TED演讲:被遗忘的美国工人阶级(3)

 So why is that happening? So one reason is obviously economic or structural¹. So you think of these areas. 为什么会这样呢？一个原因显然是跟经济或结构有关。看看这些地区。

They're beset² by these terrible economic trends, built around industries like coal and steel that make it harder for folks to get ahead. 它们的经济趋势很不好，当年依靠煤炭和钢铁起家，这些产业如今已经没落。

That's certainly one problem. There's also the problem of brain drain, where the really talented people, 这肯定是原因之一。还有一个问题就是人才流失，很多有才华的人，

because they can't find high-skilled work at home, end up moving elsewhere,  因为在家乡找不到有技术含量的工作，只能远走他乡，

so they don't build a business or non-profit where they're from, they end up going elsewhere and taking their talents with them. 他们无法在老家创业或造福社会，就只能带着自己的才华远赴他乡。

There are failing schools in a lot of these communities, 这些地区有很多衰败的学校，

failing to give kids the educational leg up that really makes it possible for kids to have opportunities later in life. 无法给予孩子们更好的教育，因此无法帮助他们在未来占得先机。

These things are all important. I don't mean to discount these structural barriers. 这些事都很重要。我并不是说要忽视（之前提到的）结构壁垒。

But when I look back at my life and my community, something else was going on, something else mattered. 但是当我回首人生，回想我们社区的时候，发现还有一些其他的事情也与之有关。

It's difficult to quantify, but it was no less real. 这些事情很难量化，但是却真实存在。

So for starters, there was a very real sense of hopelessness in the community that I grew up in. 首先，在我成长的社区，你能真切感受到那种无望的氛围。

There was a sense that kids had that their choices didn't matter. 孩子们觉得自己的选择毫无意义。

No matter what happened, no matter how hard they worked, no matter how hard they tried to get ahead, nothing good would happen. 无论他们如何努力，如何努力向前，结果都是一样。

So that's a tough feeling to grow up around. That's a tough mindset to penetrate³, and it leads sometimes to very conspiratorial⁴ places. 这种消极的情绪四处蔓延。命定论甚嚣尘上，甚至有点阴谋论的感觉。

So let's just take one political issue that's pretty hot, affirmative action. 以非常热门的一个政治话题为例，平权法案。

So depending on your politics, you might think that affirmative action is either a wise or an unwise way 根据政治观点（不同），你也许会认为平权法案在

to promote diversity in the workplace or the classroom. 推动工作场所或者学校的多样性上是明智的或者不明智的。

But if you grow up in an area like this, you see affirmative action as a tool to hold people like you back. 但如果你成长于这样的社区，你可能会把平权法案看作是一种限制。

That's especially true if you're a member of the white working class. 尤其当你是白人工人阶级的一员时。

You see it as something that isn't just about good or bad policy. 在你眼里，它不再简单的是一个好政策或者坏政策。

You see it as something that's actively⁵ conspiring⁶, where people with political and financial power are working against you. 你会把它看成是那些握有政治或财政大权的人来压迫你的工具。

And there are a lot of ways that you see that conspiracy⁷ against you -- perceived, real, but it's there, and it warps⁸ expectations. 你可以从不同角度来看待这种针对你的阴谋论--可察觉的、真实的，但它确实存在，而且会扭曲你的期望。

1 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

2 beset   

v.镶嵌；困扰，包围

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• The plan was beset with difficulties from the beginning.这项计划自开始就困难重重。

3 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。

4 conspiratorial   

adj.阴谋的，阴谋者的

参考例句：

• She handed the note to me with a conspiratorial air. 她鬼鬼祟祟地把字条交给了我。 来自辞典例句
• It was enough to win a gap-toothed, conspiratorial grin. 这赢得对方咧嘴一笑。 来自互联网

5 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

6 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。

7 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

8 warps   

n.弯曲( warp的名词复数 )；歪斜；经线；经纱v.弄弯，变歪( warp的第三人称单数 )；使（行为等）不合情理，使乖戾，

参考例句：

• This wood warps easily in damp conditions. 这种木料受潮容易变形。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Matt Lauer: Renewable biofuels. Park Ranger Rick Marshall Close. Time warps. 马特·劳尔：“可再生生物燃料。”瑞克：“不说了，时间都扭曲了。” 来自互联网