The story we tell about millennials -- and who we leave out | Reniqua Allen

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Rui Cao

So on the surface,

在表面上，

Troy is the kind of millennial that think pieces are made of.

特洛依是事實文章中 所記載的千禧世代。

He's arrogant, self-centered

他很自大、自我中心，

and convinced that he is smarter than people give him credit for.

堅信自己比人們認為的還要聰明。

His favorite topics of conversation are girls, sneakers and cars --

他談話時最喜歡講的主題包括 女孩、運動鞋，和車子——

not a surprise for someone who was a teenager just a few years ago.

他幾年前才脫離青少年， 所以這不讓人意外。

But Troy's mannerisms --

但特洛依的特徵

they reveal the patterns of someone who is scared,

顯示出的模式

說明他很害怕、煩惱，

troubled and unsure of the future.

對未來充滿不確定。

Now Troy also embodies the many positive qualities

特洛依也具體呈現出

他這個世代為人所知的 許多正面特質：

his generation is known for.

An entrepreneurial spirit,

企業家精神、

an independent streak

獨立的傾向，

and a dedication to his parents.

以及對父母的奉獻。

He believes in hard work

他相信努力工作，

and has tried gigs in both the licit and underground economies,

嘗試過合法和地下經濟的工作，

but he hasn't had any luck

但他的運氣一直不好，

and is just trying to find his way

還在尋找自己的路，

and still dances between both worlds.

仍然在兩個世界之間搖擺不定。

When I met Troy a few years ago,

幾年前，我見到特洛依時，

he had been employed as a golf caddy at a local country club,

他的工作是在當地的 鄉間俱樂部當高爾夫球僮，

carrying bags for rich men and women

為有錢人拿袋子，

who often never even acknowledged his existence.

這些人甚至不會注意到他的存在。

Before that, he sold sneakers on Facebook.

在那之前，他在臉書上賣運動鞋。

He even tried selling candy bars and water bottles,

他甚至試過銷售糖果和水瓶，

but he wasn't making enough money to help his parents out

但賺的錢不夠減輕父母的負擔

or save up for a car any time soon.

或是存夠錢在近期買車。

So Troy saw how hard his immigrant mother from Jamaica worked

特洛依看到他的牙買加 移民母親多麼努力工作

and how little she got back in return,

卻只換回一點點的報酬，

and he vowed --

所以特洛依發誓要走不同的路。

Troy vowed to take a different path.

So he ended up selling drugs.

所以他最後去販毒。

And then he got caught,

接著他被逮了，

and right now, he's trying to figure out his next steps.

現在，他還在想下一步要做什麼。

In a country where money equals power,

在這個錢就是權力的國家，

quick money, at least for a while, gives young men and women like him

快速撈到的錢能讓 像他這樣的年輕人暫時性地

a sense of control over their lives,

有掌控自己人生的感受。

though he said he mainly did it because he wanted stability.

不過，他說他這麼做的 主要原因是想要求穩定。

"I wanted a good life," he told me.

他告訴我：「我想要過好日子。」

"I got greedy and I got caught."

「我起了貪念，然後被逮了。」

Yet the amazing thing about Troy

但，特洛依很不可思議的地方是，

is that he still believes in the American dream.

他仍然相信美國夢。

He still believes that with hard work,

他仍然相信只要努力，

despite being arrested,

儘管被逮捕，

that he can move on up.

他還是可以向上爬。

Now, I don't know if Troy's dreams came true.

我不知道特洛依的夢想有沒有實現。

He disappeared from the program for troubled youth that he was involved in

他離開了本來參與的迷途青年方案，

and slipped through the cracks,

被遺忘了。

but on that day that we spoke,

但在我們交談的那天，

I could tell that more than anything,

我看得出來，最讓特洛依高興的是

Troy was happy that someone listened to his dreams

有人傾聽他的夢想，

and asked him about his future.

並問他關於未來的事。

So I think about Troy and his optimism

我會想到特洛依和他的樂觀，

when I think of the reality that so many young, black millennials face

特別是在當我想到 好多千禧世代黑人青年

when it comes to realizing their dreams.

在實現夢想時要面對的現實。

I think about all the challenges

我會想到這麼多的千禧世代黑人

that so many black millennials have to endure

要忍受各種質疑，

in a world that tells them they can anything they want to be

而他們所處的世界告訴他們，

只要努力，他們什麼都能辦得到，

if they work hard,

but actually doesn't sit down to listen to their dreams

但這個世界卻不願 坐下來傾聽他們的夢想，

or hear stories about their struggle.

或聆聽他們掙扎的故事。

And we really need to listen to this generation

我們真的需要傾聽這個世代，

if we hope to have a healthy and civil society going forward,

這樣我們才有可能 有個健康、文明、向前行的社會，

because millienials of color,

因為千禧世代的有色人種

they make up a fair chunk of the US and the world population.

佔美國和世界人口很高的比例。

Now when we talk about millennials,

當我們談到千禧世代時，

a group that is often labeled as entitled, lazy, overeducated,

這個族群常被貼上這些標籤：

有特權、懶惰、過度教育、

noncommittal and narcissistic,

不承擔義務、自戀，

the conversations often swirl around avocado toast,

我們談的話題通常 脫離不了酪梨吐司、

overpriced lattes and fancy jobs abroad --

價格過高的拿鐵， 和很炫的國外工作——

you probably have heard all these things before.

你可能以前都聽過這些。

But millennials are not a monolith.

但千禧世代並不是 一群完全一樣的人。

Actress Lena Dunham may be the media's representation

女演員莉娜丹恩可能是

這個世代的媒體代表，

of this generation,

but Troy and other voices like his are also part of the story.

但特洛依和其他像他這樣的聲音， 也是故事的一部分。

In fact, millennials are the largest and most diverse adult population

事實上，美國成年人口中

比例最高且最多樣化的 就是千禧世代。

in this country.

44 percent of all American millennials are nonwhite,

所有美國千禧世代中， 有 44% 非白人，

but often, you wouldn't even know it at all.

但通常，你根本不會知道。

Now sure, there are similarities within this population

當然，千禧世代的人 是有相似性沒錯，

born between 1981 and 1996.

在 1981 年到 1996 年間出生。

Perhaps many of us do love avocado toast and lattes --

也許我們許多人的確熱愛 酪梨吐司和拿鐵——

I know I do, right?

我就是如此。

But there are also extreme differences,

但也有極端的差異，

often between millennials of color and white millennials.

通常是有色人種千禧世代 和白種千禧世代之間的差異。

In fact, all too often,

事實上，大部分的時候，

it seems as though we're virtually living in different worlds.

就好像我們真的生活在 不同的世界一樣。

Now black millennials,

千禧世代中的黑人，

a group that I have researched for a book I recently wrote,

我為了我近期所寫的一本書 而研究了這個族群，

are the perfect example of the blind spot that we have

他們是個完美的例子，

說明我們對於這個族群的盲點。

when it comes to this group.

For example,

比如，

we have lower rates of homeownership,

我們擁有房子的比例較低，

we have higher student debt,

學費債務比較高，

we get ID'd more at voter registration booths,

在投票註冊站， 我們較常被查驗身分，

we are incarcerated at higher rates ...

我們被監禁的比例也較高……

we make less money,

我們賺的錢比較少，

we have higher numbers of unemployment --

我們的失業率比較高——

even when we do go to college, I should say --

即使我們能進入大學 就讀也一樣——

and we get married at lower rates.

且我們結婚的比例較低。

And honestly, that's really just the beginning.

老實說，還有很多其他的呢。

Now, none of these struggles are particularly new, right?

上述這些困難， 都不怎麼新奇，對吧？

Young black people in America have been fighting,

在美國，數世紀以來， 年輕黑人一直在奮鬥，

really fighting hard to get their stories told for centuries.

真的很努力奮鬥， 要讓他們的故事被說出來。

After the Civil War in the 1800s,

在 1800 年代的內戰之後，

Reconstruction failed to deliver the equality

奴隸制度終止所預示的平等，

that the end of slavery should have heralded,

在重建時期並沒有實現，

so young people moved to the North and the West

所以年輕人搬到北邊和西邊，

to escape discriminatory Jim Crow policies.

逃離歧視的吉姆克勞法政策。

Then, as segregation raged in much of the country,

接著，種族隔離在全國 大部分地方猖獗起來，

young black people helped spearhead civil rights campaigns

五○和六○年代，年輕黑人

in the 1950s and 1960s.

協助領導公民權運動。

After that, some people embraced black power and then became Black Panthers

在那之後，有些人擁抱了 黑人權力，接著變成了黑豹黨，

and then the next generation,

接著，下一個世代，

they turned to hip-hop to make sure their voices were heard.

他們轉向嘻哈，以確保 他們的聲音能被聽見。

And then Barack Obama,

接著歐巴馬總統也希望能帶來改變。

hopeful that he, too, may bring about change.

And when that failed,

當這也失敗時，

when we realized we were still brutalized and battered,

當我們發現我們仍然 被殘暴對待、被打擊，

we had to let the world know that our lives still mattered.

我們得要讓世界知道， 我們的性命也很重要。

Now, when technology allows more video of our pain and struggle

現在，

科技讓更多關於 我們的痛苦與掙扎的影片

to be broadcast to the world,

可以被播到全世界，

we wonder, like, what is next?

我們開始納悶，接下來是什麼？

Our country feels more polarized than ever,

現在，我們國家的 兩極化狀況是前所未有，

yet we are still being told to pull up our pants,

但我們還是被要求要表現得像個大人，

be respectable, be less angry,

保持尊敬，少生氣，

smile more and work harder.

多微笑，努力工作。

Even the attitudes of millennials themselves are overdue for an update.

就連千禧世代的態度本身 都過時了，需要更新。

Research done by the Washington Post in 2015 about this supposedly "woke" group

《華盛頓郵報》在 2015 年對這個

應該「醒來」的組織進行了研究，

found that 31 percent of white millennials think that blacks are lazier than whites,

發現 31% 的白種千禧世代 認為黑人比白人懶惰，

and 23 percent say they're not as intelligent.

23% 說黑人不聰明。

These are, like, surprising things to me, and shocking.

這些結果讓我很驚訝、很震驚。

And these responses are not that much different

而這些回應和過去的世代 並沒有太大的不同，

than generations in the past,

and it shows that unfortunately,

不幸的是，它顯示出

this generation is repeating the same old stereotypes

這個世代還在重覆 同樣的老式刻板印象

and tropes of the past.

以及過去的比喻用詞。

Now, a study conducted by David Binder Research and MTV in 2014 --

2014 年，大衛賓德研究 和 MTV 進行了一項研究——

it found that 84 percent of young millennials were taught by their families

發現 84% 的年輕 千禧世代被家人教導

that everyone should be equal.

人人都應該平等。

This is a really great thing, a really positive step.

這是很棒的事，很正面的一步。

But only 37 percent in that group

但那群人中只有 37%

actually talked about race with their families.

真正會和他們的家人談論種族。

So I could understand why things may be confusing to some.

我可以了解為什麼 有些人會覺得很困惑。

There are definitely black millennials who are succeeding.

肯定有一些千禧世代的 黑人是成功的。

Marvel's "Black Panther,"

漫威的《黑豹》，

directed by black millennial Ryan Coogler and showcasing many others,

導演瑞安庫格勒是千禧世代黑人， 還展示了許多其他千禧世代黑人，

broke all sorts of records.

打破了各種記錄。

There's a crop of television shows by creatives like Donald Glover,

還有許多電視節目的 創意人才，如唐納葛洛佛、

Lena Waithe and Issa Rae.

麗娜維特，和伊莎蕾。

Beyoncé is, like, the queen, right?

碧昂絲就像是皇后，對吧？

She is, like, everything.

她就像是，最重要的。

Young black authors are winning awards,

年輕黑人作家贏得大獎，

Serena Williams is still dominating on the tennis court

小威廉絲還在主宰網球場，

despite all her haters,

儘管有那些討厭她的人，

and there's a crop of new politicians and activists running for office.

還有許多新的政治家 和活動家參選。

So I don't want to, like, kill these moments of black joy

我並不想要扼殺 這些黑人喜悅的時刻，

that I too revel in,

我也陶醉在其中，

but I want to make it clear

但我想要說清楚，

that these wins are too few and far between

對於在這裡已經有超過 四百年歷史的族群來說，

for a people that's been here for over 400 years.

這些勝仗還太稀少。

Like, that's insane, right?

這很瘋狂，對吧？

And most people still don't really understand the full picture, right?

大部分的人都還不了解 全面的狀況，對吧？

Our stories are still misunderstood,

我們的故事仍然被誤解，

our bodies are still taken advantage of,

我們的身體仍然被佔利用， 而我們的聲音呢？

and our voices?

Our voices are silenced

在這個仍然不太關心 我們日常掙扎的世界中，

in a world that still shows little concern for our everyday struggles.

我們的聲音被消滅了。

So our stories need to be told

所以，要訴說我們的故事，

in a multitude of ways

就要用許多方式，

by a range of voices

用多種聲音，

talking about diverse and nuanced topics,

談論多樣性、有細微差別的主題，

and they really need to be listened to.

且這些故事真的需要被傾聽。

And it is not just here in America, right?

不只是在美國這裡，對吧？

It's all around the world.

世界各地都一樣。

Millennials make up 27 percent of the world's population.

全世界的人口中 有 27% 是千禧世代。

That's around two billion people.

那等同大約二十億人。

And with countries like India, China, Indonesia and Brazil,

像印度、中國、印尼、 巴西這些國家，

along with the United States,

再加上美國，

accounting for 50 percent of the world's millennials,

就佔了全世界千禧世代的 50%，

it's clear that the white, often male, heterosexual narrative of the millennial

很顯然，千禧世代中 白人、男性、異性戀者的故事

is only telling half the story.

僅佔半數而已。

Now, there's many people trying to broaden the palette.

有很多人嘗試在故事上增添色彩，

They're fighting to get their stories told and bust the millennial stereotype.

奮鬥著想要讓他們的故事被說出來， 打破千禧世代刻板印象。

Whether it's students in South Africa protesting statues of Cecil Rhodes,

不論是

抗議塞西爾羅德斯雕像的南非學生，

Michaela Coel making us laugh from the UK,

來自英國逗我們笑的麥可娜柯爾，

or Uche Eze, who's framing views about Nigerian life, online.

和在網路上塑造 奈及利亞生活觀點的烏切埃茲。

But I want to make it clear --

但我想要說清楚，

I want to make it really clear to everyone

想要讓大家清楚知道，

that just because things look more equal than they did

儘管一切看起來 比在二十世紀時更平等，

in the 20th century,

doesn't mean that things are equitable at all.

不表示完全的平等，

It doesn't mean our experiences are equitable,

並不表示我們的經歷是公平的，

and it certainly doesn't mean that a post-racial society,

肯定也不表示社會沒有種族偏見，

that thing that we talked about so much,

並不表示我們談這麼多的平等社會

ever became close to being a reality.

已經快要成為現實。

I think of Joelle,

我會想到喬維兒， 二十多歲的中產階級，

a middle-class 20-something who did everything the "right way,"

她用「對的方法」做所有的事，

but she couldn't go to her dream school, because it was simply too expensive.

但她進不了她夢想的學校， 只因為學費太貴了。

Or Jalessa,

或是裘麗莎，

who knows she can't be mediocre at her job

她的白人同儕可以 在工作上表現平凡，

the same way that her white peers can.

但她卻不能依樣畫葫蘆。

Or Trina, who knows that people judge her unconventional family choices

或選擇非傳統的家庭的崔娜， 她知道若她是白種女性，

in a different way than if she were a white woman.

大家評斷她的方式 一定會有所不同。

Or actor AB,

或演員 AB，

who knows that the roles he takes and gets in Hollywood are different

他知道他在好萊塢能得到的角色

because of his skin color.

因為他的膚色而有所不同。

And then there's Simon.

還有賽蒙——

So Simon, by all means, would be an example of someone who's made it.

賽蒙絕對是個成功人士的例子——

He's a CFO at a tech company in San Francisco,

他是舊金山一間 科技公司的財務長，

he has a degree from MIT

他有麻省理工學院的學位，

and he's worked at some of the hottest tech companies in the world.

他曾經在數個世界上 最熱門的科技公司工作過。

But when I asked Simon if he had achieved the American dream,

但當我問賽蒙

他是否實現了美國夢，

it took him a while to respond.

他花了一點時間才回應。

While acknowledging that he had a really comfortable life,

雖然他知道他過著很舒適的生活，

he admitted that under different circumstances,

他承認，在不同的情況下，

he might have chosen a different path.

他可能會選擇不同的路。

Simon really loves photography,

賽蒙非常愛攝影，

but that was never a real option for him.

但對他來說，這從來 都不是一個選項。

"My parents weren't able to subsidize me

賽蒙說：「我父母沒辦法

through that sort of thing," Simon said.

資助我完成那種事。」

"Maybe that's something my children could do."

「也許我的孩子可以做得到。」

So it's these kinds of stories --

所以，是這類故事——

the quieter, more subtle ones --

比較安靜、比較 不為人知的故事——

that reveal the often unique and untold stories of black millennials

才能揭示出千禧世代黑人 沒有說出的獨特故事，

that show how even dreaming may differ between communities.

呈現出在千禧世代之中， 每個人做的夢也不同。

So we really need to listen and hear the stories of this generation,

我們真的需要傾聽、 聆聽這個世代的故事，

now more than ever,

現在比以前更需要，

as the baby boomers age and millennials come to prominence.

因為嬰兒潮世代和千禧世代 都變得越來越顯要了。

We can talk all we want to about pickling businesses in Brooklyn

我們可以暢所欲言談論

布魯克林的醃酸黃瓜生意，

or avocado toast,

或是酪梨吐司，

but leaving out the stories and the voices of black millennials,

但卻遺漏掉千禧世代 黑人的故事和聲音，

large swaths of the population --

他們佔了大部分的人口——

it will only increase divisions.

這麼做只會增加分裂。

So stories of black millennials, brown millennials

所以，千禧世代黑人、 褐色人種、所有有色人種的故事，

and all millennials of color

really need to be told,

都需要被說出來，也需要被傾聽。

and they also need to be listened to.

We'd be a far better-off country and world.

我們才會成為更好的 國家、更好的世界。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）