Why bother? The game is rigged. My vote won't count. The choices are terrible. Voting is for suckers.
Čemu trud? Igra je nameštena. Moj glas se ne računa. Izbor je užasan. Glasanje je za naivčine.
Perhaps you've thought some of these things. Perhaps you've even said them. And if so, you wouldn't be alone, and you wouldn't be entirely wrong. The game of public policy today is rigged in many ways. How else would more than half of federal tax breaks flow up to the wealthiest five percent of Americans? And our choices indeed are often terrible. For many people across the political spectrum, Exhibit A is the 2016 presidential election. But in any year, you can look up and down the ballot and find plenty to be uninspired about.
Možda nekad pomišljate ponešto od svega toga. Možda to čak i kažete. Ako je tako, niste jedini, i niste potpuno pogrešili. Današnja igra u javnoj politici je na mnoge načine nameštena. Kako bi inače više od polovine federalnih poreskih olakšica odlazilo kod najbogatijih pet posto Amerikanaca? Naši izbori su zaista često užasni. Za mnogo ljudi širom političkog spektra, prvi dokaz za to su predsednički izbori 2016. Ali u bilo kojoj godini možete pregledati listiće i mnogi će vam oduzeti inspiraciju.
But in spite of all this, I still believe voting matters. And crazy as it may sound, I believe we can revive the joy of voting. Today, I want to talk about how we can do that, and why.
Međutim, uprkos svemu tome, ja i dalje verujem da je glasanje važno. Koliko god to zvučalo ludo, verujem da možemo oživeti radost glasanja. Danas hoću da govorim kako i zašto to možemo učiniti.
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. That time is called "most of American history."
Postojalo je vreme u američkoj istoriji kad je glasanje bilo zabavno, kad je bilo više od stroge dužnosti pojavljivanja na biračkom mestu. To vreme se zove „većina američke istorije“.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
From the Revolution to the Civil Rights Era, the United States had a vibrant, robustly participatory and raucous culture of voting. It was street theater, open-air debates, fasting and feasting and toasting, parades and bonfires. During the 19th century, immigrants and urban political machines helped fuel this culture of voting. That culture grew with each successive wave of new voters. 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. A few decades later, the suffragettes brought a spirit of theatricality to their fight, marching together in white dresses as they claimed the franchise. 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. 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.
Od Revolucije do Doba građanskih prava, Sjedinjene države su imale živu, snažnu participativnu i grubu kulturu glasanja. Bio je to ulični teatar, debate na otvorenom, post i gozbe i zdravice, parade i vatre na otvorenom. Tokom 19. veka, imigranti i gradske političke mašine podgrevali su ovu kulturu glasanja. Ta kultura se razvijala sa svakim sledećim talasom novih glasača. Tokom Doba rekonstrukcije, kad su novi afroamerički birači, novi afroamerički građani, počeli da koriste svoju moć, slavili su je u jubilarnim paradama koje su povezivale emancipaciju sa novostečenim glasačkim pravom. Nekoliko decenija kasnije, sufražetkinje su unele duh teatralnosti u svoju borbu, marširajući zajedno u belim haljinama dok su tražile pravo glasa. I Pokret građanskih prava koji je nastojao da iskupi obećanje jednakog građanstva koje je izneverio Džim Krou, stavio je glasanje u centar. Od Leta slobode do marša u Selmi, ta generacija aktivista znala je da je glasanje važno i znali su da su prizor i predstava moći ključ za dobijanje moći.
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. It's been killed by television and then the internet. The couch has replaced the commons. Screens have made citizens into spectators. And while it's nice to share political memes on social media, that's a rather quiet kind of citizenship. It's what the sociologist Sherry Turkle calls "being alone together."
Međutim, prošlo je više od pola veka od Selme i Ukaza o glasačkim pravima, i u decenijama koje su usledile, ova neposredna glasačka kultura gotovo da je nestala. Ubila ju je televizija a onda i internet. Kauč je zamenio trgove. Ekrani su od građana napravili posmatrače. Iako je lepo šerovati političke mimove na društvenim mrežama, to je prilično tiha vrsta građanstva. To je ono što sociolog Šeri Terkl naziva „biti sam zajedno“.
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," voting can feel more like "join the club" or, better yet, "join the party."
Danas nam je potrebna izborna kultura kako da zajedno budemo zajedno, oči u oči, glasno i strastveno, da, umesto da se svodi na „jedi povrće“ ili „ispuni dužnost“, glasanje može da bude više u stilu „dobrodošao u klub“ ili čak „pridruži se zabavi“.
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: 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; streets filled with political art and handmade posters and murals; battle of the band concerts in which competing performers rep their candidates. 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," which is to say vibrantly contemporary.
Zamislite da imamo sada po celoj zemlji na lokalu, ali širom nacije, jedinstveni trud da oživimo neposredne načine angažovanja i kampanje: šouovi na otvorenom, gde se kandidati i njihovi ciljevi ismevaju i hvale u satiričnom stilu; improvizovane govore građana; javne debate u pabovima; ulice pune političke umetnosti i ručno pravljenih postera i murala; bitke na koncertima bendova gde takmičari repuju o kandidatima. Sve vam ovo možda zvuči pomalo kao 18. vek, međutim, ne mora da bude ništa više 18. vek nego, recimo, "Hamilton" na Brodveju, koji je živo savremen.
And the fact is that all around the world, today, millions of people are voting like this. In India, elections are colorful, communal affairs. In Brazil, election day is a festive, carnival-type atmosphere. In Taiwan and Hong Kong, there is a spectacle, eye-popping, eye-grabbing spectacle to the street theater of elections.
Činjenica je da danas širom sveta milioni ljudi glasaju tako. U Indiji izbori su živopisna društvena stvar. U Brazilu, na dan izbora je praznična, karnevalska atmosfera. U Tajvanu i Hong Kongu od uličnog izbornog teatra nastao je impresivan i atraktivan spektakl od koga ne možete odvojiti oči.
You might ask, well, here in America, who has time for this? And I would tell you that the average American watches five hours of television a day. You might ask, who has the motivation? 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.
Možete da pitate: ali, ko ovde, u Americi, ima vremena za to? Odgovorio bih vam da prosečan Amerikanac gleda televiziju pet sati dnevno. Možete da pitate: ko ima motivaciju? Reći ću vam: svaki građanin koji želi da ga vide i čuju ne kao sredstvo ili argument, već kao učesnika, kao stvaraoca.
Well, how do we make this happen? Simply by making it happen.
A kako to možemo postići? Tako što ćemo postići.
That's why a group of colleagues and I launched a new project called "The Joy of Voting." In four cities across the United States -- Philadelphia, Miami, 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.
Zato sam sa grupom kolega pokrenuo novi projekat pod nazivom "Radost glasanja". U četiri grada širom Sjedinjenih država -- Filadelfiji, Majamiju, Ekronu u Ohaju i Vičiti u Kanzasu - okupljamo umetnike i aktiviste, edukatore, ljude iz politike, susede, obične građane da zajedno stvaramo projekte za podsticanje kulture glasanja u lokalnom smislu.
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. In Akron, it means political plays being performed in the bed of a flatbed truck that moves from neighborhood to neighborhood. In Philadelphia, it's a voting-themed scavenger hunt all throughout colonial old town. And in Wichita, it's making mixtapes and live graffiti art in the North End to get out the vote. There are 20 of these projects, and they are remarkable in their beauty and their diversity, and they are changing people. Let me tell you about a couple of them.
U Majamiju to znači celonoćne žurke sa zgodnim di-džejevima gde se može ući samo ako pokažete da ste registrovani glasač. U Ekronu, to su politički komadi izvođeni u prikolici teretnog kamiona koji ide od naselja do naselja. U Filadelfiji to je igra "lov lešinara" na temu glasanja po čitavom starom kolonijalnom gradu. A u Vičiti prave se muzičke kompilacije i crtaju grafiti u Severnom kraju da bi se povećala izlaznost. Ima 20 takvih projekata, i oni su izvanredni po lepoti i različitosti, i oni menjaju ljude. Ispričaću vam o par tih projekata.
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. But the thing is, Atomico had never voted. He wasn't even registered. 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. 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, but chatting up voters and encouraging people to vote, and talking about the election with passersby.
U Majamiju smo angažovali umetnika, mladog umetnika po imenu Atomiko, da napravi žive i energične slike za novu seriju stikera "Glasao sam". Ali stvar je u tome da Atomiko nikad pre nije glasao. Čak nije bio ni registrovan. I tako, kad se bacio na izradu ilustracija za te stikere, počeo je i da prevazilazi svoj osećaj zastrašenosti politikom. Registrovao se, a onda se obavestio o predstojećim osnovnim izborima, i na dan izbora bio je tamo, ne samo da bi delio stikere, već da bi ćaskao sa glasačima i ohrabrivao ljude da glasaju, i govorio o izborima sa prolaznicima.
In Akron, a theater company called the Wandering Aesthetics has been putting on these pickup truck plays. 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. They got dozens of submissions. One of them was a poem written by nine students in an ESL class, all of them Hispanic migrant workers from nearby Hartville, Ohio. I want to read to you from this poem. It's called "The Joy of Voting."
U Ekronu, pozorišna trupa pod nazivom „Lutajuće Estete“ postavljala je komade u pikap kamionu. Da bi to uradili, uputili su otvoreni poziv javnosti tražeći govore, monologe, dijaloge, pesme, fragmente bilo čega što bi se moglo glasno čitati i utkati u izvođenje. Dobili su na desetine priloga. Među njima bila je i pesma koju je napisalo devetoro studenata engleskog kao drugog jezika, a svi oni su španski radnici migranti iz obližnjeg Hartvila u Ohaju. Hoću da vam pročitam odlomak iz te pesme. Zove se „Radost glasanja“.
"I would like to vote for the first time because things are changing for Hispanics. I used to be afraid of ghosts. Now I am afraid of people. There's more violence and racism. Voting can change this. The border wall is nothing. It's just a wall. The wall of shame is something. It's very important to vote so we can break down this wall of shame. I have passion in my heart. Voting gives me a voice and power. I can stand up and do something."
„Hteo bih da glasam po prvi put jer se stvari menjaju za Špance. Ranije sam se bojao duhova. Sada se bojim ljudi. Ima više nasilja i rasizma. Glasanje može to da promeni. Zid na granici je ništa. To je samo zid. Zid srama je već nešto. Veoma je važno glasati da bismo srušili taj zid srama. Imam strast u srcu. Glasanje mi daje glas i moć. Mogu da ustanem i učinim nešto.“
"The Joy of Voting" project isn't just about joy. It's about this passion. It's about feeling and belief, and it isn't just our organization's work. 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, in red and blue states, in urban and rural communities, people of every political background. What they have in common is simply this: their work is rooted in place.
U projektu „Radost glasanja“ ne radi se samo o radosti. Radi se o ovoj strasti. Radi se o osećanju i verovanju, i to nije samo posao naše organizacije. Širom cele ove zemlje, u ovom trenutku, imigranti, mladi ljudi, veterani, ljudi iz najrazličitijih okruženja udružuju se da bi stvarali ovakvu strastvenu, radosnu aktivnost oko izbora, u crvenim i plavim državama, u urbanim i ruralnim zajednicama, ljudi iz svih političkih okruženja. Zajedničko im je, jednostavno, ovo: njihov rad je ukorenjen u mestu.
Because remember, all citizenship is local. When politics becomes just a presidential election, we yell and we scream at our screens, and then we collapse, exhausted. 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. We begin to remember that this is the stuff of self-government.
Jer zapamtite, svako građanstvo je lokalno. Kad se politika svede na predsedničke izbore, svi vičemo i vrištimo na ekrane, i onda se skljokamo, iscrpljeni. Ali kada se politika tiče nas i naših komšija i drugih ljudi u našoj zajednici koji se udružuju da stvore iskustva kolektivnog glasa i mašte, onda počinjemo da pamtimo da je ta stvar važna. Počinjemo da pamtimo da je to stvar samoupravljanja.
Which brings me back to where I began. Why bother? There's one way to answer this question. Voting matters because it is a self-fulfilling act of belief. It feeds the spirit of mutual interest that makes any society thrive. When we vote, even if it is in anger, we are part of a collective, creative leap of faith. Voting helps us generate the very power that we wish we had.
A to me dovodi na početak. Čemu trud? Jedan je odgovor na to pitanje. Glasanje je važno jer je to samoispunjujući čin vere. Ono hrani duh uzajamnog interesa koji čini da društvo napreduje. Kada glasamo, čak i ako je to iz gneva, deo smo kolektivnog, kreativnog skoka vere. Glasanje nam pomaže da proizvedemo baš tu moć koju bismo voleli da imamo.
It's no accident that democracy and theater emerged around the same time in ancient Athens. Both of them yank the individual out of the enclosure of her private self. Both of them create great public experiences of shared ritual. 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.
Nije slučajno što su demokratija i teatar nastali otprilike u isto vreme u drevnoj Atini. Oboje izvlače pojedinca iz ograđenog, ličnog, privatnog prostora. Oboje stvaraju velika javna iskustva zajedničkog rituala. Oboje od mašte prave život na načine koji nas podsećaju da su sve naše spone zapravo zamišljene, i mogu se drugačije zamisliti.
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. It's not just a matter of making the time or having the know-how. It is a matter of spirit.
Ovaj trenutak, baš sada, kada razmišljamo o značenju mašte, toliko je temeljno važan, i naša sposobnost da shvatimo taj duh i shvatimo taj smisao da postoji nešto što je veće, nije samo stvar tehničke ekspertize. To nije samo stvar brzine ili veštine. To je stvar duha.
But let me give you an answer to this question, "Why bother?" that is maybe a little less spiritual and a bit more pointed. Why bother voting? Because there is no such thing as not voting. Not voting is voting, for everything that you may detest and oppose. 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. Not voting is for suckers.
Ali hajde da vam odgovorim na to pitanje, „Čemu trud“, koje je možda manje duhovno, a više oštro. Čemu trud da glasamo? Zato što ne postoji nešto što bi bilo neglasanje. Neglasanje je glasanje za sve ono što možda prezirete i čemu se protivite. Neglasanje se može prerušiti u čin principijelnog, pasivnog otpora, ali zapravo neglasanje je aktivno predavanje moći onima čiji interesi su protivni vašima, i onima koji bi bili veoma srećni da iskoriste vaše odsustvo. Neglasanje je za naivčine.
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. There is no possibility of our votes adding up to anything. They didn't preemptively silence themselves. They showed up, and in the course of showing up, they changed American politics. 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. They did that by voting.
Zamislite gde bi ova zemlja bila da su svi ljudi koji su godine 2010. napravili pokret "Čajanka" tada odlučili da je, znate, politika previše prljava, da je glasanje složeno. Da nema šanse da naši glasovi bilo čemu doprinesu. Oni se nisu preventivno ućutkali. Pojavili su se, i tokom tog pojavljivanja, promenili su američku politiku. Zamislite da su svi sledbenici Donalda Trampa i Bernija Sandersa odlučili da ne obaraju politički status kvo i da ne razaraju okvire onoga što je pre toga bilo moguće u američkoj politici. To su učinili glasanjem.
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. Well, here's the thing: everyday democracy already gives us a playbook for revolution. In the 2012 presidential election, young voters, Latino voters, Asian-American voters, low-income voters, all showed up at less than 50 percent. In the 2014 midterm elections, turnout was 36 percent, which was a 70-year low. And in your average local election, turnout hovers somewhere around 20 percent.
Sada živimo u vremenu podeljenom, često vrlo mračnom, gde se širom levice i desnice dosta govori o revoluciji i potrebi za njom, kako bi se poremetila svakodnevna demokratija. Ima tu jedna stvar: svakodnevna demokratija već nam daje scenario za revoluciju. Na predsedničkim izborima godine 2012, mladi glasači, Latino glasači, azijsko-američki glasači, siromašni glasači, svi su se odazvali sa manje od 50 posto. Na srednjoročnim izborima godine 2014, odziv je bio 36 posto, što je najniže u 70 godina. A na vašim prosečnim lokalnim izborima, odziv lebdi na negde oko 20 posto.
I invite you to imagine 100 percent. Picture 100 percent. Mobilize 100 percent, and overnight, we get revolution. Overnight, the policy priorities of this country change dramatically, and every level of government becomes radically more responsive to all the people. What would it take to mobilize 100 percent? Well, we do have to push back against efforts afoot all across the country right now to make voting harder. 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. We have to make purpose. We have to make joy.
Pozivam vas da zamislite 100 posto. Predstavite sebi 100 posto. Mobilišite 100 posto, i preko noći, dobićemo revoluciju. Preko noći, politički prioriteti ove zemlje dramatično će se promeniti, i svaki nivo upravljanja postaće radikalno responsivniji prema svim ljudima. Šta bi trebalo uraditi da se mobiliše 100 posto? Pa, moramo da odbijemo napore koji su sada u toku širom cele zemlje da se glasanje oteža. Ali u isto vreme, moramo da aktivno stvaramo pozitivnu kulturu glasanja kojoj ljudi žele da pripadaju, da budu deo nje, i zajedno je iskuse. Moramo da napravimo svrhu. Moramo da napravimo radost.
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. Let's vote this revolution into existence, and while we're at it, let's have some fun.
Da, hajde da napravimo revoluciju, revoluciju duha, ideja, politike i učestvovanja, revoluciju protiv cinizma, revoluciju protiv samoispunjujućeg osećaja bespomoćnosti. Hajde da glasanjem stvorimo ovu revoluciju, i kad smo već kod toga, hajde da se zabavimo.
Thank you very much.
Mnogo vam hvala.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)