The danger of silence | Clint Smith | TED

翻译人员: Yolanda Zhang 校对人员: Zhiting Chen

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,

小马丁·路德·金博士，

in a 1968 speech where he reflects upon the Civil Rights Movement,

在1968年的一次 回顾民权运动的演讲中

states, "In the end,

说到：”最终，

we will remember not the words of our enemies

我们会记住的不是敌人的话语，

but the silence of our friends."

而是朋友的沉默。"

As a teacher, I've internalized this message.

作为一名教师， 我在心中早已接纳并消化了这种信息。

Every day, all around us,

每一天，在我们周围，

we see the consequences of silence

我们都会看到沉默产生的后果，

manifest themselves in the form of discrimination,

以歧视，暴力，屠杀

violence, genocide and war.

和战争的形式展现在我们面前。

In the classroom, I challenge my students

在课堂里，我给学生们出了道难题，

to explore the silences in their own lives

让他们通过诗歌来探索

through poetry.

自己生活中的沉默。

We work together to fill those spaces,

我们一起填补空白之处，

to recognize them, to name them,

去欣赏它们，给它们起名字，

to understand that they don't have to be sources of shame.

并试着明白 他们并不是羞耻的来源。

In an effort to create a culture within my classroom

为了在我的课堂上 创造一种文化氛围，

where students feel safe sharing the intimacies

让学生们可以无所顾忌的分享

of their own silences,

他们从前从未提及的事，

I have four core principles posted on the board

我在教室前面的黑板上

that sits in the front of my class,

写下了四个核心原则，

which every student signs at the beginning of the year:

年初的时候每名学生都签了名：

read critically, write consciously,

批判性的阅读，有意识的写作，

speak clearly, tell your truth.

清晰的说话，说实话。

And I find myself thinking a lot about that last point,

在最后一条上， 我不由地思考了很多，

tell your truth.

说出实话。

And I realized that

我意识到

if I was going to ask my students to speak up,

如果想让学生们畅所欲言，

I was going to have to tell my truth

我就得实话实说，

and be honest with them about the times

坦诚地告诉他们我曾经

where I failed to do so.

还无法做到这一点。

So I tell them that growing up,

所以我告诉他们我在新奥尔良

as a kid in a Catholic family in New Orleans,

一个天主教家庭长大，

during Lent I was always taught

在四旬斋期间， （译注：基督教在复活节前为期40天的一个节期）

that the most meaningful thing one could do

大人们告诉我能做的最有意义的事

was to give something up,

就是放弃一些事情，

sacrifice something you typically indulge in

牺牲你曾经所沉迷的事物，

to prove to God you understand his sanctity.

向上帝证明你感悟到了他的圣洁。

I've given up soda, McDonald's, French fries,

我放弃了汽水，麦当劳，薯条，

French kisses, and everything in between.

法式亲吻还有这其中的各种东西。

But one year, I gave up speaking.

不过有一年，我放弃了说话。

I figured the most valuable thing I could sacrifice

我发现我能够牺牲的最有价值的东西

was my own voice, but it was like I hadn't realized

就是我的声音，但我还没有意识到

that I had given that up a long time ago.

我已经放弃说话有很长一段时间了。

I spent so much of my life

我花了太多时间

telling people the things they wanted to hear

告诉人们他们想要听到的东西，

instead of the things they needed to,

而不是他们需要听到的那些，

told myself I wasn't meant to be anyone's conscience

我也告诉自己 我不想成为任何人的道德标杆，

because I still had to figure out being my own,

因为我仍然需要学着以身作则，

so sometimes I just wouldn't say anything,

所以有时候我一言不发，

appeasing ignorance with my silence,

用沉默来安抚无知，

unaware that validation doesn't need words

却并未意识到 其实合理性并不需要言辞

to endorse its existence.

来证明其存在。

When Christian was beat up for being gay,

当一名基督徒因其为同性恋 而遭到殴打时，

I put my hands in my pocket

我却把双手放在口袋里，

and walked with my head down as if I didn't even notice.

低着头走过去， 装作什么都没看到。

I couldn't use my locker for weeks because the bolt on the lock

我有几个星期没法用我的柜子， 因为锁头上的安全栓

reminded me of the one I had put on my lips

让我想起了之前 被我放在嘴唇上的那一枚，

when the homeless man on the corner

那时有个角落里的流浪汉

looked at me with eyes up merely searching

正抬起头看着我， 仅仅想要寻找

for an affirmation that he was worth seeing.

他值得人们注意的证据。

I was more concerned with touching the screen on my Apple

相比起给他食物，

than actually feeding him one.

我更关心手机上有什么好玩的。

When the woman at the fundraising gala

当募捐晚会上的女士

said "I'm so proud of you.

说到“我真为你感到自豪。

It must be so hard teaching those poor, unintelligent kids,"

给那些贫穷的，智商低下的孩子 上课一定很难。”

I bit my lip, because apparently we needed her money

我依旧没有开口，因为很明显， 相比学生们的尊严，

more than my students needed their dignity.

我们更需要她的钱。

We spend so much time

我们花费了太多时间

listening to the things people are saying

倾听人们正在说的事，

that we rarely pay attention to the things they don't.

却不会注意到他们没说的那些。

Silence is the residue of fear.

沉默是恐惧的残留物。

It is feeling your flaws

让你无比痛苦的

gut-wrench guillotine your tongue.

意识到自己的缺点却无言以对。

It is the air retreating from your chest

让你感到胸口憋闷

because it doesn't feel safe in your lungs.

无法呼吸。

Silence is Rwandan genocide. Silence is Katrina.

沉默是卢旺达大屠杀。 沉默是卡特里娜飓风。

It is what you hear when there aren't enough body bags left.

是当你听到没有足够的裹尸袋。

It is the sound after the noose is already tied.

是当绳索被套紧时的声音。

It is charring. It is chains. It is privilege. It is pain.

是碳化，是锁链，是特权，是伤痛。

There is no time to pick your battles

已经没有时间决定是否要奋起反抗，

when your battles have already picked you.

此时冲突已来到了你的面前。

I will not let silence wrap itself around my indecision.

我不会允许沉默让我变得优柔寡断。

I will tell Christian that he is a lion,

我会告诉基督徒，他是一头狮子，

a sanctuary of bravery and brilliance.

是勇气和智慧的庇护所。

I will ask that homeless man what his name is

我会询问流浪汉的名字，

and how his day was, because sometimes

他过得怎么样，因为有时候

all people want to be is human.

大家只想做个真正的人。

I will tell that woman that my students can talk about

我会告诉那位女士 我的学生们会谈论先验论，

transcendentalism like their last name was Thoreau,

仿佛他们有着梭罗（Thoreau）家族血统，

and just because you watched one episode of "The Wire"

仅仅因为你看过了一集《火线》 （译注：美剧，又译为《线人》、《监听风云》），

doesn't mean you know anything about my kids.

并不意味着你很了解我的孩子们。

So this year,

那么今年，

instead of giving something up,

我并没有放弃什么东西，

I will live every day as if there were a microphone

而是把每天都过得好像有个麦克风

tucked under my tongue,

被植入进了我的嘴里，

a stage on the underside of my inhibition.

而家里的地面就是讲台。

Because who has to have a soapbox

当你只需要大声的表达你的观点时，

when all you've ever needed is your voice?

谁还会需要一个肥皂箱呢？ （译注：美国人常站在肥皂箱上进行街头演讲）

Thank you.

谢谢大家。

（掌声）

(Applause)