以下是在龚晓帆的博客上看到的一篇《纽约时报》专栏作者Thomas L.
Friedman的评论《到底是谁生活在第三世界国家》，ABibilical SevenYears。有人将它翻译为《到底是谁生活在第三世界国家》。特意转过来－－作者在文中对其在中国之所见不乏赞美之词，但更多的是反省美国的差距。正如一位网友所言，“看着篇文章的同胞们不要太骄傲哦。人家就是说说客气话而已。其实真正的意思是，人家在找差距，再反省。我们也需要这样！大家加油！”龚先生2001年赴美，一直生活在旧金山，他说：“我们在为自己的成就欣喜之余，也应该向这位老美一样，通过对比找出不足，以求更成功的发展。”我觉得很有道理。
观看过北京奥运壮观的奥运会，感受到数以百计的中国鼓手带来的震荡，我很容易得出两个总结：“天啊，这个国家的活力是无可匹敌的。”还有：“开始教孩子们中文吧。”
然而，多年的经验告诉我，不要过度诠释任何为期两周的事件。奥运没有改变历史。它仅仅是快照——一个国家摆出最好的姿势让全世界看。不过，诚如快照所示，透过奥运呈现的中国真的非常强大——而且美国人需要在这个选举季节反省。
耗资430亿美元的宏伟的奥运基础设施，无与伦比的开幕与闭幕式，这些不是由于那种突然发现石油的偶然运气。不是那样的，而是七年的国家投资、计划、集中国力、全国动员以及努力工作的高潮。
七年……七年……哦，没错。中国在2001年7月13日获得奥运主办权——刚好在911恐怖袭击发生的两个月前。
当我坐在鸟巢的座位上，看着数以千计的中国舞者、鼓手、歌者以及特技演员在表演闭幕式的魔术，我不禁思考中国和美国如何度过过去的七年：中国在为奥运准备；我们在为基地组织准备。他们在建造更好的体育馆、地铁、机场、道路和公园。我们在建造更好的金属探测仪、装甲车和无人驾驶飞机。
差异开始显现。抵达纽约市LaGuardia机场笨拙的航站楼，驱车走过曼哈顿摇摇欲坠的基础设施，再和抵达上海时髦的机场，乘坐时速220英里的磁悬浮列车的体验比较一下。然后自问：到底是谁生活在第三世界国家？
没错，如果你从北京往外走，驱车一个小时就会看到中国广阔的、非常贫穷的第三世界。但新意在于：中国的富裕部分，北京或上海或大连的现代部分，如今比富裕的美国要先进。建筑更为有趣，无限网络更为先进，道路和火车更为有效，更加好。我再说一遍，他们做到这一切并非因为发现石油。他们是通过挖掘自身来达到的。
我意识到了差异：我们遭遇911袭击；他们没有。我们有真正的敌人；他们的敌人并不庞大，而且主要是国内的。我们不得不回应911，至少要铲除基地组织在阿富汗的基地，并加强国土安全。他们可以回避外国纠缠。然而，试图在伊拉克建立民主是一场选择之战，而且不大可能产生与其代价相等的东西。
当你看到中国自2001年以来在奥运的标语下建造多少现代基础设施，当你看到美国自2001年以来在反恐战争的标语下推迟多少基础设施建设，你就会明白未来的七年必须投入美国的国家建设。
我们需要尽快完成我们在伊拉克和阿富汗的事务，当伊拉克议会去度假而13万美军却在站岗，那是很滑稽的。在伊拉克人在争论是否要搞他们的国家建设的时候，我们再也不能推迟我们的国家建设。
奥巴马之所以能走到今天，是因为很多选民期望他是带领美国复兴的领导。他们知道我们现在需要搞国家建设——不是在伊拉克，不是在阿富汗，不是在格鲁吉亚，而是在美国。奥巴马不要错过这个主旋律。
Thomas L.Friedman原文：A Biblical Seven Years
After attendingthe spectacular closing ceremony at the Beijing Olympics andfeeling the vibrations from hundreds of Chinese drummers pulsatingin my own chest, I was tempted to conclude two things: “Holymackerel, the energy coming out of this country is unrivaled.” And,two: “We are so cooked. Start teaching your kidsMandarin.”
However, I’velearned over the years not to over-interpret any two-week event.Olympics don’t change history. They are mere snapshots — a countryposing in its Sunday bests for all the world too see. But, assnapshots go, the one China presented through the Olympics wasenormously powerful — and it’s one that Americans need to reflectupon this election season.
China did notbuild the magnificent $43 billion infrastructure for these games,or put on the unparalleled opening and closing ceremonies, simplyby the dumb luck of discovering oil. No, it was the culmination ofseven years of national investment, planning, concentrated statepower, national mobilization and hard work.
Seven years ...Seven years ... Oh, that’s right. China was awarded these OlympicGames on July 13, 2001 — just two months before 9/11.
As I sat in myseat at the Bird’s Nest, watching thousands of Chinese dancers,drummers, singers and acrobats on stilts perform their magic at theclosing ceremony, I couldn’t help but reflect on how China andAmerica have spent the last seven years: China has been preparingfor the Olympics; we’ve been preparing for Al Qaeda. They’ve beenbuilding better stadiums, subways, airports, roads and parks. Andwe’ve been building better metal detectors, armored Humvees andpilotless drones.
The difference isstarting to show. Just compare arriving at La Guardia’s dumpyterminal in New York City and driving through the crumblinginfrastructure into Manhattan with arriving at Shanghai’s sleekairport and taking the 220-mile-per-hour magnetic levitation train,which uses electromagnetic propulsion instead of steel wheels andtracks, to get to town in a blink.
Then askyourself: Who is living in the third world country?
Yes, if you drivean hour out of Beijing, you meet the vast dirt-poor third world ofChina. But here’s what’s new: The rich parts of China, the modernparts of Beijing or Shanghai or Dalian, are now more state of theart than rich America. The buildings are architecturally moreinteresting, the wireless networks more sophisticated, the roadsand trains more efficient and nicer. And, I repeat, they did notget all this by discovering oil. They got it by digging insidethemselves.
I realize thedifferences: We were attacked on 9/11; they were not. We have realenemies; theirs are small and mostly domestic. We had to respond to9/11 at least by eliminating the Al Qaeda base in Afghanistan andinvesting in tighter homeland security. They could avoid foreignentanglements. Trying to build democracy in Iraq, though, which Isupported, was a war of choice and is unlikely to ever produceanything equal to its huge price tag.
But the firstrule of holes is that when you’re in one, stop digging. When yousee how much modern infrastructure has been built in China since2001, under the banner of the Olympics, and you see how muchinfrastructure has been postponed in America since 2001, under thebanner of the war on terrorism, it’s clear that the next sevenyears need to be devoted to nation-building in America.
We need to finishour business in Iraq and Afghanistan as quickly as possible, whichis why it is a travesty that the Iraqi Parliament has gone onvacation while 130,000 U.S. troops are standing guard. We can nolonger afford to postpone our nation-building while Iraqis squabbleover whether to do theirs.
A lot of peopleare now advising Barack Obama to get dirty with John McCain. Sure,fight fire with fire. That’s necessary, but it is notsufficient.
Obama got thisfar because many voters projected onto him that he could be theleader of an American renewal. They know we need nation-building athome now — not in Iraq, not in Afghanistan, not in Georgia, but inAmerica. Obama cannot lose that theme.
He cannot letRepublicans make this election about who is tough enough to standup to Russia or bin Laden. It has to be about who is strong enough,focused enough, creative enough and unifying enough to getAmericans to rebuild America. The next president can have all theforeign affairs experience in the world, but it will be useless,utterly useless, if we, as a country, are weak.
Obama is moreright than he knows when he proclaims that this is “our” moment,this is “our” time. But it is our time to get back to work on theonly home we have, our time for nation-building in America. I neverwant to tell my girls — and I’m sure Obama feels the same about his— that they have to go to China to see the future.
作者: 鬼畜王 时间: 2008-8-30 10:44
人家在找差距，再反省。我们也需要这样！大家加油
