3分鐘打破種族迷思：英語精讀講義

You may think you know exactly what race you are, 文法

你也許以為自己很清楚自己屬於什麼種族，

but how would you prove it if someone disagreed with you? 文法

但如果有人不認同，你要怎麼證明？

The fact is, even though race drives a lot of social and political outcomes, 講解

事實上，儘管種族會左右許多社會和政治結果，

race isn't real.

種族卻並非真實存在。

One of the first people to attempt to categorize humans according to race 文法

最早嘗試按種族為人類分類的人之一

was a German scientist around 1776.

是1776年前後的一位德國科學家。

He came up with five different groups 片語動詞

他劃分出五個不同群體，

according to physical appearance

依據的是外貌

and geographic origin of their ancestors.

以及祖先的地理來源。

Americans of European descent 用詞

歐洲裔美國人

eagerly bought into this type of thinking 片語動詞

很快就欣然接受了這種思考方式，

around the same time.

這也發生在差不多同一時期。

Some historians have said the idea that there were different races

一些歷史學家認為，「人類分屬不同種族」的觀念

helped them resolve the contradiction 片語搭配

幫助他們化解了這樣一個矛盾：

between a natural right to freedom

人天生擁有自由的權利，

and the fact of slavery.

現實中卻存在奴隸制度。

If whites were their own distinct category, 文法

如果白人本身就是一個截然不同的類別，

then they could feel a lot better 片語搭配

那麼他們心裡就會好受得多，

about denying freedom to people 用詞

因為那些被他們剝奪自由的人

who they labeled black

被貼上了「黑人」的標籤，

and decided were fundamentally different.

並被認定從根本上就與他們不同。

But, as political priorities change,

但隨著政治優先事項改變，

definitions of race in America

美國對種族的定義

adjust right along with them. 片語搭配

也會隨之調整。

For example, if you were of Mexican birth

舉例來說，如果你出生於墨西哥，

or ancestry in the United States in 1929,

或擁有墨西哥血統，那麼在1929年的美國，

you were considered white.

你會被視為白人。

Then the 1930 census changed that 文化背景

後來，1930年人口普查改變了這項分類，

to non-white to limit immigration.

為了限制移民，把他們列為非白人。

Later, when the US needed to increase its labor force

再後來，當美國需要增加勞動力時，

during World War II,

當時正值第二次世界大戰，

these people were switched back to white. 片語動詞

這些人又被改列為白人。

And what it took to be black 文法

而判定一個人是黑人的標準

once varied so wildly throughout the country,

一度在全美各地大相逕庭，

from 1/4 to 1/16

從四分之一到十六分之一的非洲血統，

to the infamous one drop of African ancestry, 文化背景

再到惡名昭彰的「一滴血原則」，

that people could actually change races

以至於人們真的可能改變種族身分，

just by crossing state lines. 文法

只要跨過州界就行了。

Then suddenly in 2000,

接著，到了2000年，

the government decided that Americans

政府突然決定，美國人

could be more than one race

可以屬於不只一個種族，

and added a multi-racial category

並增設「多種族」類別，

to the census.

將其加入人口普查。

This has left many Americans 文法

這讓許多美國人

scratching their heads when it comes 講解

一到要選擇自己的身分時，

to selecting who they are.

就感到一頭霧水。

As many as 6.2% of census respondents 片語搭配

多達6.2%的人口普查受訪者

selected some other race

選擇了「其他種族」，

in the 2010 survey.

這是2010年調查的結果。

The idea that someone might look one way 表達脈絡

有人可能看起來屬於某個種族，

and identify another way,

卻認同自己屬於另一個種族；

or that they might be really hard

又或者，這個人可能很難

to place in a racial category, 用詞

被歸入某一種族類別——

is not new.

這種情況並不新鮮。

This is why there was a public debate

正因如此，大眾曾展開討論：

about whether MSNBC's Karen Finney

MSNBC的Karen Finney

could say she was black,

能否說自己是黑人；

or how we can't even agree 片語搭配

我們甚至也無法達成共識，

on the racial label assigned

不知道該用怎樣的種族標籤

to the president of the United States.

來界定美國總統。

Of course, many people feel their racial

當然，很多人覺得自己的種族

identity is very clear and very permanent.

身分非常明確，而且永遠不會改變。

But the fact that some people have changed theirs

但有些人確實改變了自己的種族身分，

and that no one can really argue with them

而且誰也無法真正反駁他們，

shows how shaky the very idea of race is. 文法

這顯示「種族」這個觀念本身有多麼站不住腳。

This is all because there isn't a race

原因在於，根本沒有所謂的「種族染色體」

chromosome in our DNA that people

藏在我們的DNA裡，

can point to. 片語動詞

可供人們指認。

It simply doesn't exist.

它根本不存在。

When the medical community links race 片語搭配

當醫學界把種族

to health outcomes,

與健康結果連結起來時，

it's really just using race as a 片語搭配

其實只是把種族當成

substitute for other factors,

其他因素的替代指標，

such as where your ancestors came

例如你的祖先來自哪裡，

from or the experiences of people

或是某些人的經歷；

who may have been put in the 文法

這些人可能曾被歸入

same racial group as you.

與你相同的種族群體。

Dorothy Roberts explains that sickle

Dorothy Roberts解釋，鐮刀型紅血球貧血症

cell anemia is a prime example of this. 片語搭配

正是這方面的典型例子。

The disease is linked to areas

這種疾病與某些地區有關，

with high rates of malaria,

那裡的瘧疾盛行率很高，

which includes some parts of Europe

除了非洲，也包括歐洲

and Asia in addition to Africa.

和亞洲的部分地區。

It's not actually about race at all. 文法

其實，這根本與種族無關。

This, of course, does not mean 文法

當然，這並不是說

that the concept of race

「種族」這個概念

isn't hugely important in our lives.

在我們的生活中無關緊要。

The racial categories to which we're assigned 文法

我們被劃入的種族類別

can determine real life experiences.

會決定現實生活中的經歷。

They can drive political outcomes

它們會左右政治結果，

and they can even make the 片語搭配

甚至可能造成

difference between life and death.

生與死的差別。

But understanding that racial categories

但明白種族類別

are made up can give us 講解

是人為建構的，能讓我們

an important perspective on where racism

獲得一個重要視角，去理解種族主義

came from in the first place. 片語搭配

最初究竟從何而來。