258 An Open Letter to Senator Barack Obama

259 给奥巴马议员的公开信译文

奥巴马参议员, 在刚刚发表一篇关于08选战的博客文章爱报不报：OCT 4th, 奥巴马, bumper stickers后，一件让我惊愕事实使我不得不给你写这封公开信。 我最近浏览了各种不同的民意调查结果、新闻和文章后，推出的结论是你比其他民主党候选人更具问鼎白宫的实力。我在今年2月和7月时曾作出相同的结论。当我的博客网站的把这篇文章提到版头醒目标题后，让我惊愕的事情发生了。该文一夜间吸引来超过3万次的点击率。更重要的是，有很多激烈的评语。正是这些评语使我惊诧不已。它们大多集中在一点上对我的结论进行反驳，那就是美国人民还没有准备好让一个非洲族裔的总统来领导。 民主观念已经如此深深植入美国人的生活之中，从而让每个人毫不怀疑民主的定义是美国。无论一个人的种族与民族背景，他或她享受着宪法赋予的、参与美国生活各方面的的平等权利和机会。事实上，种族概念本身就不属于民主范畴。它是人口学范畴的概念。种族问题仅仅因为200多年前的美国民主不得不从它起步，就至今还在人们潜意识里无可避免的影响着美国民主。 至少对我来讲，21世纪美国的耻辱就是在美国人的眼中和心中，民主还不得不跟种族这样的人口学概念分享美国政治。如果我没记错的话，参议员先生，几个月前你在伊州的斯普利菲尔德，是以一句林肯式声明，启程进行这次竞选活动。你说：美国只有一种人-美国人。我从你的声明获得巨大的鼓舞。这样令人振奋的大选起航，每个美国人都将从中受益匪浅。 人口问题在民主身上的阴影，在这之后渐渐投向你的竞选活动。在六月份的公共广播电视辩论中，你和其他民主党候选人被问及种族问题。克林顿参议员的回答是，“在这个讲台上我看到一个非洲裔美国人，一个拉丁裔美国人和一个女性在竞选美国总统”。她错了。她错在作为一个21世纪的美国政治家，继续把人口问题和民主问题混淆于口，并以人口学范畴的投影来表述美国民主的成就。她没有意识到民主概念与人口学概念的巨大不同。这样对于民主理解的概念错误，正是某些美国政治家们的可悲之处。 民主所要求的是把平等的权利和机会赋予每一个公民个体，而不是每一个公民种族。如果是后者，美国宪法早就该改成“每5 个总统必须有1个非裔，每10个总统必须有1个拉丁裔，每20个总统必须有1个亚裔”了。大错特错！前者才是民主的真谛。我们不会因为美国总是没有非裔或拉丁裔的总统而在意。但是，当任何一个美国人因为他或她的任何人口学方面的属质而遭遇不公，我们会很在意的。 以我所见，象种族问题这样人口学范畴的东西正在对你的竞选产生不利影响。很大程度上讲，这也是美国媒介的一个长期的不幸失败所直接导致的。选战伊始，美国各媒就已经在习惯性的把人口概念和民主概念混淆起来了。媒体把你笼统地冠以“非裔总统候选人”的称号。这一点人们想也不想都知道，不必花钱专请各大媒体来重复吧？媒体为什么会这样呢？因为媒体的主流不会因为观点的正确而获利，但会因为观点的时尚和流行而获利。 美国媒体会继续把这一点当回事来报到的，并且这对你不利。如你自己所说，你在未来如何走出这一阴影，是你自己的责任。我们都相信2008年，你做得到。正像一个半世纪前林肯在同样一片土地上所成就的那样，你将向世人再次展示什么才是真正的美国民主。 无论何时等你做到了, 你肯定不是为了你自己。你是为了美国人民。 2007年10月4 日 一个不爱你、但信仰你的人

Dear Senator Obama,

I am writing you this open letter because a shocking concern punched me after I posted a blog article recently.

Having looked at different sources of opinion poll results, news releases and blog articles, I remain in the conclusion that you have a better chance to lead all Americans in 2009. What shocked me happened immediately after this article was headlined by the webmasters of the blog site. The post attracted more than 30,000 page views and a couple dozen comments over night. The comments are overwhelming disapprovals to my conclusion. It was very unfortunate that most of the disapprovals concentrated on one same note that Americans are not ready for an African American President.

Democracy has been so much deeply rooted into the American life that every one believes democracy is what America/>/> is about. Regardless of racial and ethnic identities, Constitution grants people the equal rights in every aspect of American life. In fact, race and ethnics should never be democratic notions. They are at most demographic domains. It was merely a have-to that American democracy started its way from demographic issues more than 200 years ago.

However, it is at least to me a shame that democracy of 21^st century America/>/> still has to fight its way with demographic issues in front Americans’ eyes, and inside the Americans’ minds. If I remember correctly, Senator, you started this presidential quest in Springfield/>, IL/>/> with a Lincoln/>/> style statement that Americans are one people. I was greatly encouraged at your sayings. It was an excellent kick-off that every one in this country is to benefit from.

The demographic impact on democracy was gradually shadowed on you soon after. In a PBS debates in June, you and other democratic primary candidates were asked the same issue about race. Senator Clinton responded “ at this stage and see an African American, a Latino, a woman contesting for the presidency of the United States />/>. ” Senator Clinton was wrong. She was wrong that she was not able to see the divide between democracy and demography. It is a shame that American politics still misuse the demographic issues when it comes to democracy.

Democracy is about equal rights and opportunity for every individuals, not every races. If the latter is right, why don’t Americans revise the Constitution that there should be one African American of every five US />/>presidents, one Latino of every ten, and one Asian of every twenty. NO. It is the former. We do not care that there is always no African Americans or Latinos presiding the white house. But if any American individual who are still discriminated for whatever his or her identity, we care the most.

As I can see, the racial issue is working against you. It is by and large due to a long standing misfortune of the American media. From day one of this race, the media has been mixing up the two different concepts as what it has done in all past. The media names you the African American Candiate for Democratic Primary as every one in the world can see. Why is that? The media in mainstream does not benefit by thinking anything rightly, it benefits by thinking things popularly.

Media will continue to make this an issue, and this issue is against you. It will be your responsibility, as you said in the PBS debate, to fight your way out of it. We trust that you are able to make it for 2008. As what Lincoln />/>did one and half century ago in the same land where you stand, you will demonstrate to every Americans what democracy is in real

Whenever you do, you are not for you. You are for the American people.

- A person who does not love you, but believes in you.