TEDxKyoto
George Takei: Why I love a country that once betrayed me
George Takei: Hvorfor jeg elsker et land, som engang forrådte mig
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3,155,256 views
Som en sikkerhedsforanstaltning blev George Takei, og hans familie, tvunget i fængselslejr under 2. verdenskrig. Nu, 70 år senere, ser Takei tilbage på de oplevelser, som har haft en indflydelse på hans personlige definition af patriotisme og demokrati.
George Takei - Actor and activist
The beloved Mr. Sulu from the original Star Trek, George Takei is an activist for human rights (and a master of Facebook memes). Full bio
The beloved Mr. Sulu from the original Star Trek, George Takei is an activist for human rights (and a master of Facebook memes). Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I'm a veteran of the starship Enterprise.
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Jeg er en veteran fra stjerneskibet Enterprise.
00:16
I soared through the galaxy
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Jeg svævede gennem galaksen,
styrede et umådeligt stjerneskib
00:19
driving a huge starship
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00:22
with a crew made up of people
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med et mandskab sammensat af folk
00:24
from all over this world,
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fra hele denne verden
00:26
many different races, many different cultures,
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Folk af forskellige racer,
forskellige kulturer,
forskellige kulturer,
00:30
many different heritages,
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af forskellige herkomster.
00:32
all working together,
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Alle arbejdede sammen.
00:34
and our mission was to explore strange new worlds,
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Vores mission var at udforske
nye ukendte verdener,
nye ukendte verdener,
00:37
to seek out new life and new civilizations,
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at søge nye liv og nye civilisationer,
00:41
to boldly go where no one has gone before.
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at modigt bevæge sig hen,
hvor ingen før havde været.
hvor ingen før havde været.
00:46
Well —
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00:48
(Applause) —
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00:54
I am the grandson of immigrants from Japan
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Jeg er barnebarnet af japanske immigranter,
00:59
who went to America,
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som rejste til Amerika.
01:01
boldly going to a strange new world,
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Modigt rejste de til en ny ukendt verden
for at søge nye muligheder.
01:05
seeking new opportunities.
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01:08
My mother was born in Sacramento, California.
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Min mor blev født i Sacramento, Californien.
Min far var fra San Fransisco.
01:11
My father was a San Franciscan.
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De mødtes og blev gift i Los Angeles,
01:13
They met and married in Los Angeles,
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hvor jeg blev født.
01:16
and I was born there.
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01:20
I was four years old
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Jeg var fire år gammel,
da Pearl Habor, den 7. december 1941,
01:22
when Pearl Harbor was bombed
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01:24
on December 7, 1941 by Japan,
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blev bombarderet af Japan.
01:29
and overnight, the world was plunged
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På en nat blev verdenen
kastet ind i en verdenskrig.
01:33
into a world war.
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01:36
America suddenly was swept up
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Amerika blev pludselig grebet af hysteri.
01:39
by hysteria.
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Japan-amerikanere,
01:43
Japanese-Americans,
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01:45
American citizens of Japanese ancestry,
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amerikanske borgere med japansk baggrund,
01:48
were looked on
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blev set på med mistro, frygt
01:49
with suspicion and fear
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og decideret had
01:53
and with outright hatred
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01:56
simply because we happened to look like
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af den simple grund,
at vi tilfældigvis lignede
at vi tilfældigvis lignede
de folk, som bombarderede Pearl Habor.
01:59
the people that bombed Pearl Harbor.
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02:01
And the hysteria grew and grew
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Og hysteriet blev større og større
02:05
until in February 1942,
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indtil februar 1942,
hvor den amerikanske præsident,
02:08
the president of the United States,
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02:11
Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
02:13
ordered all Japanese-Americans
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beordrede, at alle japan-amerikanere
02:15
on the West Coast of America
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på den amerikanske vestkyst
02:18
to be summarily rounded up
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uden videre skulle samles
02:20
with no charges, with no trial,
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uden tiltale, uden retslig behandling
og uden rettergang.
02:24
with no due process.
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02:26
Due process, this is a core pillar
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Retfærdig rettergang er en bærende søjle
i vores retssystem.
02:29
of our justice system.
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02:30
That all disappeared.
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Men det hele forsvandt.
02:33
We were to be rounded up
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Vi blev samlet
02:35
and imprisoned in 10 barbed-wire prison camps
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og fængslet i fængselslejre ,
indhegnet med pigtråd
indhegnet med pigtråd
i nogle af de mest afsides steder i USA:
02:39
in some of the most desolate places in America:
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den glohede ørken i Arizona,
02:43
the blistering hot desert of Arizona,
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de trykkende sumpområder i Arkansas,
02:47
the sultry swamps of Arkansas,
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ødemarkerne i Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorado
02:50
the wastelands of Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorado,
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02:54
and two of the most desolate places in California.
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og to af de mest øde steder i Californien.
Den 20. april fejrede jeg min 5-års fødselsdag,
02:59
On April 20th, I celebrated my fifth birthday,
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03:04
and just a few weeks after my birthday,
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og blot et par uger efter min fødselsdag
03:08
my parents got my younger brother,
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hentede mine forældre min lillebror,
03:10
my baby sister and me
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min lillesøster og mig
03:12
up very early one morning,
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en tidlig morgen,
03:15
and they dressed us hurriedly.
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og de klædte os hurtigt på.
Min bror og jeg var i stuen
03:18
My brother and I were in the living room
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03:20
looking out the front window,
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og kiggede ud af vinduet,
03:23
and we saw two soldiers marching up our driveway.
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og vi så to soldater marchere ind i vores indkørsel.
03:27
They carried bayonets on their rifles.
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De havde bajonetter på deres rifler.
03:31
They stomped up the front porch
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De trampede op på verandaen
03:34
and banged on the door.
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og hamrede på døren.
03:36
My father answered it,
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Min far åbnede,
03:39
and the soldiers ordered us out of our home.
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og soldaterne beordrede os ud af vores hjem
03:43
My father gave my brother and me
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Min far gav min bror og mig
lidt bagage at bære,
03:46
small luggages to carry,
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03:47
and we walked out and stood on the driveway
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og vi gik ud og stod i indkørslen
03:51
waiting for our mother to come out,
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og ventede på, at vores mor kom ud,
03:54
and when my mother finally came out,
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og da hun endelig kom ud
havde hun i den ene arm vores lillesøster
03:57
she had our baby sister in one arm,
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og i den anden, havde hun en stor køjesæk.
04:00
a huge duffel bag in the other,
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04:04
and tears were streaming down both her cheeks.
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Tårer strømmede ned af begge hendes kinder.
04:09
I will never be able to forget that scene.
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Jeg vil aldrig glemme det syn.
04:13
It is burned into my memory.
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Det er brændt ind i min hukommelse.
04:17
We were taken from our home
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Vi blev taget fra vores hjem
04:20
and loaded on to train cars
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og læsset ind i togvogne
04:22
with other Japanese-American families.
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med andre japansk-amerikanske familier.
Der var vagter i begge ender af hver togvogn
04:25
There were guards stationed
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04:27
at both ends of each car,
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som var vi kriminelle.
04:30
as if we were criminals.
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04:33
We were taken two thirds of
the way across the country,
the way across the country,
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Vi blev ført tværs over landet,
vuggende i toget i 4 dage og 3 nætter,
04:37
rocking on that train for four days and three nights,
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04:41
to the swamps of Arkansas.
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indtil vi ankom til Arkansas sumpområder.
04:45
I still remember the barbed wire fence
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Jeg husker stadig pigtråds-hegnet,
04:47
that confined me.
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der indespærrede mig.
04:50
I remember the tall sentry tower
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Jeg husker det store vagttårn
med maskinpistoler, der pegede imod os.
04:52
with the machine guns pointed at us.
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Jeg husker søgelyset, der fulgte mig,
04:56
I remember the searchlight that followed me
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04:59
when I made the night runs
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når jeg om natten løb
05:01
from my barrack to the latrine.
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fra min barak til latrinen.
05:04
But to five-year-old me,
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Men det 5-år gamle jeg syntes nu,
05:06
I thought it was kind of nice that they'd lit the way
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at det var meget rart, at de lyste vejen for mig,
05:08
for me to pee.
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når jeg skulle tisse.
05:12
I was a child,
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Jeg var et barn,
05:13
too young to understand the circumstances
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for ung til at forstå grunden til min tilværelse.
05:16
of my being there.
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05:19
Children are amazingly adaptable.
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Børn er fantastisk gode til at tilpasse sig.
05:23
What would be grotesquely abnormal
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Hvad der ville have været grotesk og unormalt
blev min hverdag
05:27
became my normality
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som fange i en fængselslejr.
05:30
in the prisoner of war camps.
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Det blev normalt at stå i kø tre gange om dagen
05:33
It became routine for me to line up three times a day
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05:37
to eat lousy food in a noisy mess hall.
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for at kunne spise elendig mad
i en larmende spisesal.
i en larmende spisesal.
Det blev normalt at følge med min far,
05:42
It became normal for me to go with my father
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05:44
to bathe in a mass shower.
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så vi kunne bade i et fællesbad med alle andre.
05:47
Being in a prison, a barbed-wire prison camp,
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At være i et fængsel,
et fængsel omhegnet af pigtråd,
et fængsel omhegnet af pigtråd,
05:51
became my normality.
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blev min hverdag.
Da krigen sluttede,
05:55
When the war ended,
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05:56
we were released,
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blev vi løsladt,
05:58
and given a one-way ticket
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og vi fik en enkeltbillet,
06:00
to anywhere in the United States.
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der førte til hvor som helst i USA.
06:04
My parents decided to go back home
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Mine forældre besluttede sig for
at tage tilbage til Los Angeles,
at tage tilbage til Los Angeles,
06:06
to Los Angeles,
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men i Los Angeles var vi ikke længere velkommen.
06:09
but Los Angeles was not a welcoming place.
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06:13
We were penniless.
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Vi havde ikke en krone på lommen.
06:14
Everything had been taken from us,
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Alt var blevet taget fra os,
06:17
and the hostility was intense.
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og fjendtligheden var intens.
06:19
Our first home was on Skid Row
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Vores første hjem var i et slumkvarter
06:22
in the lowest part of our city,
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i den fattigste del af byen.
06:27
living with derelicts, drunkards
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Vi var omringet af menneskevrag, drankere
06:30
and crazy people,
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og galninge.
06:32
the stench of urine all over,
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Stanken af urin hærgede
06:34
on the street, in the alley,
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i både gader og stræder
06:37
in the hallway.
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og entreen.
06:40
It was a horrible experience,
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Det var en forfærdelig oplevelse,
06:42
and for us kids, it was terrorizing.
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og for os børn var det skræmmende.
06:46
I remember once
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Jeg husker en gang,
06:48
a drunkard came staggering down,
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hvor en dranker kom vaklende hen ad gaden
06:51
fell down right in front of us,
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og faldt lige for øjnene af os,
06:54
and threw up.
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og kastede op.
06:55
My baby sister said, "Mama, let's go back home,"
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Min lille søster sagde: "Mor, lad os tage hjem",
07:01
because behind barbed wires
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for det at være indespærret af pigtråd,
07:03
was for us
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var for os
hjem
07:06
home.
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07:08
My parents worked hard
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Mine forældre arbejdede hårdt
07:10
to get back on their feet.
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for at komme på rette spor.
07:12
We had lost everything.
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Vi havde mistet alt.
07:13
They were at the middle of their lives
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De var midt i deres liv
07:16
and starting all over.
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og skulle til at starte forfra.
07:17
They worked their fingers to the bone,
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De sled dem selv halvt ihjel og til sidst,
07:20
and ultimately they were able
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lykkedes det dem
07:23
to get the capital together to buy
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at få råd til
07:26
a three-bedroom home in a nice neighborhood.
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et tre-værelses hjem i et ordentligt nabolag.
07:29
And I was a teenager,
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Jeg blev teenager,
07:30
and I became very curious
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og jeg blev nysgerrig
07:32
about my childhood imprisonment.
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omkring min barndom i fangenskab.
07:35
I had read civics books that told me about
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Jeg havde læst samfundsbøger
om idealerne i det amerikanske demokrati.
07:38
the ideals of American democracy.
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Alle mennesker er skabt lige,
07:42
All men are created equal,
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07:45
we have an inalienable right
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vi har en umistelig ret til liv,
07:48
to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,
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frihed og stræben efter lykke,
07:53
and I couldn't quite make that fit
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og jeg kunne ikke få de idealer til at stemme overens
07:55
with what I knew to be my childhood imprisonment.
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med min barndom i fangenskab.
07:58
I read history books,
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Jeg læste historiebøger,
08:00
and I couldn't find anything about it.
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men kunne intet finde om det.
08:03
And so I engaged my father after dinner
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Så efter aftensmaden førte jeg lange
08:07
in long, sometimes heated conversations.
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og sommetider ophedede samtaler med min far,
08:12
We had many, many conversations like that,
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Vi førte mange af sådanne samtaler,
08:15
and what I got from them
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og det jeg fik ud af dem
08:17
was my father's wisdom.
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var min fars visdom
08:19
He was the one that suffered the most
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Han var den, som led mest
08:22
under those conditions of imprisonment,
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under forholdene i fangenskab,
08:25
and yet he understood American democracy.
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men alligevel forstod han
det amerikanske demokrati.
det amerikanske demokrati.
08:29
He told me that our democracy
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Han fortalte mig, at vores demokrati,
08:32
is a people's democracy,
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er folkets demokrati.
08:34
and it can be as great as the people can be,
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Det kan være lige så storslået
som folket kan være,
som folket kan være,
08:37
but it is also as fallible as people are.
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men det kan også være lige
så fejlfuldt som mennesker er.
så fejlfuldt som mennesker er.
08:42
He told me that American democracy
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Han fortalte mig at amerikansk demokrati
08:45
is vitally dependent on good people
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er afhængig af gode mennesker,
08:49
who cherish the ideals of our system
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som værdsætter idealerne i vores system
08:53
and actively engage in the process
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og aktivt deltager i processen om
08:56
of making our democracy work.
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at få vores demokrati til at fungere.
08:59
And he took me to a campaign headquarters —
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Han tog mig med til hoved-
kvarteret for en kampagne —
kvarteret for en kampagne —
guvernøren for Illinois stillede op
til præsidentvalget —
til præsidentvalget —
09:03
the governor of Illinois was
running for the presidency —
running for the presidency —
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09:07
and introduced me to American electoral politics.
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og introducerede mig for
den amerikanske valgpolitik.
den amerikanske valgpolitik.
Han fortalte mig også om
09:11
And he also told me about
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09:14
young Japanese-Americans
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unge japan-amerikanere
09:15
during the Second World War.
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under 2. verdenskrig.
09:19
When Pearl Harbor was bombed,
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Da Pearl Harbor blev bombarderet,
09:21
young Japanese-Americans,
like all young Americans,
like all young Americans,
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skyndte unge japan-amerikanere sig,
ligesom andre unge amerikanere,
ligesom andre unge amerikanere,
09:24
rushed to their draft board
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at melde sig som frivillige i hæren
09:27
to volunteer to fight for our country.
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for at kæmpe for vores land.
09:30
That act of patriotism
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Den patriotiske handling
09:33
was answered with a slap in the face.
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blev besvaret med et slag i ansigtet.
09:37
We were denied service,
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Vi blev nægtet at tjene i hæren
09:40
and categorized as enemy non-alien.
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og blev kategoriseret som
"ikke-fremmede fjender".
"ikke-fremmede fjender".
09:46
It was outrageous to be called an enemy
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Det er oprørende at blive kaldt en fjende,
09:49
when you're volunteering to fight for your country,
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når du frivilligt melder dig
for at kæmpe for dit land,
for at kæmpe for dit land,
09:52
but that was compounded with the word "non-alien,"
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men det var sammensat med
ordene "ikke-fremmed",
ordene "ikke-fremmed",
som betyder
09:56
which is a word that means
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10:00
"citizen" in the negative.
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"statsborger".
10:04
They even took the word "citizen" away from us,
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De tog ordet "statsborger" fra os,
10:07
and imprisoned them for a whole year.
195
595761
4628
og fængslede dem i et helt år.
10:12
And then the government realized
196
600389
1988
Og så indså regeringen,
10:14
that there's a wartime manpower shortage,
197
602377
4370
at der i krigstiden var mangel på arbejdskraft,
10:18
and as suddenly as they'd rounded us up,
198
606747
4379
og lige så pludseligt som de havde samlet os,
10:23
they opened up the military for service
199
611126
2127
lige så pludseligt åbnede
hæren for op for tilmeldinger
hæren for op for tilmeldinger
10:25
by young Japanese-Americans.
200
613253
2918
af japan-amerikanere.
10:28
It was totally irrational,
201
616171
2667
Det var fuldstændigt irrationelt,
10:30
but the amazing thing,
202
618838
2234
men det mest fantastiske
10:33
the astounding thing,
203
621072
2357
og det mest forbløffende var,
10:35
is that thousands of young
204
623429
1953
at tusindvis af unge
10:37
Japanese-American men and women
205
625382
2958
japansk-amerikanske mænd og kvinder
10:40
again went from behind those barbed-wire fences,
206
628340
3963
trådte ud af pigtrådshegnene,
iførte sig samme uniform, som vores vagter
10:44
put on the same uniform as that of our guards,
207
632303
3457
10:47
leaving their families in imprisonment,
208
635760
3528
og efterlod deres familier i fangenskab
for at kæmpe for dette land.
10:51
to fight for this country.
209
639288
2314
10:53
They said that they were going to fight
210
641602
1961
De sagde, at de ville kæmpe,
10:55
not only to get their families out
211
643563
3266
ikke kun for at få deres familier ud
10:58
from behind those barbed-wire fences,
212
646829
2558
af pigtrådshegnene,
11:01
but because they cherished the very ideal
213
649387
3230
men fordi de værdsatte det selvsamme ideal
11:04
of what our government stands for,
214
652617
2223
som vores regering står for,
11:06
should stand for,
215
654840
1891
burde stå for,
11:08
and that was being abrogated
216
656731
2501
og det var ved at blive afskaffet
11:11
by what was being done.
217
659232
3913
af det, som var blevet gjort.
11:15
All men are created equal.
218
663145
2334
Alle mennesker er skabt lige.
11:17
And they went to fight for this country.
219
665479
3821
Og de gik i krig for at kæmpe for dette land.
11:21
They were put into a segregated
220
669300
1680
De blev placeret i en særskilt
11:22
all Japanese-American unit
221
670980
2222
enhed kun for japan-amerikanere
11:25
and sent to the battlefields of Europe,
222
673202
2624
og derefter sendt afsted til
krigsmarkerne i Europa,
krigsmarkerne i Europa,
11:27
and they threw themselves into it.
223
675826
3071
og de kastede dem selv ind i krigen.
11:30
They fought with amazing,
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678897
2845
De kæmpede med fantastisk,
utrolig mod og tapperhed.
11:33
incredible courage and valor.
225
681742
3458
11:37
They were sent out on the most dangerous missions
226
685200
3762
De blev sendt ud på de mest farlige missioner
og i krigen pådrog de sig den højeste dødsrate
11:40
and they sustained the highest combat casualty rate
227
688962
2881
11:43
of any unit proportionally.
228
691843
3806
blandt alle enheder.
11:47
There is one battle that illustrates that.
229
695649
3295
Der er en kamp, som illustrerer dette.
11:50
It was a battle for the Gothic Line.
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698944
3044
Det var kampen om den gotiske linje.
11:53
The Germans were embedded
231
701988
2302
Tyskerne havde rodfæstet sig
11:56
in this mountain hillside,
232
704290
2587
i denne bjergskråning,
11:58
rocky hillside,
233
706877
1572
en bjergskråning med masser af sten,
12:00
in impregnable caves,
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708449
2480
i utilgængelige huler,
12:02
and three allied battalions
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710929
3271
og tre allierede bataljoner
12:06
had been pounding away at it
236
714200
1778
havde hamret løs på den
12:07
for six months,
237
715978
1484
i 6 måneder
12:09
and they were stalemated.
238
717462
2430
og de var i dødvande.
12:11
The 442nd was called in
239
719892
2894
Enhed 442 blev tilkaldt
for at deltage i kampen,
12:14
to add to the fight,
240
722786
3322
12:18
but the men of the 442nd
241
726108
2166
men mændene i enhed 442
12:20
came up with a unique
242
728274
3160
fandt på en unik,
12:23
but dangerous idea:
243
731434
2300
men farlig ide:
12:25
The backside of the mountain
244
733734
1795
Bagsiden af bjerget
12:27
was a sheer rock cliff.
245
735529
2661
var intet andet end en klippesten.
12:30
The Germans thought an attack from the backside
246
738190
3409
Tyskerne troede, at et angreb fra bagsiden
12:33
would be impossible.
247
741599
2510
ville være umuligt.
12:36
The men of the 442nd decided to do the impossible.
248
744109
4371
Mændene i enhed 442 besluttede
sig for at gøre det umulige.
sig for at gøre det umulige.
12:40
On a dark, moonless night,
249
748480
3743
En mørk og måneløs nat
12:44
they began scaling that rock wall,
250
752223
4248
begyndte de at bestige klippevæggen,
12:48
a drop of more than 1,000 feet,
251
756471
3619
med et fald på mere end 304 meter,
12:52
in full combat gear.
252
760090
2647
i fuld krigsudstyr.
12:54
They climbed all night long
253
762737
2844
Hele natten klatrede de
12:57
on that sheer cliff.
254
765581
3050
op ad klippen.
13:02
In the darkness,
255
770279
1953
I mørket
13:04
some lost their handhold
256
772232
2080
mistede nogle deres håndfæste
13:06
or their footing
257
774312
1613
eller deres fodfæste
13:07
and they fell to their deaths
258
775925
2197
og de faldt i døden
13:10
in the ravine below.
259
778122
2081
i bjergkløften forneden.
13:12
They all fell silently.
260
780203
4427
De faldt alle i stilhed.
13:16
Not a single one cried out,
261
784630
2565
Ikke en eneste skreg,
for ikke at afsløre deres position.
13:19
so as not to give their position away.
262
787195
3232
13:22
The men climbed for eight hours straight,
263
790427
3858
Mændene klatrede i 8 timer
13:26
and those who made it to the top
264
794285
3119
og dem, som nåede toppen
13:29
stayed there until the first break of light,
265
797404
4482
blev der indtil morgengry,
og så snart lyset brød frem
13:33
and as soon as light broke,
266
801886
3079
angreb de.
13:36
they attacked.
267
804965
1593
13:38
The Germans were surprised,
268
806558
1654
Tyskerne blev overraskede
13:40
and they took the hill
269
808212
1748
og de tog klippen
13:41
and broke the Gothic Line.
270
809960
3010
og brød den gotiske linje.
13:44
A six-month stalemate
271
812970
2288
6-måneders dødvande
13:47
was broken by the 442nd
272
815258
2205
blev brudt af enhed 442
13:49
in 32 minutes.
273
817463
2981
på 32 minutter.
13:52
It was an amazing act,
274
820444
3636
Det var en fantastisk handling,
13:56
and when the war ended,
275
824080
2850
og da krigen sluttede,
vendte enhed 442 hjem til USA
13:58
the 442nd returned to the United States
276
826930
3217
14:02
as the most decorated unit
277
830147
2416
som den enhed med flest hædersbevisninger
14:04
of the entire Second World War.
278
832563
2917
i hele 2. verdenskrig.
14:07
They were greeted back on the White House Lawn
279
835480
2730
De blev budt velkommen på
græsplænen ved Det Hvide Hus
græsplænen ved Det Hvide Hus
14:10
by President Truman, who said to them,
280
838210
2606
af præsident Truman, som sagde:
14:12
"You fought not only the enemy
281
840816
3258
"I kæmpede ikke kun mod fjenden,
14:16
but prejudice, and you won."
282
844074
4620
men også mod fordomme, og I vandt."
14:20
They are my heroes.
283
848694
3596
De er mine helte.
14:24
They clung to their belief
284
852290
3047
De klyngede sig til deres tro
14:27
in the shining ideals of this country,
285
855337
3052
på dette lands skinnende idealer,
14:30
and they proved that being an American
286
858389
4291
og de beviste, at det at være amerikaner
ikke kun er for nogle mennesker,
14:34
is not just for some people,
287
862680
3210
at det at være amerikaner
ikke defineres ud fra race.
ikke defineres ud fra race.
14:37
that race is not how we define being an American.
288
865890
5433
De udvidede forståelsen af
det at være amerikaner
det at være amerikaner
14:43
They expanded what it means to be an American,
289
871323
3577
ved at inkludere japan-amerikanere
14:46
including Japanese-Americans
290
874900
2324
14:49
that were feared and suspected and hated.
291
877224
4174
som var frygtet, mistænkt og hadet.
14:53
They were change agents,
292
881398
3211
De skabte forandring,
14:56
and they left for me
293
884609
2482
og de efterlod mig
en arv.
14:59
a legacy.
294
887091
2217
15:01
They are my heroes
295
889308
1789
De er mine helte,
15:03
and my father is my hero,
296
891097
2351
og min far er min helt,
15:05
who understood democracy
297
893448
1810
som forstod demokrati
15:07
and guided me through it.
298
895258
4071
og vejledte mig igennem det.
15:11
They gave me a legacy,
299
899329
2490
De gav mig en arv,
15:13
and with that legacy comes a responsibility,
300
901819
3362
og med den arv følger der et ansvar,
15:17
and I am dedicated
301
905181
2416
og jeg er dedikeret
15:19
to making my country
302
907597
1989
til at gøre mit land
15:21
an even better America,
303
909586
3204
til et endnu bedre Amerika,
15:24
to making our government
304
912790
2210
til at gøre vores regering
15:27
an even truer democracy,
305
915000
3497
til et mere ægte demokrati
15:30
and because of the heroes that I have
306
918497
3740
og på grund af de helte jeg har,
15:34
and the struggles that we've gone through,
307
922237
3622
og de anstrengelser vi har været igennem,
15:37
I can stand before you
308
925859
1999
kan jeg stå her foran jer
15:39
as a gay Japanese-American,
309
927858
2859
som en homoseksuel japan-amerikaner.
15:42
but even more than that,
310
930717
2467
Men mere end det,
15:45
I am a proud American.
311
933184
4008
jeg er en stolt amerikaner.
15:49
Thank you very much.
312
937192
2187
Mange tak.
15:51
(Applause)
313
939379
1971
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
George Takei - Actor and activistThe beloved Mr. Sulu from the original Star Trek, George Takei is an activist for human rights (and a master of Facebook memes).
Why you should listen
George Takei is known for his portrayal of Mr. Sulu in the original Star Trek TV series and films, but since serving as the helm officer on the USS Enterprise, he's become a pop culture icon here on this planet. To Be Takei, a documentary on his life and career directed by Jennifer M. Kroot that premiered at Sundance in January 2014, will be released theatrically in August 2014.
Takei is a master of Facebook virality, and has written two books about it: Oh Myyy! - There Goes The Internet and Lions and Tigers and Bears - The Internet Strikes Back (known collectively as Life, the Internet and Everything, Books 1 and 2). He's also the host of the YouTube series Takei's Take.
Along with Lea Salonga and actor-singer-songwriter Telly Leung, he stars in a new musical called Allegiance (music and lyrics by Jay Kuo, book by Jay Kuo, Lorenzo Thione and Marc Acito). The musical is an epic story of love, family and heroism during the Japanese American internment.
Takei is an important advocate for LGBT rights; in 2005, he came out of the closet, and has been an active campaigner for the right of all people to marry.
George Takei | Speaker | TED.com