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世上本不存在不公平,心生不同便有了區(qū)別對待。同為人類,白人和黑人接受的待遇卻存在很大差異。Aaron Vessup通過自己的親身經(jīng)歷向我們闡明了這一點。如今的他正試圖用自己的力量改變這個現(xiàn)狀,讓世界還黑人一個公道。路漫漫其修遠兮,他真的能做到嗎?
A Greater Debt to Pay
請還我們一個公道
By Aaron Vessup 劉宇佳 注
"Burn Baby, Burn!" was a popular song played at most parties and on some radio stations when I was a student during the 1960s, and these things were happening around the world. People were upset at the directions their different worlds were going: the unfair rules, unequal job opportunities, corporate malfeasance, police brutality,[1]so they were directing their anger at symbols of the "establishment". Many of these people were minority[2]citizens, members of the so-called "black community". I suppose a compelling part of my then uniqueness is that I am from a family of seventeen. My father was aPentecostal“fundamentalist preacher”, and church pastor.[3]We had no choice when it came to religious beliefs, and we had no escape from the physical and mental abuse suffered inside our house let alone in the outside world.[4]I became very familiar with many forms of family violence. Although within our church physical "non-violence" was exhorted, the psychological mental warfare was perfected to a high level of destructiveness.[5]
I have not always been committed to the use of words and nonviolence as tools for change. In my youth I had been a playground "bully"[6], I viewed myself as the cowboy "Marshall" or "peacemaker" who settled problems among my peers at school with my fists. However, I often found myself being paddled in the Principal’s office with threats to be formally kicked out of school and sent home as a result.[7]Unfortunately, at home things were violent as well since my father was quite explosive and demanding, and I was frequently whipped, punched, and my body
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[1]. malfeasance: 瀆職,違法行為;brutality: 暴行。
[2]. minority: 少數(shù)的。
[3]. Pentecostal: 圣靈降臨節(jié)的。圣靈降臨節(jié)又稱五旬節(jié),是基督教節(jié)日,為紀念耶穌復活后差遣圣靈降臨而舉行的慶祝節(jié)日;fundamentalist: 信奉正統(tǒng)派基督教的人;preacher: 傳教士;pastor: 牧師。
[4]. 涉及宗教信仰時,我們別無選擇。我們無法躲避在家所遭受的身體和精神上的虐待,更別提外面世界的了。abuse: 虐待;let alone: 更不必說。
[5]. 雖然我們的教會勸誡身體上的“非暴力”,但心理和精神上的摧殘卻已達到了一定境界。exhort: 勸誡;warfare: 沖突;destructiveness: 破壞性。
[6]. bully: 欺凌弱小的人。
[7]. 不過,我經(jīng)常被叫到校長辦公室,被威脅說這樣做的后果就是學校會正式開除我,把我送回家。paddle: 運送。
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