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

譯者: 穎君 紀 審譯者: 麗玲 辛

Hi, I'm Peter.

大家好，我是彼得。

And six years ago,

六年前，

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

我得知一項消息，改變了我的人生—

From 1969 through 2001,

1969 年到 2001 年，

the US government murdered over 12 billion birds

美國政府在美國國土上空 殺了 120 億隻鳥。

in the American skies.

They did this using poisonous toxins dropped from airplanes

他們利用飛機投下毒藥， 該毒藥有傳染性，

that was contagious and murdered all of the birds

在 40 年內殺死了每一隻鳥。

over the course of about 40 years.

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

我知道大眾對這件事的認知不一樣，

and may sound absurd,

聽起來也很荒謬，

but please just bear with me and keep an open mind

但還請大家保持耐心以及尊重，

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

聽我分享完這則消息。

I know a lot of you may be wondering

我知道你們都在想

why would the government kill 12 billion birds?

政府為什麼要殺 120 億隻鳥？

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

聽起來就是個很耗時的大工程。

The reason is as devastating as it is simple.

原因既驚人又單純。

For each bird the government killed,

政府每殺一隻鳥，

they replaced it with a surveillance drone replica in disguise

就放出一隻鳥型監控無人機

designed to spy on the American people.

來監視美國人民。

Now ...

現在，

Some may say,

可能有些人說

if you're the government, at least,

假設你是政府，

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

這 120 億的犧牲起碼算是值得，

for the safety of the people, right?

畢竟這保障了全美國人民的安全對吧。

I don't know about that,

我可不覺得，

這聽起來比較像是剝奪人民的自由，

it seems like a pretty serious limit on our freedom,

wouldn't you agree?

你不覺得嗎？

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

仔細觀察就能發現我們身邊 有許多證據，證明鳥是機器，

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

講個最簡單的，鳥站在電線上充電—

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So they can refuel up high

牠們充飽電之後，

and they can watch the civilians, you know.

才能繼續監視美國人民嘛。

They also track civilians using a liquid tracking device.

機器鳥還用液體追蹤裝置來追蹤人民。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

You ever wonder why birds poop on your car?

你有想過鳥為什麼要大便在你車上嗎？

Do you need more evidence?

還需要更多證據嗎？

Really, I can go all day up here.

講一整天都講不完。呃⋯⋯

Who here has seen a baby pigeon?

有人有看過鴿子幼鳥嗎？

You haven't, have you?

沒有嘛，有嗎？

It's weird.

奇怪了，大鴿子這麼多， 那小鴿子在哪裡？（笑聲）

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

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

因為牠們以成鳥的型態飛出工廠，

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

There's no organic growth, you know.

牠們都採無機的方式成長嘛。

It's a smoking gun.

答案已經呼之欲出了。

Over the years,

這幾年來，

as I began putting this information together,

我一點一點拼湊手邊的相關資訊，

I began realizing the extent of all this.

慢慢揭開了這事件的全貌。

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

有時候我希望自己完全不曉得這件事，

My life would be so much easier.

我的人生不知道會輕鬆多少。

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

我記得自己知道這件事前還比較快樂，

my steps were lighter, you know.

腳步也輕盈一些。

But I always come back to this.

但我最後都這樣告訴自己，

It is my moral obligation

這是我的道德義務，

as one of the few privileged enough to know this,

身為一個有特殊機緣得知這訊息的人，

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

我就有義務告訴你們 這群不知情的盲目羔羊。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

我這幾年都在做這件事。

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

我加入了「鳥不是真的」行動，

And in 2021,

2021 年時，

I was promoted to public information officer for the movement.

我被晉升為該行動的知識推廣長，

It's the honor of my life.

那是我一生最光榮的時刻。

I had one job.

我有了一個正式的職位。

Oh, thank you, thank you.

謝謝，謝謝。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

Thank you.

謝謝。

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

我唯一的工作就是解除大眾 對鳥那近乎洗腦的天大誤解。

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

我用「解除洗腦」這個字， 因為你們都被洗腦了。

You know that, right?

你也知道吧？

我們活在認同鳥真實存在的文明， 沈浸於漫天宣傳中。

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

For instance, every state has a state bird,

比如說，每個州都有州鳥，

the national mascot is a bald eagle,

代表國家的動物是白頭海鵰，

presidents don't talk, they tweet,

總統不講話，而是說鳥語（發推文），

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

推文又傳遍以鳥為商標的社群平台。

Once I knew this, my first order of business

我一得知這件事，

就馬上將這消息散播給所有美國人民，

was to get the information out to the American people,

get off the internet into the real world.

引領他們離開網路世界，回到現實。

So that's what I did.

我怎麼做的呢？

I bought a van,

我買了台廂型車，

covered it in decals with facts.

車身貼滿印著事實的貼紙。

I wanted to turn the highway into an information highway,

我想把高速公路轉為 散播資訊和知識的場所，

awaken the people.

藉此喚醒人民。

I went city to city, holding rallies,

我拜訪一座座城市、主持集會，

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

見了數以千計的支持者， 人數每天都在增加。

And I was putting up billboards wherever we went,

我還在經過的地方設廣告看板，

sharing our simple but powerful message.

散播這簡單卻鏗鏘有力的訊息。

Look how beautiful it is.

看看它多美麗。

Now, the government,

那，政府呢，

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

the government did take note of what we were doing

政府確實有在關切我們的行動，

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

他們給我們一些警告， 試圖嚇阻我們的行動—

You can see them right there.

你們看，就是那些。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But we did not fold.

但我們沒有屈服，

We kept on going.

繼續向前邁進。

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

我們開始在一些世上最邪惡的 挺鳥企業周圍舉行集會，

in the world, starting with Twitter,

以推特為首，

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

我們帶領數百人，前去 抗議他們挺鳥的商標。

Months later, we brought 500 people out to CNN headquarters

幾個月後，我們又帶領五百人 前往 CNN 總部，

to demand fairer coverage for bird truthers on air.

要求他們提高「鳥不是真的」 行動的曝光率。

Then just last year,

去年，

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

我們率領兩千人來到紐約華盛頓廣場，

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

要求市長關閉在市內活動的 所有機器鴿。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Here's what that looked like.

集會現場是這個樣子。

(Crowd shouting) Birds aren't real!

（群眾高喊）鳥不是真的！

Birds aren't real!

鳥不是真的！

Birds aren't real!

鳥不是真的！

Birds aren't real!

鳥不是真的！

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Can't even tell you how that felt.

那時心情我無以言表。

我當時手拿大聲公站在廂型車上， 用手機錄下這畫面，

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

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

深切體會到我們正在喚醒 一座極需被喚醒的國家。

I can't think of anything more beautiful.

我想不到比這更美好的事了。

OK, let me start this talk over.

好，讓我重新開始我的演講。

I do not actually believe that birds are robots.

我一點都不相信鳥是機器，

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

這張照片裡的人也都不相信鳥是機器。

This is a character that I played for four years.

這是我扮演了四年的角色：

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

一場虛假行動的領導人。

我們提出的證據和歷史全是胡扯。

Our goal was to convince the public

我們的活動目標是說服大眾 這整個諷刺行動是真的，

that our satirical movement was a real one.

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

並觀察媒體會不會相信我們。

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

為了達成目標，我扮演了 剛演給你們看的那個角色。

We held rallies, put up billboards.

我們舉行集會、刊登廣告看板、

甚至寄出假證據給許多媒體，

We even sent the media a lot of fake evidence.

還聘了一位老演員， 請他扮演前中情局探員

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

confessing to his crimes.

來自白他犯過的罪行。

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

我們把這份爆料文件寄給 各大媒體，命名為「鳥門」，

that came out of the Pentagon,

假裝它來自五角大廈，

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

where we forged hundreds of fake emails

我們捏造幾百封假電郵，

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

揭發社會精英和政府官員 在無人鳥監視陰謀裡的作為。

It didn't take much to convince the media.

媒體不一會兒就信了。

After just one summer holding rallies like this,

只需一個夏天的時間， 辦幾場這樣的集會，

it became nationally syndicated news

這件事就上了全國媒體的報導， 包括許多地方新聞台，

on tons of local news stations

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

說我們是有五十年歷史的行動組織，

And there was a resurgence happening where it was coming back

組織重啟活動後，熱潮復燃，

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

有位激進的新領導者， 也就是我，再次展開行動，

as the rise of conspiracy theories swept the nation.

隨著陰謀論崛起，席捲全美。

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

到了這一步，我坐在沙發上，

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

看媒體把我主持的假行動報導成真的，

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

我覺得我該脫離那個角色了，

因為，第一，我們已經達到目標，

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

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

第二，我不希望活動的意圖走偏。

So in 2021, I broke character,

所以我在 2021 年時脫離這個角色，

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

在紐約時報頭版揭露 這行動不過是場鬧劇。

And I was very proud, as you can see.

各位從圖上可以看到我很驕傲。

Allow me to reintroduce myself one more time.

請容我再做一次自我介紹。

Hi, I'm Peter.

嗨，我是彼得。

Can you say, "Hi, Peter?"

可以回「嗨，彼得」嗎？

(Audience) Hi, Peter.

（觀眾：嗨，彼得。）

Hey.

嘿，

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

我想跟你聊聊我自己。

I grew up in Arkansas in Little Rock,

我在阿肯色州的小石城長大，

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

我住在城鎮郊區，從小在家自學。

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

我居住的社區極為虔誠，非常保守，

我認識的許多人 都相信各種形式的陰謀論，

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

whether it was that Obama was the Antichrist

比如歐巴馬是反基督者，

or that there are microchips in the vaccines.

或者疫苗裡有微晶片。

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

我一生都覺得自己活在 正常社會的邊緣地帶。

So, as you can imagine,

所以各位可想而知，

when it became time for me to play a character,

如果我要演繹一個角色，

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

陰謀論者對我來說實在是小菜一碟。

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

扮演陰謀論者時，我用小時候 聽過的那些說詞、邏輯和論點，

logic and arguments as those I grew up around,

just with a different theory swapped in.

只抽換了其中的理論。

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

我非常投入，想演繹好這個角色， 盡可能演得天衣無縫。

as method as possible.

有時我會連續好幾天扮演這角色，

So I spent days, sometimes, in character,

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

開著廂型車出外，

just talking with strangers.

跟陌生人講話，

It led to hundreds of interactions with strangers

我因此得以跟陌生人們互動幾百次，

who thought that I was a real conspiracy theorist.

他們以為我真的是個陰謀論者。

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

我常出外，戴著牛仔帽，

handing out fliers that said things like,

發著傳單，上面寫，

"If it flies, it's spies."

「鳥大哥在看著你。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

We had another flyer that said,

我們還有另一張傳單上面寫說，

"Birdwatching goes both ways."

「你賞鳥時，鳥也在看著你。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

這幾年來，我一面發傳單、 一面跟陌生人交談，

there were hundreds, maybe thousands of instances over the years

大概有幾百或幾千次，

where strangers would approach me.

有陌生人主動找我攀談。

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

他們在公眾場合看見我， 我也發現他們注意到我，

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

他們朝我走過來，臉上充滿鄙視，

They thought that I was a real conspiracy theorist.

他們認為我是個真的陰謀論者。

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

一次又一次，人們朝我走來，

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

離我大約跟你們這排的距離 這麼近，看著我的眼睛，

然後跟我說我有多愚蠢。

and they would tell me how stupid I am.

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

他們說我沒受過教育，我瘋了，

That I was the problem with this country.

我是社會毒瘤。

When this happens,

每當這種情況發生，

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

我沒感受到我以為會有的那些情緒。

My out-of-character self may interpret these interactions

角色外的自己會將這些互動看成

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

被這可笑行動唬到上當的人 所做出的滑稽反應，

but instead I felt the emotions of the character.

但我卻感受到我扮演角色的情緒，

I felt emboldened and I felt sad and angry.

被罵之後，我反而氣焰高漲， 也覺得傷心、憤怒，

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

因為人們根本沒試圖理解我，

They instantly condemned me, judged me and othered me.

還譴責我、評斷我、把我視為異端。

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

從小到大，我都覺得自己 站在與周圍的人相反的那端—

the normal and the fringe.

正常但邊緣。

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

路人來跟我說話的時候，

they could not have been more ineffective

我認為他們想減少世界上的陰謀論者，

at what I would assume they really want.

Less conspiracy theorists in the world.

但他們使用的方式真的太沒效率了。

These experiences, hundreds of them over the years,

這幾年來的幾百次經驗，

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

我觀察人們怎麼跟 活在正常社會以外的人互動，

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

因而得到看待陰謀論者的新視角，

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

不論是新聞媒體如何描述陰謀論者，

to how we deal with those in our own lives.

或日常生活中我們怎麼對待他們。

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

如果我們的目的是 和周遭每個人活在共同的現實裡，

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

現在的做法可能沒辦法接近這個目標。

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

罵陰謀論者「無知」、「愚蠢」，

we're actually pushing them farther away from the truth

只會讓他們更加遠離 我們希望他們看見的真相。

that we want them to see?

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

因為，聽到有人說你笨、說你錯，

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

說你有問題的時候，你會如何回應？

You'll feel judged and dismissed.

你覺得被評斷、被冒犯，

And most importantly, you’ll feel othered,

最重要的，你覺得被當成異類，

which may lead you to look for safety

因此，你想要尋求安全感，

in those who are like-minded

投入同溫層的懷抱，

to do what they have been doing for you.

彼此取暖，

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

肯定你的個性， 給予你身分認同和歸屬感，

These are some of the most basic human desires.

這些都是人類最基本的需求。

We have to consider that conspiracy theorists

我們必須細想，陰謀論者 會加入這些團體並不無理由。

are not just joining these groups for no reason.

They're getting rewards out of these,

他們在這些團體裡得到回報，

things that we are all looking for,

那些我們也在尋求的感受：

a sense of purpose, community.

使命感、聯繫感。

I grew up with the internet

我生長在有網路的時代，

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

實施這項計畫的期間裡， 在我沒扮演角色時，

有人跟我提過「假訊息時代」、

people have talked to me about the misinformation age

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

令人擔憂的問題，如網路上的 同溫層、陰謀論者。

and conspiracy theorists.

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

但我想提醒大家一件事： 坐在螢幕前的都是有血有淚的人，

It's not just numbers.

而不是數字。

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

每個人不同的人生經驗 塑造出他們對世界的不同詮釋，

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

目前沒有辦法能改變它。

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

但我不覺得陰謀論者在線上形成同溫層

are this inevitable symptom of life online.

是網路世界不可避免的弊病。

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

網路已存在三十年，世界快速變動，

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

我認為我們亟需找出新方法，

for these new problems on a fundamental level.

從根本來解決這些新問題。

What if by addressing belief before belonging,

處理某人的歸屬感問題之前， 就去檢討他的信念，

we're starting the conversation at the wrong place?

這種溝通一開始就錯了。

Instead of sitting in collective bewilderment and frustration

我們別再苦思、哀嘆為何陰謀論者

about how these people could believe these things,

相信這些古里古怪、瘋瘋癲癲的理論，

these crazies,

what if we first looked under the hood

如果在批判前先探究、

and thought about what made them vulnerable to this information

思考為何他們特別容易 受陰謀論影響，會不會有不同結果？

in the first place?

他們從陰謀論裡得到

What might they be getting out of this

that they're not getting in their everyday lives?

哪些現實生活中得不到的回報呢？

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

這跟另一種真相有關嗎？

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

還是跟這些論點所凝聚的群體有關？

We need to think about people's circumstances

我們必須同理他人的處境和判斷基準，

and reference points,

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

了解他們跟在場的各位一樣，也是一群 想要有信念、有歸屬感的一般人。

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

Because if we continue with our current approach of arguing

如果我們堅持用現有的方法

質疑、打擊陰謀論者的信念，

on the level of belief,

it's not going to get us anywhere.

那我們不會有任何成果，

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

只會讓同溫層更厚，

more disinformation and more polarization.

讓假消息、政治兩極化更猖獗。

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

或者，我們可以做更難的事， 探究是什麼因素

for an alternate truth.

讓另類真相亟需存在。

Not only would this lend us more empathy

這樣不但會讓我們更能同理 抱持不同看法的人們，

for those who think differently than us,

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

也是我認為的唯一有效的方法，

productive means,

用來打造人人都想生活其中的 共同現實世界。

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

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

把批判的精力轉向解決歸屬感危機吧。

And then maybe we will understand the crisis of belief.

這樣也許我們就能理解這個信念危機。

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

下台之前再講一件事。

Just don’t forget:

切記：

if it flies, it's spies.

鳥大哥在看著你。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Cheers and applause)

（歡呼、鼓掌）