Margaret Heffernan: The dangers of "willful blindness"

翻译人员: Ning Zhang 校对人员: Binglei Shea

In the northwest corner of the United States,

在美国的西北角，

right up near the Canadian border,

靠近加拿大边境的位置，

there's a little town called Libby, Montana,

有个小镇叫利比，位于蒙大拿州，

and it's surrounded by pine trees and lakes

那里有很多的松树和湖泊环绕，

and just amazing wildlife

非常美的野生环境，

and these enormous trees that scream up into the sky.

数不尽的树木高耸入云。

And in there is a little town called Libby,

那里有个叫利比的小镇，

which I visited, which feels kind of lonely,

我曾去过，让人感觉有点孤寂，

a little isolated.

有点与世隔绝。

And in Libby, Montana, there's a rather unusual woman

在这个蒙大拿州的小镇上，有一个非常不寻常的女人

named Gayla Benefield.

名叫盖拉·本尼佛蒂（Gayla Benefield）.

She always felt a little bit of an outsider,

尽管她在那里几乎生活了一辈子，

although she's been there almost all her life,

但她还是觉得自己有点像个外来者，

a woman of Russian extraction.

她是俄罗斯后裔。

She told me when she went to school,

她告诉我上学时，

she was the only girl who ever chose

她是唯一一个

to do mechanical drawing.

会选择机械制图专业的女孩。

Later in life, she got a job going house to house

后来，她找到了一份

reading utility meters -- gas meters, electricity meters.

挨家挨户抄燃气表和电表读数的工作。

And she was doing the work in the middle of the day,

她每天中午工作，

and one thing particularly caught her notice, which was,

有一件事情特别地引起了她的注意，

in the middle of the day she met a lot of men

每天中午她都会在那些家里遇见很多男人

who were at home, middle aged, late middle aged,

岁数差不多中年或更大一些的男人们，

and a lot of them seemed to be on oxygen tanks.

他们很多人看起来都要用氧气瓶。

It struck her as strange.

这事让她感到很奇怪。

Then, a few years later, her father died at the age of 59,

几年之后，她的父亲就在马上拿退休金的前五天去世了，

five days before he was due to receive his pension.

享年59岁，

He'd been a miner.

他曾经是一名矿工。

She thought he must just have been worn out by the work.

盖拉以为她父亲一定是因为工作过于劳累而去世的。

But then a few years later, her mother died,

但是，又过了几年，她母亲也去世了，

and that seemed stranger still,

这看起来更奇怪了，

because her mother came from a long line of people

因为她母亲家的人普遍都很长寿

who just seemed to live forever.

看起来能长命百岁似的。

In fact, Gayla's uncle is still alive to this day,

事实上，盖拉的舅舅至今仍健在，

and learning how to waltz.

而且正在学跳华尔兹呢。

It didn't make sense that Gayla's mother

这不正常，

should die so young.

盖拉的母亲不应该那么年轻就去世了。

It was an anomaly, and she kept puzzling over anomalies.

这很异常，盖拉一直对这些异常的死亡大惑不解。

And as she did, other ones came to mind.

与此同时，她也想起了另一些事情。

She remembered, for example,

比如，

when her mother had broken a leg and went into the hospital,

她记得当她母亲腿部受伤骨折时，

and she had a lot of x-rays,

她在医院做了一大堆的X光检查，

and two of them were leg x-rays, which made sense,

其中有两个是腿部X光检查是正常的，

but six of them were chest x-rays, which didn't.

但是另外六个胸部X光检查却不正常。

She puzzled and puzzled over every piece

她将自己和父母的每一个生活片段

of her life and her parents' life,

一点一点拼凑起来，

trying to understand what she was seeing.

试图了解她所看到的一切。

She thought about her town.

她想到了她的小镇。

The town had a vermiculite mine in it.

这个小镇有一个蛭石矿。

Vermiculite was used for soil conditioners,

人们用蛭石作土壤调节剂，

to make plants grow faster and better.

能令植物长得更快更好。

Vermiculite was used to insulate lofts,

用蛭石作绝热材料封阁楼，

huge amounts of it put under the roof

大量的蛭石被垫在屋顶下为房屋保温

to keep houses warm during the long Montana winters.

从而抵御蒙大拿州漫长而寒冷的冬季。

Vermiculite was in the playground.

蛭石被用于操场上，

It was in the football ground.

橄榄球场上，

It was in the skating rink.

溜冰场上，

What she didn't learn until she started working this problem

直到她开始着手研究问题所在时，

is vermiculite is a very toxic form of asbestos.

她才知道原来蛭石矿被一种毒性很强的石棉材质污染。

When she figured out the puzzle,

当她找到答案时，

she started telling everyone she could

她开始竭尽所能地告诉每一个人

what had happened, what had been done to her parents

发生了什么，以及在她父母身上发生了什么，

and to the people that she saw on oxygen tanks

她下午还跑到别人家里

at home in the afternoons.

告诉那些依靠氧气瓶生存的人们这些真相。

But she was really amazed.

但是，她非常惊讶。

She thought, when everybody knows, they'll want to do something,

她本以为，当每个人知道真相后，人们会采取些行动，

但事实是没人愿意知道真相。

but actually nobody wanted to know.

In fact, she became so annoying

她变得很气愤

as she kept insisting on telling this story

以至于她不得不继续坚持要将真相

to her neighbors, to her friends, to other people in the community,

告诉她的邻居们，朋友们，社区里的其他人们，

最后，那些人聚集在一起

that eventually a bunch of them got together

做了一个大贴纸，

and they made a bumper sticker,

which they proudly displayed on their cars, which said,

骄傲地贴到她的车上，

"Yes, I'm from Libby, Montana,

贴纸上面写道“是，我来自蒙大拿州的利比镇，

and no, I don't have asbestosis."

不，我没得石棉肺。”

But Gayla didn't stop. She kept doing research.

但是，盖拉没有停下来。她继续做调研。

The advent of the Internet definitely helped her.

互联网的出现无疑是帮了她大忙。

She talked to anybody she could.

她尽可能得要把真相告诉所有人。

She argued and argued, and finally she struck lucky

她不停地辩论，终于，当一位研究人员来到小镇

when a researcher came through town

研究小镇矿区的历史时，

studying the history of mines in the area,

盖拉开始走运了，

and she told him her story, and at first, of course,

她跟这位研究人员说了她的故事，

like everyone, he didn't believe her,

最开始，像所有人一样，这位研究人员根本不相信她的话，

but he went back to Seattle and he did his own research

但是当他回到西雅图，他开始了自己的研究

而且他发现盖拉说的是对的。

and he realized that she was right.

So now she had an ally.

所以，盖拉多了一位同盟者。

Nevertheless, people still didn't want to know.

但是，人们依旧不想知道真相。

They said things like, "Well, if it were really dangerous,

他们总这么说“好吧，如果真得那么危险，

someone would have told us."

肯定会有人告诉我们的。”

"If that's really why everyone was dying,

“如果那真得能让每个人丧命的话，

the doctors would have told us."

那医生会告诉我们的。”

Some of the guys used to very heavy jobs said,

有一些过去从事繁重体力工作的人说，

"I don't want to be a victim.

“我不想当一个受害者。

I can't possibly be a victim, and anyway,

我不可能是一个受害者，再说了，

every industry has its accidents."

哪个产业不发生点事故呢。“

But still Gayla went on, and finally she succeeded

但是，盖拉继续大声疾呼，

in getting a federal agency to come to town

最后她成功地邀请了一个联邦机构来到小镇

and to screen the inhabitants of the town --

他们对小镇的居民进行筛查

15,000 people -- and what they discovered

共有1万5千人

was that the town had a mortality rate

他们发现这个小镇的死亡率比美国其他地区

80 times higher than anywhere in the United States.

高出了80倍。

That was in 2002, and even at that moment,

那是2002年，甚至在那个时候，

no one raised their hand to say, "Gayla,

也没有一个人举起他们的手说

look in the playground where your grandchildren are playing.

“盖拉，看看你们孩子游戏的操场里面吧，

It's lined with vermiculite."

那里都是用蛭石铺的。”

This wasn't ignorance.

这不是忽视。

It was willful blindness.

这是“故意无视”。

Willful blindness is a legal concept which means,

“故意无视”是一个法律概念，

if there's information that you could know and you should know

意指：对于一个你能知晓或者你应该知晓的信息

but you somehow manage not to know,

但是你设法不去知晓，

the law deems that you're willfully blind.

法律认为你是故意无视。

You have chosen not to know.

你选择了不去知道。

There's a lot of willful blindness around these days.

近些年有许多“故意无视”的案例。

You can see willful blindness in banks,

在银行里，你能看到“故意无视”，

when thousands of people sold mortgages to people

当成千上万的人们把按揭出售给

who couldn't afford them.

那些根本付不起的人们。

You could see them in banks

在银行里，你还能看到

when interest rates were manipulated

利率被操纵时

and everyone around knew what was going on,

虽然身边的每个人都清楚怎么回事，

but everyone studiously ignored it.

但大家都故意忽视这个事实。

You can see willful blindness in the Catholic Church,

在天主教堂里，你能看到“故意无视”，

where decades of child abuse went ignored.

孩子们几十年遭受虐待的事实被无视。

You could see willful blindness

在伊拉克战争中，

in the run-up to the Iraq War.

你能看到“故意无视”。

Willful blindness exists on epic scales like those,

“故意无视”不仅存在于那些大的范围，

and it also exists on very small scales,

它也存在于非常小的范围，

in people's families, in people's homes and communities,

在人们的家庭里，在人们的屋檐下，在社区里，

and particularly in organizations and institutions.

而且特别是在组织和机构里。

Companies that have been studied for willful blindness

那些被调研“故意无视”这种现象的企业们

can be asked questions like,

经常会被问到这样的问题，

"Are there issues at work

“工作中是否存在

that people are afraid to raise?"

一些人们不敢提出来的问题？”

And when academics have done studies like this

当学者们对在美国的企业

of corporations in the United States,

进行调研时，

what they find is 85 percent of people say yes.

他们发现85%的人们会对这个问题回答“是的”。

Eighty-five percent of people know there's a problem,

85%的人们知道存在一个问题，

but they won't say anything.

但是他们都选择沉默。

And when I duplicated the research in Europe,

当我将调研复制到欧洲时，

asking all the same questions,

问了人们相同的问题，

I found exactly the same number.

我得到了完全一样的调研数字，

Eighty-five percent. That's a lot of silence.

85%。那么多的沉默。

It's a lot of blindness.

那么多的视而不见。

And what's really interesting is that when I go to companies in Switzerland,

最有意思的是，当我到了瑞士的企业，

他们告诉我“这是瑞士特有的问题。”

they tell me, "This is a uniquely Swiss problem."

And when I go to Germany, they say, "Oh yes, this is the German disease."

当我到了德国，他们说“哦，是的，这是德国人的毛病。”

And when I go to companies in England, they say,

当我到了英格兰，他们说，

"Oh, yeah, the British are really bad at this."

“哦，是的，英国在这方面是挺差的。”

And the truth is, this is a human problem.

真相是，这是人类的通病。

We're all, under certain circumstances, willfully blind.

我们所有人，在某些情况下，都是故意视而不见的。

What the research shows is that some people are blind

调研结果显示一些人视而不见是因为恐惧。

out of fear. They're afraid of retaliation.

他们害怕被打击报复。

And some people are blind because they think, well,

一些人视而不见是因为他们认为，

seeing anything is just futile.

看见问题是无用的。

Nothing's ever going to change.

什么都不会改变。

If we make a protest, if we protest against the Iraq War,

如果我们提出抗议，如果我们抗议伊拉克战争，

nothing changes, so why bother?

什么都没改变，那我们干嘛要抗议呢？

Better not to see this stuff at all.

最好眼不见心不烦。

And the recurrent theme that I encounter all the time

而且我总能反反复复地听到人们说

is people say, "Well, you know,

“你知道吗，那些看到问题的人，

the people who do see, they're whistleblowers,

他们是告密者，

and we all know what happens to them."

我们都知道在他们身上会发生什么。”

So there's this profound mythology around whistleblowers

所以有这么一种深刻的神话似的言论围绕着告密者

which says, first of all, they're all crazy.

首先，人们会说他们全都是疯子。

But what I've found going around the world

但是，我在世界各地所见到的

and talking to whistleblowers is, actually,

并且做过交谈的那些所谓的告密者们，事实上，

they're very loyal and quite often very conservative people.

他们都是非常忠诚的，而且经常是很保守的人。

They're hugely dedicated to the institutions that they work for,

他们非常献身于自己工作的组织机构，

and the reason that they speak up,

他们之所以站出来指出问题，

the reason they insist on seeing,

之所以坚持他们所看见的，

is because they care so much about the institution

原因就在于他们非常关心那个组织机构

and want to keep it healthy.

而且也希望能保持它的健康运营。

And the other thing that people often say

其次，关于告密者，人们经常提到的是

about whistleblowers is, "Well, there's no point,

“没有半点用，

because you see what happens to them.

因为，你看看他们身上都发生了什么。

They are crushed.

他们被打压。

Nobody would want to go through something like that."

谁愿意经历那样的遭遇啊。”

And yet, when I talk to whistleblowers,

但是，当我和那些所谓的告密者谈话的时候，

the recurrent tone that I hear is pride.

从他们的语气中我总能听到一种自豪感。

I think of Joe Darby.

我想起了乔·达比（Joe Darby）

We all remember the photographs of Abu Ghraib,

我们都记得阿布格莱布的照片（译者注：2004年发生在阿布格莱布监狱的美军虐待伊拉克战俘的事件）

which so shocked the world and showed the kind of war

那些照片震惊全球，

that was being fought in Iraq.

而且也向世人展示了伊拉克战争的一些情况。

But I wonder who remembers Joe Darby,

但是，我怀疑有谁还记得乔·达比，

the very obedient, good soldier

那个非常服从命令的好士兵

who found those photographs and handed them in.

正是他发现了那些相片并把它们交了出来。

And he said, "You know, I'm not the kind of guy

而且他说，“你知道，我不是那种爱打小报告的人

to rat people out, but some things just cross the line.

但是，有些事做得太过分了。

Ignorance is bliss, they say,

他们说，无知便是福，

but you can't put up with things like this."

但是，你不能容忍这样的事。”

I talked to Steve Bolsin, a British doctor,

我和史蒂夫·博森（Steve Bolsin），一位英国医生，

who fought for five years to draw attention

他抗争了五年时间试图警示人们关注

to a dangerous surgeon who was killing babies.

一个谋杀幼童的危险的外科医生。

And I asked him why he did it, and he said,

当我问他这么做的原因时，

"Well, it was really my daughter who prompted me to do it.

他说“其实是我的女儿促使我这么做的。

She came up to me one night, and she just said,

有一天晚上她对我说，

'Dad, you can't let the kids die.'"

爸爸，你不能让那些孩子们死去。”

Or I think of Cynthia Thomas,

或者，我会想到辛西娅·托马斯，

a really loyal army daughter and army wife,

一位非常忠诚的军人的女儿，也是一位军嫂，

who, as she saw her friends and relations

当她看到她的朋友和亲人们

coming back from the Iraq War, was so shocked

从伊拉克战场上回来，

by their mental condition

她非常震惊于他们的精神状况，

and the refusal of the military to recognize and acknowledge

以及军队拒绝确认和承认他们患上了

post-traumatic stress syndrome

“创伤后心理压力症”（译者注：指人在遭遇或对抗重大压力后，其心理状态产生失调之后遗症）

that she set up a cafe in the middle of a military town

因此，她在军营中开办了一个咖啡厅

to give them legal, psychological and medical assistance.

提供给这些人法律，心理，和医疗援助。

And she said to me, she said, "You know, Margaret,

她对我说，“你知道吗，玛格丽特（Margaret），

I always used to say I didn't know what I wanted to be

我过去总说我不知道我长大了要做什么。

when I grow up.

但是，

But I've found myself in this cause,

通过帮助他们我找到了自己，

and I'll never be the same."

而且我将因此而永远不一样了。”

We all enjoy so many freedoms today,

今天，我们都享受着如此多的自由，

hard-won freedoms:

来之不易的自由：

the freedom to write and publish without fear of censorship,

写作和出版而不必担心被审查的自由

a freedom that wasn't here the last time I came to Hungary;

我上次来匈牙利时那里所没有的自由；

a freedom to vote, which women in particular

一个选举的自由，

had to fight so hard for;

特别是妇女们为之奋力争取的自由；

the freedom for people of different ethnicities and cultures

不同的种族，文化，和性取向的人们

and sexual orientation to live the way that they want.

希望拥有的生活方式的自由。

But freedom doesn't exist if you don't use it,

但是，如果你不使用的话，自由就不存在，

and what whistleblowers do,

那些所谓的告密者们，

and what people like Gayla Benefield do

那些像盖拉·本尼佛蒂一样的人们，

is they use the freedom that they have.

他们所做的正是使用他们所拥有的自由。

And what they're very prepared to do is recognize

而且，他们非常愿意承认，

that yes, this is going to be an argument,

是的，这将会是一场旷日持久的争论，

and yes I'm going to have a lot of rows

是的，我的邻居，我的同事，我的朋友们

with my neighbors and my colleagues and my friends,

都会反对我，

but I'm going to become very good at this conflict.

但是，在这场冲突中我会变得非常好。

I'm going to take on the naysayers,

我要去迎接那些反对者，

because they'll make my argument better and stronger.

因为，他们将使我的辩论更完善更强大。

I can collaborate with my opponents

我能和我的反对者们合作

to become better at what I do.

把我所从事的事情变得更好。

These are people of immense persistence,

这些人都有着巨大的持久力，

incredible patience, and an absolute determination

超强的忍耐力，和绝对顽强的决心，

not to be blind and not to be silent.

他们拒绝视而不见，拒绝沉默。

When I went to Libby, Montana,

当我到了蒙大拿的利比小镇，

I visited the asbestosis clinic

我参观了

that Gayla Benefield brought into being,

由盖拉·本尼佛蒂促使建立的石棉沉滞症诊所，

a place where at first some of the people

起先，

who wanted help and needed medical attention

一些人希望得到帮助和医疗关注时，

went in the back door

他们都从诊所的后门进去

because they didn't want to acknowledge

因为，他们不想承认

that she'd been right.

盖拉是正确的。

I sat in a diner, and I watched

我坐在一家小餐馆，我看到

as trucks drove up and down the highway,

卡车在高速路上开来开去，

carting away the earth out of gardens

将花园中的土挖出来运走

and replacing it with fresh, uncontaminated soil.

然后填埋上新的，没有污染的泥土。

I took my 12-year-old daughter with me,

我12岁的女儿和我一起去的，

because I really wanted her to meet Gayla.

因为我很想让她认识盖拉，

And she said, "Why? What's the big deal?"

她对我说，“为什么啊，这有什么大不了的？”

I said, "She's not a movie star,

我说，“她不是电影明星，

and she's not a celebrity, and she's not an expert,

她不是名人，也不是专家，

and Gayla's the first person who'd say

而且盖拉是

she's not a saint.

第一个说她自己不是一位圣人的这么一个人。

The really important thing about Gayla

关于盖拉很重要的一点是

is she is ordinary.

她只是一个普普通通的人。

She's like you, and she's like me.

她就像你，就像我一样。

She had freedom, and she was ready to use it."

她拥有自由，而且她已经准备好去使用它了。”

Thank you very much.

非常感谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）