A Comedian’s Take on How to Save Democracy | Jordan Klepper | TED

翻译人员: Amelie Chen Qu 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

When TED asked me to be a part of this democracy event,

当 TED 邀请我参与这个 “TED 民主” 活动时，

I was flattered.

我受宠若惊。

When they told me it was a pro-democracy event,

当他们告诉我 这是一场支持民主的活动时，

I paused.

我停顿了下。

Like, really?

问道，真的吗？

We still think this is a good idea?

我们还相信民主是个好主意吗？

Giving everyone a voice?

让所有人都有发言权？

Have you talked to everyone?

你和所有人谈过了吗？

One in 10 Americans believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows.

十分之一的美国人认为 巧克力牛奶来自棕牛。

We want those people weighing in on foreign policy.

我们希望这些人权衡外交政策。

Because if democracy is hearing from the voice of the people,

因为如果民主听取了人民的声音

consider me skeptical of that conversation.

那就认为我对那次对话持怀疑态度。

Because I think we're incapable of having it.

因为我认为我们没有能力拥有它，

Any conversation.

任何对话。

And not just in America, globally, we're tuning people out.

不只是在美国，在全球范围内， 我们正在将人们拒之门外。

Frankly, we're bad at talking to other people.

坦率地说，我们不善于与其他人交谈。

Didn't always used to be this way.

过去并不总是这样。

In the old days, it came naturally.

在过去，它是自然而然的，

We would talk to folks, we would negotiate over food or child care.

我们会与人们交谈， 我们将就食物或儿童保育进行谈判。

So your kid didn't get eaten by a bear

所以你的孩子没有被熊吃掉，

or run off and invent fire.

或逃跑且引发火灾。

But since then, it's gotten harder, more difficult.

但是从那以后，这变得越来越难、 越来越困难。

Screens have placed an impediment between people and thought.

屏幕在人与思想之间设置了障碍。

Partisanship has made talking to someone outside of your own POV traumatic.

党派偏见使你的 作者叙述视角之外的人 交谈变得痛苦。

Now, talking to somebody with a different point of view than yourself

如今，我们不惜一切避免 与自己持不同观点的人交谈。

is to be avoided at all costs.

It's like paying taxes.

就像纳税一样。

Like, you should do it,

比如，你应该这样做，

but if you can avoid it, makes you smart.

但如果你能避免，那你真是聪明。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

It's an awful time for conversations,

现在是对话的糟糕时机，

so much so that even right now I've opted for a lecture.

以至于即使是现在， 我选择了做讲座。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I won't be taking questions.

我不会接受提问的。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I find it easier to speak at you.

我发现让你们好好听我说更容易。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So how did we get here?

那么我们是怎么走到这种地步的？

Well, as someone in their 40s,

好吧，作为一个40多岁的人，

I'm legally obligated to point the finger at social media.

我有法律义务指责社交媒体。

The cultural conversations we have

我们的文化对话取决于 你我所处的论坛。

are dictated by the forums we have them in.

And all those forums,

而所有这些论坛，

they just push us towards short, loud outbursts.

它们只会把我们推向 短暂且吵闹的“热门”。

Maximum volume, short duration.

动静大，时间短。

Now, even right now, this TED Talk is only seven minutes.

现在，即使是现在， 这个 TED 演讲也只有七分钟，

I remember when TED Talks used to be 18 minutes long.

我记得以前的 TED 演讲时长为 18 分钟。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now you have to communicate

现在你必须在上厕所需要的时间内

the economics behind climate catastrophe

in the time it takes for a potty break.

传达气候灾难背后的经济学。

Not great guys, not great.

这样不好，不好。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I remember the good old days

我记得过去 TED 演讲有着

when TED Talks used to be “Theodore Discussions.”

“西奥多讨论 (Theodore Discussions) ” 的美好时光。

You know, a year from now, they're just going to be T's GIFs.

你知道，一年后，它们将变成 T 的 GIF 。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So how do we get better

那么我们如何才能更好地互相交谈呢？

at talking to one another?

If democracy depends on discourse, on compromise,

如果民主取决于话语，取决于妥协，

how do we have civil conversations?

那我们如何进行民事对话？

Well ...

好吧……

The long answer is destroy the bias of social media

长的答案是摧毁社交媒体的偏见

and the cesspool of misinformation

以及主导我们政治和话语的娱乐机器， 重新治理传播错误信息的污水池。

that is propagated by the entertainment machine

that dominates our politics and discourse.

I could tell you how to do that,

我可以告诉你该怎么做，

but TED only gave me seven minutes, so sorry.

但是 TED 只给了我七分钟，很抱歉。

Maybe next time, it would have cleared everything up.

也许下次，它会把所有东西都清理干净。

But in the four minutes,

但是在这四分钟里，

wow, the four minutes we have left,

哇，我们剩下的四分钟，

I'll give you a few tips of what you can do now.

我会给你一些小贴士， 告诉大家你现在能做什么。

So, three tips for how to be slightly better at talking to a human

有三个技巧可以帮助您更好地 与您不同意的人交谈。

you disagree with.

One, read a book.

第一，读一本书。

Easy.

简单。

You know, you're not as smart as you think you are,

你知道，你没有你想象的那么聪明，

get inside the head of someone else.

深入别人的脑海。

And make it a long book.

然后把它写成一本长书。

We need to expand our attention beyond just TikToks.

我们需要延长注意力，而不仅仅是TikToks。

Two, travel.

第二，旅行。

Mark Twain said it best.

马克·吐温说得最好。

You know, bias is reduced by travel.

你知道，旅行可以减少偏见。

It's the easiest way.

这是最简单的方法。

As a kid who grew up in Michigan,

作为一个从小在密歇根州长大的孩子，

I hated Ohio.

我讨厌俄亥俄州。

And then I traveled there, and you know what?

然后我去了那里，你知道吗？

I still hate Ohio.

我还是讨厌俄亥俄州。

But now I know what Akron smells like.

但是现在我知道阿克伦是什么味道了。

So I guess, progress, I think?

所以我猜，我想是有所进步了吧？

And three, concede something.

第三，适时让步。

That's a biggie.

那很重要。

Concession.

特许权。

You have to give something up.

你必须放弃一些东西。

You're not as smart as you think you are.

你没有你想象的那么聪明。

Concession is crucial to democracy.

让步对民主至关重要。

To concede comes from the Latin “consensus,”

让步来自拉丁语的“共识”，

which means to find agreement.

意思是达成协议。

And if you challenge me on that, I would concede.

如果你就此向我提出质疑， 我会承认的。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Because I totally made that up.

因为这完全是我编造的。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

That's how this thing works, you know?

这个东西就是这样运作的，你知道吗？

Even upstanding, charismatic people like myself are full of shit.

即使是像我这样挺拔、有魅力的人 也胡说八道的。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Like many of us, I find my desire to be seen as smart

和许多人一样，当我不知道自己在说什么时， 我发现自己特别想自作聪明，

outweighs my desire to shut up when I don't know what I'm talking about.

也不愿意选择沉默。

It's hard for Americans to shut up

美国人在不知道自己在说什么时候， 很难闭嘴。

when they don't know what they're talking about.

When you make politics a sport, then everything becomes win or lose,

当你把政治当作一项运动时， 一切都变成了输赢，

every conversation becomes a negotiation over field position.

每一次对话都变成了关于立场的谈判。

Our guards are up.

我们的警卫准备好了。

We're defensive, we're afraid of getting punched in the face.

我们在防守，我们害怕被拳打脸。

We think our strongest weapon is our certainty.

我们认为我们最强的武器是我们的确定性。

But the most relatable thing about us is our failure.

但是和我们最相关的是 我们的失败。

Has no one here been to therapy?

这里没人去过治疗吗？

It's all there.

都在那里。

And democracy in a bipartisan country

而在两党国家中，民主就像婚姻。

is like a marriage.

And in America,

而在美国，

we are at the couple's counseling phase.

我们正处于这对夫妇的婚姻咨询阶段。

America, you've made some mistakes.

美国，你犯了一些错误。

Republicans, maybe vaccines aren't the work of the devil.

共和党人， 也许疫苗不是魔鬼所为。

Democrats,

民主党人， 也许波特兰确实糟透了。

maybe Portland does suck.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Canada, Canada, it's 2023,

加拿大，加拿大，现在是 2023 年，

you can’t call your police “Mounties.”

你不能称你的警察为 “骑警”。

Alright?

好吗？

We're imperfect, we have to accept that.

我们并不完美，我们必须接受这一点。

It's hard to say you don't know.

很难说你不知道。

But it can also be liberating.

但它也可以解放。

Like, I don't know how to throw away batteries, I don't.

比如，我不知道如何扔掉电池，我不知道。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I don't know what "40 percent chance of rain" means.

我不知道 “40% 的降雨几率” 是什么意思。

Does it mean it's 40 percent chance it will rain

这是否意味着下雨

or that it’s going to rain, only 40 percent chance as hard?

或下雨的几率为 40％， 只有 40％ 的几率如此艰难？

I don't know, I don't know, I don't,

我不知道，我不知道，我不知道，

but it's liberating.

但这是一种解放。

We need to, we need to concede a little on everything.

我们需要， 我们需要在所有事情上稍微让步。

Except for gun safety reform.

枪支安全改革除外。

That's a no-brainer.

这不费吹灰之力。

But everything else --

但是其他一切——

And climate.

还有气候。

See, it's tough.

看，这很艰难。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

It's hard, it's hard.

这很难，很难。

We're not very good at it.

我们不太擅长。

It's not popular to concede.

让步并不受欢迎。

In America, there's a big chunk of the population right now

在美国，目前有很大一部分

who hasn't conceded the last presidential election.

人没有承认上次总统大选。

It's hard to give any ground when you can't agree

当你不同意你所站立的地球 要么是圆形的要么是平坦的，

that the Earth you stand on is either round or flat.

就很难给出任何依据。

But, but, perhaps a gesture of understanding,

但是，

if not towards irrefutable facts,

如果不是对无可辩驳的事实，

but to your own uncertainty

而是对自己的不确定性表现出理解的姿态，

is a step towards progress.

也是朝着进步迈出的一步。

I think the phrase “I don’t know” invites a softening,

我认为 “我不知道”这句话会让人感到软化，

and the ground is too hard to grow much of anything right now.

而且现在这个土壤种植任何东西都太难了。

What I think, in order for American democracy to survive,

我认为，为了使美国民主得以生存，

we need a culture of vulnerability,

我们需要一种脆弱的文化，

or at least a space in that culture for vulnerability.

或者至少在这种文化中为脆弱性留出空间。

The good news is, being wrong is sexy.

好消息是，犯错很性感。

Failure is an aphrodisiac.

失败是一种壮阳药。

Every person who has ever loved me has told me how much of a loser I am.

每个曾经爱过我的人 都告诉我我是个失败者。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

The proof is in the pudding.

证据就在布丁里。

And if conceding is too much for you,

而且，如果示弱对你来说太难了，

if that feels weak, OK, don't think of it as conceding.

如果那让你感觉很弱，好吧， 不要把它当作示弱。

Think of it as gamesmanship.

把它想象成游戏技巧。

You're setting a trap.

你在设陷阱。

Trap them with your vulnerability.

用你的脆弱的一面困住他们。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Hypnotize them with your humility.

用你的谦卑来催眠他们。

Distract them with your failure.

用你的失败分散他们的注意力。

And as they begin to reveal themselves to you in your uncertainty,

当他们开始在你的不确定性中 向你显露时，

smash those fools.

粉碎那些傻瓜。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

In the game of democracy, in order to win,

在民主游戏中，为了获胜，

we may have to start with a loss.

我们可能必须从失败开始。

But what do I know?

但是我又知道什么呢？

I could be wrong.

我可能错了。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）