Lesson5：I′dRatherBeBlackthanFemale.doc

Lesson 5: Id Rather Be Black than Female我宁愿做黑人而不当妇女 Being the first black woman elected to Congress has made me some kind of phenomenon作为第一个当选为国会议员的黑人妇女使我成了非同寻常的人物. There are nine other blacks in Congress; there are ten other women. I was the first to overcome both handicaps at once而我是第一个同时清楚了这两个障碍的人. Of the two handicaps障碍，妨碍, being black is much less of a drawback不利因素，障碍；缺点 than being female在这两个障碍中，做黑人要比做妇女容易得多. If I said that being black is a greater handicap than being a woman, probably no one would question me. Why? Because we all know there is prejudice歧视（不同对待） against black people in America在美国黑人受歧视. That there is prejudice against women is an idea that still strikes留下深刻印象 nearly all men -- and, I am afraid, most women --- as bizarre.若说存在着对妇女的歧视，那这一看法仍然会使几乎所有的男人---而且恐怕会使大多数的女人---感到不可思议 Prejudice against blacks was invisible to most white Americans for many years多年来，大多数美国白人看不到黑人所受的歧视. When blacks finally started to mention it, with sit-ins静坐示威, boycotts联合抵制, and freedom rides自由乘车游行, Americans were incredulous表示怀疑的，不相信的. Who, us? they asked in injured tones他们以受到伤害的语气问. Were prejudiced? It was the start of a long, painful reeducation再教育 for white America这对于美国白人来说只是长期的、痛苦的再教育的开端. It will take years for whites - including those who think of themselves as liberals - to discover and eliminate the racist attitudes they all actually have. 那些白人---包括那些自以为是开明人士的人们---需要多年的时间才能发现并摒弃他们事实上持有的种族歧视态度。 How much harder will it be to eliminate the prejudice against women? I am sure it will be a longer struggle. Part of the problem is that women in America are much more brainwashed洗脑 and content with their roles as second-class citizens than blacks ever were部分问题在于美国妇女本身，她们比从前的黑人更彻底地洗了脑，更满足于自己二等公民的角色. Let me explain. I have been active in politics for more than twenty years. For all but the last six除了过去的6年……, I have done the work - all the tedious details that make the difference between victory and defeat on election day所有那些在选举日决定胜负的、冗长而繁琐的具体工作 - while men reaped收获；得到报偿；收割 the r