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

Prevodilac: Mile Živković Lektor: Anca Dimovska

I'm a veteran of the starship Enterprise.

Veteran sam svemirskog broda Enterprajz.

I soared through the galaxy

Jezdio sam kroz galaksiju

driving a huge starship

na ogromnoj letelici

with a crew made up of people

sa ljudima

from all over this world,

iz celog sveta,

many different races, many different cultures,

različitih rasa, različitih kultura,

many different heritages,

različitog porekla,

all working together,

svi smo zajedno radili

and our mission was to explore strange new worlds,

i naša misija je bila da istražimo čudnovate nove svetove,

to seek out new life and new civilizations,

da pronađemo novi život i nove civilizacije,

to boldly go where no one has gone before.

da hrabro idemo tamo gde niko do tada nije išao.

Well —

Pa -

(Applause) —

(Aplauz) -

I am the grandson of immigrants from Japan

Ja sam unuk imigranata iz Japana

who went to America,

koji su došli u Ameriku,

boldly going to a strange new world,

hrabro koračajući u novi svet,

seeking new opportunities.

tražeći nove prilike.

My mother was born in Sacramento, California.

Moja majka je rođena u Sakramentu, u Kaliforniji.

My father was a San Franciscan.

Moj otac je iz San Franciska.

They met and married in Los Angeles,

Sreli su se i uzeli u Los Anđelesu,

and I was born there.

i ja sam se tamo i rodio.

I was four years old

Imao sam četiri godine

when Pearl Harbor was bombed

kada je Japan bombardovao Perl Harbor

on December 7, 1941 by Japan,

7. debembra 1941,

and overnight, the world was plunged

i svet se preko noći upustio

into a world war.

u svetski rat.

America suddenly was swept up

Ameriku je odjednom

by hysteria.

obuzela histerija.

Japanese-Americans,

Japanski Amerikanci,

American citizens of Japanese ancestry,

američki građani japanskog porekla,

were looked on

gledani su

with suspicion and fear

sa sumnjom i strahom

and with outright hatred

i čistom mržnjom

simply because we happened to look like

jednostavno jer smo izgledali

the people that bombed Pearl Harbor.

kao ljudi koji su bombardovali Perl Harbor.

And the hysteria grew and grew

Histerija je rasla i rasla

until in February 1942,

sve dok u februaru 1942.

the president of the United States,

predsednik Sjedinjenih Država,

Franklin Delano Roosevelt,

Frenklin Delano Ruzvelt,

ordered all Japanese-Americans

nije naredio svim Amerikancima japanskog porekla

on the West Coast of America

na američkoj zapadnoj obali

to be summarily rounded up

da se na brzinu postroje

with no charges, with no trial,

bez optužbi, bez suđenja,

with no due process.

bez procesuiranja.

Due process, this is a core pillar

Procesuiranje je sam stub

of our justice system.

našeg pravnog sistema.

That all disappeared.

To je sve nestalo.

We were to be rounded up

Trebalo je da se postrojimo

and imprisoned in 10 barbed-wire prison camps

i da nas zatvore u 10 zatvorskih kampova sa bodljikavom žicom

in some of the most desolate places in America:

u nekim od najudaljenijih mesta u Americi:

the blistering hot desert of Arizona,

pakleno vrućoj pustinji Arizone,

the sultry swamps of Arkansas,

po sparnim močvarama Arkanzasa,

the wastelands of Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorado,

pustarama u Vajomingu, Ajdahu, Juti, Koloradu

and two of the most desolate places in California.

i dva najudaljenija mesta u Kaliforniji.

On April 20th, I celebrated my fifth birthday,

Slavio sam svoj peti rođendan 20. aprila,

and just a few weeks after my birthday,

i samo nekoliko nedelja nakon toga,

my parents got my younger brother,

moji roditelji su pokupili mog mlađeg brata,

my baby sister and me

moju mlađu sestru i mene

up very early one morning,

veoma rano jednog jutra

and they dressed us hurriedly.

i na brzinu su nas obukli.

My brother and I were in the living room

Brat i ja smo bili u dnevnoj sobi

looking out the front window,

i gledali smo kroz prozor

and we saw two soldiers marching up our driveway.

i videli smo dva vojnika kako prilaze kući.

They carried bayonets on their rifles.

Na puškama su nosili bajonete.

They stomped up the front porch

Gazili su do prednjeg trema

and banged on the door.

i lupali su po vratima.

My father answered it,

Moj otac je otvorio

and the soldiers ordered us out of our home.

i vojnici su nam naredili da izađemo iz doma.

My father gave my brother and me

Moj otac je mom bratu i meni dao

small luggages to carry,

da nosimo male komade prtljaga,

and we walked out and stood on the driveway

i izašli smo i stajali na prilazu

waiting for our mother to come out,

čekajući da izađe majka,

and when my mother finally came out,

i kada je ona konačno izašla,

she had our baby sister in one arm,

u jednoj ruci je držala našu malu sestru,

a huge duffel bag in the other,

u drugoj ogroman ranac,

and tears were streaming down both her cheeks.

a niz oba obraza su joj se slivale suze.

I will never be able to forget that scene.

Nikad neću moći da zaboravim taj prizor.

It is burned into my memory.

Urezan mi je u sećanje.

We were taken from our home

Odvedeni smo iz našeg doma

and loaded on to train cars

i utrpani na vagone

with other Japanese-American families.

sa drugim porodicama Amerikanaca japanskog porekla.

There were guards stationed

Na oba kraja svakog vagona

at both ends of each car,

su bili postavljeni sražari,

as if we were criminals.

kao da smo bili kriminalci.

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

Odveli su nas preko dve trećine zemlje,

rocking on that train for four days and three nights,

klackali smo se u tom vozu četiri dana i tri noći,

to the swamps of Arkansas.

do močvara u Arkanzasu.

I still remember the barbed wire fence

Još uvek se sećam ograde sa bodljikavom žicom

that confined me.

koja me je zadržavala.

I remember the tall sentry tower

Sećam se visoke stražarske kule

with the machine guns pointed at us.

sa mitraljezima koji su bili upereni ka nama.

I remember the searchlight that followed me

Sećam se svetla za pretragu koje me je pratilo

when I made the night runs

kada sam noću išao

from my barrack to the latrine.

od moje barake do toaleta.

But to five-year-old me,

Ali za mene koji sam tada imao pet godina,

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

mislio sam je bilo lepo što su mi osvetlili put

for me to pee.

da mogu da piškim.

I was a child,

Bio sam dete,

too young to understand the circumstances

premlad da razumem okolnosti

of my being there.

toga što sam bio tamo.

Children are amazingly adaptable.

Deca se neverovatno lako prilagođavaju.

What would be grotesquely abnormal

Ono što bi bilo groteskno nenormalno

became my normality

postalo je moja normalnost

in the prisoner of war camps.

kao zatvorenika ratnog logora.

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

Za mene je postala rutina da se postrojim triput dnevno

to eat lousy food in a noisy mess hall.

da jedem očajnu hranu u bučnoj hali.

It became normal for me to go with my father

Za mene je postalo normalno da idem sa mojim ocem

to bathe in a mass shower.

da se tuširam u grupnom kupatilu.

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

Postalo mi je normalno da budem u zatvoru,

became my normality.

u logoru okruženom bodljikavom žicom.

When the war ended,

Kada se rat završio,

we were released,

pustili su nas

and given a one-way ticket

i dali nam kartu u jednom pravcu

to anywhere in the United States.

za bilo gde u Sjedinjenim Državama.

My parents decided to go back home

Moji roditelji su odlučili da se vrate

to Los Angeles,

kući u Los Anđeles,

but Los Angeles was not a welcoming place.

ali to više nije bilo mesto gde smo bili dobrodošli.

We were penniless.

Bili smo bez dinara.

Everything had been taken from us,

Oduzeli su nam sve,

and the hostility was intense.

i netrpeljivost je bila žestoka.

Our first home was on Skid Row

Naš prvi dom je bio Skid Rou

in the lowest part of our city,

u najnižem delu grada,

living with derelicts, drunkards

i živeli smo sa beskućnicima, pijanicama

and crazy people,

i ludim ljudima,

the stench of urine all over,

svuda je bio smrad mokraće,

on the street, in the alley,

na ulici, u uličicama,

in the hallway.

u hodniku.

It was a horrible experience,

Bilo je to užasno iskustvo,

and for us kids, it was terrorizing.

i za nas decu je bilo užasavajuće.

I remember once

Sećam se da se jednom

a drunkard came staggering down,

pijan čovek doteturao do nas

fell down right in front of us,

i pao tačno pred nama

and threw up.

i povratio.

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

Moja mala sestra je rekla: "Mama, hajdemo nazad kući,"

because behind barbed wires

jer je boljikava žica

was for us

za nas

home.

bila dom.

My parents worked hard

Moji roditelji su naporno radili

to get back on their feet.

da se vrate na staro.

We had lost everything.

Izgubili smo sve.

They were at the middle of their lives

Bili su na sredini svojih života

and starting all over.

i kretali su ispočetka.

They worked their fingers to the bone,

Radii su bez prekida

and ultimately they were able

i konačno su mogli

to get the capital together to buy

da skupe sredstva da kupe

a three-bedroom home in a nice neighborhood.

trosobnu kuću u finom komšiluku.

And I was a teenager,

Ja sam bio tinejdžer

and I became very curious

i veoma me je zanimao

about my childhood imprisonment.

moj zatvorski boravak u detinjstvu.

I had read civics books that told me about

Čitao sam knjige o građanskim pravima koje su mi govorile

the ideals of American democracy.

o idealima američke demokratije.

All men are created equal,

Svi ljudi su jednaki,

we have an inalienable right

imamo neotuđivo pravo

to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,

na život, slobodu i traženje sreće,

and I couldn't quite make that fit

i nisam mogao da usaglasim to

with what I knew to be my childhood imprisonment.

sa onim za šta sam znao da je bio moj boravak u zatvoru u detinjstvu.

I read history books,

Čitao sam knjige iz istorije

and I couldn't find anything about it.

i nisam mogao da nađem ništa o tome.

And so I engaged my father after dinner

Tako sam s ocem posle večere učestvovao

in long, sometimes heated conversations.

u dugim, ponekad žustrim raspravama.

We had many, many conversations like that,

Imali smo mnogo takvih razgovora

and what I got from them

i iz njih sam izvukao

was my father's wisdom.

mudrost mog oca.

He was the one that suffered the most

On je najviše patio

under those conditions of imprisonment,

u tim zatvorskim uslovima,

and yet he understood American democracy.

a ipak je razumeo američku demokratiju.

He told me that our democracy

Rekao mi je da je naša demokratija

is a people's democracy,

demokratija naroda,

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

i da može da bude sjajna kao i narod,

but it is also as fallible as people are.

ali i pogrešiva kao i narod.

He told me that American democracy

Rekao mi je da američka demokratija

is vitally dependent on good people

suštinski zavisi od dobrih ljudi

who cherish the ideals of our system

koji neguju ideale našeg sistema

and actively engage in the process

i koji su aktivno uključeni u procesu

of making our democracy work.

funkcionisanja naše demokratije.

And he took me to a campaign headquarters —

Odveo me je do štaba za kampanju -

the governor of Illinois was running for the presidency —

guverner Ilinoja se kandidovao za predsednika -

and introduced me to American electoral politics.

i upoznao me je s američkom izbornom politikom.

And he also told me about

Takođe mi je pričao o mladim Amerikancima

young Japanese-Americans

japanskog porekla

during the Second World War.

tokom Drugog svetskog rata.

When Pearl Harbor was bombed,

Kada je bombardovan Perl Harbor,

young Japanese-Americans, like all young Americans,

mladi Amerikanci japanskog porekla, poput svih mladih Amerikanaca,

rushed to their draft board

potrčali su da se prijave u vojsku

to volunteer to fight for our country.

i volontiraju da se bore za svoju zemlju.

That act of patriotism

Na taj čin patriotizma

was answered with a slap in the face.

su im odgovorili šamarom u lice.

We were denied service,

Nisu nam dali da služimo

and categorized as enemy non-alien.

i svrstali su nas kao domaće neprijatelje.

It was outrageous to be called an enemy

Bilo je nečuveno da vas nazovu neprijateljem

when you're volunteering to fight for your country,

kada volontirate da se borite za svoju zemlju,

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

ali to je bilo u složenici sa rečju "domaći",

which is a word that means

što je pogrdna reč

"citizen" in the negative.

za "građanin".

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

Oduzeli su nam čak i reč "građanin"

and imprisoned them for a whole year.

i zatvorili nas na godinu dana.

And then the government realized

A onda je Vlada shvatila

that there's a wartime manpower shortage,

da postoji manjak ljudi tokom rata

and as suddenly as they'd rounded us up,

i brzinom kojom su nas postrojili,

they opened up the military for service

otvorili su vojsku za službu

by young Japanese-Americans.

mladim Amerikancima japanskog porekla.

It was totally irrational,

Bilo je potpuno nelogično,

but the amazing thing,

ali desila se neverovatna,

the astounding thing,

zapanjujuća stvar -

is that thousands of young

hiljade mladih Amerikanaca

Japanese-American men and women

i Amerikanki japanskog porekla

again went from behind those barbed-wire fences,

je krenulo iza tih ograda sa bodljikavom žicom,

put on the same uniform as that of our guards,

obuklo istu uniformu kao onu koju su nosili stražari,

leaving their families in imprisonment,

ostavili su porodice u zatočeništvu

to fight for this country.

da bi se borili za ovu zemlju.

They said that they were going to fight

Rekli su da će se boriti

not only to get their families out

ne samo da izvuku svoje porodice

from behind those barbed-wire fences,

van tih ograda s bodljikavom žicom,

but because they cherished the very ideal

već i zato što su obožavali sam ideal

of what our government stands for,

onoga što zastupa naša Vlada,

should stand for,

što bi trebalo da zastupa,

and that was being abrogated

i sve to je ukinuto

by what was being done.

onim što se radilo.

All men are created equal.

Svi ljudi su stvoreni jednaki.

And they went to fight for this country.

I svi su otišli da se bore za ovu zemlju.

They were put into a segregated

Stavili su ih u odvojenu jedinicu

all Japanese-American unit

sa svim Amerikancima japanskog porekla

and sent to the battlefields of Europe,

i poslali su ih na ratišta u Evropu,

and they threw themselves into it.

a oni su dali sve od sebe.

They fought with amazing,

Borili su se neverovatnom,

incredible courage and valor.

zapanjujućom hrabrošću i junaštvom.

They were sent out on the most dangerous missions

Slali su ih na najopasnije zadatke

and they sustained the highest combat casualty rate

i istrpeli su najveće žrtve proporcionalno

of any unit proportionally.

od svih jedinica.

There is one battle that illustrates that.

Postoji jedna bitka koja to ilustruje.

It was a battle for the Gothic Line.

To je bila bitka za Gotsku liniju.

The Germans were embedded

Nemci su bili načičkani

in this mountain hillside,

na obronku planine,

rocky hillside,

sa dosta stena,

in impregnable caves,

u nesavladivim pećinama

and three allied battalions

i tri saveznička bataljona

had been pounding away at it

su tukla tu planinu

for six months,

šest meseci

and they were stalemated.

i bili su u pat poziciji.

The 442nd was called in

442. jedinica je pozvana

to add to the fight,

da se pridruži borbi

but the men of the 442nd

ali su ljudi iz te jedinice

came up with a unique

smislili jedinstvenu

but dangerous idea:

ali opasnu ideju.

The backside of the mountain

Zadnji deo planine sačinjavale su

was a sheer rock cliff.

samo stenovite litice.

The Germans thought an attack from the backside

Nemci su mislili da bi napad iz pozadine

would be impossible.

bio nemoguć.

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

Vojnici iz 442. jedinice odlučili su da urade nemoguće.

On a dark, moonless night,

U tamnoj noći bez meseca

they began scaling that rock wall,

počeli su da se penju uz taj stenoviti zid

a drop of more than 1,000 feet,

visok više od 300 metara,

in full combat gear.

pod punom ratnom opremom.

They climbed all night long

Penjali su se celu noć

on that sheer cliff.

po čistoj litici.

In the darkness,

U tami,

some lost their handhold

neki su izgubili

or their footing

svoj oslonac

and they fell to their deaths

i pali su u sopstvenu smrt

in the ravine below.

u uvalu pod sobom.

They all fell silently.

Svi su pali tiho.

Not a single one cried out,

Niko nije uzviknuo,

so as not to give their position away.

kako ne bi odali svoju poziciju.

The men climbed for eight hours straight,

Peli su se celih osam sati,

and those who made it to the top

a oni koji su došli do vrha

stayed there until the first break of light,

ostali su tamo do prvih zraka sunca,

and as soon as light broke,

i čim se svetlost probila,

they attacked.

napali su.

The Germans were surprised,

Nemci su bili iznenađeni

and they took the hill

i oni su zauzeli brdo

and broke the Gothic Line.

i razbili Gotsku liniju.

A six-month stalemate

Mirovanje od šest meseci

was broken by the 442nd

je razbila 442. jedinica

in 32 minutes.

za 32 minuta.

It was an amazing act,

To je bio neverovatan čin,

and when the war ended,

i kad se rat završio,

the 442nd returned to the United States

442. jedinica se vratila u SAD

as the most decorated unit

kao jedinica sa najviše odličja

of the entire Second World War.

u celom Drugom svetskom ratu.

They were greeted back on the White House Lawn

Na travnjaku Bele kuće pozdravio ih je

by President Truman, who said to them,

predsednik Truman, koji im je rekao:

"You fought not only the enemy

"Borili ste se ne samo protiv neprijatelja

but prejudice, and you won."

već i predrasuda, i pobedili ste."

They are my heroes.

Oni su moji heroji.

They clung to their belief

Držali su se svoje vere

in the shining ideals of this country,

u sjajne ideale ove zemlje

and they proved that being an American

i dokazali su da biti Amerikanac

is not just for some people,

nije samo za neke ljude,

that race is not how we define being an American.

da rasa nije način definisanja toga što smo Amerikanci.

They expanded what it means to be an American,

Proširili su to šta znači biti Amerikanac

including Japanese-Americans

i uključili Amerikance japanskog porekla

that were feared and suspected and hated.

kojih su se plašili, na koje su sumnjali i koje su mrzeli.

They were change agents,

Oni su bili agenti promene,

and they left for me

i meni su ostavili

a legacy.

nasleđe.

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 razumeo demokratiju

and guided me through it.

i vodio me kroz nju.

They gave me a legacy,

Dali su mi nasleđe,

and with that legacy comes a responsibility,

sa kojim dolazi odgovornost

and I am dedicated

i posvećen sam tome

to making my country

da od svoje zemlje napravim

an even better America,

još bolju Ameriku,

to making our government

da od naše Vlade napravim

an even truer democracy,

još bolju demokratiju,

and because of the heroes that I have

i zbog heroja koje imam

and the struggles that we've gone through,

i patnji kroz koje sam prošao,

I can stand before you

mogu da stanem pred vas

as a gay Japanese-American,

kao gej Amerikanac japanskog porekla,

but even more than that,

ali i više od toga,

I am a proud American.

ja sam ponosni Amerikanac.

Thank you very much.

Hvala vam mnogo.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)