There's no such thing as not voting | Eric Liu

翻译人员: Wenkai Li 校对人员: Diana Li

Why bother?

为什么非要投票呢？

The game is rigged.

选举被操纵了。

My vote won't count.

我那一票不起作用。

The choices are terrible.

选举的结果很糟糕。

Voting is for suckers.

选举都是骗人的。

Perhaps you've thought some of these things.

也许你曾经这么想过。

Perhaps you've even said them.

也许你还说过这样的话。

And if so, you wouldn't be alone, and you wouldn't be entirely wrong.

如果是这样，那你不是一个人在战斗， 你说的也不是没有道理。

The game of public policy today is rigged in many ways.

今天的公共选举在很多方面都被操纵了。

How else would more than half of federal tax breaks

要不然如何解释过半的联邦所得税减免

flow up to the wealthiest five percent of Americans?

都流向了最富有的5%的人？

And our choices indeed are often terrible.

我们的选择也经常是可怕的。

For many people across the political spectrum,

对许多具有政治背景的人来说，

Exhibit A is the 2016 presidential election.

证据就是2016年的总统大选。

But in any year, you can look up and down the ballot

但不管是哪一年，你去看一下投票结果，

and find plenty to be uninspired about.

令人沮丧的结果比比皆是。

But in spite of all this, I still believe voting matters.

尽管如此， 我仍然相信投票是一件重要的事。

尽管听起来挺疯狂，

And crazy as it may sound,

I believe we can revive the joy of voting.

但我相信我们可以重新获得选举的乐趣。

Today, I want to talk about how we can do that, and why.

今天，我要谈一谈我们要怎样， 以及为什么要重新享受选举。

There used to be a time in American history when voting was fun,

在美国历史上选举曾经是充满乐趣的，

when it was much more than just a grim duty to show up at the polls.

那时选举可不仅仅是 在投票站露面那么无聊。

That time is called "most of American history."

那个时代被称为“大部分美国历史”。

(Laughter)

(笑声）

From the Revolution to the Civil Rights Era,

从美国革命到人权时代，

the United States had a vibrant,

美国选举曾经充满生机，

robustly participatory and raucous culture of voting.

参与者信念坚定，草根文化喧嚣一时。

It was street theater, open-air debates, fasting and feasting and toasting,

街头戏剧，公开辩论， 斋戒，盛宴，祝酒，

parades and bonfires.

游行和篝火晚会盛极一时。

During the 19th century, immigrants and urban political machines

十九世纪，移民和城市政治机器

helped fuel this culture of voting.

使得选举文化迅速发展。

That culture grew with each successive wave of new voters.

新选民不断加入， 选族文化不断增长。

During Reconstruction, when new African-American voters,

在美国重建期，当新一代美国黑人选民，

新一代美国黑人市民，

new African-American citizens,

began to exercise their power,

行使他们的权利，

they celebrated in jubilee parades

他们为欢庆奴隶解放纪念日而游行，

that connected emancipation with their newfound right to vote.

把他们的解放 与新获得的选举权联系到一起。

A few decades later, the suffragettes

几十年后，妇女参政运动

brought a spirit of theatricality to their fight,

给这场斗争附加了一种戏剧化的效果：

marching together in white dresses as they claimed the franchise.

穿着白衣游行前进，宣称选举权。

And the Civil Rights Movement,

民权运动，则寻求重新确认

which sought to redeem the promise of equal citizenship

所承诺的被种族隔离政策

背叛的平等公民权，

that had been betrayed by Jim Crow,

put voting right at the center.

把选举权作为民权运动的核心。

From Freedom Summer to the march in Selma,

从自由之夏到塞尔玛行军 （黑人选民登记活动），

that generation of activists knew that voting matters,

那一代的活动者知道，选举事关重大，

他们也知晓那种壮观的场面，权利的行使

and they knew that spectacle and the performance of power

is key to actually claiming power.

才是权利的意义所在。

But it's been over a half century since Selma and the Voting Rights Act,

塞尔玛行军和选举权力法案 已经过去了半个世纪，

and in the decades since,

面对面的选举文化

this face-to-face culture of voting

也已经消失了

has just about disappeared.

几十年，

It's been killed by television

这都是电视惹的祸，

and then the internet.

互联网更是后来居上。

The couch has replaced the commons.

沙发代替了评论，

屏幕使公民变成了观众。

Screens have made citizens into spectators.

And while it's nice to share political memes on social media,

在社交媒体上分享政治观点 不失为好主意，

that's a rather quiet kind of citizenship.

但这只是安静的公民权。

It's what the sociologist Sherry Turkle calls "being alone together."

社会学家雪莉·特克称之为 “群体中的孤独”。

What we need today

我们今天需要的

is an electoral culture that is about being together together,

是一种选举文化，人与人之间面对面

in person,

交流思想，

in loud and passionate ways,

喧闹而又激情四射，

so that instead of being "eat your vegetables" or "do you duty,"

并不只是自扫门前雪或勉强尽责，

voting can feel more like "join the club"

选举可以让人感觉更像是加入了俱乐部，

or, better yet, "join the party."

或更酷一点，参加大联欢。

Imagine if we had, across the country right now,

想象一下，如果现在全国各地，

in local places but nationwide,

小到各个地方，

a concerted effort to revive a face-to-face set of ways

共同恢复面对面的

竞选参与方式：

to engage and electioneer:

outdoor shows in which candidates and their causes are mocked

参选人及其参选目标在众目睽睽之下

and praised in broad satirical style;

被嘲弄，被支持；

soapbox speeches by citizens;

市民随意发表街头演讲；

public debates held inside pubs;

酒馆里展开公开辩论；

streets filled with political art and handmade posters and murals;

街头充满政治艺术，手工海报和壁画；

battle of the band concerts in which competing performers rep their candidates.

乐队演奏表演中，竞争性的演出代表了 候选人的竞争。

Now, all of this may sound a little bit 18th century to you,

当然，所有这些在你们听来 都是十八世纪的老古董了，

but in fact, it doesn't have to be any more 18th century

但实际上，这么形容百老汇的《汉密尔顿》

than, say, Broadway's "Hamilton,"

或许更贴切，

其实这也是生机勃勃的现代主义。

which is to say vibrantly contemporary.

And the fact is that all around the world,

事实是，在当下，全世界

today, millions of people are voting like this.

每天都有几百万人像这样进行选举。

In India, elections are colorful, communal affairs.

在印度，选举是多彩的公众事务。

In Brazil, election day is a festive, carnival-type atmosphere.

在巴西，选举日是节日， 狂欢节般的气氛。

In Taiwan and Hong Kong, there is a spectacle,

在台湾，香港，选举是奇观，

eye-popping, eye-grabbing spectacle

比起街头剧院的选举，

to the street theater of elections.

更让人惊叹不已，大开眼界。

You might ask, well, here in America, who has time for this?

你也许会问，但这是美国， 谁有时间折腾这些啊？

And I would tell you

我要告诉你，

that the average American watches five hours of television a day.

美国人平均每天看5小时的电视。

You might ask, who has the motivation?

你会问，谁有那个劲头啊？

And I'll tell you,

让我告诉你，

any citizen who wants to be seen and heard

那些希望被注意和被聆听的公民，

not as a prop, not as a talking point,

不想当龙套，不为博眼球，

but as a participant, as a creator.

而要成为参与者，创造者。

Well, how do we make this happen?

好了，那到底要怎么做呢？

Simply by making it happen.

很简单，付诸行动。

That's why a group of colleagues and I

这就是我和一群同事

launched a new project called "The Joy of Voting."

发起了一个新运动： ”选举的快乐“的原因。

In four cities across the United States --

在美国四个城市——

Philadelphia, Miami,

费城，迈阿密，

俄亥俄的阿克伦，和堪萨斯的威奇托，

Akron, Ohio, and Wichita, Kansas --

we've gathered together artists and activists,

我们召集了艺术家，活动家，

educators, political folks, neighbors, everyday citizens

教育家，政治人物，邻居和普通市民，

to come together and create projects

相聚一起，创造了一个项目

来培育地域选举文化。

that can foster this culture of voting in a local way.

In Miami, that means all-night parties with hot DJs

在迈阿密，有整夜的聚会，火辣的DJ，

where the only way to get in is to show that you're registered to vote.

只要注册为选民就可以入内。

In Akron, it means political plays

在阿克伦，则是政治戏剧，

being performed in the bed of a flatbed truck

演出在移动的平板拖车上进行，

that moves from neighborhood to neighborhood.

从一个小区到另一个小区。

In Philadelphia,

在费城，

it's a voting-themed scavenger hunt all throughout colonial old town.

是选举主题的寻宝游戏， 遍布所有殖民古镇。

And in Wichita, it's making mixtapes and live graffiti art

威奇托，则是在城区北部 创作混音带和现场涂鸦，

in the North End to get out the vote.

那里是选举开始的地方。

There are 20 of these projects,

这样的项目有20个，

and they are remarkable in their beauty and their diversity,

每一个都美轮美奂，丰富多彩。

这些项目改变了人们的态度。

and they are changing people.

Let me tell you about a couple of them.

我来讲几个故事。

In Miami, we've commissioned and artist,

在迈阿密，我们委托一个艺术家，

a young artist named Atomico,

年轻的艺术家阿托米卡，

to create some vivid and vibrant images for a new series of "I voted" stickers.

去创作栩栩如生的“我投票了” 新系列贴纸。

But the thing is, Atomico had never voted.

可是，阿托米卡从来没投过票。

He wasn't even registered.

甚至都没登过记。

So as he got to work on creating this artwork for these stickers,

当他开始设计艺术贴纸时，

he also began to get over his sense of intimidation about politics.

他也要开始克服对政治的恐惧。

He got himself registered,

他去登记了，

and then he got educated about the upcoming primary election,

他也了解了即将到来的大选，

and on election day he was out there not just passing out stickers,

在投票日当天，他不仅当街散发贴纸，

but chatting up voters and encouraging people to vote,

还和选民交谈，鼓励大家投票，

and talking about the election with passersby.

与行人谈论选举。

In Akron, a theater company called the Wandering Aesthetics

在阿克伦，一家名叫美学漫步的戏剧公司

has been putting on these pickup truck plays.

曾经进行过这种卡车演出。

And to do so, they put out an open call to the public

为了演出，这家公司公开

asking for speeches, monologues, dialogues, poems,

征集演讲，独白，对话，诗歌，

snippets of anything that could be read aloud

小品之类的，只要能大声念出来的

都可以编入演出。

and woven into a performance.

They got dozens of submissions.

结果投稿如云。

One of them was a poem

其中有一首诗，

written by nine students in an ESL class,

作者是ESL（English as a Second Language） 课程的九个学生，

all of them Hispanic migrant workers

都是拉美籍的移民工人，

from nearby Hartville, Ohio.

来自俄亥俄州内比邻的哈特威尔。

I want to read to you from this poem.

我给大家读一段。

It's called "The Joy of Voting."

诗的名字叫：选举的快乐。

"I would like to vote for the first time

我要进行第一次投票，

因为拉美裔的处境变了。

because things are changing for Hispanics.

I used to be afraid of ghosts.

我过去怕鬼，

Now I am afraid of people.

现在怕人。

There's more violence and racism.

暴力和种族主义越来越多。

Voting can change this.

选举会改变这一切。

The border wall is nothing.

边界墙什么也不是。

It's just a wall.

就是个墙。

The wall of shame is something.

耻辱的墙才可怕。

It's very important to vote

投票很重要，

so we can break down this wall of shame.

让我们可以打破这耻辱之墙。

I have passion in my heart.

我心中有激情。

Voting gives me a voice and power.

选举使我发出声音和力量。

I can stand up and do something."

我能站起来做出改变了。

"The Joy of Voting" project isn't just about joy.

“选举的快乐”项目并不只是关于快乐。

It's about this passion.

这是激情。

It's about feeling and belief,

也是感受和信仰，

and it isn't just our organization's work.

不是只有我们一个组织在工作。

All across this country right now,

现在全国都步调一致，

immigrants, young people, veterans, people of all different backgrounds

移民，年轻人，退伍军人，各种背景的人，

are coming together to create this kind of passionate, joyful activity

聚在一起创造了这种充满激情，快乐的

around elections,

投票活动。

in red and blue states, in urban and rural communities,

不论是民主党还是共和党的优势州， 不论城乡，

people of every political background.

人民不论政治背景。

What they have in common is simply this:

有一点是共同的：

their work is rooted in place.

他们的工作都是本地的。

Because remember, all citizenship is local.

要记住，公民都是本地人。

When politics becomes just a presidential election,

如果政治仅仅关乎总统选举，

we yell and we scream at our screens, and then we collapse, exhausted.

大家就只是对着屏幕大呼小叫， 直到精疲力尽。

But when politics is about us

但如果政治是有关自己，

and our neighbors and other people in our community

邻居和社区的其他人，

coming together to create experiences of collective voice and imagination,

大家聚在一起， 共同发出声音，表达期许，

then we begin to remember that this stuff matters.

我们就会记得这样做是有意义的。

We begin to remember that this is the stuff of self-government.

我们开始铭记，这就是自治。

Which brings me back to where I began.

回到开始那句话。

Why bother?

为什么非要投票呢？

There's one way to answer this question.

不妨这样回答。

Voting matters because it is a self-fulfilling act of belief.

投票很重要，因为这是信仰的自我满足。

It feeds the spirit of mutual interest that makes any society thrive.

它供养了利益的双方， 实现了社会繁荣。

When we vote, even if it is in anger,

当我们投票，即使是愤怒的一票，

we are part of a collective, creative leap of faith.

我们仍是创造性信念集合的一部分。

Voting helps us generate the very power that we wish we had.

投票帮助我们创造了最强的力量。

It's no accident that democracy and theater

无怪乎民主和剧院

emerged around the same time in ancient Athens.

同时出现于古代雅典。

Both of them yank the individual out of the enclosure of her private self.

民主和戏剧都把个体从私我中分离出来。

Both of them create great public experiences of shared ritual.

都从一种共同的仪式感中创立了 伟大的公共体验。

Both of them bring the imagination to life

把想象带进了生活，

in ways that remind us that all of our bonds in the end

让我们意识到错综复杂的 社会联系都是由设想而来的，

are imagined, and can be reimagined.

也可以进行重构。

This moment right now,

此时此刻，

when we think about the meaning of imagination,

当我们思索想象的意义，

is so fundamentally important,

便会发觉想象是何其重要，

and our ability to take that spirit

我们如果有能力接受这样一种精神，

and to take that sense

这样一种感知，

that there is something greater out there,

承认有更伟大的存在，

is not just a matter of technical expertise.

并非只是技术性的专长。

It's not just a matter of making the time or having the know-how.

不只是挤出时间或者拥有技术。

It is a matter of spirit.

这关乎一种精神。

But let me give you an answer to this question, "Why bother?"

让我来揭晓答案，究竟为什么要投票。

that is maybe a little less spiritual and a bit more pointed.

答案并不虚空，而是有实践意义的。

Why bother voting?

为什么要投票？

Because there is no such thing as not voting.

因为不存在不投票这种事。

Not voting is voting,

不投票也是投票。

只不过投给了所有 你不喜欢和反对的东西。

for everything that you may detest and oppose.

Not voting can be dressed up

不投票有时装扮成

as an act of principled, passive resistance,

原则性的，被动的抵抗，

but in fact not voting

但实际上不投票

is actively handing power over

是交出权力

to those whose interests are counter to your own,

给那些与你利益相左的人，

and those who would be very glad to take advantage of your absence.

那些很乐意利用你缺席的人。

Not voting is for suckers.

不投票是失败者的选择。

Imagine where this country would be

想象一下这个国家将会怎样，

if all the folks who in 2010 created the Tea Party

如果所有2010年创建茶党的人

had decided that, you know, politics is too messy,

认为政治太肮脏，

voting is too complicated.

投票太复杂。

There is no possibility of our votes adding up to anything.

我们的投票永远没有机会贡献任何事。

They didn't preemptively silence themselves.

但他们没有沉默。

They showed up,

他们表达了自己，

and in the course of showing up, they changed American politics.

在表达自我的过程中， 他们改变了美国的政治。

Imagine if all of the followers of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders

想象一下如果特朗普和桑德斯的 所有拥护者

had decided not to upend the political status quo

决定不去碰触政治现状，

而是保持原先的美国政治结构

and blow apart the frame of the previously possible

in American politics.

会怎样。

They did that by voting.

但他们却通过投票迈出了改变的步伐。

We live in a time right now,

我们所生活的时代

divided, often very dark,

出现了严重的分裂，时常黑暗无比，

where across the left and the right, there's a lot of talk of revolution

不论左派右派，都想变革，

and the need for revolution to disrupt everyday democracy.

都有打破常规民主的革命需求。

Well, here's the thing:

而关键就在于：

everyday democracy already gives us a playbook for revolution.

民主环境已经给了我们革命的脚本。

In the 2012 presidential election,

在2012年总统选举中，

young voters, Latino voters,

年轻人，拉丁选民，

Asian-American voters, low-income voters,

亚裔人，低收入群体，

all showed up at less than 50 percent.

投票率都低于50%

In the 2014 midterm elections, turnout was 36 percent,

2014年中期选举是36%，

which was a 70-year low.

70年来最低。

And in your average local election,

地方选举的平均投票率

turnout hovers somewhere around 20 percent.

只有20%左右。

I invite you to imagine 100 percent.

我想请你们想象一下100%。

Picture 100 percent.

100%的投票率会是何种景象。

Mobilize 100 percent,

100%全体动员，

and overnight, we get revolution.

一夜之间，我们就会爆发革命。

Overnight, the policy priorities of this country change dramatically,

一夜之间， 国家的政治优先权就会剧烈反转，

and every level of government becomes radically more responsive

所有级别的政府会更积极回应

to all the people.

民众的呼声。

What would it take to mobilize 100 percent?

怎样来全动员100%的人呢？

Well, we do have to push back against efforts afoot

我们正在为此

all across the country right now

在全国范围内努力，

to make voting harder.

让投票更有力。

But at the same time,

同时，

要积极创立正面的选举文化，

we have to actively create a positive culture of voting

that people want to belong to,

人民乐于追随的文化，

be part of, and experience together.

置身其中，共同经历。

We have to make purpose.

要把选举变得有意义，

更快乐。

We have to make joy.

So yes, let's have that revolution,

对，我们现在一起发动革命，

a revolution of spirit, of ideas,

精神，观念，

of policy and participation,

政策和参与的革命，

a revolution against cynicism,

抛弃玩世不恭，

a revolution against the self-fulfilling sense of powerlessness.

抛弃自我无力感。

Let's vote this revolution into existence,

让我们通过选举来实现革命，

and while we're at it,

我们正在路上，

let's have some fun.

让我们享受这个过程。

Thank you very much.

谢谢。

（掌声）

(Applause)