Let's end ageism | Ashton Applewhite

譯者: Ziyu Lin 審譯者: Yabing Lv

What's one thing that every person in this room is going to become?

在座的每個人都會變成什麼樣？

Older.

變老。

And most of us are scared stiff at the prospect.

而且大多數人一想到變老就嚇壞了。

How does that word make you feel?

這個詞會讓你產生怎樣的感覺呢？

I used to feel the same way.

我過去也有這樣的感受。

What was I most worried about?

我曾經最擔心的是什麼呢？

Ending up drooling in some grim institutional hallway.

最終在養老院 陰冷的走廊上流著口水。

And then I learned that only four percent of older Americans

之後我了解到 只有 4% 的美國老年人，

are living in nursing homes,

居住在養老院。

and the percentage is dropping.

而且這個百分比正在下降。

What else was I worried about?

我還曾擔心過什麼呢？

Dementia.

失智症。

Turns out that most of us can think just fine to the end.

其實大多數人在去世前 都保持著正常的思考能力。

Dementia rates are dropping, too.

失智症的比例也在下降。

The real epidemic is anxiety over memory loss.

真正的流行病是我們對失憶的焦慮。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I also figured that old people were depressed

同時，我發現老人們是抑鬱沮喪的。

because they were old and they were going to die soon.

因為他們老了， 而且很快就會去世了。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It turns out that the longer people live,

其實人活的越長，

the less they fear dying,

越無懼死亡。

and that people are happiest at the beginnings and the end of their lives.

而且人們在生命最初 和最末的階段是最開心的。

It's called the U-curve of happiness,

這被稱作 U 型幸福曲線。

and it's been borne out by dozens of studies around the world.

這個結論是由全世界許多研究產生的。

You don't have to be a Buddhist or a billionaire.

你不需要是佛教徒或者億萬富翁。

The curve is a function of the way aging itself affects the brain.

這個曲線說明了 年齡自身對大腦的影響作用。

So I started feeling a lot better about getting older,

所以我開始對變老感覺好多了。

and I started obsessing about why so few people know these things.

然而我開始困擾 為什麼很少人明白這些道理。

The reason is ageism:

原因是：年齡主義。

discrimination and stereotyping on the basis of age.

針對年齡的歧視和刻板印象。

We experience it anytime someone assumes we're too old for something,

每時每刻都有人認為

我們太老了、不適合做某件事。

instead of finding out who we are and what we're capable of,

而不是了解清楚

我們是怎樣的人，我們的能力如何。

or too young.

或者是太年輕了，不適合做某事。

Ageism cuts both ways.

年齡主義對兩方面都有影響。

All -isms are socially constructed ideas -- racism, sexism, homophobia --

所有「主義」都是 社會建構的觀念——

種族主義、性別歧視主義、 同性戀恐懼症。

and that means we make them up,

這意味著我們創造了這些觀念，

and they can change over time.

而且它們能隨時間改變。

All these prejudices pit us against each other

所有這些偏見使我們針鋒相對，

to maintain the status quo,

只為維持現狀。

like auto workers in the US competing against auto workers in Mexico

就像美國的汽車工人 和墨西哥的汽車工人互相競爭，

instead of organizing for better wages.

而不是聯合起來，爭取更高的薪酬。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

We know it's not OK to allocate resources by race or by sex.

我們知道不能 根據種族或性別分配資源，

Why should it be OK to weigh the needs of the young against the old?

那為什麼要將年輕人 和年長者的需求對立看待呢？

All prejudice relies on "othering" -- seeing a group of people

所有的偏見都來自於「他者」——

將一群人視為「他者」，

as other than ourselves:

跟我們自身區別。

other race, other religion, other nationality.

他們來自其它的種族、 宗教信仰、國籍。

The strange thing about ageism:

關於年齡主義， 有件很奇怪的事情是：

that other is us.

我們終將成為「他者。」

Ageism feeds on denial -- our reluctance to acknowledge

年齡主義建立在否認之上—— 我們不願意承認

that we are going to become that older person.

我們終有一天也將成為老人。

It's denial when we try to pass for younger

我們假裝自己還年輕，

or when we believe in anti-aging products,

我們相信抗衰老產品，

or when we feel like our bodies are betraying us,

我們感覺身體背叛了自己，

simply because they are changing.

其實只是因為身體衰老了。

Why on earth do we stop celebrating the ability to adapt and grow

我們究竟為什麼不再讚美自己 在進入生命新階段時

as we move through life?

適應和成長的能力呢？

Why should aging well mean struggling to look and move

為什麼變老意味著 努力保持年輕時的容貌，

like younger versions of ourselves?

像年輕時一樣行動？

It's embarrassing to be called out as older

被別人稱作老年人是件 很尷尬的事情，

until we quit being embarrassed about it,

除非我們不再 因為衰老而感到難為情。

and it's not healthy to go through life dreading our futures.

而且對未來感到恐懼 也不是健康的生活方式。

The sooner we get off this hamster wheel of age denial,

我們越早放下對衰老循環般的恐懼，

the better off we are.

我們的生活就會越好。

Stereotypes are always a mistake, of course,

當然，刻板印象常常是錯誤的

but especially when it comes to age,

關於年齡的刻板印象尤其錯誤。

because the longer we live,

因為我們越年長，

the more different from one another we become.

就越來越不同於他人。

Right? Think about it.

對嗎？想想看。

And yet, we tend to think of everyone in a retirement home

但我們還是傾向於認為 養老院的所有人

as the same age: old --

都是一樣的年紀：老年人。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

when they can span four decades.

儘管他們的年齡跨度有四十年。

Can you imagine thinking that way about a group of people

你能想像用這種方式來考慮

between the ages of 20 and 60?

一組 20 歲到 60 歲之間的人嗎？

When you get to a party, do you head for people your own age?

當你參加聚會的時候， 是否會去尋找和你年紀相仿的人？

Have you ever grumbled about entitled millennials?

你是否抱怨過千禧世代？

Have you ever rejected a haircut or a relationship or an outing

你是否拒絕過一種髮型、 一段感情或者一次出遊，

because it's not age-appropriate?

因為年齡不合適？

For adults, there's no such thing.

對於成年人來說， 這些事情不會發生。

All these behaviors are ageist.

這些都是歧視年齡的行為。

We all do them,

我們都有這些歧視行為。

and we can't challenge bias unless we're aware of it.

我們無法挑戰這種偏見， 除非我們認識到它的存在。

Nobody's born ageist,

沒有人是天生的年齡歧視者，

but it starts at early childhood,

但年齡歧視在童年早期就已發生，

around the same time attitudes towards race and gender start to form,

在種族、性別意識產生的同時。

because negative messages about late life bombard us

因為關於老年的信息 對我們進行狂轟濫炸，

from the media and popular culture at every turn.

每時每刻來自 媒體和流行文化的轟炸。

Right? Wrinkles are ugly.

對嗎？皺紋是醜的。

Old people are pathetic.

老年人是可憐的。

It's sad to be old.

衰老令人悲傷。

Look at Hollywood.

看看好萊塢，

A survey of recent Best Picture nominations

關於最佳影片提名的一項調查顯示，

found that only 12 percent of speaking or named characters

影片中僅有 12% 的主要角色

were age 60 and up,

是 60 歲以上的老年人，

and many of them were portrayed as impaired.

而且許多角色被描繪成 有缺陷的、受損害的。

Older people can be the most ageist of all,

老年人自己可能是年齡歧視 最強有力的支持者。

because we've had a lifetime to internalize these messages

因為我們有一生的時間 來內化這些歧視的信息，

and we've never thought to challenge them.

而且從未想過要挑戰它們。

I had to acknowledge it

我不得不承認

and stop colluding.

而且退出這種集體歧視。

"Senior moment" quips, for example:

比如說：老糊塗。

I stopped making them when it dawned on me

我不再使用這些諷刺性的詞語，

that when I lost the car keys in high school,

因為我發現當我在高中 丟失了車鑰匙的時候，

I didn't call it a "junior moment."

我並沒有將它稱之為 「青年人的糊塗。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I stopped blaming my sore knee on being 64.

我不再將膝蓋疼歸咎於 64 歲高齡，

My other knee doesn't hurt,

我的另一個膝蓋並不疼，

and it's just as old.

但它也一樣老。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

We are all worried about some aspect of getting older,

我們都會對變老的某些方面感到擔憂，

whether running out of money,

也許是經濟上的困難，

getting sick, ending up alone,

也許是疾病，孤老終生，

and those fears are legitimate and real.

而且這些恐懼都是 合情合理的、真實存在的。

But what never dawns on most of us

但是我們大多數人沒有發現的是，

is that the experience of reaching old age

衰老的經歷

can be better or worse depending on the culture

是幸福還是痛苦，

in which it takes place.

取決於你所屬的文化。

It is not having a vagina that makes life harder for women.

並不是陰道讓女性的生活更加艱難。

It's sexism.

是性別歧視。

(Applause)

（鼓掌，喝彩）

It's not loving a man that makes life harder for gay guys.

並不是同性之愛 讓男同志的生活更加困苦。

It's homophobia.

是同性戀恐懼症。

And it is not the passage of time that makes getting older

並不是時間的流逝

讓衰老更加艱辛。

so much harder than it has to be.

It is ageism.

是年齡歧視。

When labels are hard to read

當我們很難看清標籤的時候，

or there's no handrail

或者是沒有欄杆的時候，

or we can't open the damn jar,

或者是打不開可惡的罐頭時，

we blame ourselves,

我們譴責自己，

our failure to age successfully,

我們把失敗歸咎於年齡，

instead of the ageism that makes those natural transitions shameful

而不是歸咎於年齡主義， 它使人們羞愧於年齡的自然更替。

and the discrimination that makes those barriers acceptable.

也沒有歸咎於年齡歧視， 它讓人們接受這些壁壘。

You can't make money off satisfaction,

你無法從人們 對生活的滿足感中賺錢，

but shame and fear create markets,

但是羞愧和恐懼能夠創造市場，

and capitalism always needs new markets.

而且資本主義總是需要新的市場。

Who says wrinkles are ugly?

誰說皺紋是醜陋的？

The multi-billion-dollar skin care industry.

那些價值數十億美元的 皮膚保養產業這樣說。

Who says perimenopause and low T and mild cognitive impairment

誰說近更年期、 睪丸素偏低、輕度認知障礙

are medical conditions?

是醫學上的疾病呢？

The trillion-dollar pharmaceutical industry.

那些上萬億的製藥產業這樣說。

(Cheers)

（歡呼）

The more clearly we see these forces at work,

我們越清楚這些力量如何運作，

the easier it is to come up with alternative, more positive

就越容易找到替代方法，

找到更積極、準確的敘述方式。

and more accurate narratives.

Aging is not a problem to be fixed or a disease to be cured.

衰老不是一個需要解決的問題， 也不是一種需要治療的疾病。

It is a natural, powerful, lifelong process that unites us all.

它是自然的、有力的、終身的進程， 它將所有人聯結在一起。

Changing the culture is a tall order, I know that, but culture is fluid.

我知道改變文化是很困難的， 但是文化是流動的。

Look at how much the position of women has changed in my lifetime

看看在我的一生中， 女性的地位得到了多麼大的提升。

or the incredible strides that the gay rights movement

或者是同志平權運動 取得的驚人飛躍，

has made in just a few decades, right?

僅僅發生在過去的幾十年中，對嗎？

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

Look at gender.

看看性別議題。

We used to think of it as a binary, male or female,

我們以前認為性別 是二元的，男性或女性，

and now we understand it's a spectrum.

我們現在了解到性別是連續的光譜。

It is high time to ditch the old-young binary, too.

現在也是時候拋棄 老人與年輕人的二元對立了。

There is no line in the sand between old and young,

老人與年輕人之間 沒有明確的分界線，

after which it's all downhill.

這樣想一切都容易多了。

And the longer we wait to challenge that idea,

我們越晚挑戰這個觀點，

the more damage it does to ourselves and our place in the world,

它對我們自身和我們 在世界的定位就傷害越大。

like in the workforce, where age discrimination is rampant.

比如在工作場所， 在那裡年齡歧視猖獗。

In Silicon Valley, engineers are getting Botoxed and hair-plugged

在矽谷，工程師 注射肉毒桿菌、做人工植髮，

before key interviews --

來迎接重要的面試。

and these are skilled white men in their 30s,

而且他們是技術高超的、 三十多歲的白人男性，

so imagine the effects further down the food chain.

所以可以想像 食物鏈下游所受的影響。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

The personal and economic consequences are devastating.

個人的、經濟上的後果 是非常沉重的。

Not one stereotype about older workers holds up under scrutiny.

现在許多關於老年工作者的 刻板印象需要仔細斟酌。

Companies aren't adaptable and creative because their employees are young;

公司不會因為年輕員工 而具有適應能力和創造力。

they're adaptable and creative despite it.

沒有年輕員工， 公司也能保有適應能力和創造力。

Companies --

公司──

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

We know that diverse companies aren't just better places to work;

多元化的公司不僅是 適合工作的地方，

they work better.

而且它們工作得更好。

And just like race and sex, age is a criterion for diversity.

和種族、性別一樣， 年齡也是檢驗多樣性的標準。

A growing body of fascinating research

越來越多很有吸引力的研究顯示，

shows that attitudes towards aging

關於衰老的態度

affect how our minds and bodies function at the cellular level.

會在細胞層面上影響我們的 大腦和身體的運作。

When we talk to older people like this (Speaks more loudly)

當我們這樣與老年人溝通（音量提高）

or call them "sweetie" or "young lady" --

或者稱他們為「親愛的」 或者「年輕的女士」——

it's called elderspeak --

這種溝通方式被稱作「老人語」——

they appear to instantly age,

他們似乎會立即衰老，

walking and talking less competently.

步伐不再矯健，談吐不再自信。

People with more positive feelings towards aging

那些對衰老持有積極態度的人，

walk faster,

他們走得更快，

they do better on memory tests,

他們在記憶測試上的表現更好，

they heal quicker, and they live longer.

他們康復得更快， 而且他們活得更久。

Even with brains full of plaques and tangles,

即使是在充滿了 斑塊和纏結的大腦裡，

some people stayed sharp to the end.

有些人直到去世前頭腦依然敏銳。

What did they have in common?

他們有什麼共同點呢？

A sense of purpose.

目標明確。

And what's the biggest obstacle to having a sense of purpose in late life?

在晚年生活中，什麼會 嚴重阻礙人們保有目標呢？

A culture that tells us that getting older means shuffling offstage.

一種文化，認定衰老 即走下人生舞台。

That's why the World Health Organization is developing

這是為什麼世界衛生組織開展

a global anti-ageism initiative

全球反對年齡歧視的倡議。

to extend not just life span but health span.

不僅增加壽命，還能延續健康。

Women experience the double whammy

女性經歷著雙重打擊，

of ageism and sexism,

來自年齡主義和性別歧視主義，

so we experience aging differently.

所以我們對衰老有不同的體會。

There's a double standard at work here -- shocker --

這裡運作著雙重標準——震驚——

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

the notion that aging enhances men and devalues women.

衰老讓男性增值，卻使女性貶值。

Women reinforce this double standard when we compete to stay young,

當女性爭著保持年輕的時候， 這樣的雙重標準得以增強。

another punishing and losing proposition.

保持年輕是艱苦的、 註定失敗的想法。

Does any woman in this room really believe

這個房間裡難道真的有女人相信

that she is a lesser version --

衰老後的她成為了次等品──

less interesting, less fun in bed, less valuable --

不再有趣，不再性感，不再有價值──

than the woman she once was?

和年輕時的她相比？

This discrimination affects our health,

這樣的歧視影響著我們的健康，

our well-being and our income,

我們的幸福和收入，

and the effects add up over time.

而且影響與日俱增。

They are further compounded by race and by class,

種族和階級因素 使這種歧視雪上加霜，

which is why, everywhere in the world,

這就是為什麼在世界上每一個角落，

the poorest of the poor are old women of color.

最窮的人往往是 有色人種的老年婦女。

What's the takeaway from that map?

我們能從這張地圖上 了解到什麼知識呢？

By 2050, one out of five of us,

到 2050 年， 五個人中就會有一個，

almost two billion people,

大概總計二十億人，

will be age 60 and up.

是 60 歲以上的老年人。

Longevity is a fundamental hallmark of human progress.

長壽是人類進步的重要標誌。

All these older people represent a vast unprecedented and untapped market.

年長者代表著一個巨大的、 史無前例的、從未被涉足的市場。

And yet, capitalism and urbanization have propelled age bias

然而，資本主義和城市化把年齡偏見

into every corner of the globe,

推進到世界的每一個角落，

from Switzerland, where elders fare the best,

從瑞士，在那裡老年人 得到了最好的照顧，

to Afghanistan, which sits at the bottom of the Global AgeWatch Index.

到阿富汗，在全球老齡 觀察指數中墊底。

Half of the world's countries aren't mentioned on that list

世界上近半數的國家 沒有出現在排行榜中，

because we don't bother to collect data on millions of people

因為我們不屑於收集 進兩百萬人的數據，

because they're no longer young.

因為他們不再年輕。

Almost two-thirds of people over 60 around the world

在全球 60 歲以上的老年人中， 近三分之二認為

say they have trouble accessing healthcare.

他們獲得醫療衛生服務是困難的。

Almost three-quarters say their income doesn't cover basic services

進四分之三的老年人認為 他們的收入無法支付基本生活費用，

like food, water, electricity, and decent housing.

比如食物、水、電和像樣的住房。

Is this the world we want our children, who may well live to be a hundred,

這真的是我們想讓 子孫後代繼承的世界嗎？

to inherit?

他們可能會活到 100 多歲。

Everyone -- all ages, all genders, all nationalities --

每個人——不分年齡、性別、國籍——

is old or future-old,

已經衰老或終將衰老，

and unless we put an end to it, ageism will oppress us all.

如果我們不終結它， 年齡歧視將會壓迫我們每一個人。

And that makes it a perfect target for collective advocacy.

這讓它成為了集體倡議的最佳目標。

Why add another -ism to the list when so many, racism in particular,

為什麼又把一個「主義」 加入到鬥爭的行列中？

許多的主義，特別是種族歧視主義， 還沒有得到徹底根除。

call out for action?

Here's the thing:

事情是這樣的：

we don't have to choose.

我們不需要進行選擇。

When we make the world a better place to grow old in,

當我們把世界變成適合 老年人居住的地方，

we make it a better place in which to be from somewhere else,

我們也把它變成了適合 他人居住的地方，

to have a disability,

適宜殘疾人居住，

to be queer, to be non-rich, to be non-white.

適宜酷兒、窮人、有色人種居住。

And when we show up at all ages for whatever cause matters most to us --

當我們在不同年齡階段， 為其它重要的事情奮鬥時——

save the whales, save the democracy --

拯救海豚，拯救民主——

we not only make that effort more effective,

我們不僅使那個倡議更加有效，

we dismantle ageism in the process.

同時也解決了年齡歧視的問題。

Longevity is here to stay.

長壽現象將一直存在，

A movement to end ageism is underway.

終結年齡歧視的運動正在開展。

I'm in it, and I hope you will join me.

我身處其中， 希望你能加入這項運動。

(Applause and cheers)

（鼓掌和歡呼）

Thank you. Let's do it! Let's do it!

謝謝。讓我們行動吧！ 讓我們行動吧！

(Applause)

（鼓掌）