《沉默的危險性》 Clint Smith Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,?in a 1968 speech where he reflects upon the Civil Rights Movement,?states, "In the end,?we will remember not the words of our enemies?but the silence of our friends." 小馬丁·路德·金博士，?在1968年的一次 回顧民權運動的演講中?說到：”最終，?我們會記住的不是敵人的話語，?而是朋友的沉默。" As a teacher, I've internalized this message.?Every day, all around us,?we see the consequences of silence?manifest themselves in the form of discrimination,?violence, genocide and war.?In the classroom, I challenge my students?to explore the silences in their own lives?through poetry.?We work together to fill those spaces,?to recognize them, to name them,?to understand that they don't have to be sources of shame.?In an effort to create a culture within my classroom?where students feel safe sharing the intimacies?of their own silences,?I have four core principles posted on the board?that sits in the front of my class,?which every student signs at the beginning of the year:read critically, write consciously,?speak clearly, tell your truth. 作為一名教師， 我在心中早已接納并消化了這種信息。?每一天，在我們周圍，?我們都會看到沉默產(chǎn)生的后果，?以歧視，暴力，屠殺?和戰(zhàn)爭的形式展現(xiàn)在我們面前。?在課堂里，我給學生們出了道難題，?讓他們通過詩歌來探索?自己生活中的沉默。?我們一起填補空白之處，?去欣賞它們，給它們起名字，?并試著明白 他們并不是羞恥的來源。?為了在我的課堂上 創(chuàng)造一種文化氛圍，?讓學生們可以無所顧忌的分享?他們從前從未提及的事，?我在教室前面的黑板上?寫下了四個核心原則，?年初的時候每名學生都簽了名：?批判性的閱讀，有意識的寫作，?清晰的說話，說實話。 And I find myself thinking a lot about that last point,?tell your truth.?And I realized that?if I was going to ask my students to speak up,?I was going to have to tell my truth?and be honest with them about the times?where I failed to do so. 在最后一條上， 我不由地思考了很多，?說出實話。?我意識到?如果想讓學生們暢所欲言，?我就得實話實說，?坦誠地告訴他們我曾經(jīng)?還無法做到這一點。 So I tell them that growing up,?as a kid in a Catholic family in New Orleans,?during Lent I was always taught?that the most meaningful thing one could do?was to give something up,?sacrifice something you typically indulge in?to prove to God you understand his sanctity.?I've given up soda, McDonald's, French fries,?French kisses, and everything in between.?But one year, I gave up speaking.?I figured the most valuable thing I could sacrifice?was my own voice, but it was like I hadn't realized?that I had given that up a long time ago.?I spent so much of my life?telling people the things they wanted to hear?instead of the things they needed to,?told myself I wasn't meant to be anyone's conscience?because I still had to figure out being my own,?so sometimes I just wouldn't say anything,?appeasing ignorance with my silence,unaware that validation doesn't need words?to endorse its existence.? 所以我告訴他們我在新奧爾良?一個天主教家庭長大，?在四旬齋期間， （譯注：基督教在復活節(jié)前為期40天的一個節(jié)期）?大人們告訴我能做的最有意義的事?就是放棄一些事情，犧牲你曾經(jīng)所沉迷的事物，?向上帝證明你感悟到了他的圣潔。?我放棄了汽水，麥當勞，薯條，?法式親吻還有這其中的各種東西。?不過有一年，我放棄了說話。?我發(fā)現(xiàn)我能夠犧牲的最有價值的東西?就是我的聲音，但我還沒有意識到?我已經(jīng)放棄說話有很長一段時間了。?我花了太多時間?告訴人們他們想要聽到的東西，?而不是他們需要聽到的那些，?我也告訴自己 我不想成為任何人的道德標桿，?因為我仍然需要學著以身作則，?所以有時候我一言不發(fā)，?用沉默來安撫無知，?卻并未意識到 其實合理性并不需要言辭?來證明其存在。 When Christian was beat up for being gay,?I put my hands in my pocket?and walked with my head down as if I didn't even notice.?I couldn't use my locker for weeks because the bolt on the lock?reminded me of the one I had put on my lips?when the homeless man on the corner?looked at me with eyes up merely searching?for an affirmation that he was worth seeing.?I was more concerned with touching the screen on my Apple?than actually feeding him one.?When the woman at the fundraising gala?said "I'm so proud of you.?It must be so hard teaching those poor, unintelligent kids,"?I bit my lip, because apparently we needed her money?more than my students needed their dignity. 當一名基督徒因其為同性戀 而遭到毆打時，?我卻把雙手放在口袋里，?低著頭走過去， 裝作什么都沒看到。?我有幾個星期沒法用我的柜子， 因為鎖頭上的安全栓?讓我想起了之前 被我放在嘴唇上的那一枚，?那時有個角落里的流浪漢?正抬起頭看著我， 僅僅想要尋找?他值得人們注意的證據(jù)。?相比起給他食物，?我更關心手機上有什么好玩的。當募捐晚會上的女士?說到“我真為你感到自豪。?給那些貧窮的，智商低下的孩子 上課一定很難?！?我依舊沒有開口，因為很明顯， 相比學生們的尊嚴，?我們更需要她的錢。 We spend so much time?listening to the things people are saying?that we rarely pay attention to the things they don't.?Silence is the residue of fear.?It is feeling your flawsgut-wrench guillotine your tongue.?It is the air retreating from your chest?because it doesn't feel safe in your lungs.?Silence is Rwandan genocide. Silence is Katrina.?It is what you hear when there aren't enough body bags left.?It is the sound after the noose is already tied.?It is charring. It is chains. It is privilege. It is pain.?There is no time to pick your battles?when your battles have already picked you. 我們花費了太多時間?傾聽人們正在說的事，?卻不會注意到他們沒說的那些。?沉默是恐懼的殘留物。?讓你無比痛苦的?意識到自己的缺點卻無言以對。?讓你感到胸口憋悶?無法呼吸。?沉默是盧旺達大屠殺。 沉默是卡特里娜颶風。?是當你聽到?jīng)]有足夠的裹尸袋。?是當繩索被套緊時的聲音。?是碳化，是鎖鏈，是特權，是傷痛。?已經(jīng)沒有時間決定是否要奮起反抗，?此時沖突已來到了你的面前。 I will not let silence wrap itself around my indecision.?I will tell Christian that he is a lion,?a sanctuary of bravery and brilliance.?I will ask that homeless man what his name is?and how his day was, because sometimes?all people want to be is human.?I will tell that woman that my students can talk about?transcendentalism like their last name was Thoreau,?and just because you watched one episode of "The Wire"?doesn't mean you know anything about my kids.?So this year,?instead of giving something up,I will live every day as if there were a microphone?tucked under my tongue,?a stage on the underside of my inhibition.?Because who has to have a soapbox?when all you've ever needed is your voice? 我不會允許沉默讓我變得優(yōu)柔寡斷。?我會告訴基督徒，他是一頭獅子，?是勇氣和智慧的庇護所。?我會詢問流浪漢的名字，?他過得怎么樣，因為有時候?大家只想做個真正的人。我會告訴那位女士 我的學生們會談論先驗論，?仿佛他們有著梭羅（Thoreau）家族血統(tǒng)，?僅僅因為你看過了一集《火線》 （譯注：美劇，又譯為《線人》、《監(jiān)聽風云》），?并不意味著你很了解我的孩子們。?那么今年，?我并沒有放棄什么東西，?而是把每天都過得好像有個麥克風?被植入進了我的嘴里，?而家里的地面就是講臺。?當你只需要大聲的表達你的觀點時，?誰還會需要一個肥皂箱呢？ （譯注：美國人常站在肥皂箱上進行街頭演講） Thank you. 謝謝大家。 (Applause) （掌聲）