Nationalistic arguments have started countless wars
在過去,民族主義思想已經引發了
in the past and they will continue to do so.
無數次戰爭,并且這種情況還會繼續下去
They have also however, nationalism has also held
但是與此同時,民族主義也將各民族
nations together. I take great pride in being a member
團結在一起,我為自己是一名美國人
of the American nation even if I don't agree with
而感到驕傲,盡管我并不是對美國所做的
everything the American nation has done. I will say
一切都同意,必須指出的是
that the extreme form of nationalism is extremely bad.
極端民族主義具有極大的危害
Once a nation really believes it has the obligation to
一旦一個國家堅信它有
civilize the world, this is historically a sign that
責任去帶領世界走向文明
the nation is going to fall on some very hard times.
那么它就注定要經歷一段艱難的歲月
Not only is civilizing the world and expensive and
不僅是因為這一過程是昂貴而
bloody process there is no guarantee that the rest of
血腥的,更是因為你根本不知道
the world really wants to be civilized anyway.
世界上的其他國家是否想要通過這種
I am the Queen of England, I like to sing and dance
方式走向文明,我是英國女王
and if you do not like it I will
我喜歡唱歌跳舞
punch you in the pants, ok.
如果你不喜歡,我就要懲罰你
Segment 1E; conclusions. I am a child of the Cold War
片段1E 總結,我生長在冷戰的環境之下
generation. I grew up on the side of the world
我生活在西方陣營中,人們告訴我
populated by the good guys who followed America's
美國及其同盟都是好人,會引領我們
quest for peace, prosperity and freedom. I was taught
走向和平,繁榮和自由,人們告訴我要
to fear and loathe the bad guys on the opposite side
仇恨和厭惡東方陣營
of the world who fought alongside the Soviet Union
蘇聯和它的同盟們要一起打敗我們這些
to bankrupt and bring down free, peace loving people
熱愛和平與自由的人們
like us and our friends. The gym of every school
我上過的每所學校的體育館都同時
I ever attended as a kid was also designed as a fall
被用作臨時避難所
out shelter. I was instructed in the proper technique
老師教我們,一旦瘋狂的俄羅斯人在
for diving under my desk and covering my head just
威斯康辛州橡木城
in case those crazy Russians dropped an H-Bomb
卡羅頓小學扔下氫彈
on Carrolton Elementary School in
我們應該如何抱頭鉆到桌子下面
Oak Creek, Wisconsin. I was ready.
以便進行自救
As the 1970's rolled around I came to see the
隨著70年代的到來,我逐漸發現
Cold War more as a struggle between governments
冷戰更多的是政府間的爭斗
than a struggle between good guys and bad guys.
而不是正義與邪惡之戰
I heard some of the awful things that the Soviet Union
我聽見了很多蘇聯和共產主義陣營
and the communist block was saying about us and
對美國的詆毀,我認為它們是假的
it wasn't true, and it wasn't fair. I discovered that
是不公平的,我發現,蘇聯政府就像
the Soviet government was just as awful as advertised,
宣傳中的一樣惡劣
possibly more so, but the more I read about the
甚至更甚,但是隨著我越來越多地
people who lived on the other side of the world
了解到蘇聯陣營中
the people of the Soviet Union seemed
人們的生活,我越來越覺得
more and more to be people just like us doing
他們與我們一樣,盡自己所能
the best that they could to make their own life
在困難的環境下使自己的
more pleasant and tolerable under some very
生活更好一些
difficult circumstances. As I learned more about
進入高中時代
American politics and America's role in world affairs,
隨著我對美國政治和美國
this was as I was in high school; I became more
在國際事務中的地位有越來越深的了解
skeptical about American government. I graduated
我對美國政府越來越持懷疑態度
from high school in 1978 in what some have called
1978年我高中畢業
the age of malaise, malaise being a term for
那是一個不安的時代
just all around bad, unhappy, sad times.
"不安"可以用來描述所有不幸的時代
The Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal,
越南戰爭,水門事件
the hostage situation in Iran, the energy crisis
伊朗的人質事件,還有能源危機
in which gasoline actually hit the unheard of price
石油價格達到了前所未有的
of $1 a gallon. These events made it very hard
每加侖一美元,這些事件都使我很難相信
for me to assume automatically that the US government
美國政府的決定
was right in all cases, ethical in all cases,
永遠都是正確的,是道德的
or even competent. By the time the Soviet Union
或者有效的 1989年,蘇聯開始解體
started falling apart, by the time that
柏林墻倒塌
the Berlin wall came down in 1989 I was a professor
那時我在大學教授古典語言
of classical languages. In fact I was in my
更準確點,那年是我執教生涯的第二年
second year of teaching Latin and ancient Greek
我在當時的西南密蘇里州立大學
at what was then called South West
教授拉丁語和古希臘語
Missouri State University. My intellectual life
我的思想生活主要
was pretty much focused on my academic career.
集中在學術事業上。