ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Clint Smith - Poet, educator
Clint Smith's work blends art and activism.

Why you should listen

Clint Smith is a writer, teacher and doctoral candidate at Harvard University studying education, incarceration and inequality. Previously, he taught high school English in Prince George’s County, Maryland where, in 2013, he was named the Christine D. Sarbanes Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Humanities Council.

Clint is a 2014 National Poetry Slam champion, an Individual World Poetry Slam Finalist, and author of the poetry collection Counting Descent. He has received fellowships from the National Science Foundation, Cave Canem and the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Guardian, Boston Review, American Poetry Review, Harvard Educational Review and elsewhere. He was born and raised in New Orleans, LA.

More profile about the speaker
Clint Smith | Speaker | TED.com
TED@NYC

Clint Smith: The danger of silence

Clint Smith: Nevarnost tišine

Filmed:
5,033,082 views

"Toliko časa zapravimo, ko poslušamo, kaj ljudje govorijo, da smo redko pozorni na stvari, ki jih ne povejo," pravi slam poet in učitelj Clint Smith. Krajše, suvereno delo iz srca o iskanju poguma pri soočanju z nevednostjo in nepravičnostjo.
- Poet, educator
Clint Smith's work blends art and activism. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
DrDr. MartinMartin LutherLuther KingKralj, JrJr.,
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Dr. Martin Luther King mlajši
je v svojem govoru leta 1968,
00:14
in a 1968 speechgovor where he reflectsodraža
uponna the CivilCivilne RightsPravice MovementGibanje,
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v razmišljanju o ameriškem gibanju
za državljanske pravice, izjavil:
00:18
statesdržave, "In the endkonec,
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"Na koncu se ne bomo spominjali
besed naših sovražnikov,
00:21
we will rememberZapomni si not the wordsbesede of our enemiessovražniki
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00:24
but the silencetišina of our friendsprijatelji."
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temveč tišine naših prijateljev."
00:27
As a teacheručitelj, I've internalizedinternalized this messagesporočilo.
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Kot učitelj sem ponotranjil to sporočilo.
00:30
EveryVsak day, all around us,
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Vsak dan lahko okoli nas
spremljamo posledice tišine,
00:31
we see the consequencesposledice of silencetišina
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00:33
manifestmanifest themselvessami in the formobrazec of discriminationdiskriminacije,
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ki se kažejo v obliki diskriminacije,
00:36
violencenasilje, genocidegenocid and warvojna.
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nasilja, genocida in vojne.
00:39
In the classroomučilnica, I challengeizziv my studentsštudenti
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V učilnici pozivam svoje učence,
00:42
to exploreraziskati the silencesmolk in theirnjihovi ownlastno livesživi
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naj raziskujejo tišino svojih
življenj skozi poezijo.
00:44
throughskozi poetrypoezija.
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Skupaj skušamo zapolniti te vrzeli,
00:46
We work togetherskupaj to fillizpolnite those spacesprostori,
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00:48
to recognizeprepoznati them, to nameime them,
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jih prepoznati, poimenovati,
00:51
to understandrazumeti that they don't
have to be sourcesvirov of shamesram.
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razumeti, da ne rabijo biti izvori sramu.
00:54
In an efforttrud to createustvarite a culturekulturo withinznotraj my classroomučilnica
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Da bi v svoji učilnici ustvaril okolje,
00:57
where studentsštudenti feel safevarno sharingdelitev the intimaciesintimnosti
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kjer bi učenci lahko varno
z ostalimi delili
zaupnosti svoje lastne tišine,
00:59
of theirnjihovi ownlastno silencesmolk,
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01:01
I have fourštiri corejedro principlesnačela postedObjavljeno on the boardtabla
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imam na tabli štiri bistvena načela,
01:03
that sitssedi in the frontspredaj of my classrazred,
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ki so vidna celotnemu razredu,
01:05
whichki everyvsak studentštudent signsznaki
at the beginningzačetek of the yearleto:
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kjer se vsak učenec
na začetku leta podpiše:
01:08
readpreberite criticallykritično, writepiši consciouslyzavestno,
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beri kritično, piši vestno,
01:10
speakgovoriti clearlyjasno, tell your truthresnica.
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govori jasno, povej svojo resnico.
01:14
And I find myselfjaz thinkingrazmišljanje a lot about that last pointtočka,
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Sam pogosto razmišljam o tem zadnjem
načelu - povej svojo resnico.
01:17
tell your truthresnica.
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01:19
And I realizedrealiziran that
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Spoznal sem,
01:20
if I was going to askvprašajte my studentsštudenti to speakgovoriti up,
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da če želim od svojih učencev,
da spregovorijo,
01:23
I was going to have to tell my truthresnica
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potem moram tudi jaz
povedati svojo resnico,
01:25
and be honestpošten with them about the timeskrat
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biti iskren z njimi in jim povedati
o časih, ko mi to ni uspelo.
01:27
where I failedni uspelo to do so.
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01:29
So I tell them that growingrastoče up,
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Tako sem jim povedal, da so me
med odraščanjem v New Orleansu,
01:31
as a kidfant in a CatholicKatoliška familydružina in NewNove OrleansOrleans,
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kot člana katoliške družine
v postnem času, vedno učili,
01:33
duringmed LentPosodil I was always taughtučil
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01:36
that the mostnajbolj meaningfulsmiselno thing one could do
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da je najpomembneje kar človek
lahko naredi, da se nečemu odreče.
01:38
was to give something up,
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01:39
sacrificežrtev something you typicallyobičajno indulgePrepustite in
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Žrtvovati nekaj, v čemer običajno uživaš,
01:42
to provedokazati to God you understandrazumeti his sanctitysvetost.
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da dokažeš Bogu,
da razumeš njegovo svetost.
01:44
I've givendan up sodasoda, McDonald'sMcDonald's, Frenchfrancoščina frieskrompirček,
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Odrekel sem se gaziranim pijačam,
McDonald's-u,
praženemu kompirčku,
francoskim poljubom in vsemu vmes.
01:47
Frenchfrancoščina kissespoljubi, and everything in betweenmed.
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01:50
But one yearleto, I gavedala up speakinggovori.
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A nekega leta sem se odrekel govorjenju.
01:54
I figuredfigured the mostnajbolj valuabledragocen thing I could sacrificežrtev
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Menil sem, da je najdragocenejše
kar bi jo lahko žrtvoval,
01:56
was my ownlastno voiceglas, but it was like I hadn'tni realizedrealiziran
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moj lastni glas.
Kot da se ne bi zavedal,
da sem to storil že dolgo nazaj.
02:00
that I had givendan that up a long time agonazaj.
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Porabil sem toliko časa,
02:03
I spentpreživel so much of my life
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02:05
tellingpovedal people the things they wanted to hearslišite
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da sem govoril ljudem,
kar so želeli slišati,
02:07
insteadnamesto tega of the things they neededpotrebno to,
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namesto kar bi morali slišati.
02:08
told myselfjaz I wasn'tni bilo meantpomeni to be anyone'snikomur consciencevest
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Govoril sem si, da ne morem biti
nikogaršnja vest,
02:11
because I still had to figureštevilka out beingbiti my ownlastno,
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saj moram še vedno oblikovati svojo,
02:13
so sometimesvčasih I just wouldn'tne bi say anything,
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zato pogosto nisem rekel nič,
02:16
appeasingumiritev ignorancenevednost with my silencetišina,
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blažil nevednost s svojo tišino,
02:19
unawarene zavedajo that validationpreverjanje veljavnosti doesn't need wordsbesede
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ne da bi se zavedal, da obsojanje
ne potrebuje besed, da obstaja.
02:21
to endorsepotrdi its existenceobstoj.
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02:23
When ChristianKrščanski was beatpremagati up for beingbiti gaygej,
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Ko so kristjana pretepli
zaradi homoseksualnosti, sem dal roke v žep
02:25
I put my handsroke in my pocketžep
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02:26
and walkedhodil with my headglava
down as if I didn't even noticeopaziti.
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in odkorakal s pogledom v tla,
kot da nisem opazil.
02:29
I couldn'tni mogel use my lockeromarica for weekstednih
because the boltvijak on the lockzaklepanje
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Tedne nisem uporabljal omarice,
ker me je ključavnica spominjala
na tisto na mojih ustih.
02:31
remindedopomniti me of the one I had put on my lipsustnice
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02:33
when the homelessbrezdomci man on the cornerkotiček
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Ko me je brezdomec na vogalu
pogledal in iskal potrditev,
02:35
lookedpogledal at me with eyesoči up merelysamo searchingiskanje
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02:37
for an affirmationafirmacije that he was worthvredno seeingvidenje.
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da je vreden pogleda.
02:39
I was more concernedzadevnega with
touchingdotikanje the screenzaslon on my AppleApple
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Bolj me je zanimal ekran
na mojem Applu (op. p. Jabolko),
02:41
than actuallydejansko feedinghranjenje him one.
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kot da bi mu dejansko dal jabolko.
02:43
When the womanženska at the fundraisingzbiranja sredstev galaGala
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Ko mi je ženska
na dobrodelni prireditvi rekla:
02:45
said "I'm so proudponosen of you.
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"Ponosna sem nate.
02:46
It mustmoraš be so hardtežko teachingpoučevanje
those poorslabo, unintelligentnor kidsotroci,"
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Zagotovo je težko učiti te uboge,
neinteligentne otroke."
02:49
I bitbit my lipustnice, because apparentlyočitno
we neededpotrebno her moneydenar
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Tiho sem bil, saj očitno
potrebujemo njen denar bolj,
02:51
more than my studentsštudenti neededpotrebno theirnjihovi dignitydostojanstvo.
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kot učenci potrebujejo
svoje dostojanstvo.
02:53
We spendporabiti so much time
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Toliko časa porabimo,
02:55
listeningposlušanje to the things people are sayinggovoriti
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ko poslušamo, kaj ljudje govorijo,
02:59
that we rarelyredko payplačati attentionpozornost to the things they don't.
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da smo redko pozorni na stvari,
ki jih ne povejo.
03:03
SilenceMolk is the residueostanek of fearstrah.
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Tišina je usedlina strahu.
03:06
It is feelingobčutek your flawspomanjkljivosti
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Občuti tvoje slabosti,
03:07
gut-wrenchGut-ključa guillotinegiljotino your tonguejezik.
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zaveže tvoj jezik.
03:09
It is the airzrak retreatingumikajo from your chestprsni koš
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Je zrak, ki beži iz tvojega prsnega koša,
03:11
because it doesn't feel safevarno in your lungspljuča.
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ker se tam ne počuti varnega.
03:13
SilenceMolk is RwandanRuandske genocidegenocid. SilenceMolk is KatrinaKatrina.
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Tišina je genocid v Ruandi.
Tišina je Katrina.
03:16
It is what you hearslišite when there
aren'tne enoughdovolj bodytelo bagsvrečke left.
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Je tisto, kar slišiš, ko zmanjka
vreč za posmrtne ostanke.
03:19
It is the soundzvok after the noosezanko is alreadyže tiedvezani.
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Je tisti zvok, ko je zanka okoli
vratu že zategnjena.
03:22
It is charringpooglenitev. It is chainsverige. It is privilegeprivilegij. It is painbolečina.
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Je upepelitev. Je veriga.
Je privilegij. Je bolečina.
03:25
There is no time to pickpick your battlesbitke
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Ni časa, da sam izbereš svoje bitke,
03:27
when your battlesbitke have alreadyže pickedizbrali you.
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če so bitke že same izbrale tebe.
Ne bom dovolil tišini, da se ovije
okrog moje neodločenosti.
03:29
I will not let silencetišina wrapzaviti itselfsama around my indecisionneodločnosti.
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03:32
I will tell ChristianKrščanski that he is a lionlev,
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Kristjanu bom rekel, da je lev,
03:34
a sanctuarysvetišče of braverypogum and brilliancesijaj.
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svetišče poguma in briljantnosti.
03:36
I will askvprašajte that homelessbrezdomci man what his nameime is
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Vprašal bom tistega brezdomca,
kako mu je ime
03:38
and how his day was, because sometimesvčasih
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in kakšen dan je imel, ker včasih
03:40
all people want to be is humančlovek.
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je vse, kar si ljudje želimo, biti človek.
03:42
I will tell that womanženska that my studentsštudenti can talk about
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Povedal bom tisti ženski,
da moji učenci lahko govorijo
03:45
transcendentalismtranscendentalism like theirnjihovi last nameime was ThoreauThoreau,
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o transcendentalni filozofiji,
kot da se pišejo Thoreau,
03:47
and just because you watchedgledal
one episodeEpizoda of "The WireŽice"
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in ker je gledala
epizodo Skrivnih navez,
03:49
doesn't mean you know anything about my kidsotroci.
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še ne pomeni, da ve karkoli
o mojih otrocih.
03:51
So this yearleto,
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Zato bom letos,
03:53
insteadnamesto tega of givingdajanje something up,
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namesto, da se čemu odrečem,
03:55
I will livev živo everyvsak day as if there were a microphonemikrofon
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živel vsak dan, kot da bi imel
pod jezikom mikrofon,
03:58
tuckedtucked underSpodaj my tonguejezik,
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04:00
a stagestopnja on the undersidespodnji strani of my inhibitioninhibicija.
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oder, na spodnji strani moje inhibicije.
04:04
Because who has to have a soapboxmilo
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Kdo potrebuje govorniški oder,
04:06
when all you've ever neededpotrebno is your voiceglas?
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če je vse, kar si kadarkoli
potreboval, tvoj glas?
04:10
Thank you.
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Hvala.
04:12
(ApplauseAplavz)
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Translated by Greta Gašparac
Reviewed by Andreja Benčina

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Clint Smith - Poet, educator
Clint Smith's work blends art and activism.

Why you should listen

Clint Smith is a writer, teacher and doctoral candidate at Harvard University studying education, incarceration and inequality. Previously, he taught high school English in Prince George’s County, Maryland where, in 2013, he was named the Christine D. Sarbanes Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Humanities Council.

Clint is a 2014 National Poetry Slam champion, an Individual World Poetry Slam Finalist, and author of the poetry collection Counting Descent. He has received fellowships from the National Science Foundation, Cave Canem and the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Guardian, Boston Review, American Poetry Review, Harvard Educational Review and elsewhere. He was born and raised in New Orleans, LA.

More profile about the speaker
Clint Smith | Speaker | TED.com