时代周刊:我的父亲RFK--不朽的丰碑(1)

What my father, RFK, means today

我的父亲RFK：不朽的丰碑

By Kerry Kennedy

文/克里·肯尼迪

Kennedy is the president of the nonprofit Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

克里·肯尼迪是以前总统罗伯特·F·肯尼迪的名义成立的非盈利人权组织主席

and author of the new book Robert F. Kennedy: Ripples¹ of Hope, from which this essay is adapted.

也是新书《罗伯特·F.肯尼迪：希望的涟漪》的作者，本文即摘选自此书。

THINK OF JOHN F. KENNEDY, LYNDON B. JOHNSON OR Richard Nixon.

约翰·F.肯尼迪、林登·B. 约翰逊，理查德·尼克松，

Each, in his own way, is firmly set in a certain era of American history.

三人无不以独特的方式牢牢奠定了自己在美国历史上的地位。

Yet as vibrant² as they were at the peak of their power and influence,

然而，即便位于权利和影响力巅峰之际的他们个个都灿若星辰，

none of these men could easily slip into the contemporary political world.

他们还是无法轻易登上当今的政治舞台。

Their leadership was unique to their time and place.

他们的领导能力只属于他们那个时代的美国。

That does not ring true for my father, Robert F. Kennedy, who was killed 50 years ago.

我的父亲，50年前遇难的罗伯特·F.肯尼迪却要另当别论。

His appearance is ever modern: the shaggy hair, the skinny ties, the suit jacket off, the shirt sleeves rolled.

他的外表总是那么时髦：蓬松的发型，窄窄的领带，脱下西装后卷起的衬衫袖口。

Beyond appearances, what is striking about RFK are the themes he returned to again and again—

除了外表，RFK最引人注目的是他反复提到了一些话题——

themes that still energize³ the debate and resonate in our own time.

即便放到我们这个时代，那些话题也依然能激发人们的讨论和共鸣。

Think of the headlines over the past few years

回想过去几年的头条新闻，

and it is easy to hear Robert Kennedy’s voice and imagine him speaking out in our country—

我们不禁会想起罗伯特·肯尼迪的声音，想象他为已经陷入疯狂的枪支暴力，

on the madness of gun violence, the shame of police brutality⁴, the need for compassion⁵ in welcoming immigrants and refugees,

可耻的警察暴行，接纳移民和难民时缺乏同情心，反抗战争呼吁的迫切需要，

the urgent need to defy the call to war and, where war has broken out, the moral necessity of seeking peace.

以及在战争已经爆发的地方寻求和平，因为这一从道义上将十分必要等问题东奔西走，大声疾呼的模样。

One imagines him urging us to focus not only on stopping terrorism but also on understanding and addressing its root causes.

想象他敦促我们不能把注意力只放在遏止恐怖主义上，还要考虑从根源上研究并解决这一问题。

He would encourage us to focus on the destructive force of hate, the disillusionment of young people,

他会鼓励我们关注仇恨的破坏力，关注年轻人的幻灭情绪，

the inherent injustice⁶ of a criminal-justice system that discriminates⁷ based on race and class

关注存在种族歧视和阶级歧视问题，

and sends thousands to jail simply because they are too poor to make bail—the new Jim Crow.

成千上万负担不起保费的人都已因此遭受牢狱之灾——新型种族歧视——的刑事司法系统内在的不公。

And it is easy to think of RFK reminding us of the duty to address the struggles of those who are not in the headlines,

我们也不难回想起那个提醒我们，我们有义务解决那些未能登上头版头条，

the most vulnerable among us: farmworkers, small farmers, factoryworkers,

但依然是我们当中最脆弱的群体——农场工人、小农、工厂工人等

people who have seen the jobs that once supported them replaced by cheap labor⁸ or technology.

只能无奈地看着养家糊口的工作被更加廉价的劳动力或技术取代的人群——的困境的RFK。

He would also remember our duty to Native Americans

他会记得我们对印第安人的责任，

and those suffering in the hollows of Appalachia, on the Mississippi Delta⁹ and in the most destitute¹⁰ slums of our great cities.

记得我们对那些生活在阿巴拉契亚山谷、密西西比三角洲以及我们大城市中最贫困的贫民窟里的人群的责任。

1 ripples   

逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moon danced on the ripples. 月亮在涟漪上舞动。
• The sea leaves ripples on the sand. 海水在沙滩上留下了波痕。

2 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

3 energize   

vt.给予(某人或某物)精力、能量

参考例句：

• It is used to energize the city.它的作用是为城市供给能量。
• This is a great way to energize yourself and give yourself more power!这种方法非常棒，可以激活你的能量，让你有更多的活力！

4 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

5 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

6 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

7 discriminates   

分别，辨别，区分( discriminate的第三人称单数 )； 歧视，有差别地对待

参考例句：

• The new law discriminates against lower-paid workers. 这条新法律歧视低工资的工人。
• One test governs state legislation that discriminates against interstate commerce. 一个检验约束歧视州际商业的州立法。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

9 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

10 destitute   

adj.缺乏的；穷困的

参考例句：

• They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
• They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。