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奥巴马给2020届后浪做毕业典礼致辞:未来靠你们

七彩美国 陌上美国 2020-08-25
陌上美国

编者按:从21世纪前后开始,美国主导推进的新的这一轮技术进步,带来了自动化和高科技的发展,同时也导致对劳动力的淘汰加速。好的工作对雇员的受教育程度的要求不断提高。再加上过去二十年全球化的进一步纵深和制造业产业链的全世界重组及优化,加速了全球市场下欧美国家的普通工薪阶层被发展中国家的劳动人口取代。

美国过去采取的主要措施应是提供再就业培训和失业救济,但是实际效果并不理想。同时在国际贸易协定的签署上,事实证明美国对本国劳工阶层的利益保护不足,比不上德国等一些欧洲的同类发达国家。

与此同时,因为网络技术的发展,民主国家的草根阶层有了更便利的发声渠道和相互联络聚集成网络社区的机会,话语权壮大了。这造成一个现象,以往精英层从上往下传递的信息可以比较顺利地获得底层的共鸣,在当下这个时代却不再那么顺畅。草根开始通过自媒体等渠道,去寻找更符合自己选择的代言。

这让精英层跟基层的一些分歧,变得尖锐和速度加快了。某种程度上,奥巴马的美国跟川普的美国恰好代表这种矛盾和对立。美国现在处于转型期,他们也代表面对问题的两条不同的思路,因为解决方案上鲜明的差异,让各自的簇拥者的摇旗呐喊更加出力。

我们看到的美国政治的冲突和激烈,本质上就是两种思路的阵营各自使用自己的资源采取的不同的斗争和发声方式。

眼下我们面临一个几十年一遇的社会节点,每个人都有个人的认知局限,生活在自己的泡泡里。保持对两边声音的容纳听取,才更能明白与自己不同的那“40%多的美国”的需要和想法。而自动在心理上建墙的人,会因为拒绝自己不爱听的信息,而越来越走向固执和偏激。那是喜欢独立思考的人需要避免的现象。

我们需要知道,任何一种journalism都是带有自己的narrative的,整合信息排除杂音从中提炼出有效部分,是当下关心时政的人最需要的一种能力。我们平台希望为那部分还乐意保持兼听则明的人,提供平衡的信息。英文平台:

https://medium.com/@moshangUS


(注:为达标腾讯对翻译标注原创的要求——带有同等篇幅的原创内容,小编因此多写了几段,谢谢大家的理解和支持。)








2020年本来是很美的对称年,可惜被新冠病毒搅了局。黄瓜打锣去了一半,这半年没干啥,光忙着见证历史了。


疫情如同照妖镜,折射出人性之美丑;疫情又似X光机,照出各国政府五脏六腑;疫情犹如一个开关,开启新的社会疏离规范。


两个月下来,已经习惯了在家上学,在家上班,网上购置蔬果。转眼到了黄金五月毕业季。2020毕业生有一个共同的名称"Pandemic Class of 2020(2020疫情应届毕业生)”。

今年的应届毕业生,不管是中学的,还是大学的,都没机会一个一个走过毕业典礼台,接受自已辛苦获得的毕业证书,也没了扔毕业帽的仪式以及亲友一起参加毕业庆祝活动。

为了安抚因为新冠病毒瘟疫而不得不与传统的毕业典礼失之交臂的毕业生,各种另类毕业庆贺花招别出。有的是车队向毕业生鸣笛致贺,也有放大招的:

SpaceX和NASA邀请世界各地的从幼儿园到研究生院的应届毕业生在网站上,
https://www.spacex.com/CLASSOF2020

提交自已的照片,提交截止日期:5/20,周三。

这些照片将乘坐近十年来美国的首次载人航天飞船-Dragon号,遨游太空。

作为毕业季受欢迎的政治领导人和社会名流,喜欢并擅长演讲的前总统奥巴马先生今年应邀,为这批不能参加传统毕业典礼的学生,做三场毕业演讲。

第一个演讲是昨天(2020年5月16日)东部时间下午2点,在78个历史悠久的非裔大学合办的时长2小时的网上毕业典礼“Show me your walk(出来走两步)H.B.C.U.版”中,向27,000多名毕业生致辞。

这个虚拟毕业典礼由凯文·哈特(Kevin Hart)主持除了前总统,还有数十名杰出的非裔美国运动员和演艺人员参加。身为首个非裔总统,奥巴马与非裔大学自有渊源,在任期间,就在三所历史悠久的非裔大学,汉普顿大学,霍华德大学和莫尔豪斯学院发表过毕业典礼演讲。

在这个虚拟毕业典礼上,奥巴马谈到了这种流行病如何严重影响了黑人社区。作为前民权运动律师和社区工作组织者,奥巴马给有希望改变世界的大学生提供了3条建议:

1、参加真实的草根活动,而不是充当键盘侠,在网上打口水仗
2、团结各种有共同理念的盟友
3、行动胜于雄辩

奥巴马第二个毕业演讲是昨天下午东部时间8点。他在由智囊团XQ Institute与勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)基金会和慈善组织娱乐产业基金会(Entertainment Industry Foundation)合作举办的“一起毕业:2020年高中毕业班”直播节目中担任毕业演讲嘉宾。

对2020届高中毕业生,前总统巴拉克·奥巴马(Barack Obama)也给了三点建议:


1、 不要害怕
2、做你认为正确的事
3、建立一个社区

奥巴马说:“你不会每次都做对。” “你会像我们所有人一样犯错误。但是,即使很困难,很不方便,如果你听从自己的内心,人们也会注意到。他们会欣赏你。你将成为解决方案中的一部分,而不是成为问题中的一部分。”

奥巴马先生和夫人今年的第三次毕业典礼致辞将于6月6日,在YouTube播出。


***


下面是奥巴马对2020高中毕业生的演讲全文及翻译,主题是“一起毕业”:

我为2020年的高中毕业生,你们所有人感到无比的骄傲,还有为你们的老师和教练,尤其是一直指导你们的父母和家人,感到自豪。

在任何情况下,毕业都是个人人生的一项重大成就。你们当中有些人必须克服一些严重的障碍,这可能包括面对疾病或者父母失业带来的困难,有的可能生活在一个常被人拒之门外的社区中。

除了成长过程中常见的挑战,你们所有人都必须应对社交媒体带来的更大压力,诸如校园枪击事件的报道以及气候变化的阴影。然后,就在你们即将庆祝成功的时候,就在你们一直期待的毕业典礼、舞会、毕业生之夜和一大堆派对到来之际,我们不得不面对现实,整个世界都被全球瘟疫的大流行颠覆。

我敢肯定你们都深爱自己的父母,但我打赌,你们对毕业季最后几个月的生活的设想,一定不是与父母在家一起玩棋盘游戏或跟他们一起看《老虎王》电视剧这类方式。

不过我也可以诚实地告诉你们,大家对打破常规的毕业季和现场毕业典礼缺失的失望,这些很快就会过去。我对自己高中毕业的大部分过程就不记得。我知道不必坐在那里听人做毕业致辞,并不是一件坏事。我自己的演讲就经常太长。而且,也没有多少人戴着毕业生帽子会看起来多好看,尤其是像我这样有一对大耳朵的人

一旦当下的公共卫生危机结束,你们将有足够的时间与你的朋友们聚会。但一个事实是,毕业标志着你们步入成年。开始掌管自己的未来人生。你将开始尝试决定一些未来的重要事情,包括,思考以后从事的职业,想与谁建立家庭,要追求的人生价值。鉴于目前的世界状况,这可能有点吓人。

如果您打算去上大学,在这个秋天被家长送到校园,那一切将不再是天经地义了。如果您打算在上学的同时工作,那么找到第一份工作将很困难。即使是相对优越的家庭,他们也面临着巨大的不确定性。那些曾在挣扎的人们,现在更加命运未卜。所有这些都意味着你们将不得不比前浪们更快地成长。

这场大流行动摇了现状,暴露了我国许多深层次的问题,从严重的经济不平等,持续的种族差距到缺乏全民基本医疗保健。许多年轻人意识到,旧的做事方式根本行不通。如果你们身边的人都贫困交加,那么你们挣多少钱都意义不大我们的社会和民主制度,只有当我们不仅考虑自己,而且考虑彼此时,才能有意义地运作

这也开启了另一个残酷事实,一旦少年时代结束,我们都必须最终接受这个事实。所有那些你们曾认为负责任的成年人,都知道他们在做什么吗?事实证明,他们并不知道一切的答案。他们中的很多人甚至没有提出正确的问题。所以,世界能否变得更好,取决于你们。

意识到这一点可能有点吓人,但是我希望这也能激励人心。面对我们国家现在所面临的各种挑战,没有人能够告诉你们“不,你们还太年轻,不能理解”或者“以前也是如此”。这么多的不确定性,一切问题突然都近在眼前,这是需要你们这代人去改变的世界。

作为前浪,我不会告诉你们如何使用你们手中的能量,但我将为你们提供三个简单的建议。

首先,不要害怕。美国经历过各种艰难的时期。奴隶制,内战,饥荒,疾病,大萧条和9·11,每次我们坚强地走出来了。根本原因之一,就是因为新一代,像你们这样的年轻人,从过去的错误中学到了经验教训,并想出了更好的解决方法。

第二,做你认为正确的事。做感觉良好、方便、容易的事情,这就是[孩子们的想法]。不幸的是,许多所谓的大人,包括一些拥有花哨头衔和重要工作的大人,仍然这样想,这就是为什么事情如此混乱。我希望你们改为以诚实,勤奋,责任,公平,慷慨,尊重他人的价值观为基础。你不会每次都正确。会像我们所有人一样犯错误。但是,如果你愿意倾听事实的真相,即使很难,即使不便,人们也会注意到。他们会吸引你们,你将成为解决方案的一部分,而不是问题的一部分。

最后,要有建设社区的意识。没有人能独自做成大事。现在,当人们感到害怕时,很容易愤世嫉俗地说:“让我只关心自己,我的家人或那些跟我想法、做事、信仰一致的人。”但是,如果我们要度过这些艰难的时期,如果我们要创建一个每个人都有机会找到工作并负担大学学费的世界,要拯救环境并战胜未来的流行病,那么我们将不得团结起来一起做。因此,要对别人的困境有同理心。捍卫彼此的权利。抛开所有旧的思维方式、偏见、性别歧视、种族偏见、地位、贪婪,开创不同的未来道路。

当您需要帮助时,我和米歇尔已经成立了基金会,我们的使命就是旨在为像您这样的年轻人提供技能和支持,帮助你们领导自己的社区,并与全国以及全球的其他青年领袖建立联系。事实是,你们不需要我们告诉你该怎么做,因为你们已经开始展现了自己各具特色的领导能力。

恭喜,2020年高中毕业生,让我们感到骄傲!


Read Obama's full Graduating Together speech below.

And of course, I couldn't be prouder of all of you and be graduating class of 2020, as well as the teachers and the coaches and most of all, the parents and families who guided you all the way. Now, graduating is a big achievement under any circumstances. Some of you had to overcome serious obstacles along the way, whether it was an illness or a parent losing a job, we're living in a neighborhood where people too often count you out. Along with the usual challenges of growing up, all of you have had to deal with the added pressures of social media, reports of school shootings, and the specter of climate change. And then, just as you're about to celebrate having made it through, just as you've been looking forward to proms and senior nights, graduation ceremonies, and let's face it, a whole bunch of parties, the world was turned upside down by global pandemic. And as much as I'm sure you love your parents, I'll bet the big stuck at home with him playing board games or watching Tiger King on TV is not exactly how you envisioned the last few months of your senior year.
Now, I'll be honest with you, the disappointments of missing, a live graduation, those will pass pretty quick. I don't remember much of my own high school graduation. I know that not having to sit there and listen to a commencement speaker isn't all that bad. Mine usually go on way too long. Also, not that many people look great in those caps, especially if you have big ears like me. You'll have plenty of time to catch up with your friends once the immediate public health crisis is over. But what remains true is that your graduation marks your passage into adulthood. The time when you begin to take charge of your own life. It's when you get to decide what's important to you, the kind of career you want to pursue, who you want to build a family with, the values you want to live by. And given the current state of the world, that may be kind of scary.
If you planned on going away for college, getting dropped off at campus in the fall, that's no longer a given. If you were planning to work while going to school, finding that first job is going to be tough. Even families that are relatively well off, they're dealing with massive uncertainty. Those who were struggling before, they're hanging on by a thread. All of which means that you're going to have to grow up faster than some generations. This pandemic has shaken up the status quo, laid bare a lot of our country's, deep-seated problems, from massive economic inequality, to ongoing racial disparities, to a lack of basic healthcare for people who need it. It's woken a lot of young people up to the fact that the old ways of doing things just don't work. That it doesn't matter how much money you make if everyone around you is hungry and sick, and that our society are not democracy only work when we think not just about ourselves but about each other. It's also pull the curtain back on another hard truth, something that we all have to eventually accept once our childhood comes to an end. You know all those adults that used to think [they were] in charge or knew what they were doing? Turns out they don't have all the answers. A lot of them aren't even asking the right questions. So if the world's going to get better, it's going to be up to you.
That realization may be kind of intimidating, but I hope it's also inspiring. With all the challenges this country faces right now, nobody can tell you, "No you're too young to understand," or "This is how it's always been done." Because with so much uncertainty, with everything suddenly up for grabs, this is your generation's world to shape. Since I'm one of the old guys, I won't tell you what to do with this power that rests in your hands, but I'll leave you with three quick pieces of advice. First, don't be afraid. America's gone through tough times before. Slavery, civil war, famine, disease, the Great Depression, and 9/11, and each time we came out strong. Usually because a new generation, young people like you, learned from past mistakes and figured out how to make things better.
Second, do what you think is right. Doing what feels good, what's convenient, what's easy, that's [how kids] think. Unfortunately, a lot of so-called grownups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs, still think that way, which is why things are so screwed up. I hope that instead you decide to ground yourself in values that last like honesty, hard work, responsibility, fairness, generosity, respect for others. You won't get it right every time. You'll make mistakes like we all do. But if you listen to the truth that's inside yourself, even when it's hard, even when it's inconvenient, people will notice. They'll gravitate towards you and you'll be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
And finally, build a community. No one does big things by themselves. Right now, when people are scared, it's easy to be cynical and say, "Let me just look out for myself or my family or people who look or think or pray like me." But if we're going to get through these difficult times, if we're going to create a world where everybody has opportunity to find a job and afford college, and we're going to save the environment and defeat future pandemics, then we're going to have to do it together. So be alive to one another's struggles. Stand up for one another's rights. Leave behind all the old ways of thinking, the bias, sexism, racial prejudice, status, greed, and set the world on a different path.
When you need help, Michelle and I have made it the mission of our foundation to give young people like you the skills and support to lead in your own communities and to connect you with other young leaders around the country, and around the globe. But, the truth is, you don't need us to tell you what to do because there's so many ways you've already started to lead. Congratulations, class of 2020. Keep making us proud.
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a32528806/barack-obama-commencement-speech/


文主打配图为2014年奥巴马参加毕业典礼的照片,来自洛杉矶时报。

文章首发陌上美国,版权由陌上美国公号和作者所有,转载请注明出处。抄袭盗版将被追究法律责任。



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