America’s Forgotten Working Class | J.D. Vance | TED

譯者: Joyce Chu 審譯者: Regina Chu

I remember the very first time I went to a nice restaurant,

我記得當我第一次 去一家不錯的餐廳的時候，

a really nice restaurant.

一家真的很不錯的餐廳，

It was for a law firm recruitment dinner,

我去那裡參加一間 律師事務所舉行的招聘晚餐，

and I remember beforehand the waitress walked around

我記得在開始之前 有一位女侍者在四處走動

and asked whether we wanted some wine,

並問我們是否需要酒，

so I said, "Sure, I'll take some white wine."

我回答道：「好，我要白葡萄酒。」

And she immediately said,

她立刻回答道：

"Would you like sauvignon blanc or chardonnay?"

「請問您想要白蘇維翁 還是夏多內呢？」

And I remember thinking,

我記得我當時在想，

"Come on, lady, stop with the fancy French words

「好了，小姐，別再和我 說這些花俏的法語了，

and just give me some white wine."

直接給我一些白葡萄酒就行了。」

But I used my powers of deduction

但是我運用了我的演繹能力，

and recognized that chardonnay and sauvignon blanc

了解到夏內多和白蘇維翁

were two separate types of white wine,

是兩種不同類型的白葡萄酒，

and so I told her that I would take the chardonnay,

所以我告訴她我想要夏多內，

because frankly that was the easiest one to pronounce for me.

因為坦白說它對我來說 是最容易發音的。

So I had a lot of experiences like that

我有很多種類似的經歷，

during my first couple of years as a law student at Yale,

在我作為耶魯大學 法學生的開始幾年。

because, despite all outward appearances, I'm a cultural outsider.

因為，儘管外表是這樣， 我其實是一名文化局外人。

I didn't come from the elites.

我並不來自菁英階層。

I didn't come from the Northeast or from San Francisco.

我並不來自東北部或者舊金山。

I came from a southern Ohio steel town,

我來自南部俄亥俄的一座鋼鐵城，

and it's a town that's really struggling in a lot of ways,

那是一座在很多方面 都存在掙扎的城市，

ways that are indicative of the broader struggles

象徵著更廣層面上的

of America's working class.

美國工薪階層的掙扎。

Heroin has moved in,

海洛英的進入，

killing a lot of people, people I know.

殺害了很多人，很多我認識的人。

Family violence, domestic violence, and divorce have torn apart families.

家庭暴力和離婚摧毀了很多家庭。

And there's a very unique sense of pessimism that's moved in.

在那裡還瀰漫著一種 很獨特的悲觀情緒。

Think about rising mortality rates in these communities

想想在這些社區中上升的死亡率，

and recognize that for a lot of these folks,

並且知道這當中很多人，

the problems that they're seeing

他們眼中所看到的問題

are actually causing rising death rates in their own communities,

就是促使他們的社區 死亡率上升的真實原因，

so there's a very real sense of struggle.

他們會由此產生一種 真實的掙扎感。

I had a very front-row seat to that struggle.

我一直有坐在最前排 觀看的那種掙扎。

My family has been part of that struggle for a very long time.

我的家庭在很長的時間內 都是那種掙扎的一部份。

I come from a family that doesn't have a whole lot of money.

我來自一個並不富有的家庭。

The addiction that plagued my community

折磨著我們社區的那種毒癮，

also plagued my family, and even, sadly, my own mom.

同時也折磨著我的家庭， 甚至是，可悲地，我的母親。

There were a lot of problems that I saw in my own family,

我在我的家裡 見過了非常多的問題，

problems caused sometimes by a lack of money,

有時候是缺錢所導致的問題，

problems caused sometimes by a lack of access to resources and social capital

有時候是缺乏資源 和社會資本所導致的問題，

that really affected my life.

它們深刻影響著我的生活。

If you had looked at my life when I was 14 years old

如果你能看到我 14 歲時的生活，

and said, "Well, what's going to happen to this kid?"

並說：「好吧，將來會有什麼 發生到這孩子身上呢？」

you would have concluded that I would have struggled

你會總結道我會為

with what academics call upward mobility.

學術上稱為向上社會流動而鬥爭。

So upward mobility is an abstract term,

向上社會流動是一個 很抽象的詞語，

but it strikes at something that's very core

但是它直擊了

at the heart of the American Dream.

美國夢的中心。

It's the sense,

它是一種觀念，

and it measures whether kids like me

而且它衡量著像我這樣的孩子，

who grow up in poor communities are going to live a better life,

成長在貧困地區的孩子 是否能過更好的生活，

whether they're going to have a chance to live a materially better existence,

他們是否有機會 過上物質更豐富的生活，

or whether they're going to stay in the circumstances where they came from.

還是他們會繼續停留在 原有的狀況中。

And one of the things we've learned, unfortunately,

我們學到的一件事情， 很不幸地，

is that upward mobility isn't as high as we'd like it to be in this country,

就是我們國家的向上社會流動性 並沒有達到我們想要它達到的高度，

and interestingly, it's very geographically distributed.

並且有趣的是，它是有地理分佈的。

So take Utah, for instance.

舉猶他州作為一個例子。

In Utah a poor kid is actually doing OK,

在猶他州，窮孩子其實還不錯，

very likely to live their share and their part in the American Dream.

很有可能在美國夢中 享受自己的份額和角色。

But if you think of where I'm from,

但如果你想想我的故鄉，

in the South, in Appalachia, in southern Ohio,

在南方，在阿帕拉契， 在俄亥俄南部，

it's very unlikely that kids like that will rise.

這樣的孩子是不大可能往上爬的。

The American Dream in those parts of the country

美國夢對於這個部分地區來說

is in a very real sense just a dream.

也真的僅僅是一個夢而已。

So why is that happening?

所以為什麼會發生那樣的事情呢？

So one reason is obviously economic or structural.

經濟或結構是一個很明顯的原因。

So you think of these areas.

你試想這些地方。

They're beset by these terrible economic trends,

它們被糟糕的經濟趨勢所困擾，

built around industries like coal and steel

建立在煤炭和鋼鐵之類的工業當中，

that make it harder for folks to get ahead.

使得當地人們很難向前進。

That's certainly one problem.

這絕對是一個問題。

There's also the problem of brain drain, where the really talented people,

還有一個問題是人才外流， 在那裡有才華的人們，

because they can't find high-skilled work at home,

因為無法在故鄉找到高技能的工作，

end up moving elsewhere,

最終遷移到了別的地方，

他們沒有在故鄉建立 商業或者非營利的組織，

so they don't build a business or non-profit where they're from,

他們最終帶著他們的才華 離開去了別的地方。

they end up going elsewhere and taking their talents with them.

There are failing schools in a lot of these communities,

這些社區當中有很多失敗的學校，

failing to give kids the educational leg up

沒能夠給孩子提供教育上的幫助，

that really makes it possible for kids to have opportunities later in life.

使得他們真的能夠 在將來的人生中獲得機會。

這些東西都非常的重要。

These things are all important.

我並不是存心要貶損 這些結構上的障礙。

I don't mean to discount these structural barriers.

但是當我回顧我的人生 還有我的故鄉，

But when I look back at my life and my community,

something else was going on, something else mattered.

有別的事情正在發生， 重要的事情。

It's difficult to quantify, but it was no less real.

它無法用數量來顯示， 但是它是無比真實的。

So for starters, there was a very real sense of hopelessness

首先，一股真實的無助感

in the community that I grew up in.

充斥在我成長的地方。

There was a sense that kids had that their choices didn't matter.

那是一種孩子們認為 他們的選擇毫不重要的感覺。

No matter what happened, no matter how hard they worked,

無論有什麼發生， 無論他們有多用功，

no matter how hard they tried to get ahead,

無論他們怎麼努力向前進，

nothing good would happen.

始終得不到好結果。

So that's a tough feeling to grow up around.

所以那是成長中一種艱難的感覺。

That's a tough mindset to penetrate,

那是一種深入人心的艱難心態，

and it leads sometimes to very conspiratorial places.

並且有時候它會 導致一些陰謀論的產生。

So let's just take one political issue that's pretty hot,

就舉一個相當 熱門的政治話題作為例子，

affirmative action.

平權法案。

So depending on your politics, you might think that affirmative action

根據你的政治觀點， 你也許會視平權法案為

is either a wise or an unwise way to promote diversity in the workplace

一種明智的或不明智的方法， 以促進工作場所

or the classroom.

或者是教室內的多樣性。

But if you grow up in an area like this,

但是如果你成長在這些地方，

you see affirmative action as a tool to hold people like you back.

你會視平權法案為一種 抑制同類的工具。

That's especially true if you're a member of the white working class.

如果你是白人工人階級的一員， 這種感覺會尤其真實。

You see it as something that isn't just about good or bad policy.

你不僅僅把它視為 一種好的或者不好的政策，

You see it as something that's actively conspiring,

你把它視為一種強有力的合謀，

where people with political and financial power

是那些擁有政治和財政權力的人

are working against you.

在妨礙著你。

And there are a lot of ways that you see that conspiracy against you --

並且你會通過很多方式 看到這種陰謀對你的妨礙—

perceived, real, but it's there,

感受到，真實的，它就在那裡，

and it warps expectations.

並扭曲了你的期望。

So if you think about what do you do when you grow up in that world,

所以當你在那種世界中成長， 如果你思考一下你要做什麼，

you can respond in a couple of ways.

你可以有幾種反應。

One, you can say, "I'm not going to work hard,

一種是，你可以說： 「我並不打算去努力奮鬥，

because no matter how hard I work, it's not going to matter."

因為不管我怎麼努力，都沒有用。」

另一種你會做的就是說：

Another thing you might do is say,

"Well, I'm not going to go after the traditional markers of success,

「好吧，我不會去追求 那些傳統的成功標誌，

like a university education or a prestigious job,

例如大學教育或者受人尊重的工作，

because the people who care about those things are unlike me.

因為在乎這些東西的人 和我並不一樣。

他們也永遠不會讓我加入他們。」

They're never going to let me in."

When I got admitted to Yale, a family member asked me

當我被耶魯錄取的時候， 我的家人問我

if I had pretended to be a liberal to get by the admissions committee.

我是否裝成自由派 以獲得錄取委員會的認可。

Seriously.

說真的。

And it's obviously not the case that there was a liberal box to check

當然不是這樣， 申請表中並不存在著

自由派這個選項框，

on the application,

but it speaks to a very real insecurity in these places

但這證實了這些地方 存在著一種很真實的不安全感，

that you have to pretend to be somebody you're not

就是你必須假裝成另外一個人，

to get past these various social barriers.

才能去越過各種各樣的社會障礙。

It's a very significant problem.

這是一個很重大的問題。

Even if you don't give in to that hopelessness,

即使你不對絕望屈服，

even if you think, let's say,

即使你認為，比如說，

that your choices matter and you want to make the good choices,

你的選擇很要緊， 而且你想要做出好的選擇，

you want to do better for yourself and for your family,

你想要為了自己、 為了家人做得更好，

it's sometimes hard to even know what those choices are

有時候你很難知道到底有哪些選擇，

when you grow up in a community like I did.

尤其當你成長在 我成長的這種社區中。

I didn't know, for example,

我不知道，舉例子，

that you had to go to law school to be a lawyer.

你需要去法學院才能成為一名律師。

I didn't know that elite universities, as research consistently tells us,

我不知道那些精英學校， 就如研究一貫地告訴我們，

are cheaper for low-income kids

對低收入家庭的孩子會更加便宜，

because these universities have bigger endowments,

因為這些大學擁有 比別的學校更大的捐款，

can offer more generous financial aid.

能夠提供更加慷慨的助學金。

I remember I learned this

我記得我學到這個，

when I got the financial aid letter from Yale for myself,

是在我收到耶魯的一封助學金信，

tens of thousands of dollars in need-based aid,

數萬美元的助學金，

which is a term I had never heard before.

是一個我從未聽過的詞語。

But I turned to my aunt when I got that letter and said,

但是在我收到那封信後， 我去找了我的阿姨並和她說：

"You know, I think this just means that for the first time in my life,

「你知道嗎，我覺得這代表著 這是我有生以來第一次

being poor has paid really well."

因為貧窮而得到了很好的補償。」

So I didn't have access to that information

所以在過去我無法獲得那種情報，

because the social networks around me didn't have access to that information.

因為我周圍的社交網絡 無法獲得那種情報。

I learned from my community how to shoot a gun, how to shoot it well.

我從我的社區裡學會了怎麼用槍， 怎樣才算用得好。

I learned how to make a damn good biscuit recipe.

我學會了如何烤超棒小麵包的食譜。

The trick, by the way, is frozen butter, not warm butter.

順便一提，它的竅門就是 要用冷凍奶油，不是溫奶油。

But I didn't learn how to get ahead.

但是我沒有學到怎麼去向前進。

I didn't learn how to make the good decisions

我沒有學到怎麼為

教育和機會作出好的決定，

about education and opportunity

that you need to make

你需要做這樣的決定，

to actually have a chance in this 21st century knowledge economy.

才能在 21 世紀 知識經濟中享有機會。

Economists call the value that we gain from our informal networks,

經濟學家把來源於 非正式的人際關係網絡，

from our friends and colleagues and family "social capital."

來自我們的朋友、同事和家人的 價值觀稱為「社會資本」。

The social capital that I had wasn't built for 21st century America,

我過去所擁有的社會資本 並不是為了 21 世紀而構建的，

and it showed.

而它也顯示了出來。

There's something else that's really important that's going on

另外還有一件真的很重要的事情，

that our community doesn't like to talk about,

它是我們的社區不願提及的，

but it's very real.

但卻是真實的。

Working-class kids are much more likely

工人階級的孩子更有可能

to face what's called adverse childhood experiences,

會遭遇到所謂的童年不良經歷，

which is just a fancy word for childhood trauma:

它其實就是童年創傷 好聽點的代名詞：

getting hit or yelled at, put down by a parent repeatedly,

經常性地被父母毆打、吼叫和貶低，

watching someone hit or beat your parent,

看著別人打或揍自己的父母，

watching someone do drugs or abuse alcohol.

看著別人吸毒或者酗酒。

These are all instances of childhood trauma,

這些都是童年創傷的例子，

and they're pretty commonplace in my family.

而且在我家是相當常見的事情。

Importantly, they're not just commonplace in my family right now.

重要的是，這不僅僅是 「現在」在我家常見而已。

They're also multigenerational.

這還是多世代的。

So my grandparents,

所以我的祖父母，

the very first time that they had kids,

在他們最初有孩子的時候，

they expected that they were going to raise them in a way

他們期待用另外一種方式 撫養他們的孩子，

that was uniquely good.

一種絕佳的方式。

They were middle class,

他們是中產階級，

they were able to earn a good wage in a steel mill.

他們有能力在煉鋼廠 賺取不錯的工資。

But what ended up happening

但是最終發生的是

is that they exposed their kids to a lot of the childhood trauma

他們讓孩子遭受許多童年創傷，

that had gone back many generations.

一些上至多代的創傷。

My mom was 12 when she saw my grandma set my grandfather on fire.

我母親 12 歲的時候看到了 我的外婆要燒我的外公，

His crime was that he came home drunk

他的罪過在於他醉醺醺地回家 ，

after she told him,

而她告訴過他：

"If you come home drunk, I'm gonna kill you."

「如果你醉著回來，我會殺了你。」

And she tried to do it.

而她也真的試著做了。

Think about the way that that affects a child's mind.

試想一下這種方式 對孩子心靈造成的影響。

And we think of these things as especially rare,

我們認為這些事情是格外罕見的，

but a study by the Wisconsin Children's Trust Fund found

但是威斯康辛州 兒童信託基金的研究發現，

that 40 percent of low-income kids face multiple instances of childhood trauma,

40% 的低收入家庭孩子 會面對各種各樣的童年創傷，

compared to only 29 percent for upper-income kids.

而僅有 20% 的高收入 家庭孩子會這樣。

And think about what that really means.

想想那意味著什麼。

If you're a low-income kid,

如果你們是低收入家庭的孩子，

almost half of you face multiple instances of childhood trauma.

那在座差不多有近半的人 會經歷各種各樣的童年創傷。

This is not an isolated problem.

這不是一個單獨的問題。

This is a very significant issue.

這是一個重大的議題。

We know what happens to the kids who experience that life.

我們知道經歷那種生活的 孩子身上會發生什麼。

They're more likely to do drugs, more likely to go to jail,

他們很有可能會吸毒， 很有可能會入獄，

more likely to drop out of high school,

很有可能會輟學，

and most importantly,

還有最重要的，

they're more likely to do to their children

他們很有可能會對自己的孩子

what their parents did to them.

做出他們父母當初對他們做的事情。

This trauma, this chaos in the home,

這創傷，這家裡的混亂，

is our culture's very worst gift to our children,

是我們的文化送給我們的孩子 一份最糟糕的禮物，

and it's a gift that keeps on giving.

一份會一直送下去的禮物。

So you combine all that,

所以當你結合了所有的這些，

the hopelessness, the despair,

無助，失望，

the cynicism about the future,

對未來的懷疑，

the childhood trauma,

童年創傷，

the low social capital,

低社會資本，

and you begin to understand why me,

你開始明白為什麼我，

at the age of 14,

在 14 歲的年紀

was ready to become just another statistic,

已經預備著成為另一項統計數據，

another kid who failed to beat the odds.

另一個沒能夠戰勝困難的孩子。

But something unexpected happened.

但預想不到的事情發生了。

I did beat the odds.

我的確戰勝了困難。

Things turned up for me.

好事情都出現在我面前了。

I graduated from high school, from college, I went to law school,

我從高中畢業、從大學畢業、 我去了法學院，

and I have a pretty good job now.

我現在擁有很好的工作。

So what happened?

所以發生了什麼事情呢？

Well, one thing that happened is that my grandparents,

其中一項是我的祖父母，

the same grandparents of setting someone on fire fame,

就是那對差點縱火燒人的祖父母，

they really shaped up by the time I came around.

我出生的時候 他們的關係進展得不錯。

They provided me a stable home,

他們提供給我一個安穩的家園，

a stable family.

一個安穩的家庭。

They made sure

他們確保了

that when my parents weren't able to do the things that kids need,

在我的父母無法滿足孩子的需求時，

they stepped in and filled that role.

他們會介入並且填補那個角色。

My grandma especially did two things that really matter.

我的祖母做了兩件尤其重要的事情。

One, she provided that peaceful home that allowed me to focus on homework

一件是，她給我一個寧靜的家， 讓我能夠把注意力集中在作業，

and the things that kids should be focused on.

和孩子應該集中精神 做的其他事情上。

But she was also this incredibly perceptive woman,

她是一位擁有驚人洞察力的女人，

despite not even having a middle school education.

儘管她甚至沒有中學教育經歷。

She recognized the message that my community had for me,

她認識到我所在的社區 傳遞給我的訊息，

that my choices didn't matter,

那種我的選擇並不重要，

that the deck was stacked against me.

我的處境很不利的訊息。

She once told me,

她曾經告訴我：

"JD, never be like those losers who think the deck is stacked against them.

「JD，永遠不要像那些失敗者 一樣認為自己的處境很不利。

You can do anything you want to."

你可以做任何你想做的事情。」

And yet she recognized that life wasn't fair.

然而她也認識到生活並不是公平的。

It's hard to strike that balance,

我們很難取得一種平衡，

to tell a kid that life isn't fair,

既告訴孩子生活是不公平的，

but also recognize and enforce in them the reality that their choices matter.

又要讓他們認識並做到 選擇的確很重要的現實。

But mamaw was able to strike that balance.

但是外婆能夠取得那種平衡。

The other thing that really helped was the United States Marine Corps.

另外一件很有幫助的事情是 美國海軍陸戰隊。

我們把海軍陸戰隊視為 一個軍事機構，當然它的確是的，

So we think of the Marine Corps as a military outfit, and of course it is,

但是對我來說，美國海軍陸戰隊

but for me, the US Marine Corps was a four-year crash course

是四年的品格教育速成班。

in character education.

它教會我怎麼去整理床鋪， 怎麼去洗衣服，

It taught me how to make a bed, how to do laundry,

怎麼早起，怎麼理財。

how to wake up early, how to manage my finances.

These are things my community didn't teach me.

這些都是我的社區沒有教我的事情。

I remember when I went to go buy a car for the very first time,

我記得當我第一次去買車的時候，

I was offered a dealer's low, low interest rate of 21.9 percent,

我從經銷商那裡拿到了 21.9% 「很低很低」的利率，

and I was ready to sign on the dotted line.

我當時也正準備著在虛線處簽名。

But I didn't take that deal,

但是我沒有接受那筆交易，

because I went and took it to my officer

因為我把它帶到了我的長官那裡，

who told me, "Stop being an idiot,

他告訴我：「別再傻了，

go to the local credit union, and get a better deal."

去當地的信用合作社 去尋求一筆更實惠的交易吧。」

And so that's what I did.

而那就是我後來所做的。

But without the Marine Corps,

沒有海軍陸戰隊的話，

I would have never had access to that knowledge.

我永遠不會獲得那樣的知識。

I would have had a financial calamity, frankly.

我獲得的會是，坦白說， 一場財務災難。

The last thing I want to say is that I had a lot of good fortune

最後我想說的是 我獲得了很多的好運氣，

in the mentors and people

從我的導師和一些人身上，

who have played an important role in my life.

一些在我生命中 扮演了重要角色的人得到。

From the Marines, from Ohio State, from Yale,

他們來自海軍陸戰隊， 來自俄亥俄州，來自耶魯，

from other places,

來自其它地方，

people have really stepped in

這些人走進了我的生活

and ensured that they filled that social capital gap

並確保自己填補了 我的社會資本中的缺口，

that it was pretty obvious, apparently, that I had.

那個在我過去生活中 很明顯的一個缺口。

That comes from good fortune,

那是因為好運，

but a lot of children aren't going to have that good fortune,

但是有很多的孩子沒有那種好運，

and I think that raises really important questions for all of us

而我認為這給我們 所有人提出了重要的問題，

about how we're going to change that.

我們如何去改變那種狀況。

We need to ask questions about how we're going to give low-income kids

我們需要提問， 我們怎麼給低收入家庭的孩子

who come from a broken home access to a loving home.

提供一條途徑，讓他們 從破碎的家走到充滿愛的家？

We need to ask questions

我們需要提問，

about how we're going to teach low-income parents

我們如何去教育低收入的父母們

how to better interact with their children,

怎麼跟孩子，

跟他們的伴侶以更好的方式交流？

with their partners.

We need to ask questions about how we give social capital,

我們需要提問， 我們怎麼提供社會資本

mentorship to low-income kids who don't have it.

還有導師，給沒有這些的 低收入家庭的孩子？

We need to think about how we teach working class children

我們需要問怎麼 教育工人階級的孩子？

about not just hard skills,

不僅僅硬技能，

like reading, mathematics,

像閱讀、數學，

but also soft skills,

還有軟技能，

like conflict resolution and financial management.

像解決衝突和財務管理。

Now, I don't have all of the answers.

現在，我並沒有所有的答案。

I don't know all of the solutions to this problem,

我不知道這個問題的 所有解決方法，

but I do know this:

但是我知道的是，

in southern Ohio right now,

現在在俄亥俄南部，

there's a kid who is anxiously awaiting their dad,

有一個孩子很焦急地 等待著他的父親，

wondering whether, when he comes through the door,

想知道是否，當他進門的時候，

he'll walk calmly or stumble drunkly.

是平靜地走著 還是醉醺醺地踉蹌著。

There's a kid

有一個孩子

whose mom sticks a needle in her arm

他的母親把針刺入自己的手臂

and passes out,

並失去知覺，

and he doesn't know why she doesn't cook him dinner,

而且他不知道 為什麼她不給他做晚餐，

and he goes to bed hungry that night.

那天晚上他餓著肚子睡覺。

There's a kid who has no hope for the future

有一個孩子對自己的將來不抱希望，

but desperately wants to live a better life.

但卻迫切地想要過上更好的生活。

They just want somebody to show it to them.

他們只想有人能夠教他們怎麼做。

I don't have all the answers,

我沒有所有的答案，

but I know that unless our society starts asking better questions

但是我知道除非我們的社會 開始提出更好的問題，

about why I was so lucky

問為什麼我是如此幸運，

and about how to get that luck to more of our communities

還有怎麼把那種幸運 送給更多我們社區

and our country's children,

和我們國家的孩子，

we're going to continue to have a very significant problem.

我們將會繼續有著 一個很重大的問題。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）