美国国家公共电台 NPR--In new book, Haass explores the obligations we have to one another and the country

In new book, Haass explores the obligations we have to one another and the country

Transcript¹

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with author and veteran diplomat² Richard Haass about what it means to be a responsible citizen. Haass' new book is called: The Bill of Obligations.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Richard Haass is a veteran U.S. diplomat and now the head of the Council on Foreign Relations. He sometimes talks with audiences about a changing world.

RICHARD HAASS: Whenever I was out speaking, the question would come up - what keeps you up at night? What worries you most? Is it China or Russia or North Korea, what have you? And increasingly, my answer was, no. It's none of those places. Though, they all worry me. What really keeps me up at night is the United States.

INSKEEP: So his latest book explores problems at home. It's called "The Bill Of Obligations." The title plays on the Bill of Rights, the Constitution's first 10 amendments³. Richard Haass offers 10 obligations that he says go along with those rights.

HAASS: If everybody just focuses on his or her rights, then there's no room for compromise because rights very quickly become absolute. Your right to hold guns as opposed to someone else's right to safety. Your right not to get vaccinated⁴ or wear a mask, someone else's right for public health. A woman's right to choose. The rights of the unborn. And I also thought we were losing the idea that we had some obligations both to one another as citizens and to our country.

INSKEEP: I've heard the idea that rights come along with responsibilities. But you choose this, perhaps, slightly different word, obligations. What's on your mind?

HAASS: I thought hard about it. It's not requirements. The idea of obligations are things we should do rather than have to do. These are not matters of legality. But this is in the realm of should or ought. And it's the things that we need to do in order to make the political system work, for the society to remain peaceful, to get things done.

INSKEEP: You list a number of them here. Remain civil. Reject violence. Get involved. Stay open to compromise. But I want to ask about one in particular, be informed. How well-informed do you think the public is on the issues that you're expert in?

HAASS: I made it the first obligation because, I think, in some ways, it's foundational to all others. And one of the great ironies⁵ or contradictions of this moment is we're swimming in information. On the other hand, we're also swimming in misinformation. Many of us have lost the ability to distinguish between facts and misstatements, or to discern between what's a fact, what's a recommendation, what's a prediction, what's analysis. We don't really teach that in our schools. We may or may not teach critical thinking. But I want people to be critical consumers of information.

INSKEEP: Do you find people - on complicated foreign policy issues, especially - giving you some information and you think, well, what you say is true? It's not strictly⁶ misinformation. But it's not very relevant. Or it's not the most important thing.

HAASS: Oh, absolutely. And you raise a really good point. Misinformation is not just things that are flat-out wrong. It can be things that are also incomplete. It's a little bit like touching⁷ the skin of the elephant. And you could be accurate in the spot you touch. But you might be missing 99% of the reality of the elephant. But on virtually every issue, I'm even more impressed or depressed⁸ by the degree of misinformation out there. You know, we can disagree, for example, on what to do about climate change. But we shouldn't be disagreeing about the fact that the Earth's temperature has gone up just over 2 degrees Fahrenheit⁹. That's simply a fact. Again, how worried you are about it, what to do about it, that's where democracy should kick in.

INSKEEP: I wonder if there's a special problem with some of these complicated challenges, because people do tend to vote on their interests and often have a very good idea of what their interests are in a particular situation, like, I don't know, their tax rate or whatever. But is there a special challenge in trying to explain what you think people's interests are in climate change or the war in Ukraine or U.S.-China policy or trade policy generally?

HAASS: Look, the more technical things get, it obviously gets more difficult. But I'm actually impressed how often people don't vote on their interests. And I don't mean this to be insulting. But one would have to have a pretty firm grasp of the issues. I mean, take the debate we're going to be having over the next six months on the debt ceiling. How is the average person to know what is their interest there? You hear all sorts of arguments. People don't make it clear that what the debt ceiling is is simply ratifying¹⁰ spending and debt levels that have already been incurred¹¹. So I think one of the things people in your business have an obligation to do is provide explainers on the issues. And obviously, schools have a similar obligation.

INSKEEP: Sure. We talk often about slowing the news down to try to figure out what really matters. I wonder if the misinformation sometimes goes the other direction. Is it possible sometimes that people in elite¹² positions of power are just not very well-informed about how their policies affect ordinary people?

HAASS: I think sometimes they're not very well-informed. Simply because you enjoy a position of power doesn't mean you know a lot. I think, in some cases, people know better, but they don't act better. One of the things I do in this book is make the last of the 10 obligations, put the country first. At some point, we need character - what the founders¹³ of this country called virtue¹⁴ - in our political leaders. I'm not sitting here naive¹⁵. I don't expect a lot of these people who we see in public life to simply become virtuous¹⁶ and put the country before their own political ambitions. But that's then up to us voters.

You know, politicians, in my experience, Steve, they may not be responsible, but they are responsive. So we as voters, we as citizens have to reward good behaviors. And we have to penalize¹⁷ behaviors where elected officials are acting¹⁸ badly. It's one of the reasons I would love to see civics - at least what you and I used to call civics - or social studies or citizenship¹⁹ and democracy taught in schools. I think it's actually a scandal that you can graduate from almost any four-year college and university in this country and even though the courses are offered, they're not required. I think we've got to tell our story better. And then I believe people will be more prepared to get involved and to understand that this democracy is something worth preserving.

INSKEEP: Do you think that you can trust states that oversee²⁰ public schools in 2023 to even agree on what civics to teach and what to leave out?

HAASS: (Laughter) It's funny. There's a bill that was introduced in Congress to have a national civics curriculum. And in it - one of the sentences in it, this does not mean in any way we're going to state what a national civics curriculum should be. So then you end up with the crazy idea - I mean, it is kind of borderline crazy that young people in Arkansas would be learning a different national story than young people in Idaho or California. That, shall we say, defeats the purpose. But I do think - yes, I do think there's a chance not that you necessarily give people the bottom lines on policies - indeed, avoid policy conclusions. But we do have certain facts about our history. We do have certain basic documents, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence. My goal is not to drive Americans towards any particular policy. I'm much more interested in getting them to understand why democracy is of value. And what does it take for a democracy to work as intended?

INSKEEP: The many books by Richard Haass include "The Bill Of Obligations: The Ten Habits Of Good Citizens." Always a pleasure talking with you. Thank you so much.

HAASS: Thanks for having me back.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

3 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

4 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

5 ironies   

n.反语( irony的名词复数 )；冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事；嘲弄

参考例句：

• It was one of life's little ironies. 那是生活中的一个小小的嘲弄。
• History has many ironies. 历史有许多具有讽刺意味的事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

7 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

8 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

9 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

10 ratifying   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They call their State Assembly a disgrace for ratifying the 35th. 他们把州议会通过的第35号修正案说成是可耻的行为。 来自辞典例句
• The Obama administration, unlike its predecessor, talks of ratifying the test-ban treaty. 该会议五年举办一次，回顾其间发生的事情。 来自互联网

11 incurred   

[医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式

参考例句：

• She had incurred the wrath of her father by marrying without his consent 她未经父亲同意就结婚，使父亲震怒。
• We will reimburse any expenses incurred. 我们将付还所有相关费用。

12 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

13 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

14 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

15 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

16 virtuous   

adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的

参考例句：

• She was such a virtuous woman that everybody respected her.她是个有道德的女性，人人都尊敬她。
• My uncle is always proud of having a virtuous wife.叔叔一直为娶到一位贤德的妻子而骄傲。

17 penalize   

vt.对…处以刑罚，宣告…有罪；处罚

参考例句：

• It would be unfair to penalize those without a job.失业人员待遇低下是不公平的。
• The association decided not to penalize you for the race.赛马协会决定对你不予处罚。

18 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

19 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

20 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。