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EricLiu_2016S-_不存在“不投票”这种事_
Why bother ? 为什么非要投票呢？
bother:v.烦扰,打扰;使…不安;操心,麻烦;n.麻烦;烦恼;
The game is rigged . 选举被操纵了。
rigged:v.操纵,控制;(给船只)装帆;(秘密地)安装,装配;(rig的过去分词和过去式)
My vote won't count. 我那一票不起作用。
The choices are terrible. 选举的结果很糟糕。
Voting is for suckers . 选举都是骗人的。
suckers:n.吸咀(sucker复数);
Perhaps you've thought some of these things. 也许你曾经这么想过。
Perhaps you've even said them. 也许你还说过这样的话。
And if so, you wouldn't be alone, and you wouldn't be entirely wrong. 如果是这样,那你不是一个人在战斗,你说的也不是没有道理。
The game of public policy today is rigged in many ways. 今天的公共选举在很多方面都被操纵了。
policy:n.政策,方针;保险单;
How else would more than half of federal tax breaks flow up to the wealthiest five percent of Americans? 要不然如何解释过半的联邦所得税减免 都流向了最富有的5%的人？
federal:adj.联邦的;同盟的;联邦政府的;联邦制的;adv.联邦政府地;
And our choices indeed are often terrible. 我们的选择也经常是可怕的。
For many people across the political spectrum , 对许多具有政治背景的人来说,
spectrum:n.光谱;频谱;范围;余象;
Exhibit A is the 2016 presidential election. 证据就是2016年的总统大选。
Exhibit:v.展览;表现;展出;n.陈列品;(在法庭上出示的)物证; presidential:adj.总统的;首长的;统辖的;
But in any year, you can look up and down the ballot and find plenty to be uninspired about. 但不管是哪一年,你去看一下投票结果, 令人沮丧的结果比比皆是。
ballot:n.投票;投票用纸;投票总数;vi.投票;抽签决定;vt.使投票表决;拉选票; uninspired:adj.无灵感的;缺乏创见的;平凡的;
But in spite of all this, I still believe voting matters. 尽管如此,我仍然相信投票是一件重要的事。
in spite of:尽管;不管,不顾;
And crazy as it may sound, 尽管听起来挺疯狂,
I believe we can revive the joy of voting. 但我相信我们可以重新获得选举的乐趣。
revive:vi.复兴;复活;苏醒;恢复精神;vt.使复兴;使苏醒;回想起;重演,重播;
Today, I want to talk about how we can do that, and why. 今天,我要谈一谈我们要怎样,以及为什么要重新享受选举。
There used to be a time in American history when voting was fun, when it was much more than just a grim duty to show up at the polls . 在美国历史上选举曾经是充满乐趣的, 那时选举可不仅仅是在投票站露面那么无聊。
grim:adj.冷酷的;糟糕的;残忍的; polls:n.民意调查; v.对…进行民意测验,使投票(poll的单三形式);
That time is called "most of American history." 那个时代被称为“大部分美国历史”。
(Laughter) (笑声）
From the Revolution to the Civil Rights Era, the United States had a vibrant , robustly participatory and raucous culture of voting. 从美国革命到人权时代, 美国选举曾经充满生机, 参与者信念坚定,草根文化喧嚣一时。
Revolution:n.革命;旋转;运行;循环; Civil:adj.公民的;民间的;文职的;有礼貌的;根据民法的; United:adj.联合的; v.联合,团结; (unite的过去分词和过去式) vibrant:adj.振动的;充满生气的;响亮的;战栗的; robustly:adv.要用体力地;粗鲁地;坚定地; participatory:adj.供人分享的;吸引参与的; raucous:adj.沙哑的;刺耳的;粗声的;
It was street theater, open-air debates , fasting and feasting and toasting , parades and bonfires . 街头戏剧,公开辩论,斋戒,盛宴,祝酒, 游行和篝火晚会盛极一时。
open-air:adj.露天的;户外的,野外的; debates:n.[法]辩论;讨论(debate的复数);v.[法]辩论;讨论(debate的三单形式); feasting:v.尽情享用(美味佳肴);(feast的现在分词) toasting:v.为…干杯;烤(尤指面包);烤火;使暖和;(toast的现在分词) parades:n.游行;陈列;检阅(parade的复数);v.在…游行;在…散步(parade的三单形式); bonfires:n.篝火;营火(bonfire的复数);
During the 19th century, immigrants and urban political machines helped fuel this culture of voting. 十九世纪,移民和城市政治机器 使得选举文化迅速发展。
immigrants:n.移民(immigrant的复数); urban:adj.城市的;都市的;城镇的;都市音乐的;
That culture grew with each successive wave of new voters. 新选民不断加入,选族文化不断增长。
successive:adj.连续的;继承的;依次的;接替的;
During Reconstruction , when new African-American voters, new African-American citizens, began to exercise their power, they celebrated in jubilee parades that connected emancipation with their newfound right to vote. 在美国重建期,当新一代美国黑人选民, 新一代美国黑人市民, 行使他们的权利, 他们为欢庆奴隶解放纪念日而游行, 把他们的解放与新获得的选举权联系到一起。
Reconstruction:n.再建,重建;改造;复兴; African-American:非洲裔美国人(指美国黑人); jubilee:n.(尤指25周年或50周年的)周年纪念,周年大庆,周年庆祝; emancipation:n.解放;释放; newfound:adj.新发现的;新得到的;
A few decades later, the suffragettes brought a spirit of theatricality to their fight, marching together in white dresses as they claimed the franchise . 几十年后,妇女参政运动 给这场斗争附加了一种戏剧化的效果: 穿着白衣游行前进,宣称选举权。
suffragettes:妇女参政权论者(suffragette的复数); theatricality:n.戏剧风格;不自然;夸张; claimed:v.宣称;声称;断言;索取;认领;索要(claim的过去分词和过去式) franchise:n.特权;公民权;经销权;v.给…以特许(或特权);赋予公民权;
And the Civil Rights Movement , which sought to redeem the promise of equal citizenship that had been betrayed by Jim Crow , put voting right at the center. 民权运动,则寻求重新确认 所承诺的被种族隔离政策 背叛的平等公民权, 把选举权作为民权运动的核心。
Civil Rights Movement:n.(美国)民权运动(20世纪50年代和60年代非裔美国人争取平等权利的运动); sought:v.seek(寻求、寻找)的过去式和过去分词形式; redeem:vt.赎回;挽回;兑换;履行;补偿;恢复; citizenship:n.[法]公民身份,公民资格;国籍;公民权; betrayed:v.出卖;泄露机密;辜负;对…不忠;(betray的过去分词和过去式) Jim Crow:歧视黑人的;歧视(黑人);
From Freedom Summer to the march in Selma, that generation of activists knew that voting matters, and they knew that spectacle and the performance of power is key to actually claiming power. 从自由之夏到塞尔玛行军（黑人选民登记活动）, 那一代的活动者知道,选举事关重大, 他们也知晓那种壮观的场面,权利的行使 才是权利的意义所在。
spectacle:n.景象;场面;奇观;壮观;公开展示;表相,假相n.(复)眼镜; performance:n.性能;表现;业绩;表演; claiming:v.声称;要求给予;理应获得;(claim的现在分词)
But it's been over a half century since Selma and the Voting Rights Act, and in the decades since, this face-to-face culture of voting has just about disappeared . 塞尔玛行军和选举权力法案已经过去了半个世纪, 面对面的选举文化 也已经消失了 几十年,
face-to-face:adj.面对面的;当面的;adv.面对面地; disappeared:adj.消失的;消失了的;v.消失,失踪;(disappear的过去式和过去分词)
It's been killed by television and then the internet. 这都是电视惹的祸, 互联网更是后来居上。
The couch has replaced the commons. 沙发代替了评论,
couch:n.睡椅,长沙发;床;卧榻;v.蹲伏,埋伏;躺着;
Screens have made citizens into spectators . 屏幕使公民变成了观众。
spectators:n.观众;旁观者(spectator复数);
And while it's nice to share political memes on social media , that's a rather quiet kind of citizenship. 在社交媒体上分享政治观点不失为好主意, 但这只是安静的公民权。
memes:模因(meme的复数); media:n.媒体;媒质(medium的复数);血管中层;浊塞音;中脉;
It's what the sociologist Sherry Turkle calls "being alone together." 社会学家雪莉·特克称之为“群体中的孤独”。
sociologist:n.社会学家; Sherry:n.雪利酒(西班牙产的一种烈性白葡萄酒);葡萄酒;
What we need today is an electoral culture that is about being together together, in person, in loud and passionate ways, so that instead of being "eat your vegetables" or "do you duty," 我们今天需要的 是一种选举文化,人与人之间面对面 交流思想, 喧闹而又激情四射, 并不只是自扫门前雪或勉强尽责,
electoral:adj.选举的;选举人的; passionate:adj.热情的;热烈的,激昂的;易怒的;
voting can feel more like "join the club" 选举可以让人感觉更像是加入了俱乐部,
or, better yet, "join the party." 或更酷一点,参加大联欢。
Imagine if we had, across the country right now, in local places but nationwide, a concerted effort to revive a face-to-face set of ways to engage and electioneer: 想象一下,如果现在全国各地, 小到各个地方, 共同恢复面对面的 竞选参与方式:
engage:v.吸引,占用;使参加;雇佣;使订婚;预定;
outdoor shows in which candidates and their causes are mocked and praised in broad satirical style; soapbox speeches by citizens; public debates held inside pubs; 参选人及其参选目标在众目睽睽之下 被嘲弄,被支持; 市民随意发表街头演讲; 酒馆里展开公开辩论;
outdoor:adj.户外的;露天的; mocked:v.嘲笑;(模仿)嘲弄;不尊重;蔑视;(mock的过去分词和过去式) satirical:adj.讽刺性的;讥讽的;爱挖苦人的; soapbox:n.肥皂盒;肥皂箱;临时表演台;adj.街头演说的;
streets filled with political art and handmade posters and murals; battle of the band concerts in which competing performers rep their candidates. 街头充满政治艺术,手工海报和壁画; 乐队演奏表演中,竞争性的演出代表了候选人的竞争。
handmade:adj.手工的;手制的; posters:n.海报;巨幅装饰画;发布消息的人;(poster的复数) band:n.带;波段;频带;箍;v.加彩条(或嵌条等);(将价格、收入等)划分档次; competing:adj.相互冲突的;相互矛盾的;v.竞争;对抗;参加比赛;(compete的现在分词)
Now, all of this may sound a little bit 18th century to you, but in fact, it doesn't have to be any more 18th century than, say, Broadway's "Hamilton," 当然,所有这些在你们听来都是十八世纪的老古董了, 但实际上,这么形容百老汇的《汉密尔顿》 或许更贴切,
which is to say vibrantly contemporary . 其实这也是生机勃勃的现代主义。
vibrantly:adv.充满活力地; contemporary:n.同时代的人;同时期的东西;adj.当代的;同时代的;属于同一时期的;
And the fact is that all around the world, today, millions of people are voting like this. 事实是,在当下,全世界 每天都有几百万人像这样进行选举。
In India, elections are colorful, communal affairs. 在印度,选举是多彩的公众事务。
communal:adj.公共的;公社的;
In Brazil , election day is a festive , carnival-type atmosphere . 在巴西,选举日是节日,狂欢节般的气氛。
Brazil:n.巴西(拉丁美洲国家); festive:adj.节日的;喜庆的;欢乐的; atmosphere:n.大气;气氛;气压;风格;
In Taiwan and Hong Kong, there is a spectacle, eye-popping , eye-grabbing spectacle to the street theater of elections. 在台湾,香港,选举是奇观, 比起街头剧院的选举, 更让人惊叹不已,大开眼界。
eye-popping:adj.使人瞠目的;惊人的;
You might ask, well, here in America, who has time for this? 你也许会问,但这是美国,谁有时间折腾这些啊？
And I would tell you that the average American watches five hours of television a day. 我要告诉你, 美国人平均每天看5小时的电视。
You might ask, who has the motivation ? 你会问,谁有那个劲头啊？
motivation:n.动机;积极性;推动;
And I'll tell you, any citizen who wants to be seen and heard not as a prop , not as a talking point , but as a participant , as a creator. 让我告诉你, 那些希望被注意和被聆听的公民, 不想当龙套,不为博眼球, 而要成为参与者,创造者。
prop:n.道具;支柱;支持者;后盾;v.支撑; talking point:n.话题;论题;(常为支持某一论点的)论据; participant:adj.参与的;有关系的;n.参与者;关系者;
Well, how do we make this happen? 好了,那到底要怎么做呢？
Simply by making it happen. 很简单,付诸行动。
That's why a group of colleagues and I launched a new project called "The Joy of Voting." 这就是我和一群同事 发起了一个新运动:”选举的快乐“的原因。
colleagues:n.同事;同行(colleague的复数); launched:v.发射;发起;开展;开始;(launch的过去式和过去分词)
In four cities across the United States -- 在美国四个城市——
Philadelphia , Miami, 费城,迈阿密,
Philadelphia:n.费城(美国宾夕法尼亚州东南部港市);
Akron, Ohio, and Wichita , Kansas -- we've gathered together artists and activists, educators, political folks, neighbors, everyday citizens to come together and create projects that can foster this culture of voting in a local way. 俄亥俄的阿克伦,和堪萨斯的威奇托, 我们召集了艺术家,活动家, 教育家,政治人物,邻居和普通市民, 相聚一起,创造了一个项目 来培育地域选举文化。
Wichita:n.威奇托(美国堪萨斯州城市); Kansas:n.堪萨斯州(美国州名); foster:vt.培养;养育,抚育;抱(希望等);adj.收养的,养育的;
In Miami, that means all-night parties with hot DJs where the only way to get in is to show that you're registered to vote. 在迈阿密,有整夜的聚会,火辣的DJ, 只要注册为选民就可以入内。
all-night:adj.通宵的;通宵营业的; registered:adj.登记过的;记名的;挂号的;v.登记;注册;(register的过去式和过去分词)
In Akron, it means political plays being performed in the bed of a flatbed truck that moves from neighborhood to neighborhood. 在阿克伦,则是政治戏剧, 演出在移动的平板拖车上进行, 从一个小区到另一个小区。
performed:v.表演;执行;履行;演出;工作,运转(好/不好)(perform的过去分词和过去式) flatbed:n.有平台可装货的卡车;adj.平台的,平板的; neighborhood:n.附近;地区;街坊;adj.附近的;
In Philadelphia, it's a voting-themed scavenger hunt all throughout colonial old town. 在费城, 是选举主题的寻宝游戏,遍布所有殖民古镇。
scavenger hunt:n.寻宝游戏(参加者必须找到各种物品); throughout:adv.自始至终,到处;全部;prep.贯穿,遍及; colonial:n.殖民地居民;adj.殖民地的,殖民的;
And in Wichita, it's making mixtapes and live graffiti art in the North End to get out the vote . 威奇托,则是在城区北部创作混音带和现场涂鸦, 那里是选举开始的地方。
graffiti:n.墙上乱写乱画的东西(graffito的复数形式); get out the vote:争取选票;投票动员;
There are 20 of these projects, and they are remarkable in their beauty and their diversity , and they are changing people. 这样的项目有20个, 每一个都美轮美奂,丰富多彩。 这些项目改变了人们的态度。
remarkable:adj.卓越的;非凡的;值得注意的; diversity:n.差异(性):多样性:多样化:
Let me tell you about a couple of them. 我来讲几个故事。
In Miami, we've commissioned and artist, a young artist named Atomico, to create some vivid and vibrant images for a new series of "I voted" stickers . 在迈阿密,我们委托一个艺术家, 年轻的艺术家阿托米卡, 去创作栩栩如生的“我投票了”新系列贴纸。
commissioned:adj.受委任的;v.正式委托;任命…为军官;(commission的过去式和过去分词) vivid:adj.生动的;鲜明的;鲜艳的; images:n.印象;声誉;形象;画像;雕像;(image的第三人称单数和复数) series:n.系列,连续;[电]串联;级数;丛书; stickers:n.粘贴标签;贴纸;(sticker的复数)
But the thing is, Atomico had never voted. 可是,阿托米卡从来没投过票。
He wasn't even registered. 甚至都没登过记。
So as he got to work on creating this artwork for these stickers, he also began to get over his sense of intimidation about politics . 当他开始设计艺术贴纸时, 他也要开始克服对政治的恐惧。
intimidation:n.恐吓,威胁; politics:n.政治;钩心斗角;政治观点;v.(贬)从事政治活动;(politic的第三人称单数)
He got himself registered, and then he got educated about the upcoming primary election, and on election day he was out there not just passing out stickers, 他去登记了, 他也了解了即将到来的大选, 在投票日当天,他不仅当街散发贴纸,
upcoming:adj.即将来临的;
but chatting up voters and encouraging people to vote, and talking about the election with passersby . 还和选民交谈,鼓励大家投票, 与行人谈论选举。
passersby:n.过路人;经过者(passerby的复数);
In Akron, a theater company called the Wandering Aesthetics has been putting on these pickup truck plays. 在阿克伦,一家名叫美学漫步的戏剧公司 曾经进行过这种卡车演出。
Aesthetics:n.美学;美的哲学; pickup:n.收集,整理;小卡车;拾起;搭车者;偶然结识者;
And to do so, they put out an open call to the public asking for speeches, monologues , dialogues, poems, snippets of anything that could be read aloud and woven into a performance. 为了演出,这家公司公开 征集演讲,独白,对话,诗歌, 小品之类的,只要能大声念出来的 都可以编入演出。
monologues:独白; snippets:n.片段(snippet的复数形式);小片; woven:v.编织;交织(weave的过去分词);编造;adj.织物的;n.机织织物;
They got dozens of submissions . 结果投稿如云。
submissions:n.投降;归顺;提交;看法,意见;(submission的复数)
One of them was a poem written by nine students in an ESL class, all of them Hispanic migrant workers from nearby Hartville, Ohio. 其中有一首诗, 都是拉美籍的移民工人, 来自俄亥俄州内比邻的哈特威尔。
Hispanic:adj.西班牙的; nearby:adj.附近的,邻近的;adv.在附近;prep.在…附近;
I want to read to you from this poem. 我给大家读一段。
It's called "The Joy of Voting." 诗的名字叫:选举的快乐。
'"I would like to vote for the first time because things are changing for Hispanics . 我要进行第一次投票, 因为拉美裔的处境变了。
Hispanics:n.西班牙裔;
I used to be afraid of ghosts . 我过去怕鬼,
ghosts:n.鬼魂;幽灵;一点点;v.无声地行进(ghost的第三人称单数和复数)
Now I am afraid of people. 现在怕人。
There's more violence and racism . 暴力和种族主义越来越多。
violence:n.暴力;侵犯;激烈;歪曲; racism:n.种族主义,种族歧视;人种偏见;
Voting can change this. 选举会改变这一切。
The border wall is nothing. 边界墙什么也不是。
It's just a wall. 就是个墙。
The wall of shame is something. 耻辱的墙才可怕。
It's very important to vote so we can break down this wall of shame. 投票很重要, 让我们可以打破这耻辱之墙。
I have passion in my heart. 我心中有激情。
Voting gives me a voice and power. 选举使我发出声音和力量。
I can stand up and do something." 我能站起来做出改变了。
'"The Joy of Voting" project isn't just about joy. “选举的快乐”项目并不只是关于快乐。
It's about this passion. 这是激情。
It's about feeling and belief, and it isn't just our organization's work. 也是感受和信仰, 不是只有我们一个组织在工作。
All across this country right now, immigrants, young people, veterans , people of all different backgrounds are coming together to create this kind of passionate, joyful activity around elections, 现在全国都步调一致, 移民,年轻人,退伍军人,各种背景的人, 聚在一起创造了这种充满激情,快乐的 投票活动。
veterans:n.老兵;退伍军人(veteran的复数形式); joyful:adj.欢喜的;令人高兴的;
in red and blue states, in urban and rural communities , people of every political background. 不论是民主党还是共和党的优势州,不论城乡, 人民不论政治背景。
rural:adj.农村的,乡下的;田园的,有乡村风味的; communities:n.社区;社会;团体;共有(community的复数)
What they have in common is simply this: their work is rooted in place. 有一点是共同的: 他们的工作都是本地的。
Because remember, all citizenship is local. 要记住,公民都是本地人。
When politics becomes just a presidential election, we yell and we scream at our screens, and then we collapse , exhausted . 如果政治仅仅关乎总统选举, 大家就只是对着屏幕大呼小叫,直到精疲力尽。
collapse:vi.倒塌;瓦解;暴跌;vt.使倒塌,使崩溃;使萎陷;折叠;n.倒塌;失败;衰竭; exhausted:adj.筋疲力尽的; v.使筋疲力尽; (exhaust的过去分词和过去式)
But when politics is about us and our neighbors and other people in our community coming together to create experiences of collective voice and imagination , then we begin to remember that this stuff matters. 但如果政治是有关自己, 邻居和社区的其他人, 大家聚在一起,共同发出声音,表达期许, 我们就会记得这样做是有意义的。
community:n.社区;[生态]群落;共同体;团体; collective:adj.集体的;共同的;集合的;集体主义的;n.集团;集合体;集合名词; imagination:n.想象;想象力;创造力;想象的事物; stuff:n.东西:物品:基本特征:v.填满:装满:标本:
We begin to remember that this is the stuff of self-government . 我们开始铭记,这就是自治。
self-government:n.自治;自制;克己;
Which brings me back to where I began. 回到开始那句话。
Why bother? 为什么非要投票呢？
There's one way to answer this question. 不妨这样回答。
Voting matters because it is a self-fulfilling act of belief. 投票很重要,因为这是信仰的自我满足。
self-fulfilling:adj.实现自己抱负的,自我实现的;
It feeds the spirit of mutual interest that makes any society thrive . 它供养了利益的双方,实现了社会繁荣。
mutual:adj.共同的;相互的,彼此的; thrive:v.繁荣;茁壮成长;蓬勃发展;兴旺发达;
When we vote, even if it is in anger, we are part of a collective, creative leap of faith . 当我们投票,即使是愤怒的一票, 我们仍是创造性信念集合的一部分。
creative:adj.创造性的; leap:n.跳越;跳跃;跳高;骤变;v.跳;跳跃;跳越;猛冲; faith:n.信心;信任;宗教信仰;
Voting helps us generate the very power that we wish we had. 投票帮助我们创造了最强的力量。
generate:v.产生;引起;
It's no accident that democracy and theater emerged around the same time in ancient Athens. 无怪乎民主和剧院 同时出现于古代雅典。
democracy:n.民主,民主主义;民主政治; emerged:v.(从隐蔽处或暗处)出现;暴露;露出真相;显现;(emerge的过去分词和过去式)
Both of them yank the individual out of the enclosure of her private self. 民主和戏剧都把个体从私我中分离出来。
yank:v.猛拉;猛拽;n.突然的猛拉;急抽 individual:n.个人;有个性的人;adj.单独的;个别的; enclosure:n.附件;围墙;围场;
Both of them create great public experiences of shared ritual . 都从一种共同的仪式感中创立了伟大的公共体验。
ritual:n.仪式;惯例;礼制;adj.仪式的;例行的;礼节性的;
Both of them bring the imagination to life in ways that remind us that all of our bonds in the end are imagined, and can be reimagined . 把想象带进了生活, 让我们意识到错综复杂的社会联系都是由设想而来的, 也可以进行重构。
remind:v.提醒;使想起; reimagined:重新想象;再回味(reimagine的过去分词)
This moment right now, when we think about the meaning of imagination, is so fundamentally important, and our ability to take that spirit and to take that sense that there is something greater out there, is not just a matter of technical expertise . 此时此刻, 当我们思索想象的意义, 便会发觉想象是何其重要, 我们如果有能力接受这样一种精神, 这样一种感知, 承认有更伟大的存在, 并非只是技术性的专长。
fundamentally:adv.从根本上;基础地;重要地 technical:adj.工艺的,科技的;技术上的;专门的; expertise:n.专门知识;专门技术;专家的意见;
It's not just a matter of making the time or having the know-how . 不只是挤出时间或者拥有技术。
know-how:n.诀窍;实际知识;专门技能;
It is a matter of spirit. 这关乎一种精神。
But let me give you an answer to this question, "Why bother?" 让我来揭晓答案,究竟为什么要投票。
that is maybe a little less spiritual and a bit more pointed. 答案并不虚空,而是有实践意义的。
spiritual:n.圣歌(尤指美国南部黑人的);adj.精神的,心灵的;
Why bother voting? 为什么要投票？
Because there is no such thing as not voting. 因为不存在不投票这种事。
Not voting is voting, for everything that you may detest and oppose . 不投票也是投票。 只不过投给了所有你不喜欢和反对的东西。
detest:v.厌恶;憎恨; oppose:v.反对(计划、政策等);抵制;阻挠;(在竞赛中)与…对垒;
Not voting can be dressed up as an act of principled , passive resistance , but in fact not voting is actively handing power over to those whose interests are counter to your own, and those who would be very glad to take advantage of your absence . 不投票有时装扮成 原则性的,被动的抵抗, 但实际上不投票 是交出权力 给那些与你利益相左的人, 那些很乐意利用你缺席的人。
principled:adj.有原则的;有操守的; passive resistance:n.消极反抗;和平抵抗; take advantage of:利用; absence:n.没有;缺乏;缺席;不注意;
Not voting is for suckers. 不投票是失败者的选择。
Imagine where this country would be if all the folks who in 2010 created the Tea Party had decided that, you know, politics is too messy , voting is too complicated . 想象一下这个国家将会怎样, 如果所有2010年创建茶党的人 认为政治太肮脏, 投票太复杂。
Tea Party:n.茶话会;(下午)茶会;在美国各地抗议高额税收; messy:adj.肮脏的;凌乱的;不整洁的; complicated:adj.复杂的;难懂的;v.使复杂化;(complicate的过去分词和过去式)
There is no possibility of our votes adding up to anything. 我们的投票永远没有机会贡献任何事。
They didn't preemptively silence themselves. 但他们没有沉默。
preemptively:先发制人地;
They showed up, and in the course of showing up, they changed American politics. 他们表达了自己, 在表达自我的过程中,他们改变了美国的政治。
in the course of:在…过程中;在…期间;
Imagine if all of the followers of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders had decided not to upend the political status quo and blow apart the frame of the previously possible in American politics. 想象一下如果特朗普和桑德斯的所有拥护者 决定不去碰触政治现状, 而是保持原先的美国政治结构 会怎样。
Trump:n.王牌;主牌花色;v.出王牌赢(牌);;赢;胜过;打败; Sanders:n.打磨机;(sander的复数) upend:vt.倒放,颠倒;竖立; status quo:n.现状;原来的状况; frame:n.框架; v.设计; adj.有木架的; previously:adv.先前;以前;
They did that by voting. 但他们却通过投票迈出了改变的步伐。
We live in a time right now, divided, often very dark, where across the left and the right, there's a lot of talk of revolution and the need for revolution to disrupt everyday democracy. 我们所生活的时代 出现了严重的分裂,时常黑暗无比, 不论左派右派,都想变革, 都有打破常规民主的革命需求。
disrupt:vt.破坏;使瓦解;使分裂;使中断;使陷于混乱;adj.分裂的,中断的;分散的;
Well, here's the thing: everyday democracy already gives us a playbook for revolution. 而关键就在于: 民主环境已经给了我们革命的脚本。
playbook:n.剧本;
In the 2012 presidential election, young voters, Latino voters, 在2012年总统选举中, 年轻人,拉丁选民,
Latino:adj.拉丁美洲的;拉丁美洲人的;n.拉丁美洲人;
Asian-American voters, low-income voters, all showed up at less than 50 percent. 亚裔人,低收入群体, 投票率都低于50%
In the 2014 midterm elections, turnout was 36 percent, which was a 70-year low. 2014年中期选举是36%, 70年来最低。
midterm:adj.期中的;中间的;n.期中考试; turnout:n.产量;出席者;出动;清除;[公路]岔道;
And in your average local election, turnout hovers somewhere around 20 percent. 地方选举的平均投票率 只有20%左右。
hovers:盘旋;
I invite you to imagine 100 percent. 我想请你们想象一下100%。
Picture 100 percent. 100%的投票率会是何种景象。
Mobilize 100 percent, and overnight , we get revolution. 100%全体动员, 一夜之间,我们就会爆发革命。
Mobilize:v.动员;动员;调动;组织;鼓动;调用; overnight:adj.夜间的; v.在夜间; n.(美)前一天的晚上;
Overnight, the policy priorities of this country change dramatically , and every level of government becomes radically more responsive to all the people. 一夜之间,国家的政治优先权就会剧烈反转, 所有级别的政府会更积极回应 民众的呼声。
priorities:n.优先事项;优先权;重点;(priority的复数) dramatically:adv.戏剧地;引人注目地;adv.显著地,剧烈地; radically:adv.根本上;彻底地;以激进的方式; responsive:adj.响应的;应答的;回答的;
What would it take to mobilize 100 percent? 怎样来全动员100%的人呢？
Well, we do have to push back against efforts afoot all across the country right now to make voting harder. 我们正在为此 在全国范围内努力, 让投票更有力。
afoot:adj.在进行中的;徒步的;准备中;adv.在进行中,在准备中;
But at the same time , we have to actively create a positive culture of voting that people want to belong to, be part of, and experience together. 同时, 要积极创立正面的选举文化, 人民乐于追随的文化, 置身其中,共同经历。
at the same time:同时;另一方面;与此同时; positive:adj.积极的;[数]正的,[医][化学]阳性的;确定的;n.正数;[摄]正片;
We have to make purpose. 要把选举变得有意义,
We have to make joy. 更快乐。
So yes, let's have that revolution, a revolution of spirit, of ideas, of policy and participation , a revolution against cynicism , a revolution against the self-fulfilling sense of powerlessness . 对,我们现在一起发动革命, 精神,观念, 政策和参与的革命, 抛弃玩世不恭, 抛弃自我无力感。
participation:n.参与;分享;参股; cynicism:n.玩世不恭,愤世嫉俗;犬儒主义;冷嘲热讽; powerlessness:n.无力;无能为力;无力量;
Let's vote this revolution into existence, and while we're at it, let's have some fun. 让我们通过选举来实现革命, 我们正在路上, 让我们享受这个过程。
Thank you very much. 谢谢。
(Applause) （掌声）