TED演讲之入门 我们需要谈谈不公(3)
And then she said, “I just need you to promise me three things, Bryan.” I said, “Okay, Mama.”
接着她说：“我想让你向我保证三件事。”我说：“好的外婆。”
She said, “The first thing I want you to promise me is that you’ll always love your mom.”
她说：“第一，我想让你保证你会永远爱你的妈妈。”
She said, “That’s my baby girl, and you have to promise me now you’ll always take care of her.”
她说：“你妈妈是我的心头肉，你得向我保证你会永远爱护她。”
Well I adored my mom, so I said, “Yes, Mama. I’ll do that.”
我很爱我妈妈，我说：“好，外婆，我会。”
Then she said, “The second thing I want you to promise me is that
接着她说：“第二件事，是你要答应我，
you’ll always do the right thing even when the right thing is the hard thing.”
你会永远走正路，即使走正路是很难的选择。”
And I thought about it and I said, “Yes, Mama. I’ll do that.”
我想了想回答：“好的外婆，我会的。”
Then finally she said, “The third thing I want you to promise me is that you’ll never drink alcohol.”
最后她说：“第三件事，我要你保证你永不喝酒。”
Well I was nine years old, so I said, “Yes, Mama. I’ll do that.”
我才九岁，我答应：“好，外婆，我保证。”
I grew up in the country in the rural South, and I have a brother a year older than me and a sister a year younger.
我在南部的乡下长大，我有个哥哥大我一岁，还有个妹妹小我一岁。
When I was about 14 or 15, one day my brother came home and he had this six-pack of beer
当我十四五岁时，一天我哥哥带回到家半打啤酒，
I don’t know where he got it — and he grabbed me and my sister and we went out in the woods.
我都不知道他怎么弄到的，他带上我和我妹妹，
And we were kind of just out there doing the stuff we crazily did.
跑到树林里一通疯玩疯跑。
And he had a sip of this beer and he gave some to my sister and she had some, and they offered it to me.
他喝了一口啤酒，递给我妹妹，她也喝了，然后他们递给了我。
I said, “No, no, no. That’s okay. You all go ahead. I’m not going to have any beer.”
我说：“我不要。没事，你们喝。我不喝。”
My brother said, “Come on. We’re doing this today; you always do what we do. I had some, your sister had some. Have some beer.”
我哥哥说：“来嘛，我们今个儿都喝。你老是和我们一条阵线的。我喝了点，妹妹也喝了点，你来些。”
I said, “No, I don’t feel right about that. Y’all go ahead. Y’all go ahead.”
我说：“不，我不想喝。你们喝你们喝。”
And then my brother started staring at me. He said, “What’s wrong with you? Have some beer.”
我哥哥盯住我问：“你有什么毛病？喝一点。”
Then he looked at me real hard and he said, “Oh, I hope you’re not still hung up on that conversation Mama had with you.”
接着他细细打量了我一会，问我：“噢，你不会还想着外婆要你保证的事吧。”
I said, “Well, what are you talking about?”
我说：“你在说什么呀？”
He said, “Oh, Mama tells all the grandkids that they’re special.” I was devastated.
他说：“外婆和每个外孙都说他很特别。”我这个伤心呀。
演讲简介：
在这个演讲里，人权律师布莱恩·史蒂文森通过讲述他与其外婆以及与帕克斯夫人之间的故事，告诉了大家一些美国司法系统中的骇人真相。演讲从讲述大规模的的种族不平等待遇开始：三分之一美国黑人男性有被监禁的经历。这些问题源于美国一段不被重视的历史，它们从未像今天这样被坦诚地，有洞察力地和有说服力地公开讨论过。