TED演讲:新美国梦(2)

 Is "better off" finding a secure job that you can count on for the rest of your life? Those are nearly extinct. 是找到了一个稳定的工作，一辈子都不用愁，就意味着“生活安逸”吗？这种情况几乎不存在。

People move jobs, on average, every 4.7 years, and it's estimated that by 2020, nearly half of Americans will be freelancers¹. 人们平均4.7年就换一个工作，并且，预计到2020年会有将近半数美国人是自由职业者。

OK, so is better off just a number? Is it about earning as much as you possibly can? 好吧，所以生活安逸只是由一个数字衡量的吗？是意味着赚的越多越好吗？

By that singular measurement, we are failing. 用这种单一的衡量方式，我们都算不上生活安逸。

Median per capita income has been flat since about 2000, adjusted for inflation. 从2000年开始，去除通货膨胀因素，人均收入中位数一直偏低。

All right, so is better off getting a big house with a white picket² fence? Less of us are doing that. 好吧，所以是不是买一栋豪宅，围一圈白色尖桩篱笆，就意味着生活安逸了？这样做的人越来越少了。

Nearly five million people lost their homes in the Great Recession, 在经济大衰退期间，将近500万人无家可归

and even more of us sobered up about the lengths we were willing to go 甚至更多的人清楚的意识到买房的困难

or be tricked into going, in many predatory cases -- to hold that deed. 或者说，从鼓吹买房的陷阱中清醒过来。

Home-ownership rates are at their lowest since 1995. 从1995年至今，住房自有率处于最低水平。

All right, so we're not finding steady employment, we're not earning as much money, and we're not living in big fancy houses. 好吧，所以我们没有稳定的工作，没有赚那么多钱，没有豪宅

Toll³ the funeral bells for everything that made America great. 为让美国强大的一切敲响丧钟。

But, are those the best measurements of a country's greatness, of a life well lived? 然而这些是衡量一个国家强大与否生活安逸与否的最佳标准吗？

What I think makes America great is its spirit of reinvention. 我认为，是再创造的精神，使美国强大。

In the wake of the Great Recession, more and more Americans are redefining what "better off" really means. 大衰退之后，越来越多的美国人开始重新定义“生活安逸”。

Turns out, it has more to do with community and creativity than dollars and cents. 他们发现，“生活安逸”和社区生活与创新联系更加紧密，而不是钱。

1 freelancers   

n.自由作家，自由记者( freelancer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A lot of proof-reading is put out to freelancers. 校对工作有很多是请外人做的。 来自辞典例句
• Its benefits plan for freelancers is highly competitive in the industry. 在本行业内它的福利方案是很有竞争力的。 来自互联网

2 picket   

n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫

参考例句：

• They marched to the factory and formed a picket.他们向工厂前进,并组成了纠察队。
• Some of the union members did not want to picket.工会的一些会员不想担任罢工纠察员。

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。