The power of protest

And the legacy of George Floyd

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George Floyd was not famous. He was killed not in the capital of the United States, but on a street corner in its 46th-largest city. Yet in death he has suddenly become the keystone of a movement that has seized all of America. Still more remarkably, he has inspired protests abroad, from Brazil to Indonesia, and France to Australia. His legacy is the rich promise of social reform. It is too precious to waste.

Self-Translation

George Floyd（乔治·弗洛伊德）并不出名。他不是在美国首都被杀害的，而是在美国第46大城市的一个街角遇害的。然而，他死亡后成为了一场席卷全美运动的关键人物。更引人注目的是，他激起了海外抗议，从巴西到 Indonesia（印度尼西亚），再从法国到澳大利亚。这次事件反映出的遗留问题是社会改革的前兆，这次机会太珍贵了，不能被浪费。

Note

 legacy：n. 遗产，遗赠财物，遗留，后遗症

legal：adj. 法律的，合法的

promise：n. 诺言，承诺，吉兆，迹象

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The focus is rightly on America (see United States section). The protests there, in big cities and tiny towns far from the coasts, may be the most widespread in the country's long history of marching. After an outburst of rage following Mr Floyd's death, the demonstrations have, as we hoped last week, been overwhelmingly peaceful. They have drawn in ordinary Americans of all races. That has confounded those who, like President Donald Trump, thought they could be exploited to forge an electoral strategy based on the threat of anarchy. What began as a protest against police violence against African-Americans has led to an examination of racism in all its forms.

Self-Translation

关注的焦点在美国（见原刊美国部分）。在远离海岸的大城市和小城镇，这次抗议活动可能是美国游行史上最广泛的一次。在弗洛伊德死亡导致的愤怒爆发之后，示威活动如我们上周希望的那样，大多是以和平方式进行的。它们吸引了来自各个种族的美国人。这挫败了一些人，比如特朗普总统认为他们可以被利用，以无政府状态威胁为基础来制定选举策略。这场始于抗议警察对亚裔美国人使用暴力的运动已经导致了对各种形式下民族主义的审视。

Note

exploit：v. 利用，剥削，压榨，发挥

 anarchy：n. 无政府状态，混乱，无法无天

confound：v. 使惊疑，证明...有错，击败

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The marches outside America are harder to define (see International section). In Mexico and South Africa the target is mainly police violence. In Brazil, where three-quarters of the 6,220 people killed by police in 2018 were black, race is a factor too. Australians are talking about the treatment of aboriginals. Some Europeans, used to condemning America over race, are realising that they have a problem closer to home. Angela Merkel has asked Germans to take the chance to“sweep outside their own front doors". Several countries are agonising over public monuments (see next leader).

Self-Translation

美国以外的游行更难界定（见原刊国际部分）。在墨西哥和南非，目标针对的是警察暴力。在巴西，2018年被警察杀害的6220人中有四分之三是黑人，种族也是一个因素。澳大利亚人正在谈论对土著居民的待遇。一些曾在种族问题上指责美国的欧洲人，现在意识到自己的国家也将面临着这个问题。Angela Merkel（安格拉·默克尔）已经要求德国人抓住机会“打扫自家的家门”。一些国家正苦恼于公共纪念碑（见原刊next leader部分）。

Note

aboriginal：n. （澳大利亚的）土著

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It is hard to know why the spark caught today and not before. Nobody marched in Paris in 2014 after Eric Garner was filmed being choked to death by officers on Staten Island—then again, hardly anyone marched in New York, either. Perhaps th sheer ubiquity of social media means that enough people have this time been confronted with the evidence of their own eyes. The pandemic has surely played a part, by cooping people up and creating a shared experience, even as it has nonetheless singled out racial minorities for infection and hardship (see Lexington).

Self-Translation

很难知道为什么怒火在今天而不是在以前爆发。2014年Eric Garner（埃里克·加纳）在Staten Island（纽约史泰登岛）被警察掐死的视频被拍摄下来后，巴黎没有人游行——同样，纽约也几乎没有人游行。或许无处不在的社交媒体意味着这一次事件有足够多的人亲眼所见。新冠疫情确实发挥了一些作用，它限制了人们的活动并且创造了经历共享的条件，尽管如此，它还是把少数种族列为感染者和困难群体（见Lexington部分）。

Note

sheer：adj. 完全的，纯粹的，陡峭的

ubiquity：n. 无处不在，随处可见

 coop：v. 拘禁，关入

coop up：禁锢，拘禁

nonetheless：adv. 尽管如此

single out：单独挑出，突然选出

背景补充：埃里克·加纳死亡案于2014年7月17日发生在纽约史泰登岛，一名警察用15秒致使埃里克窒息。纽约市法医办公室得到的结论是，加纳死亡的部分原因是窒息。纽约市警察局明令禁止使用窒息，但纽约市警察局警察工会表示，警察并未使用窒息手段。（摘自百度百科）

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The scale of the protests has something to do with Mr Trump, too. When Mr Garner was killed, America had a president who could bring together the nation at moments of racial tension, and a Justice Department that baby-sat recalcitrant police departments. Today they have a man who sets out to sow division.

Self-Translation

抗议活动的规模也和特朗普有关。当加纳被杀时，美国有一位在种族关系紧张时能让国家团结起来的总统，和一个可以管理不守规矩警察部门的司法部。如今人们拥有一名试图分裂国家的总统。

Note

recalcitrant：adj. 不守规章的，桀骜不驯的，难以控制的

baby-sit：v. 照看，照顾婴儿

 sow：v. 播种，灌输，散布，煽动 

sew：v. 缝，做针线活

saw：v. 锯

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But most fundamentally, and most happily, the protest reflects a rising rejection of racism itself. The share of Americans who see racial discrimination in their country as a big problem has risen from 51% in January 2015 to 76% now. A YouGov poll last week found that 52% of Britons think British society is fairly or very racist, a big rise from similar polls in the past. In 2018, 77% of the French thought France needed to fight racism, up from 59% in 2002. Pew Research found last year that in most countries healthy majorities welcome racial diversity.

Self-Translation

但最重要，也最让人高兴的是，抗议活动反映了对种族主义排斥情绪的日益高涨。认为本国种族歧视是个大问题的美国人比例从2015年1月的51%上升到现在的76%。上周YouGov的一项民意调查显示52%的英国人认为英国社会是公平或者非常种族主义的，这一比例要比去年类似调查结果上升很多。2018年，77%的法国人认为法国需要反对民族主义，比2002年的59%上升很多。Pew Research（皮尤研究中心）去年发现在大多数国家大部分健康的人欢迎种族多样性。

Note

share：n. 份额，股份，承担

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America is both a country and an idea. When the two do not match, non-Americans notice more than when an injustice is perpetrated in, say, Mexico or Russia. And wrapped up in that idea of America is a conviction that progress is possible.

Self-Translation

美国既是一个国家，也是一种理念。当两者不协调时，非美国人会比墨西哥和俄罗斯等地发生不公正行为时更注意到这一点。在美国的理念中进步或许是可能的。

Note

perpetrate：v. 犯罪，犯错，干坏事

 conviction：n. 定罪，坚信，肯定 

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It is already happening, in three ways. It starts with policing, where some states and cities have already banned chokeholds and where Democratic politicians seem ready to take on the police unions. On June 8th Democrats in the House of Representatives put forward a bill that would, among other things, make it easier to prosecute police and limit the transfer of armour and weapons from the Pentagon to police departments. Congressional Republicans, who might have been expected to back the police, are working on a reform of their own. Although the general call for "defunding" risks a backlash, the details of redirecting part of the police budget to arms of local government, such as housing or mental health, may make sense.

Self-Translation

这已经在以三种方式发生。首先是警察，一些州和城市已经禁止了他们的掐喉行为，民主党政客似乎准备与警察工会较量。6月8日，众议院（House of Representatives）的民主党人提出了一项法案，该法案将使起诉警察变得更容易，并限制五角大楼（Pentagon）向警察部门输送装甲武器。被期望支持警察的国会共和党人，现在正致力于一项他们自己的改革。尽管针对“撤资”的普遍呼吁有遭到强烈反对的风险，但将部分警察有关预算转移到地方政府部门（如住房和心理健康）的具体细节是有道理的。

Note

 prosecute：v. 起诉，控告，检举，从事

armour：n. 盔甲，装甲

 back：v. 倒退，支持，下注 

 backlash：n. 强烈抵制，集体反对

redirect：v. 重新使用，改寄

 arm：n. 手臂，衣袖，扶手，杆，狭长地带，机构部门

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There is also a recognition that broader change is needed from local and federal government. The median household net wealth of African-Americans is $18,oo0, a tenth of the wealth of white Americans. The ratio has not changed since 1990 (see Free exchange). An important cause of this is that many African-Americans are stuck in the racially monolithic neighbourhoods where their grandparents were allowed to settle at a safe distance from whites. Houses in these places are very cheap.

Self-Translation

人们也认识到地方和联邦政府需要更广泛的改革。非裔美国人家庭净资产中位数为18000美元，这一数值是美国白人的十分之一。这一比例自1990年以来就没有改变过（见Free exchange部分）。造成这种情况的一个重要原因在于大部分非裔美国人被困在从他们祖父母开始就要和白人保持距离的种族单一的社区。这些地方的房子很便宜。

Note

monolithic：adj. （组织体系）庞大僵化的，单调无特点的

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This separation helps explain why inequality endures in schooling, policing and health. The government has a role in reducing it. Federal spending worth $22.6bn already goes on housing vouchers. Schemes to give poor Americans a choice over where they live have Republican and Democratic backing in Congress. With better schools and less crime, segregated districts become gentrified, leaving them more racially mixed.

Self-Translation

这种分离有助于解释为什么在教育、治安和医疗卫生方面的不公平现象会持续存在。政府在减小这方面差距方面发挥作用。价值226亿美元的联邦支出已经用于住房券。让美国穷人选择居住地的方案在国会得到了共和党和民主党的支持。有了更好的教育和更少的犯罪，种族隔离地区变得更适合居住，使其促进种族融合。

Note

voucher：n. 代币券，票券

gentrify：使贵族化，对（地区、人等）进行改造以适应较高阶层的人

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Business is waking up to the fact that it has a part, too, and not just in America (see Business section). The place where people mix most is at work. However, just four Fortune 500 firms have black chief executives and only 3% of senior American managers are black. No wonder anxious CEOs have been queuing up to pledge that they will do better.

Self-Translation

商业街也开始认识到自己的部分问题，而且不仅仅是在美国（见Business部分）。人们交往最多的地方是在工作场所。然而，只有4家《财富》500强公司拥有黑人主管，美国高级经理中只有3%是黑人。难怪忧心忡忡的首席执行官们忙着保证他们会做得更好。

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Firms have an incentive to change. Research suggests that racial diversity is linked to higher proft margins and that the effect is growing-though it is hard to be certain which comes first, diversity or performance. It has also become clear that a vocal share of employees and customers will shun companies that do not deal with racism.Platitudinous mission statements are unlikely to provide much protection. A first step is to monitor diversity at all levels of recruitment and promotion, as do Goldman Sachs and Intel—hardly known for being sentimental.

Self-Translation

公司有动力去改变。研究表明种族多样性与较高的利润率有关，而且这种影响正在扩大——尽管很难确定多样性和业绩哪个更重要。很明显，一部分直率的员工和客户会避开那些不处理种族问题的公司。老生常谈的使命声明不太可能提供太多保护。第一步是从各层级种族多样性角度监管招聘和晋升，就像高盛集团（Goldman Sachs）和英特尔（Intel）那样——不以优柔寡断著称。

Note

 incentive：n. 激励，刺激，鼓励

shun：v. 避开，避免

platitudinous：adj. 平凡的，陈腐的，陈词滥调的 

recruitment：n. 招收，招募，招聘 

recruit：v. 吸收新成员，征募，动员，组建

sentimental：adj. 情感的，伤感的，柔情的，多愁善感的

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Large-scale social change is hard. Protest movements have a habit of antagonising the moderate supporters they need to succeed. Countries where the impulse for change is not harnessed to specific reforms will find that it dissipates. Yet anyone who thinks racism is too difficult to tackle might recall that just six years before George Floyd was born, interracial marriage was still illegal in 16 American states. Today about 90% of Americans support it. When enough citizens march against an injustice, they can prevail. That is the power of protest.

Self-Translation

大规模的社会变革是困难的。为了取得成功，抗议活动有激怒温和派的习惯。那些不把变革的冲动用于具体改革的国家将发现它会消失。然而那些认为种族主义难以解决的人可能会记得就在乔治·弗洛伊德出生前6年，跨种族婚姻在美国16个州仍然是违法的。如今大约90%的美国人支持它。当足够多的公民游行反对不公平时，他们会取得成功。这就是抗议的力量。

Note

antagonise：v. 使敌对，抵消，对抗，反感

harness：v. 给（马）上挽具，控制，利用

dissipate：v. 消散，消失，挥霍，浪费，消磨

interracial：adj. 种族间的