can stand before you

sada mogu stajati pred vama

as a gay Japanese-American,

kao gay Amerikanac japanskog podrijetla,

but even more than that,

ali još više od toga,

I am a proud American.

ja sam ponosni Amerikanac.

Thank you very much.

Hvala vam puno.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)