In 1994, Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein coauthored "The Bell Curve," an extremely controversial book which claims that on average, some races are smarter and more likely to succeed than others. Murray and Herrnstein also suggest that a lack of critical intelligence explains the prominence of violent crime in poor African-American communities. But Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein are not the only people who think this.
1994 年, 查爾斯·莫里 和理察·赫恩斯坦 共同寫下了《鐘形曲線》, 這是本非常有爭議的書, 聲稱平均而言, 有些種族比較聰明, 也較容易成功。 莫里和赫恩斯坦也暗指 智力明顯較低的情況 能解釋為什麼大部分的暴力犯罪 發生在貧窮的非裔美籍社區。 查爾斯·莫里和理察·赫恩斯坦 不是唯一這樣想的人。
In 2012, a writer, journalist and political commentator named John Derbyshire wrote an article that was supposed to be a non-black version of the talk that many black parents feel they have to give their kids today: advice on how to stay safe. In it, he offered suggestions such as: "Do not attend events likely to draw a lot of blacks," "Stay out of heavily black neighborhoods" and "Do not act the Good Samaritan to blacks in distress." And yet, in 2016, I invited John Derbyshire as well as Charles Murray to speak at my school, knowing full well that I would be giving them a platform and attention for ideas that I despised and rejected. But this is just a further evolution of a journey of uncomfortable learning throughout my life.
2012 年, 身兼作家、記者 和政治評論員的德比夏爾 寫篇文章給非黑人族群, 但許多黑人父母覺得 這也適用於他們的小孩: 保持安全的建議。 文章中,他說例如: 「別參加可能吸引 一群黑人的活動。」 「離黑人多的社區遠一點。」 及「別對處在 急難之中的黑人太好心。」 而 2016 年,我邀請德比夏爾 和查爾斯·莫里 來我的學校演講, 他們完全清楚,我會給他們舞台, 讓他們說那些我鄙視 和我拒絕的想法。 但這只是我人生中 不舒服學習的演變。
When I was 10 years old, my mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia, a mental illness characterized by mood swings and paranoid delusions. Throughout my life, my mother's rage would turn our small house into a minefield. Yet, though I feared her rage on a daily basis, I also learned so much from her. Our relationship was complicated and challenging, and at the age of 14, it was decided that I needed to live apart from her. But over the years, I've come to appreciate some of the important lessons my mother taught me about life. She was the first person who spoke to me about learning from the other side. And she, like me, was born and raised in a family of committed liberal democrats. Yet, she encouraged me to see the world and the issues our world faces as complex, controversial and ever-changing.
當我十歲時,我媽 被診斷思覺失調症, 這是一種精神疾病, 特徵是情緒波動和偏執妄想。 我人生中,媽媽的憤怒 會把我們的小屋 變成地雷區。 儘管我對她每天的憤怒感到害怕, 我也從她那學到很多。 我們的關係複雜且有挑戰性, 我 14 歲時, 被判定必須和她分開住。 幾年後,我開始欣賞 我媽教我的那些 有關人生的重要課程。 她是第一個跟我說 要從反面學習的人, 她跟我一樣,出身在 一個自由民主的家庭裡。 然而,她鼓勵我把世界 及世界上正面對的問題 看作複雜、有爭議及不斷變動的。
One day, I came across the phrase "affirmative action" in a book I was reading. And when I asked her what the term meant, she spent what felt like an hour giving me a thorough and thoughtful explanation that would make sense to a small child. She even made the topic sound at least as interesting as any of my professors have. She explained the many reasons why people of various political views challenge and support affirmative action, stressing that, while she strongly supported it herself, it was important for me to view the issue as a controversial one with a long history, a questionable future and a host of complicating factors. While affirmative action can increase the presence of minorities at elite educational institutions, she felt that it could also disadvantage hardworking people of different races from more affluent backgrounds. My mom wanted me to understand that I should never just write off opinions that I disagreed with or disliked, because there was always something to learn from the perspectives of others, even when doing so might be difficult.
有天,我在一本書中看到 「平權行動」這詞, 當我問我媽這是什麼意思, 她說了彷彿一小時 給我一個完整及深刻的解釋, 而這能讓小朋友理解。 她甚至讓這題目聽起來 至少和我的教授上課一樣有趣。 她解釋許多原因, 為什麼不同政治觀點的人 挑戰或支持平權運動, 她強調,雖然她很堅持自己的主張, 但同時很重要的,是把這議題 看成一個長期的爭議、 一個有疑慮的未來 及一系列複雜的因素。 儘管平權運動能增加弱勢族群 在精英教育機構的比例, 她認為這也對不同族群、 來自富裕背景的努力人士不利。 我媽希望我了解, 我不該總是只寫下不同意 或不喜歡的意見, 因為人總能從不同觀點學到東西, 儘管這麼做可能很難。
But life at home with my mom was not the only aspect of my journey that has been formative and uncomfortable. In fourth grade, she decided that I should attend a private school in order to receive the best education possible. As a black student attending predominantly white private schools, I've encountered attitudes and behaviors that reflected racial stereotypes. Several of my friends' parents assumed within minutes of meeting me that my best skill was playing basketball. And it really upset me to think that my race made it harder for them to see me as a student who loved reading, writing and speaking. Experiences like this motivated me to work tirelessly to disprove what I knew people had assumed. My mother even said that, in order to put my best foot forward, I had to be patient, alert and excruciatingly well-mannered. To prove that I belonged, I had to show poise and confidence, the ability to speak well and listen closely. Only then would my peers see that I deserved to be there as much as they did.
和我媽相處的時光, 不是唯一造就我又令我 感到不舒服的過程。 四年級時,她決定讓我讀私立學校, 如此我能得到最好的教育機會; 身為黑人學生,進入 白人為主的私立學校, 我面對一些反映了種族 刻板印象的態度和行為。 有很多我朋友的爸媽 才見到我幾分鐘, 就假定我最擅長的是籃球, 這讓我很挫折,因為 種族因素使其他人 認為我喜愛閱讀、書寫 和演講難以想像。 這種經驗激發我不眠不休的工作, 來推翻別人的成見。 我媽甚至說,為了更加往前邁進, 我要有耐心、機警及行為極為端正。 為了證明我並非圈外人, 我要展現優雅和自信, 以及表達和傾聽的能力。 只有這樣我的同儕才會認為 我和他們一樣夠格待在那裡。
Despite this racial stereotyping and the discomfort I often felt, the learning I gained from other aspects of being at an elite private school were incredibly valuable. I was encouraged by my teachers to explore my curiosity, to challenge myself in new ways and to deepen my understanding of subjects that fascinated me the most. And going to college was the next step. I was excited to take my intellectual drive and interest in the world of ideas to the next level. I was eager to engage in lively debate with peers and professors and with outside speakers; to listen, to learn and gain a deeper understanding of myself and of others. While I was fortunate to meet peers and professors who were interested in doing the same thing, my desire to engage with difficult ideas was also met with resistance.
儘管經常感到種族刻板印象和不適, 我在菁英私立學校裡 學到不同的觀點, 而這非常有價值。 我的老師鼓勵我探索感興趣的事物、 用新方式挑戰自我, 並增進有興趣科目的知識。 進大學是下一步。 我很開心能把思想動力和興趣 帶進思想界的下一階段, 我渴望參與和同儕及教授的討論, 以及和外來的講者對談, 去聽、去學、以及更深刻 了解自我和他人。 然而當幸運遇見喜歡 做同樣事情的同儕和教授時, 我投入困難想法的渴望 也碰到了阻力。
To prepare myself to engage with controversy in the real world, I joined a group that brought controversial speakers to campus. But many people fiercely opposed this group, and I received significant pushback from students, faculty and my administration. For many, it was difficult to see how bringing controversial speakers to campus could be valuable, when they caused harm. And it was disappointing to me facing personal attacks, having my administration cancel speakers and hearing my intentions distorted by those around me. My work also hurt the feelings of many, and I understood that. Of course, no one likes being offended, and I certainly don't like hearing controversial speakers argue that feminism has become a war against men or that blacks have lower IQs than whites. I also understand that some people have experienced traumatic experiences in their lives. And for some, listening to offensive views can be like reliving the very traumas that they've worked so hard to overcome. Many argue that by giving these people a platform, you're doing more harm than good, and I'm reminded of this every time I listen to these points of view and feel my stomach turn.
為了準備好自己參與 真實世界的矛盾, 我加入一個團體, 他們邀請爭議講者進校園, 但許多人強烈反對這個團體, 而我遭受巨大阻力, 那些從學生、教職員 及行政部門來的阻力。 對許多人來說,很難了解 把爭議講者帶進校園的價值, 因為他們可能造成傷害; 對我來說,我很失望 要面對人身攻擊, 行政部門取消講者 並聽聞那些被旁人扭曲的初衷。 我的工作也傷害很多人的感受, 我知道的。 當然,沒人喜歡被冒犯, 我絕對不喜歡聽到爭議講者 爭論女性主義已經變成 一場對男人的戰爭, 或是黑人比白人智商低的言論。 我也了解, 有些人經歷過創傷經驗。 對有些人來說,聽到冒犯性的觀點 就像重新經歷創傷, 那些他們努力克服的創傷。 許多人爭論給這些人 舞台是弊大於利, 每當我聽到這個觀點 就覺得很反胃。
Yet, tuning out opposing viewpoints doesn't make them go away, because millions of people agree with them. In order to understand the potential of society to progress forward, we need to understand the counterforces. By engaging with controversial and offensive ideas, I believe that we can find common ground, if not with the speakers themselves, then with the audiences they may attract or indoctrinate. Through engaging, I believe that we may reach a better understanding, a deeper understanding, of our own beliefs and preserve the ability to solve problems, which we can't do if we don't talk to each other and make an effort to be good listeners.
然而,屏除反對觀點在外 並不會讓它消失, 因為仍有上百萬人認同。 為了理解社會邁向進步的潛能, 我們要了解反對的力量。 藉由探討有爭議和有攻擊性的想法, 我相信我們能找到共同點, 除了演講者本身, 也包括被他們吸引 或灌輸觀念的觀眾。 藉由參與,我相信我們能 更加且更深入的了解 各自的想法, 以及維持解決問題的能力, 我們不能解決問題, 如果不和彼此溝通 又不努力成為好聽眾。
But soon after I announced that John Derbyshire would be speaking on campus, student backlash erupted on social media. The tide of resistance, in fact, was so intense, that my college president rescinded the invitation. I was deeply disappointed by this because, as I saw it, there would be nothing that any of my peers or I could do to silence someone who agreed with him in the office environment of our future employers.
但在我宣布 德比夏爾要來校園演講不久, 學生在社交媒體上反彈, 事實上,抵抗潮非常強烈, 我大學校長因此取消邀請。 對此我很失望,因為我發現, 在我們未來雇主的辦公環境中, 我的同儕或我都無法讓 與校長持有相同意見的人沉默。
I look out at what's happening on college campuses, and I see the anger. And I get it. But what I wish I could tell people is that it's worth the discomfort, it's worth listening, and that we're stronger, not weaker, because of it. When I think about my experiences with uncomfortable learning, and I reflect upon them, I've found that it's been very difficult to change the values of the intellectual community that I've been a part of. But I do feel a sense of hope when I think about the individual interactions that I've been able to have with students who both support the work that I'm doing and who feel challenged by it and who do not support it. What I've found is that, while it can be difficult to change the values of a community, we can gain a lot from individual interactions.
當我看看大學校園 發生了什麼事時, 我看到憤怒, 且領受到了, 但我希望跟大家說, 不舒服是值得的, 聆聽是值得的, 而因為如此,我們變得 更堅強而非軟弱。 當我思考讓自己不舒服的學習經驗 並反思時, 我發現很難改變 我所屬知識社群的固有價值觀。 但我感到一點希望, 當我想起自己的個人互動, 那些支持我工作的學生、 那些感到受到挑戰的人 和那些反對者。 我了解到 改變一個團體的價值觀很難, 但我們可以從個人互動中獲得很多。
While I didn't get to engage with John Derbyshire due to my president's disinvitation, I was able to have dinner with Charles Murray before his talk. I knew the conversation would be difficult. And I didn't expect it to be pleasant. But it was cordial, and I did gain a deeper understanding of his arguments. I found that he, like me, believed in creating a more just society. The thing is, his understanding of what justice entailed was very different from my own. The way in which he wanted to understand the issue, the way in which he wanted to approach the issue of inequality also differed from my own. And I found that his understanding of issues like welfare and affirmative action was tied and deeply rooted in his understanding of various libertarian and conservative beliefs, what diminishes and increases their presence in our society. While he expressed his viewpoints eloquently, I remained thoroughly unconvinced. But I did walk away with a deeper understanding.
儘管我沒辦法和德比夏爾對談—— 因為校長取消邀請—— 我還是和查爾斯·莫里 在演講前共進晚餐。 我知道對話很困難, 我也不期待會很愉快, 但那晚很平順,且我確實 更了解他的論點。 我發現他和我一樣, 相信能建造一個更公正的社會, 關鍵是,他認知的正義 和我的非常不同; 他想了解這議題的方式、 他想解決不平等議題的方式, 也和我的不同。 我發現他對於像福利 和平權運動議題的認識 與他對自由主義 和保守信仰的理解緊密相連, 而它們或多或少存在社會裡。 雖然他振振有詞地解釋他的觀點, 我依然沒被說服, 但對談後我確實有更深入的理解。
It's my belief that to achieve progress in the face of adversity, we need a genuine commitment to gaining a deeper understanding of humanity. I'd like to see a world with more leaders who are familiar with the depths of the views of those they deeply disagree with, so that they can understand the nuances of everyone they're representing. I see this as an ongoing process involving constant learning, and I'm confident that I'll be able to add value down the line if I continue building empathy and understanding through engaging with unfamiliar perspectives.
我相信, 要在逆境中得到成長, 我們需要真正的投入, 去更深入了解人性。 我想看到的世界是有更多領導者 熟悉那些他們強烈反對的觀點, 如此他們能了解 每個人代表的細微差異。 我認為這是不斷學習的過程, 且我有信心能不斷提升其價值, 如果我一直嘗試 去建立同理心及理解他人, 藉由探究那些不熟悉的觀點。
Thank you.
謝謝。
(Applause)
(鼓掌)