In 1994, Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein coauthored "The Bell Curve," an extremely controversial book which claims that on average, some races are smarter and more likely to succeed than others. Murray and Herrnstein also suggest that a lack of critical intelligence explains the prominence of violent crime in poor African-American communities. But Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein are not the only people who think this.1994 年， 查尔斯·莫里 和理察·赫恩斯坦 共同写下了《钟形曲线》， 这是本非常有争议的书， 声称平均而言， 有些种族比较聪明， 也较容易成功。莫里和赫恩斯坦也暗指 智力明显较低的情况 能解释为什么大部分的暴力犯罪 发生在贫穷的非裔美籍社区。查尔斯·莫里和理察·赫恩斯坦 不是唯一这样想的人。
In 2012, a writer, journalist and political commentator named John Derbyshire wrote an article that was supposed to be a non-black version of the talk that many black parents feel they have to give their kids today: advice on how to stay safe. In it, he offered suggestions such as: "Do not attend events likely to draw a lot of blacks," "Stay out of heavily black neighborhoods" and "Do not act the Good Samaritan to blacks in distress." And yet, in 2016, I invited John Derbyshire as well as Charles Murray to speak at my school, knowing full well that I would be giving them a platform and attention for ideas that I despised and rejected. But this is just a further evolution of a journey of uncomfortable learning throughout my life.2012 年， 身兼作家、记者 和政治评论员的德比夏尔 写篇文章给非黑人族群， 但许多黑人父母觉得 这也适用于他们的小孩：保持安全的建议。文章中，他说例如：“别参加可能吸引 一群黑人的活动。” “离黑人多的社区远一点。” 及“别对处在 急难之中的黑人太好心。” 而 2016 年，我邀请德比夏尔 和查尔斯·莫里 来我的学校演讲， 他们完全清楚，我会给他们舞台， 让他们说那些我鄙视 和我拒绝的想法。但这只是我人生中 不舒服学习的演变。
When I was 10 years old, my mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia, a mental illness characterized by mood swings and paranoid delusions. Throughout my life, my mother's rage would turn our small house into a minefield. Yet, though I feared her rage on a daily basis, I also learned so much from her. Our relationship was complicated and challenging, and at the age of 14, it was decided that I needed to live apart from her. But over the years, I've come to appreciate some of the important lessons my mother taught me about life. She was the first person who spoke to me about learning from the other side. And she, like me, was born and raised in a family of committed liberal democrats. Yet, she encouraged me to see the world and the issues our world faces as complex, controversial and ever-changing.当我十岁时，我妈 被诊断思觉失调症， 这是一种精神疾病， 特征是情绪波动和偏执妄想。我人生中，妈妈的愤怒 会把我们的小屋 变成地雷区。尽管我对她每天的愤怒感到害怕， 我也从她那学到很多。我们的关系复杂且有挑战性， 我 14 岁时， 被判定必须和她分开住。几年后，我开始欣赏 我妈教我的那些 有关人生的重要课程。她是第一个跟我说 要从反面学习的人， 她跟我一样，出身在 一个自由民主的家庭里。然而，她鼓励我把世界 及世界上正面对的问题 看作复杂、有争议及不断变动的。
One day, I came across the phrase "affirmative action" in a book I was reading. And when I asked her what the term meant, she spent what felt like an hour giving me a thorough and thoughtful explanation that would make sense to a small child. She even made the topic sound at least as interesting as any of my professors have. She explained the many reasons why people of various political views challenge and support affirmative action, stressing that, while she strongly supported it herself, it was important for me to view the issue as a controversial one with a long history, a questionable future and a host of complicating factors. While affirmative action can increase the presence of minorities at elite educational institutions, she felt that it could also disadvantage hardworking people of different races from more affluent backgrounds. My mom wanted me to understand that I should never just write off opinions that I disagreed with or disliked, because there was always something to learn from the perspectives of others, even when doing so might be difficult.有天，我在一本书中看到 “平权行动”这词， 当我问我妈这是什么意思， 她说了仿佛一小时 给我一个完整及深刻的解释， 而这能让小朋友理解。她甚至让这题目听起来 至少和我的教授上课一样有趣。她解释许多原因， 为什么不同政治观点的人 挑战或支持平权运动， 她强调，虽然她很坚持自己的主张， 但同时很重要的，是把这议题 看成一个长期的争议、 一个有疑虑的未来 及一系列复杂的因素。尽管平权运动能增加弱势族群 在精英教育机构的比例， 她认为这也对不同族群、 来自富裕背景的努力人士不利。我妈希望我了解， 我不该总是只写下不同意 或不喜欢的意见， 因为人总能从不同观点学到东西， 尽管这么做可能很难。
But life at home with my mom was not the only aspect of my journey that has been formative and uncomfortable. In fourth grade, she decided that I should attend a private school in order to receive the best education possible. As a black student attending predominantly white private schools, I've encountered attitudes and behaviors that reflected racial stereotypes. Several of my friends' parents assumed within minutes of meeting me that my best skill was playing basketball. And it really upset me to think that my race made it harder for them to see me as a student who loved reading, writing and speaking. Experiences like this motivated me to work tirelessly to disprove what I knew people had assumed. My mother even said that, in order to put my best foot forward, I had to be patient, alert and excruciatingly well-mannered. To prove that I belonged, I had to show poise and confidence, the ability to speak well and listen closely. Only then would my peers see that I deserved to be there as much as they did.和我妈相处的时光， 不是唯一造就我又令我 感到不舒服的过程。四年级时，她决定让我读私立学校， 如此我能得到最好的教育机会；身为黑人学生，进入 白人为主的私立学校， 我面对一些反映了种族 刻板印象的态度和行为。有很多我朋友的爸妈 才见到我几分钟， 就假定我最擅长的是篮球， 这让我很挫折，因为 种族因素使其他人 认为我喜爱阅读、书写 和演讲难以想像。这种经验激发我不眠不休的工作， 来推翻别人的成见。我妈甚至说，为了更加往前迈进， 我要有耐心、机警及行为极为端正。为了证明我并非圈外人， 我要展现优雅和自信， 以及表达和倾听的能力。只有这样我的同侪才会认为 我和他们一样够格待在那里。
Despite this racial stereotyping and the discomfort I often felt, the learning I gained from other aspects of being at an elite private school were incredibly valuable. I was encouraged by my teachers to explore my curiosity, to challenge myself in new ways and to deepen my understanding of subjects that fascinated me the most. And going to college was the next step. I was excited to take my intellectual drive and interest in the world of ideas to the next level. I was eager to engage in lively debate with peers and professors and with outside speakers; to listen, to learn and gain a deeper understanding of myself and of others. While I was fortunate to meet peers and professors who were interested in doing the same thing, my desire to engage with difficult ideas was also met with resistance.尽管经常感到种族刻板印象和不适， 我在菁英私立学校里 学到不同的观点， 而这非常有价值。我的老师鼓励我探索感兴趣的事物、 用新方式挑战自我， 并增进有兴趣科目的知识。进大学是下一步。我很开心能把思想动力和兴趣 带进思想界的下一阶段， 我渴望参与和同侪及教授的讨论， 以及和外来的讲者对谈， 去听、去学、以及更深刻 了解自我和他人。然而当幸运遇见喜欢 做同样事情的同侪和教授时， 我投入困难想法的渴望 也碰到了阻力。
To prepare myself to engage with controversy in the real world, I joined a group that brought controversial speakers to campus. But many people fiercely opposed this group, and I received significant pushback from students, faculty and my administration. For many, it was difficult to see how bringing controversial speakers to campus could be valuable, when they caused harm. And it was disappointing to me facing personal attacks, having my administration cancel speakers and hearing my intentions distorted by those around me. My work also hurt the feelings of many, and I understood that. Of course, no one likes being offended, and I certainly don't like hearing controversial speakers argue that feminism has become a war against men or that blacks have lower IQs than whites. I also understand that some people have experienced traumatic experiences in their lives. And for some, listening to offensive views can be like reliving the very traumas that they've worked so hard to overcome. Many argue that by giving these people a platform, you're doing more harm than good, and I'm reminded of this every time I listen to these points of view and feel my stomach turn.为了准备好自己参与 真实世界的矛盾， 我加入一个团体， 他们邀请争议讲者进校园， 但许多人强烈反对这个团体， 而我遭受巨大阻力， 那些从学生、教职员 及行政部门来的阻力。对许多人来说，很难了解 把争议讲者带进校园的价值， 因为他们可能造成伤害；对我来说，我很失望 要面对人身攻击， 行政部门取消讲者 并听闻那些被旁人扭曲的初衷。我的工作也伤害很多人的感受， 我知道的。当然，没人喜欢被冒犯， 我绝对不喜欢听到争议讲者 争论女性主义已经变成 一场对男人的战争， 或是黑人比白人智商低的言论。我也了解， 有些人经历过创伤经验。对有些人来说，听到冒犯性的观点 就像重新经历创伤， 那些他们努力克服的创伤。许多人争论给这些人 舞台是弊大于利， 每当我听到这个观点 就觉得很反胃。
Yet, tuning out opposing viewpoints doesn't make them go away, because millions of people agree with them. In order to understand the potential of society to progress forward, we need to understand the counterforces. By engaging with controversial and offensive ideas, I believe that we can find common ground, if not with the speakers themselves, then with the audiences they may attract or indoctrinate. Through engaging, I believe that we may reach a better understanding, a deeper understanding, of our own beliefs and preserve the ability to solve problems, which we can't do if we don't talk to each other and make an effort to be good listeners.然而，屏除反对观点在外 并不会让它消失， 因为仍有上百万人认同。为了理解社会迈向进步的潜能， 我们要了解反对的力量。借由探讨有争议和有攻击性的想法， 我相信我们能找到共同点， 除了演讲者本身， 也包括被他们吸引 或灌输观念的观众。借由参与，我相信我们能 更加且更深入的了解 各自的想法， 以及维持解决问题的能力， 我们不能解决问题， 如果不和彼此沟通 又不努力成为好听众。
But soon after I announced that John Derbyshire would be speaking on campus, student backlash erupted on social media. The tide of resistance, in fact, was so intense, that my college president rescinded the invitation. I was deeply disappointed by this because, as I saw it, there would be nothing that any of my peers or I could do to silence someone who agreed with him in the office environment of our future employers.但在我宣布 德比夏尔要来校园演讲不久， 学生在社交媒体上反弹， 事实上，抵抗潮非常强烈， 我大学校长因此取消邀请。对此我很失望，因为我发现， 在我们未来雇主的办公环境中， 我的同侪或我都无法让 与校长持有相同意见的人沉默。
I look out at what's happening on college campuses, and I see the anger. And I get it. But what I wish I could tell people is that it's worth the discomfort, it's worth listening, and that we're stronger, not weaker, because of it. When I think about my experiences with uncomfortable learning, and I reflect upon them, I've found that it's been very difficult to change the values of the intellectual community that I've been a part of. But I do feel a sense of hope when I think about the individual interactions that I've been able to have with students who both support the work that I'm doing and who feel challenged by it and who do not support it. What I've found is that, while it can be difficult to change the values of a community, we can gain a lot from individual interactions.当我看看大学校园 发生了什么事时， 我看到愤怒， 且领受到了， 但我希望跟大家说， 不舒服是值得的， 聆听是值得的， 而因为如此，我们变得 更坚强而非软弱。当我思考让自己不舒服的学习经验 并反思时， 我发现很难改变 我所属知识社群的固有价值观。但我感到一点希望， 当我想起自己的个人互动， 那些支持我工作的学生、 那些感到受到挑战的人 和那些反对者。我了解到 改变一个团体的价值观很难， 但我们可以从个人互动中获得很多。
While I didn't get to engage with John Derbyshire due to my president's disinvitation, I was able to have dinner with Charles Murray before his talk. I knew the conversation would be difficult. And I didn't expect it to be pleasant. But it was cordial, and I did gain a deeper understanding of his arguments. I found that he, like me, believed in creating a more just society. The thing is, his understanding of what justice entailed was very different from my own. The way in which he wanted to understand the issue, the way in which he wanted to approach the issue of inequality also differed from my own. And I found that his understanding of issues like welfare and affirmative action was tied and deeply rooted in his understanding of various libertarian and conservative beliefs, what diminishes and increases their presence in our society. While he expressed his viewpoints eloquently, I remained thoroughly unconvinced. But I did walk away with a deeper understanding.尽管我没办法和德比夏尔对谈—— 因为校长取消邀请—— 我还是和查尔斯·莫里 在演讲前共进晚餐。我知道对话很困难， 我也不期待会很愉快， 但那晚很平顺，且我确实 更了解他的论点。我发现他和我一样， 相信能建造一个更公正的社会， 关键是，他认知的正义 和我的非常不同；他想了解这议题的方式、 他想解决不平等议题的方式， 也和我的不同。我发现他对于像福利 和平权运动议题的认识 与他对自由主义 和保守信仰的理解紧密相连， 而它们或多或少存在社会里。虽然他振振有词地解释他的观点， 我依然没被说服， 但对谈后我确实有更深入的理解。
It's my belief that to achieve progress in the face of adversity, we need a genuine commitment to gaining a deeper understanding of humanity. I'd like to see a world with more leaders who are familiar with the depths of the views of those they deeply disagree with, so that they can understand the nuances of everyone they're representing. I see this as an ongoing process involving constant learning, and I'm confident that I'll be able to add value down the line if I continue building empathy and understanding through engaging with unfamiliar perspectives.我相信， 要在逆境中得到成长， 我们需要真正的投入， 去更深入了解人性。我想看到的世界是有更多领导者 熟悉那些他们强烈反对的观点， 如此他们能了解 每个人代表的细微差异。我认为这是不断学习的过程， 且我有信心能不断提升其价值， 如果我一直尝试 去建立同理心及理解他人， 借由探究那些不熟悉的观点。