Birds Aren’t Real? How a Conspiracy Takes Flight | Peter McIndoe | TED

翻译人员: Yip Yan Yeung 校对人员: suya f.

Hi, I'm Peter.

大家好，我是彼得（Peter）。

And six years ago,

六年前，

I received information that changed the course of the rest of my life.

我接受到了改变我之后人生轨迹的信息。

From 1969 through 2001,

自 1969 年至 2001 年，

the US government murdered over 12 billion birds

美国政府杀死了美国天空中 超过 120 亿只鸟类。

in the American skies.

They did this using poisonous toxins dropped from airplanes

他们通过飞机抛洒毒物，

that was contagious and murdered all of the birds

具有传染性，在 40 年左右的 时间里杀光了鸟类。

over the course of about 40 years.

Now, I know this is not the public understanding of this

我知道大众认知并不是如此，

and may sound absurd,

听起来可能很离谱，

but please just bear with me and keep an open mind

但请大家听下去， 请怀着开放的心态，

and just be respectful, please, as I share this information with you.

请保持尊重， 听我接下来要分享的信息。

I know a lot of you may be wondering

我知道很多人可能在想

why would the government kill 12 billion birds?

为什么政府要杀死 120 亿只鸟？

It seems like an awful lot of trouble for a government to go through.

感觉政府要为此处理很多麻烦事。

The reason is as devastating as it is simple.

原因直截了当。

For each bird the government killed,

政府每杀死一只鸟，

they replaced it with a surveillance drone replica in disguise

就能换上一台伪装监控无人机，

designed to spy on the American people.

监控美国人。

Now ...

有人可能会说，

Some may say,

if you're the government, at least,

至少对于政府来说

that this is a worthy sacrifice, these 12 billion lives,

这笔牺牲是值得的， 这 120 亿条生命，

for the safety of the people, right?

换取人民的安全，对吧？

I don't know about that,

我不好说，

it seems like a pretty serious limit on our freedom,

感觉是对我们的自由极大的限制，

wouldn't you agree?

你不觉得吗？

The proof that birds are robots is all around us, if you start looking.

如果仔细观察， 鸟就是机器人的证据无处不在。

For starters, birds charge their batteries on power lines --

最明显的就是鸟站在电线上充电。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So they can refuel up high

这样就能在高空充电， 观察民众。

and they can watch the civilians, you know.

They also track civilians using a liquid tracking device.

还可以用液体追踪设备追踪民众。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

You ever wonder why birds poop on your car?

你有想过为什么 鸟要向你的车上拉屎吗？

Do you need more evidence?

还要更多的证据吗？

Really, I can go all day up here.

我可以说上一整天。

Who here has seen a baby pigeon?

谁见过小鸽子？

You haven't, have you?

没见过吧？

It's weird.

真奇怪。

There's all these adult pigeons where are all the babies?

都是成年鸽子，小鸽子去哪儿了？

They come out of the factory as adults, so ...

出厂就是成年鸽子，所以……

(Laughter)

（笑声）

There's no organic growth, you know.

没有自然生长。

It's a smoking gun.

铁证如山。

Over the years,

多年来，

as I began putting this information together,

我一直在整合这些信息，

I began realizing the extent of all this.

意识到了事情的严重性。

And there were times I wished I never even learned this.

我多希望我不知道这些东西。

My life would be so much easier.

我的生活就会轻松多了。

You know, I remember before I knew this information, I was happier,

在我知道这些信息之前， 我是多么的快乐，

my steps were lighter, you know.

我的脚步是多么的轻盈。

But I always come back to this.

但我终究会回到这里。

It is my moral obligation

作为少数有幸了解这点的人， 我有道德义务

as one of the few privileged enough to know this,

to share it with you, the blind sheep, you know.

告诉大家，你们这些无知的群众。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And that's what I've been doing for years now.

这就是我多年来所做的事。

I'm a part of a movement called Birds Aren't Real.

我参与了“鸟不是真的”运动。

And in 2021,

2021 年，

I was promoted to public information officer for the movement.

我晋升成为了该项运动的 公共信息官。

It's the honor of my life.

这是我一辈子的荣耀。

I had one job.

找到工作了。

Oh, thank you, thank you.

谢谢，谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Thank you.

谢谢。

My one job was to deprogram the public from the bird lie.

我的一部分工作就是 让公众不再受到鸟类骗局的荼毒。

And deprogram is a very specific word because you all are programmed.

我说“荼毒”这么精准的词语， 是因为你们都被操纵了。

You know that, right?

你们都知道的吧？

We live in a pro-bird civilization drenched in propaganda.

我们活在一个 宣传铺天盖地的尊鸟文明里。

For instance, every state has a state bird,

比如，每个州都有州鸟，

the national mascot is a bald eagle,

美国的象征是白头海雕，

presidents don't talk, they tweet,

总统不说话，而是“发推” （意为“唧啾”），

then the tweets are covered on the bird-logo media.

然后推文在 把鸟当 logo 的平台上传播。

Once I knew this, my first order of business

我一知道这一点， 我的第一要务就变成了

was to get the information out to the American people,

把这些信息告诉全美人民，

get off the internet into the real world.

走出互联网，走进现实世界。

So that's what I did.

于是我就做了这些事。

I bought a van,

我买了辆面包车，

covered it in decals with facts.

贴满了写着事实的贴纸。

I wanted to turn the highway into an information highway,

我想把高速公路变成信息的高速公路，

awaken the people.

唤醒人们。

I went city to city, holding rallies,

我走遍城市，组织集会，

meeting up with our thousands of supporters, growing by the day.

与成千上万、与日俱增的 支持者会面。

And I was putting up billboards wherever we went,

走到哪里，都会贴上告示板，

sharing our simple but powerful message.

分享我们简短有力的信息。

Look how beautiful it is.

多美啊。

Now, the government,

政府，

(Laughter)

（笑声）

the government did take note of what we were doing

政府确实注意到了我们的所作所为，

and they sent some intimidators to try and deter us from our mission.

派了“恐吓者”试图让我们收手。

You can see them right there.

就是这波恐吓者。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But we did not fold.

但我们没有退缩。

We kept on going.

我们继续前行。

We started holding rallies at some of the most evil pro-bird corporations

我们在各国一些最邪恶的 尊鸟企业组织了集会，

in the world, starting with Twitter,

就从推特开始，

where we brought hundreds out to protest their pro-bird logo.

派了几百人反对他们的尊鸟 logo。

Months later, we brought 500 people out to CNN headquarters

几个月后，我们派了 500 人 冲去 CNN 总部，

to demand fairer coverage for bird truthers on air.

要求更多地报道鸟类阴谋。

Then just last year,

就在去年，

we brought 2,000 people out to Washington Square in New York City

我们带着 2000 人冲去了 纽约的华盛顿广场，

to demand that the mayor shut down every pigeon in the city.

要求市长关掉市里的每一只鸽子。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Here's what that looked like.

是这样的场景。

(Crowd shouting) Birds aren't real!

（人群喊叫声）鸟不是真的！

Birds aren't real!

鸟不是真的！

Birds aren't real!

鸟不是真的！

Birds aren't real!

鸟不是真的！

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Can't even tell you how that felt.

我的心情难以言表。

I took that video standing on the top of the van, megaphone in hand,

我站在面包车顶上 拍下了这段视频，拿着扩音器，

knowing we were awakening a country that needs it so badly.

心里清楚我们正在唤醒 一个亟待被唤醒的国家。

I can't think of anything more beautiful.

我想象不到比此更美妙的事了。

OK, let me start this talk over.

好的，我们从头开始讲一遍。

I do not actually believe that birds are robots.

我不是真的相信鸟是机器人。

And everyone else in this picture is also in on the bit.

图上的人也差不多是这样。

This is a character that I played for four years.

这是我四年以来扮演的角色。

The leader of a fake movement with fake evidence and a fake history.

一个有着虚假依据、虚假历史的 虚假运动的领导人。

Our goal was to convince the public

我们的目标是说服公众

that our satirical movement was a real one.

我们的讽刺性运动是真的。

And see if the media would believe what we were saying.

看看媒体是否会相信我们说的话。

To do this, I played this character that I just showed you.

为此，我扮演了 刚才我展示给你们看的角色。

We held rallies, put up billboards.

我们组织集会、张贴告示板。

We even sent the media a lot of fake evidence.

我们还给媒体发送了很多虚假证据。

We hired an old actor to pose as an ex-CIA agent

我们请了一位老演员， 扮演前 CIA 特工，

confessing to his crimes.

坦白自己的罪行。

We sent them a historic email leak called "Poultry Gate"

我们给媒体安排了一场重大的 邮件泄露事件，称为“鸟门”，

that came out of the Pentagon,

从五角大楼传出 （恶搞“水门事件”），

(Laughter)

（笑声）

where we forged hundreds of fake emails

我们伪造了上百封虚假邮件，

exposing elites and government officials in the bird drone surveillance plot.

曝光上层人士和政府官员 参与鸟类无人机监控阴谋。

It didn't take much to convince the media.

说服媒体没花多少工夫。

After just one summer holding rallies like this,

花了一个夏天组织这样的集会之后，

it became nationally syndicated news

全国都报道了这个新闻，

on tons of local news stations

无数本地新闻电视台都报道

that we were a real movement that had been around for 50 years.

我们是一场 有着 50 年历史的真实运动。

And there was a resurgence happening where it was coming back

这是一场卷土重来的复兴，

and there was a radical new leader, myself, bringing the movement back

有一位激进的新领袖，就是我， 重燃了这项运动，

as the rise of conspiracy theories swept the nation.

不能再坐视阴谋论席卷全国。

At this point, I'm sitting on my couch,

此刻，我正坐在沙发上，

watching the media report on my fake movement as a real one

看着媒体信以为真地 报道我的虚假运动，

and figure it is probably time to come out of character.

思考也许是时候走出角色了。

One, because we'd accomplished what we came there to do.

一是因为我们已经达成了我们的初衷。

But also, I didn't want this to snowball in anything that was never supposed to.

而且我也不想再卷入 不该牵涉其中的事了。

So in 2021, I broke character,

所以，2021 年， 我打破了这个角色，

revealed the movement was a farce on the front page of The New York Times.

在《纽约时报》头版揭露了 这个运动是一场闹剧。

And I was very proud, as you can see.

你可以看出我很自豪。

Allow me to reintroduce myself one more time.

请允许我再次介绍一下我自己。

Hi, I'm Peter.

大家好，我是彼得。

Can you say, "Hi, Peter?"

大家可以说“你好，彼得”吗？

(Audience) Hi, Peter.

（观众）你好，彼得。

Hey.

嘿。

I'd like to tell you a little bit about myself.

我想稍微介绍一下我自己。

I grew up in Arkansas in Little Rock,

我在阿肯色州小石城长大，

where I was home-schooled on the outskirts of town.

在郊区的家里自学。

The community that I grew up with was hyper conservative and religious,

我成长所在的社区 非常保守、信奉宗教，

and almost everyone that I knew believed in some form of conspiracy theory,

我认识的几乎每一个人 都会相信某种阴谋论，

whether it was that Obama was the Antichrist

可能是奥巴马是个反基督者，

or that there are microchips in the vaccines.

或者疫苗里有微芯片。

During my entire life, I always felt like I was on the fringes of normal society.

在我的一生中，我总是感觉 我身处正常社会的边缘。

So, as you can imagine,

你可以想象，

when it became time for me to play a character,

等到我可以扮演一个角色的时候，

the conspiracy theorist was a pretty easy one for me to tap into.

阴谋论者这个角色 对我来说信手拈来。

During the years in character, I used the same cadence,

在扮演这个角色的多年里， 我运用着我成长过程中的

logic and arguments as those I grew up around,

那种节奏、逻辑和说法，

just with a different theory swapped in.

只是换了一个理论。

I was really dedicated to playing this character as convincingly as I could,

我尽力扮演着这个角色， 让它尽可能地令人信服，

as method as possible.

尽可能地头头是道。

So I spent days, sometimes, in character,

有时，我会花上几天沉浸在角色中，

a lot of time out in public with the van there,

和这辆面包车一起 长时间地抛头露面，

just talking with strangers.

和陌生人谈话。

It led to hundreds of interactions with strangers

所以我就会和陌生人有大量互动，

who thought that I was a real conspiracy theorist.

他们认为我是一个真正的阴谋论者。

I'd often be out there, cowboy hat on,

我总是晃来晃去，戴上牛仔帽，

handing out fliers that said things like,

分发传单，上面写着：

"If it flies, it's spies."

“只要会飞，就是间谍。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

We had another flyer that said,

还有一张写着：

"Birdwatching goes both ways."

“你在看鸟，鸟也在看你。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And during these times, as I'm handing out flyers and talking with people,

那个时候，我分发着传单， 和人们聊着天，

there were hundreds, maybe thousands of instances over the years

这么多年来， 有几百次，甚至是几千次

where strangers would approach me.

陌生人直接找上我。

You know, they'd see me in public and I'd see them notice me.

他们在公开场合见过我， 我也发现他们认识我。

And walk up to me with complete disdain on their face.

他们满脸鄙视地朝着我走来。

They thought that I was a real conspiracy theorist.

他们觉得我真的是个阴谋论者。

And time and time again, they'd come up to me,

他们一次又一次地找上我，

look me right in the eyes, just as close as I am to you right here,

四目相对，就我们这个距离，

and they would tell me how stupid I am.

他们告诉我我有多愚蠢。

They'd tell me I was uneducated, that I was crazy.

他们说我没文化，我疯了。

That I was the problem with this country.

我是这个国家的毒瘤。

When this happens,

出现这种情况的时候，

I didn't feel the emotions of the character that I thought I would.

我没有体会到我本以为 会体会到的角色的感受。

My out-of-character self may interpret these interactions

我在角色外的自己 可能会把这些反应解读为

as a funny response to someone that fell for the comedy project,

有人被一个恶搞活动骗了， 然后觉得很搞笑，

but instead I felt the emotions of the character.

但我感受到了这个角色的心情。

I felt emboldened and I felt sad and angry.

我越挫越勇，我悲愤交加。

Like they didn't even take the time to know me.

他们都没花点时间来了解我。

They instantly condemned me, judged me and othered me.

他们就立马谴责我、 评判我、排挤我。

I'd found myself on the opposite side of this equation that I'd grown up around,

我感觉自己站在了成长环境 等式的另一边，

the normal and the fringe.

正常的社会，社会的边缘。

And in those moments when those people were talking to me,

这些人和我说话的时候，

they could not have been more ineffective

他们其实并不能达成

at what I would assume they really want.

我认为他们真正想要的结果。

Less conspiracy theorists in the world.

世界上少点阴谋论者。

These experiences, hundreds of them over the years,

这些经历，多年来几百次

watching how people interact with those on the fringes of our society

观察人们如何与社会边缘的人互动，

gave me an entirely new perspective on our approach to conspiracy theorists,

给我带来了我们该如何对待 阴谋论者的全新视角，

whether it's how we frame them in the conventional media,

无论是在传统媒体中的表述方式，

to how we deal with those in our own lives.

还是在个人生活中的处理方式。

If our goal is to live in a shared reality with our neighbors,

如果我们的目标是 活在一个与邻居共享的现实生活中，

what if our current approach isn't bringing us any closer to that?

但我们现在的方式并不能 让我们接近这个目标。

What if by talking to conspiracy theorists like they're ignorant and stupid,

我们告诉阴谋论者， 他们无知又愚昧，

we're actually pushing them farther away from the truth

是不是在把他们推离 我们希望他们能看见的真相呢？

that we want them to see?

Because what happens when someone tells you that you're stupid,

因为有人说你愚蠢，

you're all wrong, you're the problem?

说你都是错的， 你就是那个毒瘤，会怎么样？

你会感觉有人对你 说三道四，受人轻视。

You'll feel judged and dismissed.

And most importantly, you’ll feel othered,

更重要的是，你会感到受人排挤，

which may lead you to look for safety

这样会导致你想在 志同道合的人群中寻求安全感，

in those who are like-minded

to do what they have been doing for you.

他们一直做着你想做的事。

Affirm your selfhood, give you a sense of identity, belonging.

表明自我， 给你一种身份感、归属感。

These are some of the most basic human desires.

这些都是最基本的人类欲望。

We have to consider that conspiracy theorists

我们得考虑到阴谋论者

are not just joining these groups for no reason.

并不会无缘无故地加入某个团体。

They're getting rewards out of these,

他们会由此得到回报，

things that we are all looking for,

是我们都在追求的东西——

a sense of purpose, community.

使命感、集体感。

I grew up with the internet

互联网伴随着我长大，

and during my time with this project, especially out of character,

在我做这个项目的时间里， 尤其是在角色外的时候，

people have talked to me about the misinformation age

人们会和我讨论 这个虚假信息的时代，

and this, you know, terrifying problem of online echo chambers

还有在线“回音室”和阴谋论者 带来的骇人问题。

and conspiracy theorists.

But I want to remind us that there are humans behind a lot of these screens.

但我想提醒我们各位， 很多屏幕背后都是有人类的。

It's not just numbers.

它们不止是数字。

Everyone’s unique experience influences their own narrative about the world,

每个人的独特经历 影响着他们看待世界的视角，

and there's no blueprint for how to deal with this yet.

也没有一个标准答案。

But I do not think that online echo chambers of conspiracy theorists

但我认为阴谋论者的在线回音室

are this inevitable symptom of life online.

并不是在线生活中 无法避免的症状。

The internet is about 30 years old and things are changing quickly,

互联网大概有 30 年了，日新月异，

and I think it'll be very important that we develop new solutions

我认为从底层 为这些新问题寻找新方法

for these new problems on a fundamental level.

是非常重要的。

What if by addressing belief before belonging,

我们在心生归属感前宣扬信仰，

we're starting the conversation at the wrong place?

是不是本来就是个错误的起点？

Instead of sitting in collective bewilderment and frustration

不再沉浸在集体的迷茫和沮丧中，

about how these people could believe these things,

沉浸在“这些人怎么会 信这种东西，这些疯子”里，

these crazies,

what if we first looked under the hood

而是从一开始就 先考虑深层次的原因，

and thought about what made them vulnerable to this information

思考他们为什么会容易 受到这种信息的蒙骗，

in the first place?

会怎么样？

What might they be getting out of this

他们能从中获取日常生活中 得不到的什么东西？

that they're not getting in their everyday lives?

How much does it have to do with a different truth,

这和另一个真相有多大的关系，

or how much does it have to do with the community that that truth brings?

和聚集在那个真相周围的团体 有多大的关系？

We need to think about people's circumstances

我们得考虑这些人的处境

and reference points,

和参照标准，

to see them as fellow human beings who want to believe in something

把他们当作想信仰什么东西、

and want to belong, just like all of us do in this room.

想有归属感的其他人类， 和我们在座的各位都一样。

Because if we continue with our current approach of arguing

因为如果我们维持现状， 继续在信仰层面争执不下，

on the level of belief,

it's not going to get us anywhere.

是不会有任何好转的。

We're going to end up with more echo chambers,

我们会得到更多的回音室，

more disinformation and more polarization.

更多的虚假信息和两极分化。

Instead, we can do the harder work of looking into what is fueling the need

我们可以更努力地探寻

需要另一个真相背后的缘由。

for an alternate truth.

Not only would this lend us more empathy

这不仅会让我们增添

for those who think differently than us,

对那些与我们 想法不同的人的同理心，

but I really think this might be the only actually productive means,

还会是唯一有效的方式，

productive means,

有效的方式，

of moving toward the shared reality that we all want to live in.

向我们都想身处其中的 共同现实前进。

Let's direct our energy toward the crisis of belonging.

让我们在归属感危机上使劲吧。

And then maybe we will understand the crisis of belief.

也许我们就可以理解信仰危机。

Before I go, I'll leave with one more word.

结束之前，我还有一句话要说。

Just don’t forget:

不要忘记：

if it flies, it's spies.

只要会飞，就是间谍。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Cheers and applause)

（欢呼声、掌声）