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Theweightmencarry男人背负的重担WhenIwasaboygrowingupoffthegridintheCommonwealthofVirginia,themenIknewlaboredwiththeirbodiesfromthefirstroostercrowinthemorningtosundown.Theyweremarginalfarmers,shepherds,justscrapingby,orwelders,steelworkers,carpenters;theybuiltcabinets,dugditches,minedcoal,ordrovetrucks,theirforearmsthickwithmuscle.Theytrainedhorses,stockedfurnaces,madetires,stoodonassemblylines,weldingpartsontorefrigeratorsorlubricatingcarengines.Intheeveningsandonweekends,theylaboredequallyhard,workingontheirownsmalltractofland,fixingbroken-downcars,repairingbrokenshuttersanddraftywindows.Intheirlittlefreetime,theydrownedtheirliversinbeerfromcheapcoppermugsatabarnearthelocalbreweryorracecourse.当我还是个小男孩时，我住在弗吉尼亚州一个偏远的地区，那时我所认识的男人们从清晨的第一声公鸡啼鸣一直劳作到日落。他们都是些不起眼的农民、牧羊人，勉强度日，或是焊接工、钢铁工或木匠；他们制作橱柜、挖掘沟渠、开采煤炭，或驾驶卡车，这使他们拥有肌肉结实的上臂。他们训练马匹、填塞炉膛、制造轮胎，站在装配线上将零件焊接到冰箱，或是给汽车发动机上润滑剂。到了傍晚或周末，他们也要同样辛苦地劳作，在自己的一小片土地上耕作，修理出了问题的汽车，修复坏掉的百叶窗和漏风的窗户。在仅剩的闲暇时间里，他们会在当地的啤酒作坊或赛马场附近的酒馆里用盛在廉价铜杯中的啤酒将自己灌得烂醉。ThebodiesofthemenIknewweretwistedandwoundedinwaysvisibleandinvisible.Heavyliftinghadgivenmanyofthemspinalproblemsandappallinginjuries.Somehadbrokenribsandlostfingers.Racingagainstconveyorbeltshadgivensomeulcers.Theiranklesandkneesachedfromyearsofstandingonconcrete.Somehadpartialvisionlossastheglowoftheweldingflamedamagedtheiropticreceptors.Thereweretimes,studyingthem,whenIdreadedgrowingup.Allaroundus,thefathersalwaysseemedolderthanthemothers.Menworeoutsooner,beingmartyrsofconstantwork.Onlywomenlivedintooldage.我所认识的那些男人的身躯遭受着种种看得见或看不也的扭曲和伤痛。搬运沉重的物品给他们很多人造成了脊柱病和可怕的伤痛。有些人断了肋骨，掉了手指。在传输带上不停地工作使他们有些人患了溃疡。他们的脚踝和膝盖由于经年累月站立在水泥地上疼痛不已。有些人由于焊接火光损伤视觉感官而遭受部分视觉缺失的折磨。有些时候，打量着他们，我会害怕长大。在我们周围的人中，父亲们看上去总是比母亲们要老。男人衰老得更早，长期遭受着因持续劳作带来的病痛。只有女人才活到年老。Therewerealsosoldiers,andsofarasIcouldtell,theyscarcelyworkedatall.Butwhentheshootingstarted,manyofthemwoulddiefortheirpatriotisminfieldsandfortsofforeignoutposts.Thiswaswhatsoldierswerefor-theyweretoolslikeawrench,ahammerorascrew.还有士兵也是男人的工作。据我所知，他们几乎不工作，但当战争一打响，他们很多人都会出于爱国热情而战死在疆场或异域前哨的堡垒前。这就是士兵的作用——他们就像工具，如同扳钳、锤子或螺丝一样。Theseweren'ttheonlydestiniesofmen,asIlearnedfromhavingafewmaleteachers,fromreadingbooksandfromwatchingtelevision.Butthemenontelevision-thenewscommentators,thelawyers,thedoctors,thepoliticianswholeviedthetaxesandthebosseswhogaveorders-seemedasremoteandunrealtomeasthefiguresinoldpaintings.IcouldnomoreimaginegrowinguptobecomeoneofthesesophisticatedpeoplethanIcouldimaginebecomingasovereignprince.这些并非男人们唯一的归宿，我从曾经有过的几位男教师、从看书及看电视中认识到了这一点。但是，那些上电视的男人们——新闻评论员、律师、医生、课征税款的政治家及发号施令的老板们——在我看来就像古老绘画上的人像，遥远而不真实。我不能想象自己长大会变成这些精明世故的人中的一员，就像我无法想象自己能变成一个权力至高无上的国君一样。Ascholarshipenabledmenotonlytoattendcollege,arareenoughfeatinmysocialcircle,buteventotraversethehallsofahistoricuniversitymeantforthechildrenoftherich.HereforthefirsttimeImetwomenwhotoldmethatmenwereguiltyofhavingkeptallthejoysandprivilegesoftheearthforthemselves.Iwaspuzzled,anddemandedclarification.Whatprivileges?Whatjoys?Ithoughtaboutthegrim,woundedlivesofmostofthemenbackhome.Whathadtheyallegedlystolenfromtheirwivesanddaughters?Therighttoworkfivedaysaweek,12monthsayear,for30or40years,wedgedintightspacesinthetextilemills,orinthecoalmines,strugglingtoextracteverylastbitofcoalfromtherock-hardearth?Therighttodieinwar?Therighttofixeveryleakintheroof,everygapinthefence?Therighttopilebanknoteshighforarichcorporationinacityfaraway?Therighttofeel,whenthelay-offcameortheminesshutdown,notonlyafraidbutalsoashamed?一份奖学金使我得以上大学，这可是我社交圈子里极其难得的荣耀。不仅如此，它还让我能够穿行于为富人家的孩子打造的史上著名的大学殿堂里。就在这里，我生平头一次碰到女人告诉我说男人是有罪的，因为他们把地球上所有的欢乐和特权都据为己有。我被弄糊涂了，要求她们予以解释。什么特权？什么欢乐？我想到家乡大多数男人那种艰难严酷、伤痛累累的生活。人们所说的他们从妻子和女儿那里偷走的东西又能是些什么呢？难道是每周五天、每年十二个月，如此三四十年里挤缩在纺织厂狭小的空间里，或是在煤矿下挣扎着从岩石般坚硬的泥土中挖出最后一点煤的劳作的权力？战死疆场的权利？修缮屋顶上每条裂缝和围栏上每个断栏的权利？为一个遥远的城市某个富裕财团垒积钱钞的权利？在遭遇解雇或煤矿倒闭时感到既害怕又羞耻的权利？Inthisalienworldoftherich,Iwasslowtounderstandthedeepgrievancesofwomen.Thiswasbecause,asaboy,Ihadenviedthem.Beforecollege,theonlypeopleIhadeverknownwhowereinterestedinartormusicorliterature,theonlyoneswhoeverseemedtoenjoyasenseofeasewerethemothersanddaughters.What'smore,theydidnothavetogotowar.Bycomparisonwiththenarrow,compartmentalizeddaysoffathers,thecomparativelylightweightworkofmothersseemedexpansive.Theyclippedcoupons,wenttoseeneighbors,orranerrandsatschooloratchurch.Isawtheirlivesasthroughatelescope,alltwinklingstarsandshaftsoflight,missingthedetailsthattrulydefinedtheirdays.Nodoubt,hadItakenamoredeductivelookattheirlives,Iwouldhaveenviedthemless.Ididn'tsee,then,whataprisonahousecouldbe,sincehousesseemedtomebrighter,handsomerplacesthananyfactory.Assuchthingswereneverspokenof,Ididnotrealizehowoftenwomensufferedfrommen'sbullying.EventhenIcouldseehowexhaustingitwasforamothertocateralldaytotheneedsofyoungchildren.But,asaboy,ifIhadtochoosebetweentendingababyandtendingamachine,IthinkIwouldhavechosenthebaby.在这样一个满是富人的陌生世界里，我在理解女人们深深的怨怒方面很是迟钝。这是因为，当我还是一个小男孩时，我就嫉妒过她们。在上大学之前，我所认识的唯一对艺术、音乐或文学有兴趣的人，唯一看上去能够享受一丝自在的一群人就是那些做母亲和女儿的人。而且，她们也不必去参加战争。与父亲们所遭受的狭隘的、封闭的日子相比，母亲们所承担的相对较轻的工作显得更加宽泛一些。她们剪用购物券，探访邻居，在学校或教堂跑跑腿。我仿佛是透过望远镜看到她们的生活，满是闪烁的星星和一缕缕光线，而漏掉了她们生活岁月