Well, this is a really extraordinary honor for me. I spend most of my time in jails, in prisons, on death row. I spend most of my time in very low-income communities, in the projects and places where there's a great deal of hopelessness. And being here at TED and seeing the stimulation, hearing it, has been very, very energizing to me. And one of the things that's emerged in my short time here is that TED has an identity. And you can actually say things here that have impacts around the world. And sometimes when it comes through TED, it has meaning and power that it doesn't have when it doesn't.
Zaista sam počastvovan što sam ovde. Uglavnom provodim vreme u pritvorima, zatvorima, na izvršenju smrtne kazne. Najveći deo vremena provodim u siromašnim zajednicama, u komunama i mestima gde nema mnogo nade. Gostovanje na TED-u, i doživljaj podsticaja ovde, saznanja, su mi dali mnogo energije. Ono što sam shvatio za vreme svog kratkog boravka ovde jeste da TED ima identitet. Ovde možete saopštiti stvari koje će imati uticaj širom sveta. Ponekada, kada je to saopšteno na TED-u, to ima veći značaj i moć, koju ne bi posedovalo bez TED-a.
And I mention that because I think identity is really important. And we've had some fantastic presentations. And I think what we've learned is that, if you're a teacher, your words can be meaningful, but if you're a compassionate teacher, they can be especially meaningful. If you're a doctor, you can do some good things, but if you're a caring doctor, you can do some other things. So I want to talk about the power of identity. And I didn't learn about this actually practicing law and doing the work that I do. I actually learned about this from my grandmother.
Govorim ovo jer smatram da je identitet značajan. Videli smo fantastična predavanja. Mislim da smo naučili da reči nastavnika mogu biti pune značenja, ali reči strastvenih nastavnika, one mogu biti naročito značajne. Doktori mogu činiti dobre stvari, ali ukoliko ste saosećajni doktor, onda činite neke druge stvari. Zato želim da pričam o moći identiteta. Nisam to naučio ustvari baveći se pravom i radom koji činim. To sam naučio od svoje bake.
I grew up in a house that was the traditional African American home that was dominated by a matriarch, and that matriarch was my grandmother. She was tough, she was strong, she was powerful. She was the end of every argument in our family.
Odrastao sam u tradicionalnoj afro-američkoj familiji, u kojoj dominira matrijarhat, a on je bio oličen u mojoj baki. Bila je stroga, bila je jaka, bila je moćna. Ona je završavala svaku raspravu u našoj porodici.
(Laughter)
Bila je i začetnik mnogih rasprava u našoj porodici.
She was the beginning of a lot of arguments in our family.
Bila je ćerka ljudi koji su bili porobljeni.
(Laughter)
She was the daughter of people who were actually enslaved. Her parents were born in slavery in Virginia in the 1840s. She was born in the 1880s, and the experience of slavery very much shaped the way she saw the world.
Njeni roditelji su rođeni u ropstvu, u Virdžiniji 1840-tih. Ona je rođena 1880-tih, i iskustvo ropstva je poprilično obilikovalo način na koji gleda na svet. Moja baka je bila stroga, ali puna ljubavi.
And my grandmother was tough, but she was also loving. When I would see her as a little boy, she'd come up to me and give me these hugs. And she'd squeeze me so tight I could barely breathe, and then she'd let me go. And an hour or two later, if I saw her, she'd come over to me and say, "Bryan, do you still feel me hugging you?" If I said, "No," she'd assault me again, and if I said, "Yes," she'd leave me alone. And she just had this quality that you always wanted to be near her. And the only challenge was that she had 10 children. My mom was the youngest of her 10 kids. And sometimes when I would go and spend time with her, it would be difficult to get her time and attention. My cousins would be running around everywhere.
Kada bih je video dok sam bio dečačić, ona bi mi prišla i grlila me. Tako bi me snažno zagrlila da nisam mogao da dišem, a onda bi me pustila. Ukoliko bih je ugledao sat ili dva kasnije, prišla bi mi i pitala: "Brajane, da li još uvek osećaš moj zagrljaj?" Ukoliko bih rekao: "Ne", prigrabila bi me opet, a ukoliko bih rekao "Da", ostavila bi me na miru. Odlikovala se time da ste uvek želeli da budete blizu nje. Izazov je bio u tome što je imala desetoro dece. Moja majka je bila najmlađa. Kada bih ponekada otišao da provedem vreme sa njom, bilo je teško osvojiti njenu pažnju. Moji rođaci bi jurcali posvuda.
And I remember, when I was about eight or nine years old, waking up one morning, going into the living room, and all of my cousins were running around. And my grandmother was sitting across the room, staring at me. And at first, I thought we were playing a game. And I would look at her, and I'd smile, but she was very serious. And after about 15 or 20 minutes of this, she got up and she came across the room, and she took me by the hand, and she said, "Come on, Bryan. You and I are going to have a talk." And I remember this just like it happened yesterday. I never will forget it.
Sećam se da sam se probudio jednog jutra, kada mi je bilo osam ili devet godina, otišao sam u dnevnu sobu, i svi moji rođaci su jurcali naokolo. Baka je sedela na drugom kraju sobe, i zurila je u mene. Pomislio sam prvo da se igramo neke igre. Pogledao sam je i nasmejao se, ali je ona bila veoma ozbiljna. Nakon 15 ili 20 minuta ove igre, ona je ustala i došla sa drugog kraja sobe, uhvatila me je za ruku i rekla: "Hajmo, Brajane. Sada ćemo da popričamo." Sećam se toga kao da je bilo juče. Nikada to neću zaboraviti.
She took me out back and said, "Bryan, I'm going to tell you something, but you don't tell anybody what I tell you." I said, "OK, Mama." She said, "Now, you make sure you don't do that." I said, "Sure." Then she sat me down and she looked at me, and she said, "I want you to know I've been watching you." And she said, "I think you're special." She said, "I think you can do anything you want to do." I will never forget it.
Izvela me je napolje i rekla: "Brajan, rećiću ti nešto, ali nikome nemoj to reći." Rekao sam: "U redu, bako." Rekla je: "Postaraj se da ne uradiš to." Rekoh: "Sigurno." Onda me je posadila, pogledala me i rekla: "Želim da znaš da sam te posmatrala." Rekla je: "Mislim da si poseban." Rekla je: "Mislim da možeš da uradiš šta god poželiš." Nikada to neću zaboraviti.
And then she said, "I just need you to promise me three things, Bryan." I said, "OK, Mama." She said, "The first thing I want you to promise me is that you'll always love your mom." She said, "That's my baby girl, and you have to promise me now you'll always take care of her." Well, I adored my mom, so I said, "Yes, Mama. I'll do that." Then she said, "The second thing I want you to promise me is that you'll always do the right thing, even when the right thing is the hard thing." And I thought about it, and I said, "Yes, Mama. I'll do that." Then finally, she said, "The third thing I want you to promise me is that you'll never drink alcohol."
A onda je rekla: "Ali moraš mi obećati tri stvari, Brajane." Rekoh: "U redu, bako." Rekla je: "Prvo želim da mi obećaš da ćeš uvek voleti svoju majku." Rekla je: "To je moja devojčica, i moraš mi obećati da ćeš se uvek starati o njoj." Obožavao sam svoju majku, pa sam rekao: "Da, bako. Učiniću to." Onda je rekla: "Potom želim da mi obećaš da ćeš uvek uraditi ispravnu stvar čak i kada je to teži put." Razmislio sam o tome i rekao sam: "Da, bako. Uradiću to." Na kraju je rekla: "Treća stvar koju želim da mi obećaš je da nikada nećeš piti alkohol."
(Laughter)
(smeh)
Well, I was nine years old, so I said, "Yes, Mama. I'll do that."
Imao sam devet godina, te rekoh: "Da, bako. Učiniću to."
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. When I was about 14 or 15, one day, my brother came home and he had this six-pack of beer; I don't know where he got it. He grabbed me and my sister, and we went out in the woods, and we were just out there doing the stuff we crazily did, and he had a sip of this beer and gave some to my sister and she had some, and they offered it to me. I said, "No, that's OK. Y'all go ahead. I'm not going to have any." 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." I said, "No, I don't feel right about that. Y'all go ahead." And then my brother stared at me and said, "What's wrong with you? Have some beer." Then he looked at me real hard and said, "Oh, I hope you're not still hung up on that conversation Mama had with you."
Odrastao sam na selu, u seoskom delu juga, imao sam godinu dana starijeg brata i godinu dana mlađu sestru. Kada mi je bilo 14 ili 15 jednog dana je moj brat došao kući sa gajbom piva, ne znam gde je nabavio, i poveo je mene i sestru u šumu. Zanimali smo se napolju radeći ludosti koje smo uglavnom radili. On je popio gutljaj piva, dao je pivo mojoj sestri, ona je popila malo, i ponudili su i meni. Rekao sam: "Ne, ne, ne. U redu je. Vi se zabavite. Neću da pijem pivo." Moj brat je rekao: "Ma hajde. To danas radimo, ti uvek radiš što i mi. Ja sam popio, i tvoja sestra. Popij pivo." Rekao sam: "Ne, ne sviđa mi se ta ideja. Samo napred. Samo napred." Tada je moj brat počeo da zuri u mene. Pitao me je: "Šta je sa tobom? Popij pivo." Onda me je prostrelio pogledom i rekao: "A, nadam se da nisi i dalje opsednut razgovorom za bakom." (smeh)
(Laughter)
Rekao sam: "Ma o čemu pričaš?"
I said, "What are you talking about?" He said, "Oh, Mama tells all the grandkids that they're special."
Rekao je: "Pa baka govori svim unucima da su posebni." (smeh)
(Laughter)
To me je pokosilo.
I was devastated.
(smeh)
(Laughter)
Priznaću vam nešto.
And I'm going to admit something to you. I'm going to tell you something I probably shouldn't. I know this might be broadcast broadly. But I'm 52 years old, and I'm going to admit to you that I've never had a drop of alcohol.
Rećiću vam nešto što verovatno ne bi trebalo. Znam da će ovo možda biti puštano širom sveta. Imam 52 godine, i priznaću vam da nikada nisam okusio alkohol. (aplauz)
(Applause)
Ne kažem to jer mislim da je to nešto posebno,
I don't say that because I think that's virtuous; I say that because there is power in identity. When we create the right kind of identity, we can say things to the world around us that they don't actually believe make sense. We can get them to do things that they don't think they can do. When I thought about my grandmother, of course she would think all her grandkids were special. My grandfather was in prison during prohibition. My male uncles died of alcohol-related diseases. And these were the things she thought we needed to commit to.
kažem jer u tome postoji moć identiteta. Kada izgradimo pravi tip identiteta, možemo poručiti svetu neke stvari za koje ne veruju da imaju smisla. Možemo ih motivisati da urade stvari koje smatraju da ne mogu da urade. Kada razmislim o baki, naravno da je mislila da su svi njeni unuci posebni. Moj deda je bio u zatvoru za vreme prohibicije. Moji ujaci su umrli od posledica bolesti alkoholizma. Ona je smatrala da treba da se identifikujemo sa tim stvarima.
Well, I've been trying to say something about our criminal justice system. This country is very different today than it was 40 years ago. In 1972, there were 300,000 people in jails and prisons. Today, there are 2.3 million. The United States now has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. We have seven million people on probation and parole. And mass incarceration, in my judgment, has fundamentally changed our world. In poor communities, in communities of color, there is this despair, there is this hopelessness that is being shaped by these outcomes. One out of three Black men between the ages of 18 and 30 is in jail, in prison, on probation or parole. In urban communities across this country -- Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington -- 50 to 60 percent of all young men of color are in jail or prison or on probation or parole.
Ja sam pokušavao da poručim nešto o našem sistemu pravde. Ova zemlja se razlikuje danas u odnosu na zemlju pre 40 godina. 1972. je bilo 300 000 ljudi u pritvorima i zatvorima. Danas, taj broj je 2,3 miliona. Najveća stopa pritvora u svetu je danas u Sjedinjenim Državama. Sedam miliona ljudi je na uslovnoj kazni i posmatranju. Masovno pritvaranje je po meni promenilo naš svet u osnovi. U siromašnim zajednicama, nebelačkim populacijama, vidi se očaj, vlada beznađe, koje je uzrokovano ovim rezultatima. Jedan od tri crnca između 18 i 30 godina je u pritvoru, zatvoru, uslovnoj ili posmatranju. U urbanim zajednicama širom zemlje, u Los Anđelesu, Filadelfiji, Baltimoru, Vašingtonu, 50 do 60 odsto mladih nebelaca su u zatvoru, pritvoru, na uslovnoj ili posmatranju. Naš sistem nije samo oblikovan
Our system isn't just being shaped in these ways that seem to be distorting around race, they're also distorted by poverty. We have a system of justice in this country that treats you much better if you're rich and guilty than if you're poor and innocent. Wealth, not culpability, shapes outcomes. And yet, we seem to be very comfortable. The politics of fear and anger have made us believe that these are problems that are not our problems. We've been disconnected.
na načine koji izgledaju određeni rasom, već i siromaštvom. Sistem pravde u ovoj zemlji se odnosi prema vama mnogo bolje ukoliko ste bogati i krivi, nego siromašni i nevini. Bogatstvo, ne krivica, određuje rezultat. Ali, čini se da nam je to prirodno. Politike straha i ljutnje su učinile da verujemo da ovi problemi nisu naši problemi. Bili smo otuđeni od toga.
It's interesting to me. We're looking at some very interesting developments in our work. My state of Alabama, like a number of states, actually permanently disenfranchises you if you have a criminal conviction. Right now in Alabama, 34 percent of the Black male population has permanently lost the right to vote. We're actually projecting that in another 10 years, the level of disenfranchisement will be as high as it's been since prior to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. And there is this stunning silence.
Mene to zanima. Svedoci smo veoma zanimljivog razvoja u našem poslu. Država u kojoj radim, Alabama, kao i mnoge druge, vam trajno oduzima pravo glasanja ukoliko ste bili zakonski osuđeni za krivično delo. U ovom trenutku, u Alabami, 34 odsto muške populacije crnaca je trajno izgubilo pravo glasanja. Izračunali smo da će za 10 godiina stopa oduzimanja prava na glasanje biti onoliko visoka koliko je bila pre nego što je usvojen Akt o pravu na glasanje. A opet, niko ne priča o tome.
I represent children. A lot of my clients are very young. The United States is the only country in the world where we sentence 13-year-old children to die in prison. We have life imprisonment without parole for kids in this country. And we're actually doing some litigation. The only country in the world.
Ja zastupam decu. Mnogi moji klijenti su veoma mladi. Jedino se u Sjedinjenim Državama na ovom svetu trinaestogodišnjaci osuđuju da umru u zatvoru. Postoji kazna na doživotnu robiju bez prava na uslovnu slobodu u ovoj državi. Ustvari, i sprovodimo neka suđenja. Jedina zemlja na svetu.
I represent people on death row. It's interesting, this question of the death penalty. In many ways, we've been taught to think that the real question is: Do people deserve to die for the crimes they've committed? And that's a very sensible question. But there's another way of thinking about where we are in our identity. The other way of thinking about it is not: Do people deserve to die for the crimes they commit?, but: Do we deserve to kill? I mean, it's fascinating.
Zastupan ljude osuđene na smrtnu kaznu. Zanimljivo je pitanje smrtne kazne. Na mnogo načina su nas učili da mislimo da je pravo pitanje: "Da li ljudi zaslužuju da umru za zločine koje su počinili?" To pitanje ima smisla. Ali možemo sagledati i drugi način aspekte našeg identiteta. Drugi način razmišljanja ne razmatra da li ljudi zaslužuju da umru zbog počinjenih zločina, već da li mi zaslužujemo da ubijemo? To je zaista fascinantno.
Death penalty in America is defined by error. For every nine people who have been executed, we've actually identified one innocent person who's been exonerated and released from death row. A kind of astonishing error rate -- one out of nine people, innocent. I mean, it's fascinating. In aviation, we would never let people fly on airplanes if, for every nine planes that took off, one would crash.
Smrtna kazna u Americi je okarakterisana greškom. Jedan od devet ljudi koji je osuđen na smrt, je bio nevin, bio je oslobođen optužbi i oslobođen smrtne kazne. Neverovatan procenat greške, jedan od devet ljudi je nevin. Zar to nije fascinantno? Nikada ne bismo dozvolili ljudima da se voze avionom, ukoliko bi svaki deveti avion koji poleti pao.
(Laughter)
Ali mi nekako možemo da se ogradimo od ovog problema.
But somehow, we can insulate ourselves from this problem. It's not our problem. It's not our burden. It's not our struggle.
To nije naš problem. Nije to naš teret. Nije to naša borba.
I talk a lot about these issues. I talk about race and this question of whether we deserve to kill. And it's interesting, when I teach my students about African American history, I tell them about slavery. I tell them about terrorism, the era that began at the end of reconstruction that went on to World War II. We don't really know very much about it. But for African Americans in this country, that was an era defined by terror. In many communities, people had to worry about being lynched. They had to worry about being bombed. It was the threat of terror that shaped their lives. And these older people come up to me now and say, "Mr. Stevenson, you give talks, you make speeches, you tell people to stop saying we're dealing with terrorism for the first time in our nation's history after 9/11." They tell me to say, "No, tell them that we grew up with that." And that era of terrorism, of course, was followed by segregation and decades of racial subordination and apartheid.
Mnogo pričam o ovim stvarima. Pričam o rasama i pitanju da li zaslužujemo da ubijemo. Zanimljivo je da kada studentima predajem afro-američku isotriju, ja njima pričam o ropstvu. Pričam im o terorizmu, period koji je otpočeo nakon Građanskog rata i produžio se do Drugog svetskog rata. Ne znamo ustvari mnogo o tome. Ali za Afro-Amerikance u ovoj zemlji je to bio period obeležen terorom. Ljudi su u mnogim zajednicama bili linčovani. Brinuli su o bombardovanju. Pretnja terorom je oblikovala njihove živote. Stariji ljudi mi sada prilaze i govore: "G-dine Stivenson, vi predajete, držite govore, kažite ljudima da prestanu da pričaju kako se po prvi put u istoriji ove nacije nosimo sa terorizmom posle 11. septembra." Kažu mi da saopštim: "Ne, reci im da smo mi sa tim odrasli." Period terorizma je naravno praćen raslojavanjem i decenijama rasnog potčinjavanja i aparthejdom.
And yet, we have in this country this dynamic where we really don't like to talk about our problems. We don't like to talk about our history. And because of that, we really haven't understood what it's meant to do the things we've done historically. We're constantly running into each other. We're constantly creating tensions and conflicts. We have a hard time talking about race, and I believe it's because we are unwilling to commit ourselves to a process of truth and reconciliation. In South Africa, people understood that we couldn't overcome apartheid without a commitment to truth and reconciliation. In Rwanda, even after the genocide, there was this commitment. But in this country, we haven't done that.
A opet, nekako u ovoj zemlji baš i ne volimo da pričamo o svojim problemima. Ne volimo da pričamo o našoj istoriji. Baš usled toga nismo razumeli šta je značilo to što smo kroz istoriju činili. Sve vreme se vrtimo u krug. Stalno stvaramo napetost i probleme. Nerado prihvatamo priče o rasama, i verujem da se koren toga nalazi u našoj nespremnosti da prihvatimo istinu i pomirenje. U Južnoj Africi su shvatili da ne možemo prevazići aparthejd bez spremnosti da prihvatimo istinu i pomirenje. Čak su i nakon genocida u Ruandi ljudi bili spremni na to, ali u ovoj zemlji to nikada nismo učinili.
I was giving some lectures in Germany about the death penalty. It was fascinating, because one of the scholars stood up after the presentation and said, "Well, you know, it's deeply troubling to hear what you're talking about." He said, "We don't have the death penalty in Germany, and of course, we can never have the death penalty in Germany." And the room got very quiet, and this woman said, "There's no way, with our history, we could ever engage in the systematic killing of human beings. It would be unconscionable for us to, in an intentional and deliberate way, set about executing people." And I thought about that. What would it feel like to be living in a world where the nation-state of Germany was executing people, especially if they were disproportionately Jewish? I couldn't bear it. It would be unconscionable.
Držao sam predavanja u Nemačkoj o smrtnoj kazni. Bio sam oduševljen, jer je jedan od učenika prokomentarisao nakon mog predavanja: "Veoma je uznemiravajuće to što pričaš." Rekao je: "Mi nemamo smrtnu kaznu u Nemačkoj. I naravno, mi nikada nećemo imati smrtnu kaznu u Nemačkoj." Svi su zanemeli, a onda je žena rekla: "Nemoguće je, ako sagledamo našu istoriju, da mi podržimo sistemsko ubiljanje ljudi. To bi bilo nesavesno, da prosto otvorenim i planiranim pristupom ubijamo ljude." Razmislio sam o tome. Kako bi izgledalo da živite u svetu u kom Nemačka osuđuje ljude na smrt, i ako se desi da su osuđeni mahom Jevreji? Nisam mogao to da podnesem. Bilo je nepojmivo.
And yet, in this country, in the states of the Old South, we execute people -- where you're 11 times more likely to get the death penalty if the victim is white than if the victim is Black, 22 times more likely to get it if the defendant is Black and the victim is white -- in the very states where there are, buried in the ground, the bodies of people who were lynched. And yet, there is this disconnect.
A u ovoj državi, u regionima starog juga, mi osuđujemo ljude na smrt, gde je verovatnoća te presude 11 puta veća ukoliko je žrtva belac, a 22 puta je veća verovatnoća ukoliko je osumnjičeni crnac. U istim tim državama gde su zakopana u zemlju tela linčovanih ljudi. A opet, postoji ta otuđenost. Verujem da je naš identitet u krizi.
Well, I believe that our identity is at risk, that when we actually don't care about these difficult things, the positive and wonderful things are nonetheless implicated. We love innovation. We love technology. We love creativity. We love entertainment. But ultimately, those realities are shadowed by suffering, abuse, degradation, marginalization. And for me, it becomes necessary to integrate the two, because ultimately, we are talking about a need to be more hopeful, more committed, more dedicated to the basic challenges of living in a complex world. And for me, that means spending time thinking and talking about the poor, the disadvantaged, those who will never get to TED, but thinking about them in a way that is integrated in our own lives.
Čak i kada ne vodimo računa o ovim teškim stvarima, u to su uključene pozitivne i prelepe stvari. Obožavamo izume. I tehnologiju. I kreativnost. Volimo zabavu. Ali na kraju dana, sve to je senka veće patnje, iskorištavanja, nipodaštavanja, marginalizacije. Smatram da je prosto neophodno da sve to bude integrisano. Jer u suštini mi pričamo o potrebi da budemo više od pomoći, posvećeniji, više usredređeni, na osnovne izazove života u ovom složenom svetu. Za mene to znači da treba da provedem vreme razmišljajući o i pričajući sa siromašnima, onima bez prednosti, onima koji nikada neće biti na TED-u. Ali treba i te ljude zamisliti kao sastavne delove naših života.
You know, ultimately, we all have to believe things we haven't seen. We do. As rational as we are, as committed to intellect as we are, innovation, creativity, development comes not from the ideas in our mind alone. They come from the ideas in our mind that are also fueled by some conviction in our heart. And it's that mind-heart connection that I believe compels us to not just be attentive to all the bright and dazzly things, but also the dark and difficult things. Václav Havel, the great Czech leader, talked about this. He said, "When we were in Eastern Europe and dealing with oppression, we wanted all kinds of things. But mostly what we needed was hope, an orientation of the spirit, a willingness to sometimes be in hopeless places and be a witness."
Naposletku, svi treba da verujemo u stvari koje nismo videli. Zaista. Koliko god da smo racionalni i posvećeni intelektu. Izumi, kreativnost, razvoj nalazi korene ne u našem izolovanom umu. Oni se rađaju iz ideja u našem umu koje su takođe nadahnute pobudama našeg srca. Ja upravo verujem da je ta veza između srca i uma ono što nas navodi da obraćamo pažnju ne samo na lepe i očaravajuće stvari, već i na one mračne i teške. Vaclav Havel, veliki vođa Čeha, je pričao o tome. Rekao je: "Kada smo bili deo istočne Evrope, pod velikim pritiskom, želeli smo razne stvari, ali pre svega želeli smo nadu, usmerenje našeg duha, spremnost da se ponekada nađemo na beznadežnom mestu i budemo očevici."
Well, that orientation of the spirit is very much at the core of what I believe even TED communities have to be engaged in. There is no disconnect around technology and design that will allow us to be fully human until we pay attention to suffering, to poverty, to exclusion, to unfairness, to injustice. Now, I will warn you that this kind of identity is a much more challenging identity than ones that don't pay attention to this. It will get to you.
Takvo duhovno usmerenje je zaista srž onoga što ja smatram da treba da bude deo i same TED zajednice. Ne postoji otuđenost tehnologije i dizajna koja će nam dozvoliti da budemo zaista ljudi, dok se ne bavimo isto tako i patnjom, siromaštvom, isključenošću, nepravdom. Upozoriću vas da je ta vrsta identiteta mnogo zahtevnija u odnosu na onaj tip koji na to ne obraća pažnju. Shvatićete to.
I had the great privilege, when I was a young lawyer, of meeting Rosa Parks. And Ms. Parks used to come back to Montgomery every now and then, and she would get together with two of her dearest friends, these older women, Johnnie Carr, who was the organizer of the Montgomery bus boycott -- amazing African American woman -- and Virginia Durr, a white woman, whose husband, Clifford Durr, represented Dr. King. And these women would get together and just talk.
Kada sam bio mladi advokat, imao sam čast da upoznam Rozu Parks. S vremena na vreme g-đa Parks je dolazila u Montgomeri, kako bi se našla sa svoje dve najbolje prijateljice, starije žene, Džoni Kar, koja je organizovala bojkot bus linije Montgomeri i neverovatne žene afro-američkog porekla, i Virdžinijom Dur, belkinjom, čiji je muž, Kliford Dur, zastupao dr Kinga, One bi se našle i ćaskale.
And every now and then Ms. Carr would call me, and she'd say, "Bryan, Ms. Parks is coming to town. We're going to get together and talk. Do you want to come over and listen?" And I'd say, "Yes, ma'am, I do." She'd say, "What are you going to do when you get here?" I said, "I'm going to listen." And I'd go over there and I would, I'd just listen. It would be so energizing and so empowering.
S vremena na vreme g-đa Kar bi me pozvala i rekla: "Brajane, g-đa Parks dolazi u grad. Naći ćemo se i razgovarati. Da li želiš da nam se pridružiš?" Ja bih rekao: "Da, naravno." Ona bi rekla: "I šta ćeš raditi kada se nađemo?" Ja bih rekao: "Slušaću vas." Ja bih im se pridružio i samo bih ih slušao. To mi je davalo energiju i motivaciju.
And one time I was over there listening to these women talk, and after a couple of hours, Ms. Parks turned to me and said, "Bryan, tell me what the Equal Justice Initiative is. Tell me what you're trying to do." And I began giving her my rap. "We're trying to challenge injustice. We're trying to help people who have been wrongly convicted. We're trying to confront bias and discrimination in the administration of criminal justice. We're trying to end life without parole sentences for children. We're trying to do something about the death penalty. We're trying to reduce the prison population. We're trying to end mass incarceration."
Jednom prilikom sam se našao sa njima i slušao njihov razgovor, i nakon nekoliko sati, g-đa Parks se okrenula ka meni i pitala me: "Pa, Brajane, reci mi šta predstavlja 'Pokret jednake pravde'. Reci mi šta pokušavaš da uradiš." Počeo sam sa svojim izveštajem. Rekao sam: "Pa, pokušavamo da se suprotstavimo nepravdi. Pokušavamo da pomognemo onima koji su nepravedno osuđeni. Pokušavamo da se nosimo sa predrasudama i diskriminacijom u sistemu administracije krivičnog prava. Želimo da se izborimo za ukidanje kazni za decu. Želimo da utičemo na proces smrtne kazne. Želimo da redukujemo broj ljudi u zatvorima. Želimo da zaustavimo oduzimanje prava na glas." Kada sam završio sa izveštajem, pogledala me je
I gave her my whole rap, and when I finished she looked at me and she said, "Mmm mmm mmm. That's going to make you tired, tired, tired."
i rekla: "Hmm, mmm mmm." Rekla je: "Bićeš umoran, umoran, umoran." (smeh)
(Laughter)
U tom momentu se g-đa Kar primakla meni, i stavila je prst na moje lice,
And that's when Ms. Carr leaned forward, she put her finger in my face, she said, "That's why you've got to be brave, brave, brave."
i rekla: "I zbog toga treba da budeš hrabar, hrabar, hrabar."
And I actually believe that the TED community needs to be more courageous. We need to find ways to embrace these challenges, these problems, the suffering. Because ultimately, our humanity depends on everyone's humanity. I've learned very simple things doing the work that I do. It's just taught me very simple things. I've come to understand and to believe that each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done. I believe that for every person on the planet. I think if somebody tells a lie, they're not just a liar. I think if somebody takes something that doesn't belong to them, they're not just a thief. I think even if you kill someone, you're not just a killer. And because of that, there's this basic human dignity that must be respected by law. I also believe that in many parts of this country, and certainly in many parts of this globe, that the opposite of poverty is not wealth. I don't believe that. I actually think, in too many places, the opposite of poverty is justice.
Ja zaista verujem da bi TED zajednica trebalo da bude hrabrija. Trebalo bi da nađemo načine da se nosimo sa ovim izazovima, problemima, patnjom. Jer na kraju dana, naša humanost zavisi od humanosti svih ljudi. Naučio sam jednostavne stvari baveći se ovim radom. To me je naučilo jednostavnim stvarima. Shvatio sam i verujem da je svako od nas mnogo više od najgore stvari koje je učinio. Smatram da je to tačno za sve ljude na ovoj planeti. Ukoliko neko kaže laž, on nije samo lažov. Ukoliko neko uzme nešto što mu ne pripada, ta osoba nije samo lopov. Čak i ako ubijete nekoga, niste samo ubica. Usled toga postoji osnovno ljudsko dostojanstvo koje zakon mora poštovati. Takođe verujem da u mnogim delovima ove države, a sigurno na mnogim mestima na ovoj planeti, suprotnost siromaštvu nije bogatstvo. Ne verujem u to. Mislim da je ustvari na mnogim mestima pravda suprotnost siromaštva.
And finally, I believe that, despite the fact that it is so dramatic and so beautiful and so inspiring and so stimulating, we will ultimately not be judged by our technology, we won't be judged by our design, we won't be judged by our intellect and reason. Ultimately, you judge the character of a society not by how they treat their rich and the powerful and the privileged, but by how they treat the poor, the condemned, the incarcerated. Because it's in that nexus that we actually begin to understand truly profound things about who we are.
Na kraju, verujem da bez obzira što je sve to tako dramatično, lepo, inspirišuće, pokretačko, mi nećemo biti ocenjeni na osnovu naše tehnologije, niti će nas oceniti po našem dizajnu, niti po intelektu i rezonovanju. U krajnjoj liniji, karakter društva se ne ocenjuje na osnovu odnosa prema bogatima, moćnima i privilegovanima, već prema tome kako se odnosi prema siromašnima, osuđenima, ljudima u zatvoru. Upravo u tom segmentu mi počinjemo da suštinski da shvatamo ko smo mi.
I sometimes get out of balance. I'll end with this story. I sometimes push too hard. I do get tired, as we all do. Sometimes those ideas get ahead of our thinking in ways that are important. And I've been representing these kids who have been sentenced to these very harsh sentences. And I go to the jail and I see my client, who's 13 and 14, and he's been certified to stand trial as an adult. I start thinking, well, how did that happen? How can a judge turn you into something that you're not? And the judge has certified him as an adult, but I see this kid.
Nekada izgubim svoj balans. Završiću sa ovom pričom. Ponekada previše pokušavam. Umorim se, kao i svi mi. Ponekada ideje trče ispred nas na veoma značajan način. Branio sam klince koji su osuđeni na vrlo teške kazne. Odem u zatvor u posetu klijentu kom je 13 ili 14 godina, a određeno je da mu se sudi kao odrasloj osobi. Pomislim: "Kako se to desilo? Kako sudija može da vas preokrene u nešto što niste?" Sudija ga je obeležio kao odraslu osobu, ali ja radim sa detetom.
And I was up too late one night and I started thinking, well, if the judge can turn you into something you're not, the judge must have magic power. Yeah, Bryan, the judge has some magic power. You should ask for some of that. And because I was up too late and wasn't thinking real straight, I started working on a motion. I had a client who was 14 years old, a young, poor Black kid. And I started working on this motion, and the head of the motion was: "Motion to try my poor, 14-year-old Black male client like a privileged, white, 75-year-old corporate executive."
Dugo sam radio jedne noći i počeo sam da razmilšljam, da ukoliko sudija može da vas preobrati u nešto što niste, sudija sigurno ima magičnu moć. Da, Brajane, sudija ima magičnu moć. Trebalo bi da zamoliš za delić toga. Obzirom da je bilo veoma kasno, nisam baš jasno razmišljao, počeo sam da radim na predmetu. Moj klijent je imao 14 godina, mlad, siromašni crnac. Počeo sam da sastavljam zvanični predlog, a naslov samog predloga bio je: "Predlog da vodite postupak protiv mog siromašnog, četrnaestogodišnjeg klijenta, dečaka, crnca kao da je privilegovani, 75-godišnji direktor firme."
(Laughter)
(aplauz)
(Applause and cheers)
Napisao sam u svom predlogu
And I put in my motion that there was prosecutorial misconduct and police misconduct and judicial misconduct. There was a crazy line in there about how there's no conduct in this county, it's all misconduct. And the next morning, I woke up and I thought, now, did I dream that crazy motion, or did I actually write it? And to my horror, not only had I written it, but I had sent it to court.
da je u pitanju kršenje propisa u procesu optužbe, a takođe i u miliciji i sudu. U jednoj ludoj rečenici sam saopštio kako ne postoji pravda u ovoj zemlji, sve je nepravda. Sledećeg jutra sam se probudio i zapitao sam se da li sam sanjao o tom ludom predlogu, ili sam zaista to napisao? Užasnut sam shvatio ne samo da sam napisao to, već i da sam poslao to na sud. (aplauz)
(Applause)
Prošlo je od tada nekoliko meseci,
A couple months went by, and I just had forgotten all about it. And I finally decided, "Gosh, I've got to go to the court and do this crazy case." And I got in my car, and I was feeling really overwhelmed -- overwhelmed. And I got in my car and went to this courthouse. And I was thinking, this is going to be so difficult, so painful. And I finally got out of the car and started walking up to the courthouse.
i zaboravio sam na sve to. Na kraju je došao momenat kada je trebalo da odem na sud i suočim se sa tm ludim slučajem. Ušao sam u kola, i osećao sam se tako iscrpljeno. Ušao sam u kola i odvezao se do suda. Mislio sam da će biti veoma teško i bolno. Na posletku sam izašao iz kola i odšetao do zgrade suda.
Dok sam išao uz stepenice zgrade suda,
And as I was walking up the steps, there was an older Black man who was the janitor in this courthouse. When this man saw me, he came over and said, "Who are you?" I said, "I'm a lawyer." He said, "You're a lawyer?" I said, "Yes, sir." And this man came over to me, and he hugged me. And he whispered in my ear. He said, "I'm so proud of you." And I have to tell you, it was energizing. It connected deeply with something in me about identity, about the capacity of every person to contribute to community, to a perspective that is hopeful.
primetio sam starijeg čoveka, crnca, koji je tu radio kao čuvar. Ugledao me je, prišao mi i pitao: "Ko si ti?" Rekoh: "Advokat." On reče: "Ti si advokat?" Rekoh: "Da, gospodine." Taj tip mi je prišao i zagrlio me. Šapnuo mi je nešto na uvo. Rekao je: "Ponosan sam na tebe." Priznaću vam, to mi je dalo podstrek. To je dotaklo zaista nešto duboko u meni, a tiče se identiteta, tiče se mogućnosti svake osobe da doprinese zajednici, da doprinese budućnosti koja uliva nadu.
Well, I went into the courtroom. And as soon as I walked in, the judge saw me coming. He said, "Mr. Stevenson, did you write this crazy motion?" I said, "Yes, sir. I did." And we started arguing. And people started coming in, just outraged I'd written these crazy things. And police officers were coming in and assistant prosecutors and clerk workers. Before I knew it, the courtroom was filled with people angry that we were talking about race, that we were talking about poverty, talking about inequality.
Otišao sam u sud. Čim sam zakoračio u prostoriju, sudija me je zapazio. Rekao je: "G-dine Stivenson, da li ste vi napisali ovaj ludački predlog?" Rekao sam: "Da, g-dine, jesam." Počeli smo da se raspravljamo. Ljudi su ulazili u prostoriju jer su bili van sebe. Napisao sam te potpuno lude stvari. Ulazili su i milicajci, i asistenti tužioca i službenici. Pre nego što sam se osvestio, sudnica je bila prepuna ljudi koji su bili besni jer pričamo o rasi, jer pričamo o siromaštvu, jer pričamo o nejednakosti.
And out of the corner of my eye, I could see this janitor pacing back and forth. He kept looking through the window and could hear all the holler. And finally, this older Black man with a very worried look on his face came into the courtroom and sat behind me, almost at counsel table. Ten minutes later, the judge said we'd take a break. During the break, there was a deputy sheriff who was offended that the janitor had come into court. The deputy jumped up and ran over to this older Black man. He said, "Jimmy, what are you doing in this courtroom?" And this older Black man stood up and looked at that deputy and he looked at me, and he said, "I came into this courtroom to tell this young man, 'Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on.'"
Krajičkom oka sam zapazio čuvara kako se tu šeta. Non-stop je gledao kroz prozor, i mogao je da čuje čitavu raspravu. Nastavio je sa šetnjom. Na posletku je taj stariji crnac, zabrinutog izraza lica, ušao u sudnicu i seo iza mene, skoro za samim stolom sudije. Nakon 10 minuta sudija je oglasio pauzu. U toku pauze zapazio sam načelnika odeljenja koji je bio uvređen što je čuvar došao u sudnicu. Načelnik je skočio sa stolice i dojurio do starijeg crnca. Rekao mu je: "Džimi, šta ti radiš u sudnici?" Ovaj stariji čovek je ustao zagledao se u načelnika, pa u mene i rekao: "Došao sam u ovu sudnicu da poručim ovom mladom čoveku da ne gubi perspektivu iz vida, da ne odustaje."
I've come to TED because I believe that many of you understand that the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice; that we cannot be full, evolved human beings until we care about human rights and basic dignity; that all of our survival is tied to the survival of everyone; that our visions of technology and design and entertainment and creativity have to be married with visions of humanity, compassion and justice. And more than anything, for those of you who share that, I've simply come to tell you to keep your eyes on the prize, hold on.
Došao sam ovde, na TED jer verujem da mnogi od vas shvataju da je putanja morala u univerzumu duga, ali naginje ka pravdi. Mi ne možemo da budemo u potpunosti ostvarena ljudska bića dok ne brinemo o ljudskim pravima i dostojanstvu. Naš opstanak je vezan za opstanak svake osobe. Naše vizije tehnologije i dizajna i zabave i kreativnosti moraju da budu u sprezi sa vizijama o humanosti, saosećajnosti i pravdi. A pre svega, za sve vas koji imaju taj stav, ja sam prosto došao da vam kažem da ne gubite perspetkivu iz vida, da ne odustajete.
Thank you very much.
Mnogo vam hvala.
(Applause and cheers)
(aplauz)
Chris Anderson: Brian, so you heard and saw an obvious desire by this audience, this community, to help you on your way and to do something on this issue. Other than writing a check, what could we do?
Kris Anderson: Čuo si i video zaista očiglednu želju ove publike, zajednice da ti pomogne na tvom putu i da pomogne rešavanju ovih problema. Sem davanja novca, šta još možemo da uradimo?
BS: Well, there are opportunities all around us. If you live in the state of California, for example, there's a referendum coming up this spring where there's going to be an effort to redirect some of the money we spend on the politics of punishment. For example, here in California, we're going to spend one billion dollars on the death penalty in the next five years -- one billion dollars. And yet, 46 percent of all homicide cases don't result in arrest, 56 percent of all rape cases don't result. So there's an opportunity to change that. And this referendum would propose having those dollars go to law enforcement and safety. And I think that opportunity exists all around us.
BS: Pa, mogućnosti su svuda oko nas. Ukoliko živite u Kaliforniji, na primer, ovog proleća će biti raspisan referendum koji se bavi pokušajem da se podela novca koji se tiče naše politike kažnjavanja reorganizuje. Na primer, ovde, u Kaliforniji, potrošićemo milijardu dolara na smrtnu kaznu u narednih pet godina, milijardu dolara. A opet, 46 procenata ubistava ne biva rešeno. 56 procenata silovanja je nerešeno. Postoji mogućnost da se to promeni. Na ovom referendumu će biti predloženo da taj novac bude preusmeren na bezbednost i jačanje prava. Smatram da mogućnosti postoje svuda oko nas.
CA: There's been this huge decline in crime in America over the last three decades. And part of the narrative of that is sometimes that it's about increased incarceration rates. What would you say to someone who believed that?
KA: Zabeležen je ogroman pad stope kirminala u Americi tokom poslednje tri decenije. Deo objašnjenja, ljudi misle, je u tome što je povećana stopa pritvora ljudi. Šta bi ti rekao nekome ko veruje u to?
BS: Well, actually, the violent crime rate has remained relatively stable. The great increase in mass incarceration in this country wasn't really in violent crime categories. It was this misguided war on drugs. That's where the dramatic increases have come in our prison population.
BS: Stopa nasilnih zločina je relativno nepromenjena. Veliko povećanje stope pritvora u ovoj zemlji nije zabeležno u grupi nasilnih zločina. Radi se o ovom pogrešno vođenom ratu protiv droga. Usled toga se povećao broj ljudi u našim zatvorima.
(Applause)
A poneli smo se baš tom retorikom o kažnjavanju.
And we got carried away with the rhetoric of punishment. And so we have "Three Strikes" laws that put people in prison forever for stealing a bicycle, for low-level property crimes, rather than making them give those resources back to the people who they victimized. I believe we need to do more to help people who are victimized by crime, not do less. And I think our current punishment philosophy does nothing for no one. And I think that's the orientation that we have to change.
Imamo "zakone treće greške" putem kojih se doživotno zatvaraju ljudi zbog krađe bicikla, zbog nisko-budžetnih krađa, umesto da ih prosto nateramo da vrate te stvari onima koji su žrtve tih pljački. Mislim da treba da uradimo mnogo više da pomognemo ljudima koji su pogođeni kriminalom, a ne manje. Smatram da aktuelna filozofija kažnjavanja ne čini dobro nikome. Smatram da je to neophodno promeniti. (aplauz)
(Applause)
KA: Brajane, imaš veliku podršku ovde.
CA: Bryan, you've struck a massive chord here. You're an inspiring person. Thank you so much for coming to TED. Thank you.
Zaista inspiršeš. Hvala ti što si došao na TED. Hvala ti. (Aplauz)
(Applause and cheers)
BS: Thank you. Thank you. (Applause and cheers)