We fight for our country.

我們為祖國而戰

We cheer for it.

為國家歡呼

We draw our values from it.

我們從國家形塑價值

It's a big way many of us describe who we are,

對很多人來說，這是描述自己很強的立足點

but it didn't used to be.

但並不是一直以來都是如此

Up until really recently, our identities came from stuff

直到非常近期，我們的認同來自自己

immediately around us —

周遭的事物

clans, religion, family.

部落、宗教、家庭

If you think about it, nationality

你如果仔細想想，會發現國籍

is weird, the idea that you identify

是很莫名其妙的，那種和數百萬名陌生人有相同的認同

with millions of strangers just based on borders.

只因為你們都在同一條邊界內

That's because national identity is made up.

這是因為，國族認同是虛構的

“U.S.A.!

「美國隊！

U.S.A.!”

加油！」

“And then [INAUDIBLE] scores!”

「然後⋯⋯進球！」

National identity is the myth that built the modern world,

國族認同是構成現代社會的神話，

but it also primes us for dictatorship, racism, genocide.

但他也讓我們走向獨裁、種族主義、種族屠殺

And today, we're fighting over whether to keep

而當今，我們在掙扎是否繼續

that kind of national identity.

維繫那樣的國族身份認同

To understand why, you have to see how new this idea is.

要暸解事情的脈絡，你必須先瞭解這個概念是多麼的先進

So you think you know what France is.

你認為你知道法國是什麼

It's a place united by the French language

那是被法語、和法蘭西民族

and the French ethnicity, right?

聯繫的地方，是吧？

But as of the French Revolution, half of the people

但在法國大革命前夕，那裡有一半的人口

there could not speak French.

完全不會說法語

Only one in eight spoke it well.

只有 1/8 的人口是精通法語的

These are the languages that people spoke,

這些是當時法國境內人們使用的語言，

just a patchwork that didn't line up with borders.

很明顯的，相拼不一樣，而且和邊界搭不起來

We know from modern genetics that ethnicity didn't line up

從現代基因科技觀察，也發現種族和國界的劃分

with borders, either.

也連不起來

National identity became the idea

國族認同成為那種

that language, race, and borders should add up to a country.

語言、種族、邊界構成異國這樣的概念

Nations can't admit they're made up,

國家無法承認自身是虛構的，

so they invent a national mythology

所以它們發明了國族神話

that says they've been like this forever.

宣稱國族一直以來都是這樣存在的

The modern era brought four big changes

現代社會有四大變革

that led to national identity.

形成了國族身份認同

People moved in big numbers from the country to the city,

人們大量的從鄉村遷移到城市，

and they needed a common language.

在這過程中，他們需要共同的語言

New technology, like newspapers and trains,

新科技，像是報紙 (印刷術) 和火車

made countries feel smaller and more interconnected.

讓整個國家感覺變小了，更加緊密聯繫

War was changing into this vast all-consuming thing.

戰爭型態也也變成這種牽連社會各個環節的樣貌

Countries needed people that cared

國家需要人們如此在乎

so much about their nation,

他們所屬的國族，

they'd fight for it in huge numbers.

這樣才有大量的人民願意參戰

Governments were challenging religion for power.

政府挑戰宗教組織的權力

Here's Napoleon taking his crown from the pope

在這裡可以看到，拿破崙從教皇那裡拿到皇冠，

to crown himself emperor.

並以此稱帝

It was a big deal.

這是很重大的事件

These four things sparked an era of revolutions in democracy,

這四項因素促使了民主革命時代的到來，

but they also unleashed ideas of nationalism, militarism,

但也同時帶來了國族主義、軍閥主義，

and leader worship.

和領袖崇拜

People came to see their countries

人們開始把自己的國家視為

as extensions of themselves.

自我的延伸

This new identity meant that a nation got its authority,

這個新的認同代表國族因此取得了權威，

not from the government, or the King, or God,

不是從政府、國王，或上帝取得

but from the people.

而是從人民那裡

This changed the world, but it also changed how we think.

這改變了世界，但也改變了我們的思維

National identity changes our reality.

國族身份認同改變了現實面

We experience whatever happens to our nation

我們把國家經歷的事件

as if it happened to us.

當作是發身在自己身上的事

“Rocky IV” can tell us a lot about what national identity

《洛基 4 》這部電影可以讓我們了解國族認同

does to our brains.

怎麼影響我們的思維

“The Russian towers above the American.”

「俄國人相較於美國人高高在上。」

A 1994 study tested the attitudes of Americans

一項 1994 年的研究探討美國人

watching the movie.

看這部電影時的情緒

It includes an amazing footnote.

這份研究的註腳讓人讚嘆

All 216 participants were women because, quote,

所有 216 名受試者都是女性，因為

“There were no males who had not seen 'Rocky IV.'”

「沒有任何一名男性沒看過《洛基 4 》」

Anyway —

總之——

When Rocky beat his Russian opponent,

當洛基打敗他的俄籍對手，

participants who strongly identified as American

那些對身為美國人有強烈認同的受試者

felt a boost in self-esteem.

覺得自己的信心被大大鼓舞

When they were shown re-edited footage

當他們觀看編輯過的影片片段，

to make it look like Rocky lost, they felt a drop in self-esteem

讓洛基看起來好像輸了，他們覺得信心受挫

and they became likelier to hold negative views about Russians.

然後更傾向對俄國人持有負面的看法

But when they said something bad about Russians,

而當他們講了俄國人的壞話之後，

their self-esteem recovered.

信心又恢復了

When we feel threatened, it makes

當我們覺得受威脅，我們會

us want to humiliate and dominate the outsider.

想要羞辱或征服外人

That dynamic doesn't just apply to individuals.

這種互動關係不只適用於個體之間，

It can apply to whole societies.

也適用於整體社會之間

This can drive war, itself.

但靠這種情緒就能造成戰爭、衝突

One study found that any country whose team

一項研究發現，任何參與

plays in the World Cup becomes likelier

世界足球賽的國家更傾向

to launch attacks abroad.

以武力攻擊他國

That hostility also plays out against minorities and migrants

這種敵意也威脅那些無法被國族神話容納的

who don't fit the national myth.

少數族裔和移民身上

It only took a century for these problems of modern nationalism

在短短的一世紀之內，現代國族主義的種種問題

to culminate into World War II, something so terrible,

就釀成了第二次世界大戰這場巨大的災難，

it convinced the world to try a new kind of national identity.

促使世界各國從新塑造另一種國族認同

“Great American melting pot.”

「偉大的美國文化大熔爐」

This model of identity is based on an idea from the United

這種認同模式源自

States.

美國

Anyone can be American if you share values

任何人只要認同自由、努力等價值

like freedom and hard work.

就能成為美國人

“May I please remind you that it does not say

「可以容許我提醒大家，

RSVP on the Statue of Liberty.”

自由女神像沒有刻任何和邀請相關的字眼。」

It's a stirring idea, but it never completely worked.

這是令人省思的想法，可是從來沒有完全實現

“Your race is your nation.”

「你的種族就是國家的標誌。」

“If you don't speak English and don't contribute, get out!”

「你如果不會說英文，又沒有貢獻，滾！」

The belief that being American is really

那種美國人身份維繫

about race, religion, and language

種族、宗教、語言上的信念

also runs throughout history.

在歷史上也一直出現

So what makes a country?

那麼國家形成的因素是什麼？

Which identity should matter?

哪種身份認同才是緊要的？

That fight defines so much of the world right now.

這樣的爭執強烈地形塑當前的世界

And it's intensified.

而且情勢越演越烈

You see it in the backlash to the European Union.

從反歐盟的情緒可以窺見一二

“We've got our country back.”

「我們奪回了我們的國家。」

You see it in how Donald Trump began his campaign.

從川普的競選活動也可以看見

“We either have a country or we don't,

「我們擁有國家，或是沒有，

and it's that simple.”

事情就是這麼簡單。」

The national myth is powerful.

國族神話的威力十分強大

We fight for a common past and a common future.

我們為了同享的過去和未來奮鬥

It isn't real, but that doesn't matter.

這都不是真實的，但不重要

We've been taught for so long that this is who we are.

我們一直被灌輸這是我們的一部份這樣的觀念

Building a world based on shared values

要建構有普世價值的世界

really means creating a new myth.

必須再建構一個新的神話

But that only works if it feels as powerful as the last one.

但只有當這個新的神話和現有的一樣有說服力才有可能