The danger of silence | Clint Smith | TED

譯者: Adrienne Lin 審譯者: Kuan-Yi Li

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,

小馬丁．路德．金博士

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

在 1968 年一場演講中反思人權運動時，

states, "In the end,

說道：「最終，

we will remember not the words of our enemies

我們會記得的並非敵人的話語，

but the silence of our friends."

而是朋友的沉默。」

As a teacher, I've internalized this message.

身為教師，我把這句話內化了。

Every day, all around us,

每天在我們的周遭

we see the consequences of silence

都能看見沉默的後果

manifest themselves in the form of discrimination,

以各種形式呈現：

violence, genocide and war.

歧視、暴力、屠殺、戰爭。

In the classroom, I challenge my students

在教室中，我鼓勵學生

to explore the silences in their own lives

透過詩作，在生活中探索沉默。

through poetry.

We work together to fill those spaces,

我們一起填滿那些空白、

to recognize them, to name them,

認識它們、指出它們

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

並瞭解它們並不必是種羞恥。

In an effort to create a culture within my classroom

為了在教室裡創造這種文化，

where students feel safe sharing the intimacies

讓學生分享他們所沉默的事而感到自在，

of their own silences,

I have four core principles posted on the board

我將四個核心原則放到黑板上，

that sits in the front of my class,

就在教室最前方，

which every student signs at the beginning of the year:

每位學生在學期開始時都簽名：

read critically, write consciously,

批判性地閱讀、有意識地寫作、

speak clearly, tell your truth.

清晰地說話、說實話。

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

我對於最後一點想了很多，

tell your truth.

說實話。

And I realized that

後來我發現，

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

如果我要學生勇敢說出口，

I was going to have to tell my truth

我就要以身作則說實話，

and be honest with them about the times

並在自己無法做到時坦白。

where I failed to do so.

So I tell them that growing up,

所以我告訴他們，

as a kid in a Catholic family in New Orleans,

在紐奧良天主教家庭長大的我，

during Lent I was always taught

在大齋期，我總被教導說

that the most meaningful thing one could do

一個人能做最有意義的事

was to give something up,

就是放棄某一件東西，

sacrifice something you typically indulge in

犧牲你平常很享受的一件事

to prove to God you understand his sanctity.

向上帝證明你理解祂的神聖。

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

我齋戒過汽水、麥當勞、薯條、

French kisses, and everything in between.

法式接吻以及其他不少事。

But one year, I gave up speaking.

但有一年，我放棄說話。

I figured the most valuable thing I could sacrifice

我想我能犧牲的最寶貴的事情

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

就是我的言語，但其實我沒發現

that I had given that up a long time ago.

我老早就放棄自己的言語了。

I spent so much of my life

我用了生命中太多時間

telling people the things they wanted to hear

告訴別人他們想聽的事

instead of the things they needed to,

而非當頭棒喝。

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

告訴自己我無須扮演其他人的良知，

because I still had to figure out being my own,

因為我也不知道自己的良知是什麼，

so sometimes I just wouldn't say anything,

所以有些時候我安靜不說話，

appeasing ignorance with my silence,

以沉默來掩飾我的無知，

卻沒意識到沉默暗示著默許。

unaware that validation doesn't need words

to endorse its existence.

When Christian was beat up for being gay,

當克里斯汀因同性戀傾向被毆打，

I put my hands in my pocket

我將手插口袋，

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

低頭走過，視而不見。

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

連置物櫃的鎖閂都在提醒我，

reminded me of the one I had put on my lips

讓我想起我是如何雙唇緊閉地

when the homeless man on the corner

應對轉角的流浪漢。

looked at me with eyes up merely searching

那仰望的視線不過是

for an affirmation that he was worth seeing.

想確認自己是否值得被看一眼。

I was more concerned with touching the screen on my Apple

而我只專心滑我手上的蘋果，

than actually feeding him one.

而沒想過要餵他一顆。

When the woman at the fundraising gala

當慈善會的女人說

said "I'm so proud of you.

「我真是替你感到驕傲。

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

教導窮苦、不聰明的學生很辛苦吧」的時候，

I bit my lip, because apparently we needed her money

我緊閉雙唇，因為很顯然我們需要她的錢

more than my students needed their dignity.

勝過於我的學生需要尊嚴。

We spend so much time

我們花這麼多時間

listening to the things people are saying

傾聽人們說的話，

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

卻鮮少注意他們所沒說的事。

Silence is the residue of fear.

沉默是恐懼的殘渣。

It is feeling your flaws

是感受到自己的缺點

gut-wrench guillotine your tongue.

狠狠地將你的舌頭斬斷；

It is the air retreating from your chest

是從胸腔吐出的空氣，

because it doesn't feel safe in your lungs.

因為在肺裡覺得不安全。

Silence is Rwandan genocide. Silence is Katrina.

沉默有如盧安達大屠殺；有如卡崔娜。

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

是屍體袋不夠時會聽到的聲音；

It is the sound after the noose is already tied.

是上吊繩綁好時的聲音；

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

是焦炭；是鎖鍊；是特權；是痛楚。

There is no time to pick your battles

沒有時間挑選自己的戰役，

when your battles have already picked you.

因為戰役已活生生擺在眼前。

I will not let silence wrap itself around my indecision.

我不會讓優柔寡斷助長沉默，

I will tell Christian that he is a lion,

我會告訴克里斯汀他是雄獅，

a sanctuary of bravery and brilliance.

是勇敢與輝煌的聖地。

I will ask that homeless man what his name is

我會問那流浪漢的名字，

and how his day was, because sometimes

問他那天過得如何，因為有時候

all people want to be is human.

大家想要的只是被當作人一樣對待。

I will tell that woman that my students can talk about

我會告訴那位女士，我的學生可以

transcendentalism like their last name was Thoreau,

像梭羅那樣談論超驗主義。

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

就因為妳看了一集《火線重案組》

doesn't mean you know anything about my kids.

不代表妳就了解我的學生。

So this year,

所以今年

instead of giving something up,

我非但不會放棄某物，

I will live every day as if there were a microphone

我要像舌頭底下 有麥克風一樣地過每一天，

tucked under my tongue,

a stage on the underside of my inhibition.

在我壓抑的腳下有個舞台。

Because who has to have a soapbox

誰還需要講台？

when all you've ever needed is your voice?

你的勇敢發聲就足矣。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）