Why it's worth listening to people you disagree with | Zachary R. Wood

Translator: Lidija Zajec Reviewer: Nika Kotnik

In 1994,

Leta 1994

Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein coauthored "The Bell Curve,"

sta Charels Murray in Richard Hernsterin napisala "The Bell Curve",

an extremely controversial book

zelo kontroverzno knjigo,

which claims that on average,

ki trdi, da so v povprečju

some races are smarter and more likely to succeed than others.

nekatere rase pametnejše in bodo lažje uspele od drugih.

Murray and Herrnstein also suggest

Murray in Herrnstein pravita tudi,

that a lack of critical intelligence explains the prominence of violent crime

da je pomanjkanje kritične inteligence izvor nasilnega kriminala

in poor African-American communities.

v revnih Afro-ameriških skupnostih.

But Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein are not the only people who think this.

Ampak Charles Murray in Richard Herrnstein nista edina, ki tako mislita.

In 2012,

Leta 2012

a writer, journalist and political commentator named John Derbyshire

je pisatelj, novinar in politični komentator John Derbyshire

wrote an article that was supposed to be a non-black version of the talk

napisal članek, ki naj bi bil "ne-temnopolta" verzija nasvetov,

that many black parents feel they have to give their kids today:

ki jih mnogo temnopoltih staršev danes govori svojim otrokom:

advice on how to stay safe.

nasvet o tem, kako ostati varen.

In it, he offered suggestions such as:

V njem predlaga, na primer:

"Do not attend events likely to draw a lot of blacks,"

"Ne obiskujete dogodkov, ki bodo pritegnili veliko temnopoltih,"

"Stay out of heavily black neighborhoods"

"izogibajte se pretežno temnopoltim soseskam"

and "Do not act the Good Samaritan to blacks in distress."

in "ne igrajte dobrega samaritana temnopoltim v stiskah."

And yet, in 2016, I invited John Derbyshire

In vendar sem leta 2016 povabil Johna Derbyshira

as well as Charles Murray

kot tudi Charlesa Murraya,

to speak at my school,

da bi predavala na moji šoli

knowing full well that I would be giving them a platform and attention

s polnim zavedanjem, da jim dajem prostor in pozornost

for ideas that I despised and rejected.

za ideje, ki jih sam preziram in zavračam.

But this is just a further evolution

Toda to je le nadaljnji razvoj

of a journey of uncomfortable learning throughout my life.

poti nelagodnega učenja skozi moje življenje.

When I was 10 years old, my mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia,

Ko sem bil star 10 let, so moji mami diagnosticirali shizofrenijo,

a mental illness characterized by mood swings and paranoid delusions.

duševno bolezen, za katero sta značilni nihanje razpoloženja in paranoja.

Throughout my life, my mother's rage would turn our small house

Skozi vse moje življenje je mamin bes spreminjal našo malo hišo

into a minefield.

v minsko polje.

Yet, though I feared her rage on a daily basis,

Čeprav sem se njenega besa vsakodnevno bal,

I also learned so much from her.

sem se od nje tudi marsičesa naučil.

Our relationship was complicated and challenging,

Najin odnos je bil zapleten in poln izzivov.

and at the age of 14, it was decided that I needed to live apart from her.

Ko sem bil star 14 let, je bilo odločeno, da moram živeti stran od nje.

But over the years,

Vendar sem skozi leta

I've come to appreciate some of the important lessons

pričel ceniti nekatere pomembne lekcije,

my mother taught me about life.

ki mi jih je dala o življenju.

She was the first person who spoke to me about learning from the other side.

Bila je prva oseba, ki mi je govorila o učenju z nasprotne strani.

And she, like me, was born and raised

In ona, kot tudi jaz, je bila rojena in vzgojena

in a family of committed liberal democrats.

v družini predanih liberalnih demokratov.

Yet, she encouraged me to see the world and the issues our world faces

Vendar me je naučila gledati svet in probleme s katerimi se sooča

as complex, controversial and ever-changing.

kot kompleksen, kontroverzen in neprestano spreminjajoč se prostor.

One day, I came across the phrase "affirmative action"

Nekoč sem naletel na izraz "pozitivna diskriminacija"

in a book I was reading.

v knjigi, ki sem jo bral.

And when I asked her what the term meant,

Ko sem jo vprašal, kaj izraz pomeni,

she spent what felt like an hour

mi je kakšno uro izčrpno

giving me a thorough and thoughtful explanation

in poglobljeno razlagala na način,

that would make sense to a small child.

ki ga je lahko razumel majhen otrok.

She even made the topic sound at least as interesting

Temo je naredila vsaj tako zanimivo

as any of my professors have.

kot katerikoli profesor.

She explained the many reasons why people of various political views

Razložila mi je razloge zakaj ljudje različnih političnih pogledov

challenge and support affirmative action,

nasprotujejo in podpirajo idejo pozitivne diskriminacije

stressing that, while she strongly supported it herself,

in poudarila, da je sama sicer močna podpornica,

it was important for me to view the issue as a controversial one

vendar je pomembno, da vidim kontroverznost teme

with a long history,

z dolgo zgodovino,

a questionable future

vprašljivo prihodnostjo

and a host of complicating factors.

in vrsto zapletenih dejavnikov.

While affirmative action can increase the presence of minorities

Pozitivna diskriminacija lahko poveča prisotnost manjšin

at elite educational institutions,

v elitnih izobraževalnih ustanovah,

she felt that it could also disadvantage hardworking people of different races

menila pa je, da lahko tudi škoduje delovnim ljudem različnih ras

from more affluent backgrounds.

iz bolj bogatih družin.

My mom wanted me to understand

Moja mama je želela, da bi razumel,

that I should never just write off opinions

da ne smem nikoli odpisati mnenj,

that I disagreed with or disliked,

s katerimi se ne strinjam,

because there was always something to learn from the perspectives of others,

ker se lahko iz perspektive drugega vedno kaj naučimo,

even when doing so might be difficult.

čeprav je to včasih težko.

But life at home with my mom

Življenje doma z mojo mamo

was not the only aspect of my journey that has been formative and uncomfortable.

ni bil edini del moje poti, ki je name zelo vplival in je bil hkrati nelagoden.

In fourth grade, she decided that I should attend a private school

V četrtem razredu se je odločila, da bi moral hoditi na privatno šolo,

in order to receive the best education possible.

kjer bi lahko dobil najboljšo možno izobrazbo.

As a black student attending predominantly white private schools,

Bil sem eden redkih temnopoltih učencev

I've encountered attitudes and behaviors that reflected racial stereotypes.

in srečeval sem se z rasnimi stereotipi.

Several of my friends' parents assumed within minutes of meeting me

Veliko staršev mojih prijateljev je predvidevalo, ko so me spoznali,

that my best skill was playing basketball.

da je moje najmočnejša spretnost igranje košarke.

And it really upset me to think that my race made it harder for them

Res me je jezilo to, da so me zaradi moje rase

to see me as a student who loved reading, writing and speaking.

težje videli kot študenta, ki rad bere, piše in govori.

Experiences like this motivated me to work tirelessly

Take izkušnje so me motivirale k trdemu delu,

to disprove what I knew people had assumed.

da sem lahko dokazal nasprotno od splošnega predvidevanja.

My mother even said that, in order to put my best foot forward,

Moja mama mi je tudi rekla, če se hočem zares potruditi,

I had to be patient, alert and excruciatingly well-mannered.

moram biti potrpežljiv, pozoren in se moram brezhibno obnašati.

To prove that I belonged, I had to show poise and confidence,

Da bi dokazal, da spadam mednje, sem moral izkazati uravnovešenost in samozavest,

the ability to speak well and listen closely.

sposobnost govorništva in sposobnost dobrega poslušalca.

Only then would my peers see that I deserved to be there

Šele takrat bodo moji vrstniki videli, da si zaslužim biti tam,

as much as they did.

tako kot oni.

Despite this racial stereotyping and the discomfort I often felt,

Kljub rasnim predsodkom in nelagodju, ki sem ga pogosto čutil,

the learning I gained from other aspects of being at an elite private school

je bilo učenje, ki sem ga prejel z drugih vidikov obiskovanja elitne šole

were incredibly valuable.

neverjetno dragoceno.

I was encouraged by my teachers to explore my curiosity,

Učitelji so me spodbujali v moji radovednosti,

to challenge myself in new ways

da sem se preizkušal na nove načine

and to deepen my understanding of subjects that fascinated me the most.

in se izpopolnjeval v razumevanju predmetov, ki so me najbolj zanimali.

And going to college was the next step.

Vpis na fakulteto je bil naslednji korak.

I was excited to take my intellectual drive and interest in the world of ideas

Veselil sem se, da bom svojo intelektualno lakoto in zanimanja v svetu idej

to the next level.

popeljal na višjo raven.

I was eager to engage in lively debate with peers and professors

Komaj sem čakal živahnih razprav z vrstniki in profesorji

and with outside speakers;

ter z zunanjimi predavatelji;

to listen, to learn and gain a deeper understanding of myself

poslušanja, učenja in globljega spoznavanja sebe

and of others.

in drugih.

While I was fortunate to meet peers and professors

Čeprav sem imel srečo spoznati vrstnike in profesorje

who were interested in doing the same thing,

ki so jih zanimale enake stvari,

my desire to engage with difficult ideas was also met with resistance.

pa je moja želja soočati se s težavnimi idejami, naletela tudi na odpor.

To prepare myself to engage with controversy in the real world,

Da bi se pripravil na spopad s kontroverznostjo v resničnem svetu,

I joined a group that brought controversial speakers to campus.

sem se pridružil skupini, ki je na šolo vabila kontroverzne govornike.

But many people fiercely opposed this group,

Toda mnogo ljudi je močno nasprotovalo tej skupini,

and I received significant pushback

deležen sem bil zelo negativnega odziva

from students, faculty and my administration.

s strani študentov, fakultete in uprave.

For many, it was difficult to see

Mnogi niso mogli razumeti

how bringing controversial speakers to campus could be valuable,

kako bi bilo lahko poslušanje teh govornikov dragoceno,

when they caused harm.

če pa so povzročali škodo.

And it was disappointing to me facing personal attacks,

Doživljal sem osebne napade in bil razočaran,

having my administration cancel speakers

ko je uprava odpovedala nastope teh govorcev

and hearing my intentions distorted by those around me.

in ko so ljudje okoli mene napačno razlagali moje namene.

My work also hurt the feelings of many,

Moje delo je prizadelo marsikoga,

and I understood that.

to sem razumel.

Of course, no one likes being offended,

Seveda nihče ne mara, da ga žalijo

and I certainly don't like hearing controversial speakers

in sam zagotovo ne maram poslušati problematičnih govornikov,

argue that feminism has become a war against men

ki trdijo, da je feminizem postal vojna proti moškim

or that blacks have lower IQs than whites.

ali, da imajo temnopolti nižji IQ od belcev.

I also understand

Razumem tudi,

that some people have experienced traumatic experiences in their lives.

da so nekateri ljudje doživeli travmatične izkušnje v svojih življenjih.

And for some, listening to offensive views

Za nekatere lahko poslušanje žaljivih stališč pomeni

can be like reliving the very traumas that they've worked so hard to overcome.

ponovno doživljanje travm, za preseganje katerih so se morali zelo potruditi.

Many argue that by giving these people a platform,

Mnogi trdijo, da s tem, ko ponudiš prostor tem ljudem,

you're doing more harm than good,

delaš več škode kot koristi.

and I'm reminded of this every time I listen to these points of view

Vsakič se spomnim na to, ko poslušam taka stališča

and feel my stomach turn.

in čutim, kako se mi obrača želodec.

Yet, tuning out opposing viewpoints doesn't make them go away,

Pa vendar, ignoriranje nasprotnih mnenj, teh ne odstrani,

because millions of people agree with them.

saj se milijoni ljudi strinjajo z njimi.

In order to understand the potential of society

Da bi razumeli potencial družbe,

to progress forward,

da bi napredovali,

we need to understand the counterforces.

moramo razumeti tudi nasprotne sile.

By engaging with controversial and offensive ideas,

Če se posvetimo problematičnim in žaljivim idejam,

I believe that we can find common ground,

verjamem, da bomo lahko našli skupno točko,

if not with the speakers themselves,

če ne z govorci samimi,

then with the audiences they may attract or indoctrinate.

pa z njihovim občinstvom.

Through engaging, I believe that we may reach a better understanding,

Verjamem, da lahko na ta način pridemo do boljšega razumevanja,

a deeper understanding,

globljega razumevanja

of our own beliefs

naših prepričanj

and preserve the ability to solve problems,

in da ohranimo sposobnost reševanja problemov,

which we can't do if we don't talk to each other

kar ni mogoče, če se ne pogovarjamo med seboj

and make an effort to be good listeners.

in se ne potrudimo biti dobri poslušalci.

But soon after I announced

Toda kmalu po naznanitvi,

that John Derbyshire would be speaking on campus,

da bo John Derbyshire predaval na kampusu,

student backlash erupted on social media.

je na družabnih omrežjih študentov izbruhnil močen odpor.

The tide of resistance, in fact, was so intense,

Odpor je bil tako velik,

that my college president rescinded the invitation.

da je vodstvo fakultete preklicalo povabilo.

I was deeply disappointed by this because, as I saw it,

Zelo sem bil razočaran, ker se mi zdi,

there would be nothing that any of my peers or I could do

da ne bomo mogli storiti ničesar, ne jaz, ne moji vrstniki,

to silence someone who agreed with him

da bi ustavili nekoga, ki se strinja z njim,

in the office environment of our future employers.

v pisarnah naših bodočih delodajalcev.

I look out at what's happening on college campuses,

Ko gledam kaj se dogaja na kampusih,

and I see the anger.

vidim jezo.

And I get it.

Razumem jo.

But what I wish I could tell people is that it's worth the discomfort,

Rad pa bi povedal ljudem, da je vredno nelagodja,

it's worth listening,

da je vredno poslušati

and that we're stronger, not weaker, because of it.

in da smo zaradi tega močnejši, ne šibkejši.

When I think about my experiences with uncomfortable learning,

Ko pomislim na svoje izkušnje z nelagodnim učenjem

and I reflect upon them,

in ko razmišljam o njih,

I've found that it's been very difficult to change the values

ugotavljam, da je zelo težko spreminjati vrednote

of the intellectual community that I've been a part of.

intelektualne skupnosti, ki ji pripadam.

But I do feel a sense of hope

Vendar čutim upanje,

when I think about the individual interactions that I've been able to have

ko pomislim na svoja sodelovanja

with students who both support the work that I'm doing

s študenti, ki podpirajo moje delo

and who feel challenged by it and who do not support it.

in s tistimi, ki mi nasprotujejo.

What I've found is that,

Ugotovil sem,

while it can be difficult to change the values of a community,

da je sicer težko spremeniti vrednote skupnosti,

we can gain a lot from individual interactions.

lahko pa veliko pridobimo preko sodelovanja s posamezniki.

While I didn't get to engage with John Derbyshire

Čeprav nisem dobil priložnosti pogovora z Johnom Derbyshirem

due to my president's disinvitation,

saj je bilo vabilo preklicano

I was able to have dinner with Charles Murray before his talk.

pa sem večerjal s Charlesom Murrayem pred njegovim nastopom.

I knew the conversation would be difficult.

Vedel sem, da bo najin pogovor naporen.

And I didn't expect it to be pleasant.

Nisem pričakoval, da bo prijeten.

But it was cordial, and I did gain a deeper understanding of his arguments.

Vendar je bil srčen in zdaj bolje razumem njegove argumente.

I found that he, like me, believed in creating a more just society.

Ugotovil sem, da verjame v ustvarjanje pravičnejše družbe, tako kot jaz.

The thing is, his understanding of what justice entailed

Toda najino razumevanje pravičnosti

was very different from my own.

se je zelo razlikovalo.

The way in which he wanted to understand the issue,

Tudi način na katerega razume

the way in which he wanted to approach the issue of inequality

in se loteva problema neenakosti

also differed from my own.

je drugačen od mojega.

And I found that his understanding of issues like welfare

Ugotovil sem, da je njegovo pojmovanje blaginje

and affirmative action

in pozitivne diskriminacije

was tied and deeply rooted

povezano in zakoreninjeno

in his understanding of various libertarian and conservative beliefs,

v njegovem razumevanju različnih libertarnih in konzervativnih prepričanj

what diminishes and increases their presence in our society.

glede tega, kaj povečuje in zmanjšuje njuno prisotnost v družbi.

While he expressed his viewpoints eloquently,

Čeprav je spretno zagovarjal svoja stališča,

I remained thoroughly unconvinced.

me ni prepričal.

But I did walk away with a deeper understanding.

Sem pa odšel z globljim razumevanjem.

It's my belief

Verjamem,

that to achieve progress in the face of adversity,

da je za napredek v težavah

we need a genuine commitment

potrebno iskreno prizadevanje

to gaining a deeper understanding of humanity.

za večje razumevanja človeštva.

I'd like to see a world with more leaders

Rad bi živel v svetu z več voditelji

who are familiar with the depths of the views

ki v globino poznajo stališča

of those they deeply disagree with,

tistih, ki jim nasprotujejo,

so that they can understand the nuances of everyone they're representing.

da potem lahko razumejo odtenke vseh, ki jih predstavljajo.

I see this as an ongoing process involving constant learning,

To vidim kot nenehen proces, ki vključuje neprestano učenje,

and I'm confident that I'll be able to add value down the line

in prepričan sem, da bom lahko nekaj prispeval k temu procesu,

if I continue building empathy and understanding

če bom nadaljeval s spodbujanjem empatije in razumevanja

through engaging with unfamiliar perspectives.

skozi soočanje s tujimi perspektivami.

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Aplavz)