近日，一位美国黑人演讲家火了，原因是这位励志演讲家Eric Thomas受高中母校(Vashon High School in St. Louis)的邀请前去给那里的高中生做一场公益演讲，结果台下的黑人学生们不但没有认真听这位演讲家的讲话，反而在台下聊得热火朝天，结果这位演讲家怒了，用了四分钟来给大家讲道理，下面我们就来看看他都说了什么吧

　　To think about what I am saying. I am not playing now and this is why I get so frustrated. Somebody is still talking. Come on!

　　我希望大家能好好思考我说的话，我没在跟你们开玩笑，这就是我为什么这么生气的原因，因为到现在还有人在说话，到底是要怎么样?

　　Bro, I promise you. I love you bro. Listen to me very closely, they pay me $50,000 to $100,000 when I speak to corporations in America. I go to a basketball program, they pay me good.

　　这是我的真心话，我爱你们每一个人。你们听好了，我给美国一家公司做演讲，他们都会支付我5~10万美元的报酬，我去给篮球队演讲，他们也会支付给我可观的报酬。

　　I ain’t getting a dime here. I am here because I love you, but I’ll be darn if I come here for free and you disrespect me.

　　我今天在这里半毛钱都没有，我来这是因为我爱你们。但是如果我免费给你们做演讲，你们还不尊重我，那真叫见鬼了。

　　I ain’t 20 years old; I ain’t 19 years old. I am a grown man. I am here because I love you. I’m here because I love you all. They ain’t pay me a dime. As a matter of fact, I came to use my influence to raise money. So a group of kids can go to Costa Rica.

　　我不是20岁或19岁的小伙子，我是个成年人，我来这儿是因为我在乎你们，在乎你们人，学校没有给我半毛钱。事实上，我还用我的影响力来募款，让学校的一些同学能有机会去哥斯达黎加参观。

　　I am not here to get none. I am here to give you some. I am not here to take none from you. I am here to give you something.

　　我今天来不是希望能得到什么，而是希望能带给大家一些有用的东西。我也不想从你们身上得到什么，我只希望对大家能有所贡献。

　　And listen to me closely. When people love you, you don’t do them like dirt. When people care for you, you don’t disrespect them. You ain’t got, but a few people who care about you in this world.

　　你们仔细听好了，当有人爱护你，你不应该视他们为粪土;当有人关心你，不要不尊重他们。在这个世界上没有多少人会在乎你。

　　Did you hear what I just say? If you're in the wrong place, you gonna get shot and killed. Nobody's going to go to jail for it. So the few people who you do have that care, you can’t treat them like garbage.

　　你们有听进去我说的吗?一旦你误入歧途，你很有可能哪天就会命丧枪口，而凶手却将逍遥法外。所以当有人真正在乎你们时，你们不应该把他们当成垃圾一样对待。

　　You can’t disrespect the people that are trying to look out for you, because you ain’t got a lot of them. Dudes, look me up. You ain't getting a lot of dudes that come do what I do, that are coming to your school.

　　你不应该鄙视那些真心为了你好的人，因为这世上很少会有人真心在乎你，上网去查一下我的名字吧，跟我做一样工作的人，很少会愿意来你们这样的学校演讲。

　　Not disrespect. The dudes you're listening to, you're listening My Man and jamming to his album. He ain’t coming here, and I just heard we had a rapper here last night. How many schools did he go to?

　　我这样说没有恶意。你们平常听的那些流行歌手，那些你们对他歌曲耳熟能详的明星，他们才不会免费来给你们演讲。我才听说昨晚有个饶舌歌手来这表演，那他去过几间学校?

　　How many elementary schools he came and took your money, but he didn’t have investment back to you. And you have the nerve to laugh and joke when teachers are trying to teach you?

　　他去过多少学校收费表演，但却从不把得来的钱资助你们?结果当老师愿意教你们的时候，你们竟然还在下面嬉笑打闹?

　　You got the nerve to act a fool when somebody cares about you. You’re talking while I'm talking.

　　当有人在乎你们时，你们竟这样无所谓。我在台上讲话，你在台下也讲得热火朝天。

　　Do you know, if I go to a Jewish school, the kids are quiet? If I go to a white school, the kids're quiet. If I go to a Latino school they’re quiet, the only kids that disrespect me is black kids.That’s it, my own are the only ones that disrespect me.

　　你们知道当我去犹太学校时，那儿的孩子都是安安静静的吗?当我去白人学校时，那儿的孩子也很安静。当我去拉丁学校时，他们同样很安静。不尊重我的就是黑人同学。明明是我的兄弟姐妹，但却较不尊重我。

　　I walk in any other school they like, they go "E.T, we're taking notes". I come home, you’re talking. You’re telling jokes. You think something funny.

　　我去其他学校，同学们都会说“艾瑞克，我们在做笔记”。但今天我回到母校，你们却忙着在台下讲话。你们在那里讲笑话，觉得很好笑。

　　Look how we living, ain’t nothing funny, ain’t nothin’ funny, you all? When I got my PhD what embarrassed me... I am in there and they're asking me what’s wrong with our urban schools? I was like, why are you asking me? I’m in class, just like you’re in class.

　　看看我们现在的生活，到底有什么好笑的?有吗?当我攻读博士学位的时候，让我汗颜的是，他们问我，美国那些以黑人为主的学校到底出了什么问题。我只能说，你问我干什么?我和你一样都在课堂上学习，我怎么知道?

　　Every other teachers want to know; professors want to know; why are your kids? What’s the problem in the school system? I'm embarrassed, you all.

　　老师想知道，教授也想知道，为何学生素质无法提升，学校出了什么问题?

　　我很惭愧，各位。

　　I’m a grown man and I’m embarrassed when they talk about you all. And you know why I’m embarrassed? Because what they don’t know is that you ain’t even trying when you take the test.

　　当大家谈起你们的时候，我是个成人我都觉得丢脸。 你们知道我为什么觉得丢脸吗?那是因为老师和教授们都不知道，你们其实根本就没把心思放在课业上。

　　You didn’t give your best. They think you’re dumb. You ain’t dumb.

　　你们根本没有尽全力。大家都觉得你们笨，但你们一点都不笨。

　　They take our people from Africa and put us in a diaspora and spread us all over the world. We survived slavery and we can’t pass a test. Come on. I ain’t stupid.

　　我们祖先被从非洲带过来，在世界各地流离。我们都挺过了奴隶制，却竟然连个考试都通不过?不是这样的吧?我又不傻。

　　They take everything from us and we still survive. And you want to tell me you can’t learn how to write? Have you lost your mind?! We are survivors! That all we do is survive.

　　我们曾经被夺走一切，但我们还是挺过来了。但你们现在却告诉我，你们连学个写字都不愿意?你们疯了吗?我们撑过了这么多苦难，我们比人都要强韧。

　　Hey, you gonna come and tell me you can’t take a test. No, you could take the test. The problem is when you take the test, you barely take the test.

　　你现在却跑来告诉我你连个考试都考不过。不是的，你可以通过考试的。但问题就在于，你根本就没想要考过。

　　I challenge you to go in there and get that piece of paper and that pencil and do your best. I challenge you.

　　我就问你们敢不敢拿起纸和笔，尽全力去考一场试!

　　I challenge you to go to class like you got some sense. You know how to sit down and shut up.

　　敢不敢把心思好好放在课堂上!你们知道怎样好好安静坐着吧?

　　You do it when you’re watching videos? So listen to me, you’re mine. Despite that other voice's telling me that I would never get a PhD, I did it anyway.

　　你看影片的时候难道会一直讲话吗?所以仔细听我说，你们都是我的孩子。当有个声音不断告诉我，“你永远拿不到博士学位”，我较后还是办到了。

　　When you lose, do me a favor, don’t die, not try.

　　不管较后结果如何，但记得千万不要还没努力就认输了。