Dave Meslin: The antidote to apathy

デイブ・メスリン：無関心への特効薬

翻訳: SHIGERU MASUKAWA 校正: Takako Sato

How often do we hear that people just don't care?

「関係ない」

何度耳にしたでしょう

「みんなわがままで

How many times have you been told

that real, substantial change isn't possible

バカで 怠け者だから

世の中が変わるわけない」

because most people are too selfish,

一体何度

too stupid or too lazy

聞いたセリフでしょう？

to try to make a difference in their community?

I propose to you today that apathy as we think we know it

私がお伝えしたいのは

doesn't actually exist;

いわゆる無関心というのは

but rather, that people do care,

本当は存在せず

but that we live in a world that actively discourages engagement

私たちは関心がある一方で

私たちの参加を妨げる

by constantly putting obstacles and barriers in our way.

多くの障害があるだけだということです

I'll give you some examples of what I mean.

いくつか例をご紹介します

まずは市役所から

Let's start with city hall.

これ見たことあります？

You ever see one of these before?

新聞のお知らせで

This is a newspaper ad.

It's a notice of a zoning application change for a new office building

建物の用途変更届けについてで

住民もプロセスに参加できます

so the neighborhood knows what's happening.

ご覧の通り読みにくい

As you can see, it's impossible to read.

途中でようやく

You need to get halfway down

to even find out which address they're talking about,

どこのことかでてきます

さらに進んで 小さな文字で

and then further down, in tiny 10-point font,

参加方法がやっとあります

to find out how to actually get involved.

Imagine if the private sector advertised in the same way --

もし民間企業が同じことをすると

if Nike wanted to sell a pair of shoes --

例えばナイキの広告では

(Laughter)

And put an ad in the paper like that.

こんなふうになります

(Applause)

（拍手）

Now, that would never happen.

ありえないでしょ

目にすることはないです

You'll never see an ad like that,

ナイキは靴を売りたいのですから

because Nike actually wants you to buy their shoes,

whereas the city of Toronto clearly doesn't want you involved

一方トロント市は明らかに

市民の参加を望んでいません

with the planning process,

otherwise their ads would look something like this,

でなければ こんなふうに

わかりやすく情報を公開するはずです

with all the information laid out clearly.

役所がこんな広告を出しているうちは

As long as the city's putting out notices like this

市民が市政に関わりを

to try to get people engaged,

持とうとするわけありません

then of course people aren't going to be engaged.

これは無関心ではなく

But that's not apathy; that's intentional exclusion.

意図的な排斥です

Public space.

公共の空間

(Applause)

（拍手）

The manner in which we mistreat our public spaces

大きな政治的変化を起こすのに

大きな障害なのが

is a huge obstacle towards any type of progressive political change,

公共の場に関する考え方です

because we've essentially put a price tag on freedom of expression.

表現の自由に値札を付けてます

Whoever has the most money gets the loudest voice,

お金を持った人が視覚的にも思想的にも

dominating the visual and mental environment.

より大きな宣伝ができます

The problem with this model is there are some amazing messages

問題なのは

大切なメッセージがあっても

that need to be said, that aren't profitable to say.

お金にならなければ

So you're never going to see them on a billboard.

決して日の目を見ないということです

メディアは セレブネタや

The media plays an important role

in developing our relationship with political change,

スキャンダルを報じるばかりで

mainly by ignoring politics and focusing on celebrities and scandals,

私たちと政治の関わりを

断ってしまっています

重要な政治の記事を扱う時でさえ

but even when they do talk about important political issues,

they do it in a way that I feel discourages engagement.

関わりを促すようになっていません

I'll give you an example.

例えば 先週の「ナウ」マガジン

The "Now" magazine from last week: progressive, downtown weekly in Toronto.

トロントの週間情報誌です

これが一面

This is the cover story.

It's an article about a theater performance,

演劇についての記事です

and it starts with basic information about where it is,

実際に見たくなった人のために

in case you actually want to go and see it after you've read the article --

公演についての基本情報が載ってます

where, the time, the website.

どこで いつ そしてウェブサイト

Same with this -- it's a movie review.

同じように映画のレビューも

An art review.

アートレビュー

A book review -- where the reading is in case you want to go.

本のレビュー　読書会の情報が載ってます

A restaurant -- you might not want to just read about it,

レストラン情報　読むだけでは

満足できない人のために

maybe you want to go there.

So they tell you where it is, the prices, the address, the phone number, etc.

住所や予算や

電話番号などが掲載されています

Then you get to their political articles.

政治面はどうでしょう？

Here's a great article about an important election race that's happening.

進行中の重要な選挙についての記事です

候補者についてのなかなか良い記事です

It talks about the candidates, written very well,

でも補足情報や

but no information, no follow-up, no websites for the campaigns,

ウェブサイトがありません

no information about when the debates are, where the campaign offices are.

討論会や選挙事務所の情報もありません

同様に交通機関の

Here's another good article,

about a new campaign opposing privatization of transit,

民営化反対活動に関する記事ですが

without any contact information for the campaign.

問い合わせ先など載ってません

The message seems to be

こうして見て行くと

that the readers are most likely to want to eat, maybe read a book,

読者は食事や読書には興味があっても

コミュニティーには関心がないようです

maybe see a movie, but not be engaged in their community.

些細な事だと思ってますか？

You might think this is a small thing, but I think it's important,

私はそうは思いません

because it sets a tone

and it reinforces the dangerous idea that politics is a spectator sport.

これらが政治は傍から見物するもの

という危険な前提を作っているからです

Heroes: How do we view leadership?

ヒーロー　リーダーシップってどう思います？

Look at these 10 movies. What do they have in common?

これらの映画の共通点はなんでしょう？

Anyone?

わかります？

ヒーローが選ばれし者という点です

They all have heroes who were chosen.

「おまえが選ばれし者だ」

Someone came up to them and said, "You're the chosen one.

「世界を救うのじゃ」と預言者が言い

There's a prophecy. You have to save the world."

お供とともに言われたとおり

And then they go off and save the world because they've been told to,

世界を救うわけです

with a few people tagging along.

なぜ多くの人が自分が

This helps me understand

why a lot of people have trouble seeing themselves as leaders --

リーダーでないと思うか明らかです

because it sends all the wrong messages about what leadership is about.

リーダーシップについての間違ったメッセージを送っています

英雄的行為は

A heroic effort is a collective effort,

みんなでするものです　それが一つ

number one.

それにかっこいいことばかりでも

Number two, it's imperfect; it's not very glamorous,

パパッと終わるものでもなく

and doesn't suddenly start and suddenly end.

一生続くものです

It's an ongoing process your whole life.

一番大事なのは自分から

But most importantly, it's voluntary.

はじめるということです

It's voluntary.

子供たちに立派な行為は

As long as we're teaching our kids

that heroism starts when someone scratches a mark on your forehead,

人に言われてやるものだよと

or someone tells you you're part of a prophecy,

教えている限り リーダーシップは自分で

始めるものだという本質を

they're missing the most important characteristic of leadership,

教えることはできません

which is that it comes from within.

It's about following your own dreams, uninvited,

拒否されても

仲間とともに

and then working with others to make those dreams come true.

夢を追い求めるのです

Political parties: oh, boy.

政党　やれやれ

政党は本来 政治への

Political parties could and should be one of the basic entry points

参加の窓口に

for people to get engaged in politics.

なるべきものです

Instead, they've become, sadly,

現実は政党は

退屈で凝り固まった団体に

uninspiring and uncreative organizations

that rely so heavily on market research and polling and focus groups

成り下がり 街頭調査や

フォーカスグループの

that they end up all saying the same thing,

調査に頼りっきりで その結果も

pretty much regurgitating back to us what we already want to hear

ありきたりで 創造的なアイデアもなく

本当の世論とは逆行した意見です

at the expense of putting forward bold and creative ideas.

And people can smell that, and it feeds cynicism.

それを感じた人々は政治不信に陥ります

(Applause)

（拍手）

Charitable status.

慈善団体

Groups who have charitable status in Canada aren't allowed to do advocacy.

カナダでは慈善団体に政策提言が許されていません

大問題で改善すべき大きな障害です

This is a huge problem and a huge obstacle to change,

because it means that some of the most passionate and informed voices

もっとも熱心な意見がとりわけ

選挙中には聞かれないわけですから

are completely silenced, especially during election time.

そして最後

Which leads us to the last one, which is: our elections.

選挙について

As you may have noticed,

カナダの選挙はお笑いです

our elections in Canada are a complete joke.

古臭い投票システム

We use out-of-date systems

that are unfair and create random results.

不公平でおかしな結果

カナダの与党を

Canada's currently led by a party

that most Canadians didn't actually want.

ほとんどのカナダ人は支持してません

How can we honestly and genuinely encourage more people to vote

投票が正しく反映されないのに

when votes don't count in Canada?

投票を促すことなどできません

こうして見て行くと

You add all this up together, and of course people are apathetic.

もちろん無関心になりますよ

It's like trying to run into a brick wall.

壁に突進するようなものですから

Now, I'm not trying to be negative by throwing all these obstacles out

いくつかの障害を紹介してますが

私は悲観的なわけではありません

and explaining what's in our way.

逆に人々はとても賢く

Quite the opposite --

I actually think people are amazing and smart and that they do care,

思いやりがあると信じてます

一方 私たちはこうした障害の中で

but that, as I said, we live in this environment

where all these obstacles are being put in our way.

暮らしているのも事実です

As long as we believe that people, our own neighbors,

もし人々がわがままでバカで

怠けものならば

are selfish, stupid or lazy,

then there's no hope.

望みはありません

しかし変化は起こすものです

But we can change all those things I mentioned.

役所をオープンにして

We can open up city hall.

We can reform our electoral systems.

選挙システムを変え

We can democratize our public spaces.

公共のスペースを民主化できます

My main message is:

私が言いたいのは

if we can redefine apathy,

無関心とは

not as some kind of internal syndrome,

心の病気ではなく

but as a complex web of cultural barriers that reinforces disengagement,

世間に張り巡らされた参加を拒む

障害の事だということです

and if we can clearly define, clearly identify what those obstacles are,

もしこうした障害を

特定して

力をあわせて取り除ければ

and then if we can work together collectively to dismantle those obstacles,

なんだってできます

then anything is possible.

ありがとう

Thank you.

(Applause)

（拍手）