美国国家公共电台 NPR Decades After An Iconic Protest, Tommie Smith Has Something Else On His Mind

Decades After An Iconic Protest, Tommie Smith Has Something Else On His Mind 

play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0004:48repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser¹ to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. SCOTT SIMON, HOST: 

And it's time for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SIMON: Colin Kaepernick took a knee as a naval² officer sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Thursday's game in San Diego. Boos burst in the air. NPR's Tom Goldman has followed the Kaepernick story and joins us. Tom, thanks so much for being with us.

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE³: My pleasure, Scott.

SIMON: Now, taking a knee, as opposed to just sitting out the national anthem⁴, strikes me - whether you agree with it or not - is a deliberate statement as somebody who wants to show respect, even humility⁵, but not reflexive obedience⁶ to the national anthem. How has the Kaepernick protest symbolism evolved since last Sunday?

GOLDMAN: Well, one of the ways is what you mention. He says he and his teammate Eric Reid, who joined him in the protests in San Diego, decided⁷ taking a knee would be more respectful than sitting. He's also spoken strongly about supporting the military.

That was a big thing Thursday night in San Diego, a city that has a huge military population. And Kaepernick seems to understand the protest is more credible⁸ if he does more than sit out anthems⁹. He says he's doing that. He says he's working with charities that serve the oppressed people.

Kaepernick says they're at the heart of this protest. And he says he'll donate a million dollars to those types of charities. So if you're a person who was initially¹⁰ offended by his actions but you paid attention and were open to what he did and said as the week went on, he might seem like a more sympathetic figure today.

SIMON: There's been a lot of criticism but also a lot of support, hasn't there?

GOLDMAN: Yeah there are supporters, including active military and veterans. Some say they don't like his method. But they defend his right to protest. Others are OK with questioning just what the anthem and the flag stand for.

But there are, as you say, lots of critics, too. A number of police organizations feel insulted by Kaepernick's strong words about police brutality¹¹. In fact, the Santa Clara Police, who normally work 49ers home games, are threatening to boycott¹² those games unless the team, quote, "takes action against Kaepernick."

SIMON: Tom, in a report in the Kaepernick story this week, you happened to speak to Tommie Smith. Now, he's the Olympic runner who famously raised his fist as a symbol of black power at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. He told you a story I have never had before.

GOLDMAN: (Laughter) I hadn't either. You know, that raised fist, Scott, along with American teammate John Carlos, is perhaps the most iconic sports protest ever. For most, it's what defines Smith and Carlos. And people almost forget they were great athletes, too.

I mean, Smith, in particular, was blazing fast in the Mexico City 200-meters. It landed him on top of that controversial victory stand with the gold medal around his neck. So yeah, I interviewed him about Colin Kaepernick but also asked him about the race.

And he got so animated¹³, you know, not just remembering the victory but how he says he got robbed by five-hundredths of a second. His official winning time was 19.83 seconds. That was a world record.

He was the first man to break 20 seconds in the 200 - a great accomplishment¹⁴. But Smith is a true competitor before he was an iconic activist¹⁵. And he still burns a bit because he says he ran faster than 19.83. Here's a bit of our conversation.

TOMMIE SMITH: When I crossed the finish, I saw 19.78. And it stayed lit. It stayed lit. I said, oh, man. Smith, you were pretty fast. I'm talking to myself back then. I can tell you now. And when they made the announcement - Tommie Smith - roar (ph) - first time under 20 seconds - 19.83.

I was disappointed. (Laughter) But who was I to yell? I had already come off the victory stand. So, I mean, gee¹⁶ whiz. Enough is enough.

GOLDMAN: You weren't going to cause any more trouble, right?

SMITH: And you're the first person I told this because you're the first person to ask about the race in that context.

SIMON: Now does this remind you, Tom - Tommie Smith wasn't just Eldridge Cleaver¹⁷ in track shoes.

GOLDMAN: (Laughter).

SIMON: I mean, this guy was a jock. He was one of the best runners of his time. And he wanted that record.

GOLDMAN: Yeah.

SIMON: Any idea why the time was changed?

GOLDMAN: You know, he doesn't know. Neither does prominent Olympic historian David Wallechinsky. Wallechinsky noted¹⁸ times on the field clock, often, are a little different from the official times. But usually, it's around a hundredth of a second or so but not 500. So maybe it was the technology back in 1968.

But whatever the reason, Tommie Smith loves the fact that the clock did say 19.78. Usain Bolt won the 200-meters in Rio last month in that exact time. There's no doubt in anyone's mind Bolt is the greatest. But it shows how great Smith was 48 years ago.

SIMON: NPR's Tom Goldman, thanks so much.

GOLDMAN: You're welcome.

SIMON: And tomorrow on WEEKEND EDITION SUNDAY, how the national anthem became a symbol at games.

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

5 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

6 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

9 anthems   

n.赞美诗( anthem的名词复数 )；圣歌；赞歌；颂歌

参考例句：

• They usually play the national anthems of the teams at the beginning of a big match. 在大型赛事开始前，他们通常演奏参赛国国歌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rise please, rise for the anthems of & . 请全体起立，奏和两国国歌。 来自互联网

10 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

11 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

12 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

13 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

14 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

15 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

16 gee   

n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转

参考例句：

• Their success last week will gee the team up.上星期的胜利将激励这支队伍继续前进。
• Gee,We're going to make a lot of money.哇！我们会赚好多钱啦！

17 cleaver   

n.切肉刀

参考例句：

• In fact,a cleaver is a class of ax.实际上，切肉刀也是斧子的一种。
• The cleaver is ground to a very sharp edge.刀磨得飞快。

18 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。