Emiliano Salinas: A civil response to violence
Script:
My Name is Emiliano Salinas, and I'm going to talk about the role we member of society play in the violent atmosphere this country is living in right now.
I was born in 1976. I grew up in a traditional Mexican family. As a child, I had a pretty normal life: I would go to school, play with my friends and cousins. But then my father became President of Mexico and my life changed.
What I'm about to say, at least some of what I'm about to say, will cause controversy. Firstly, because I'm the one who's going to say it. And secondly, because what I'm going to say is true, and it will make a lot of people nervous because it's something we don't want to hear. But it's imperative that we listen because it's undeniable and definitive. It will also make members of criminal organizations nervous for the same reasons. I'm going to talk about the role we members of society play in this phenomenon, and about four different response levels we citizens have against violence.
I know many will find it difficult to separate the fact that I'm Carlos Salinas de Gortari's son from the fact that I'm a citizen concerned about the country's current situation. Don't worry. It's not necessary for understanding the importance of what I'm going to say.
I think we have a problem in Mexico. We have a big problem. I think there's consensus on this. No one argues--we all agree there's a problem. What we don't agree on is what the problem actually is. Is it the Zetas? The drug traffickers? The government? Corruption? Poverty? Or is it something else? I think none of these is the problem. I don't mean they don't deserve attention. But we won't be able to take care of any of those things if we don't solve the real problem we have in Mexico first. The real problem we have is most of us Mexicans, we believe we are victims of our circumstances. We are a country of victims. Historically, we've always acted as victims of something or somebody. We were victims of the Spaniards. Then we were victims of the French. Then we were victims of Don Porfirion. Then we were victims of PRI. Even of Salinas. And of El Peje. And now of the Zetas and the traffickers and the criminals and the kidnappers... Hold on! Wait a minute! What if none of these things is the problem? The problem is not the things we feel victims of. The problem is that we play the role of victims. We need to open our eyes and see that we are not victims. If only we stopped feeling like victims, if we stopped acting as victims, our country would change so much! I'm going to talk about how to go from a society that acts as a victim of circumstances to a responsible, involved society that takes the future of its country in its own hands.
I'm going to talk about four different levels of civil response against violence, from weakest to strongest.
The first level, the weakest level of civil response against violence, is denial and apathy. Today, much of Mexican society is in denial of the situation we're going through. We want to go on with our daily life even though we are not living under normal circumstances. Daily life in our country is, to say the least, under extraordinary, exceptional circumstances. It's like someone who has a serous illness, and pretends it's flu and it will just go away. We want to pretend that Mexico has the flu. But it doesn't. Mexico has cancer. And if we don't do something about it, the cancer will end up killing it. We need to move more Mexican society from denial and apathy to the next level of citizen response, which is, effectively, recognition.
And that recognition will sow fear--recognizing the seriousness of the situation. But, fear is better than apathy because fear makes us do something. Many people in Mexico are afraid today. We're very afraid. And we're acting out of that fear. And let me tell you what the problem is with acting out of fear--and this is the second level of civil response: fear. Let's think about Mexican streets: they're unsafe because of violence, so people stay at home. Does that make streets more or less safe? Less safe! So streets become more desolate and unsafe, so we stay home more, which makes streets even more desolate and unsafe, and we stay home even more. This vicious circle ends up with the whole population stuck inside their houses, scared to death--even more afraid than when we were out on the streets. We need to confront this fear. We need to move Mexican society, the members of society who are at this level, to the next level, which is action. We need to face our fears and take back our streets, our cities, our neighborhoods.
For many people, acting involves rage. We go from fear to rage. They say, "I can't take it anymore. Let's do something about it." Recently--this is a sensitive figure--35 public lynchings have been recorded so far in 2010 in Mexico. Usually it's one or two a year. Now we're experiencing one every week. This shows that society is desperate and it's taking the law into its own hands. Unfortunately, violent action--though action is better than no action--but taking part in it only disguises violence. If I'm violent with you and you respond with violence, you become part of the violence and you just disguise my violence. So civil action is vital, but it's also vital to take people who are at the level of rage and violent action to the next level, which is non-violent action. It's pacific, coordinated civil action, which doesn't not mean passive action. It means it's determined and effective, but not violent.
There are examples of this kind of action in Mexico. Two years ago, in Galena City, Chihuahua, a member of the community was kidnapped, Eric Le Baron. His brothers, Benjamin and Julian, got together with the rest of the community to think of the best course of action: to pay the ransom, to take up arms and go after the kidnappers or to ask the government for help. In the end, Benjamin and Julian decided the best thing they could do was to organize the community and act together. So what did they do? They mobilized the whole community of Le Baron to go to Chihuahua, where they organized a sit-in in the central park of the city. They sent a message to the kidnappers: "If you want your ransom come and get it. We'll be waiting for you right here." They stayed there. Seven days later, Eric was set free and was able to return home. This is an example of what an organized society can do, a society that acts. Of course criminals can respond. And in this case, they did. On July 7th, 2009, Benjamin Le Baron was murdered. But Julian Le Baron keeps working and he has been mobilizing communities in Chihuahua for over a year. And for over a year he has known that a price has been put on his head. But he keeps fighting. He keeps organizing. He keeps mobilizing. These heroic acts are present all over the country. With a thousand Julianes working together, Mexico would be a very different country. And they're out there! They just have to raise their hands.
I was born in Mexico, I grew up in Mexico and along the way, I learned to love Mexico. I think anyone who has stopped foot on this land--not to mention all Mexican people-- will agree that it's not difficult to love Mexico. I've traveled a lot and nowhere else have I found the passion Mexicans have. That devotion we feel for the national football team. That devotion we show in helping victims of disasters, such as the earthquake in 1985 or this year's floods. The passion with which we've been singing the national anthem since we were kids. When we though Masiosare was the strange enemy, and we sang, with a childlike heart, "a soldier in each son."
I think the biggest insult, the worst way you can offend a Mexican is to insult their mother. A mother is the most sacred thing in life. Mexico is our mother and today she cries out for her children. We are going through the darkest moment in our recent history. Our mother, Mexico, is being violated before our very eyes. What are going to do? Masiosare, the strange enemy, is here. Where is the soldier in each son?
Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest civil fighters of all time, said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Today in Mexico we're asking for Gandhis. We need Gandhis. We need men and women who love Mexico and who are willing to take action. This is a call for every true Mexican to join this initiative. This is a call so that every single thing we love about Mexico -- the festivals, the markets, the restaurants, the cantinas, the tequila, the mariachis, the serenades, the posadas, El Grito, the Day of the Dead, San Miguel, the joy, the passion for life, the fight and everything it means to be Mexican -- doesn't disappear from this world.
We are facing a very powerful opponent. But we are many more. They can take a man's life. Anyone can kill me, or you, or you. But no one can kill the spirit of true Mexicans. The battle is won, but we still have to fight it.
2000 years ago, the Roman Poet Juvenal said something that today echoes in the heart of every true Mexican. He said, "Count it the greatest sin to prefer life to honor, and for the sake of living to lose what makes life worth living." Thank you.
中文脚本：
我名叫艾米拉诺•萨利纳斯。我想要谈谈，当这个国家四处弥漫着暴力气氛时，我们身为社会成员在此时所应扮演的角色。
我出生于1976年，生在一个传统的墨西哥家庭。我童年的生活十分普通，我去上学，和朋友、表弟玩耍。但后来我父亲成为了墨西哥总统，我的生活就此改变了。
我所要讲得内容，至少部分的内容，可能会引起极大的争议。这首先是因为我是那个要讲话的人，其次是因为我所说的都是事实。而事实总会使许多人胆战心惊，因为总有一些事实是人们不想听到的。但是紧迫的是我们必须面对事实，因为事实不可磨灭。这些事实同样会令犯罪组织的成员感到紧张。也是基于同样的原因，我将谈谈身为社会成员的我们在这些现象中扮演何种角色。
在面对暴力时，我们的反应分为四个层次。我知道，大家很难把我这个前总统卡洛斯•萨利纳斯•德戈塔的儿子，与关心时事的公民相提并论。没关系，这与我要谈到的内容毫无关系。
我认为，墨西哥正面临一个问题，一个大问题。这是一个不争的事实，没有人会反驳，我们都认为这里存在问题。我们有分歧的地方是，问题究竟出在哪里。是泽塔斯集团，贩毒组织，还是政府？是腐败，贫困，还是其他方面？我认为这些都不是问题所在。我不是说这些问题不值得关注。然而，如不首先解决墨西哥面临的真正问题，我们就无法真正解决以上任何问题。
我们的问题首先在于，大多数墨西哥人认为我们自己是社会现状的受害者。我们是一个满是受害者的国家。在历史上，我们经常充当受害者的角色，受到某些事或某些人的残害。我们曾受西班牙人的侵略，曾受法国人侵略，曾是Don Porfirio的受害者，曾是革命制度党（PRI）的受害者，还曾是萨利纳斯和El Peje的受害者，而现在是泽塔集团、贩毒组织、犯罪团体和绑架者的受害者。停下来！等一下！要是这些都不是问题的所在呢？那些我们认为让自己沦为受害者的事情都不是问题所在。问题在于我们总在扮演受害者。我们必须睁开眼睛，看到我们并不是受害者。只有当我们不再认为自己是受害者，只有当我们不再扮演受害者，我们的国家就能得到彻头彻尾的改变！
我所要讲的便是一个社会，如何从各种现象的受害者，转变成一个富有责任感、民众参与度高的社会。这样的社会才能够实实在在地把握国家的未来。我将从四个层次谈一谈人民对暴力的反应，程度由弱到强。
第一层反应，也就是人民对暴力程度最弱的反应，就是闭口不提，无动于衷。在今天的墨西哥社会，大多数人，都在回避现实。尽管生活陷入了非常的处境，但是大家都想正常地过日子。我们国家的生活，往好里说，面临着最极端、翻天覆地的现状。这就像一个人得了重病，却假装自己得的是感冒，过一会就好了。我们假装墨西哥患的是感冒，但事实并非如此，墨西哥患的是癌症。如果我们不采取行动医治，国家便会病入膏肓。我们必须将墨西哥社会对现状的无动于衷，转变为国民对现状的第二层反应——有效的认清现状。
认清事实会产生恐惧，认清事实的严重性。然而恐惧总比无动于衷强。恐惧让我们不得不采取行动。现在墨西哥有很多人都感到恐惧，我们都非常害怕。我们在恐惧中作出行动。我想谈谈在恐惧中行动，会产生什么问题。这就是民众对现状反应的第二个层次：恐惧。在恐惧中行动的问题在于，想象一下，墨西哥的街道因为暴力而变得不安全，于是人们就躲在家里，这样能让街道变得更安全还是更危险？当然更危险！这样街道就会变得更荒凉，更危险。结果我们就更不愿意出门，使街道进一步变得更加荒凉，更加危险，于是我们就更不敢出门了。全体国民都陷入了这个恶性循环，不敢出门，贪生怕死，在家里比在大街上还要担惊受怕。我们就必须战胜恐惧。我们必须把墨西哥社会，全体社会成员推向第三个层面——采取实际行动。
我们必须战胜自己的恐惧，收回失去了的街道、城市与街区。对于许多人而言，行动中总伴随着愤怒。我们的恐惧变成了愤怒。他们说：“我忍无可忍了，我们要马上采取行动。”最近，有组很敏感的数据。据记录，2010年以来，墨西哥发生了35起当众使用私刑的案件，而通常情况下，这种案件每年仅有一两起。现在，几乎每周都会发生一起。这说明这个社会已经陷入绝望，人们自己成为了执法者。可惜，尽管采取行动胜过无动于衷。但是以暴制暴的行为，只不过是让暴力看上去更冠冕堂皇而已。如果我对你施暴，你以暴力回击，你也成为了施暴的一分子。你不过是让我的暴力看起来更合理了。民众采取行动固然重要，但我们仍然必须让所有处于恐惧与愤怒的民众走向下一个层面——非暴力行动。
这样的行动是和平的，相互合作的。但决不是被动的，它是坚决的，有效的，非暴力的。在墨西哥，这样的例子出现过。两年前，在奇瓦瓦州的加莱阿纳市，当地的一位居民被绑架了，他叫艾里克（Eric Le Baron），他的兄弟本杰名和朱利安，集结了当地所有居民，共同商讨最佳解决措施。交赎金？抄上家伙找绑匪算帐？还是找政府帮忙？最后，本杰名和朱利安决定，采取最好的办法就是组织社区中的所有人共同行动。他们做了什么？他们动员了 Le Baron社区的所有人，让这些人集体去到奇瓦瓦州市，他们就在市中央公园组织了一场大规模静坐。他们给绑匪发了一条信息：“如果你们要赎金，就来拿吧；我们就在这里等着。”他们一直等在那里，七天之后，艾里克被释放了，他回到了家。这个例子证明了一个有组织的社会所拥有的力量，一个该出手时就出手的社会。当然，犯罪分子也会做出回应。这次他们也做出了回应。2009年7月，本杰名（Benjamin Le Baron）被谋杀了。但朱利安（Julian Le Baron）没有放弃，一整年，他都在动员各社区，在奇瓦瓦市进行各种运动。这一整年，有人悬赏要他的项上人头，而他的斗争没有停息，继续组织运动，继续做动员。这个国家里到处都不乏英雄事迹，如果千千万万的朱利安团结到一起，墨西哥今天会是个完全不同的国家。而这些英雄就在那里，他们只需要把手举起来。
我生在墨西哥，长在墨西哥。在成长过程中，我学会了热爱墨西哥。我相信任何一个踏足这片土地的人－不仅是墨西哥人－都会情不自禁的爱上这个国家，对此，没有人会有异议。我去过很多地方，而那些地方的人都没有墨西哥人的热情。我们在支持国家足球队时的热情，我们在支援受灾人民时表现出的热情，比如1985年的大地震和今年发生的大洪水。从儿时起我们唱国歌时就饱含热情，我们以为Masiosare是外敌的意思。我们用一个儿童的心唱着，“每个子民心中都有一个战士“。
我认为，侮辱一个墨西哥人，最恶劣的方式，就是侮辱他的母亲。母亲在人一生中处在最神圣地位。墨西哥就是我们的母亲，而现在她在召唤她的子民。我们正面临着近期历史上最为黑暗的时刻。我们的母亲墨西哥就在我们眼前遭人凌辱。我们该怎么办？Masiosare，外敌已经来了。那么每个子民心中的战士在哪里？
圣雄甘地，历史上最伟大的人民权力运动英雄曾说：“欲变世界，先变其身”。现在，我们呼唤甘地们，我们需要甘地们，我们需要热爱墨西哥的英雄儿女们，揭竿而起。这是在召唤每一位真正的墨西哥人，加入这场斗争；这是在放声号召。只有这样，我们所热爱的墨西哥的一切，各种节目、市场、餐馆、饭店、龙舌兰酒、流浪艺人、小夜曲、旅馆、El Grito、死日者、圣米格尔护城、喜悦、热情、斗争、以及让我们成为墨西哥人的一切事物，才不会从世界上消失。我们面临的是极其强大的敌人，但我们的力量更加强大。他们可以杀死一个人，谁都可以杀我，杀你，或者你。但是，谁也杀不死，墨西哥人真正的精神。我们的斗争是必胜的，但我们必须进行战斗。
两千年前，古罗马诗人尤维纳利斯所说的一些话，今天在每一个真正墨西哥人的心里余音犹在。他说：“万恶之首莫过于为生命而蔑视荣誉，为了活着而让生命失去存在的意义。”(*) 非常感谢。
(*)注：TED上的中文脚本对于尤维纳利斯的这句话翻译为：“为荣誉而蔑视生命是万恶之首。而对于生命而言，最大的罪恶莫过于让生命失去存在的意义。” 个人认为明显颠倒了这句话的真正意思，于是修改为：“万恶之首莫过于为生命而蔑视荣誉，为了活着而让生命失去存在的意义。”。后经查实，网上普遍翻译为：“保命大概是最大的过错，为生命而丧失整个生命的根基。” 而TED上的繁体中文脚本，将此话翻译为：“最大的罪惡應該算是捨棄尊嚴選擇活著，並且為了活著而失去讓活著有意義的事物。”
