我欣赏《乡巴佬的悲歌》中的J.D.万斯 但今天的他已经不是书中的那个万斯了（观点）
作为一名华裔后代，我非常欣赏J.D. 万斯的回忆录《乡下人的悲歌》这本书。书中万斯在逆境中坚持不懈向命运挑战并最终取得成功的故事，与我的文化价值观和个人信念产生了深刻的共鸣。万斯出生在一个典型的破碎、贫困的美国工人阶级家庭，而他通过坚韧、顽强和教育摆脱了厄运的束缚，最终走向成功。他的亲身经历见证了这些与华裔以及许多其他族裔文化一拍即合的价值观的力量。
As a Chinese descendant, I find myself deeply admiring J.D. Vance's memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy." His story of perseverance and triumph over adversity resonates profoundly with my own cultural values and personal beliefs. Born into a dysfunctional family in a struggling working-class community, Vance's journey is a testament to the transformative power of education and personal resilience—values that are highly cherished in Chinese and many other ethnic cultures.
在《乡下人的悲歌》中，万斯回忆了他在俄亥俄州米德尔敦和肯塔基州杰克逊的艰难成长经历。就万斯家庭困境来说，他的童年充满了困顿和不安。他的母亲贝芙因深陷毒瘾而不能自拔，而他就是在这种极度恐慌、不安，混乱的环境中长大。万斯的母亲行为反复无常、数次婚姻不保，一家人不得不频繁搬家，这些都给他的童年生活笼罩层层阴影。动荡的家庭生活让十几岁的万斯多次想要放弃。他曾一度认为读书无用，因而逃课、不做作业，甚至破坏公物和偷窃。
In "Hillbilly Elegy," Vance recounts his challenging upbringing in Middletown, Ohio, and Jackson, Kentucky. His childhood was marked by poverty and instability, compounded by his mother Bev's struggle with drug addiction, which created a chaotic and unstable home environment. Vance details episodes of his mother’s erratic behavior, multiple failed relationships, and frequent relocations, all of which added layers of difficulty to his young life. These numerous challenges, including economic instability and a tumultuous family life, led Vance to experience moments of despair. At times, he lost hope that education could change his circumstances, resulting in skipped homework, acts of vandalism, and even theft.
但在恶劣的家庭环境中，万斯在祖母玛玛的照顾下找到了极大安慰，感受到家庭的温暖。祖母严厉呵护和对教育改变人生的信念给他迫切需要的人生指引和帮助。他最终选择通过教育来摆脱困扰工薪阶层的贫困的恶劣生活环境。他被耶鲁法学院录取并后来成为风险投资家的成功经历，生动地展示了只有教育才能铺就成功之路。这一发生在美国小镇的成功事例验证了中国传统中根深蒂固的信念。
Despite these hardships, Vance found solace and stability in the care of his grandmother, Mamaw, whose tough love and strong values provided a semblance of order and support. He eventually pursued education as a means to escape the cycle of poverty that had entrapped his community. His acceptance into Yale Law School and later becoming a venture capitalist stands as a powerful example of how education can pave the way to success, a belief deeply rooted in Chinese tradition.
中国传统文化非常重视教育，视其为改变命运和创造更好未来的最佳途径。父母往往在子女教育上的大量投入时间，精力和财源，坚信优异的学习成绩是通向成功，克服一切人生障碍的途径。过去30年间，中国的经济奇迹离不开这种对教育和勤劳苦干的执着， 它鼓舞民众最求卓越和努力创新，使中国发展出现三十年的令人瞩目的经济腾飞。
Chinese culture places immense value on education, viewing it as the most reliable path to upward mobility and a better future. Families invest heavily in their children's education, driven by the belief that academic excellence is key to overcoming socioeconomic barriers. This dedication to education and personal effort has been instrumental in China's economic miracle over the past 30 years. China's remarkable growth can largely be attributed to its emphasis on education and the relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation by its people.
万斯的成功经历是这一理念和价值观的体现，它表明通过自身的决心和努力可摆脱任何逆境而获得成功。书中，万斯呼吁不要不停地埋怨环境和外部因素，而是应着眼于从自身找出问题并通过个人努力而改变现状。他称，将贫困和破碎家庭，文化隔离的社会问题归咎于美国不幸和绝望的下层阶级是件易事。“我们也谈及努力奋斗的意义和价值，但却又将懒惰归咎于社会的不公：奥巴马关闭了煤矿，或中国人抢走了工作机会等。这些都是为了自身开脱而制造的自欺欺人的谎言。”万斯称：“我们应面对一个更艰难的挑战，那就是不要再抱着’美国下层阶级‘这一寻词不放了！”
Vance's story exemplifies this ideal. In the book, Vance argues that people need to stop blaming external factors for their problems and instead focus on what they can do to improve their own lives. He wrote that it would be easy to accept there will always be a permanent American underclass rife with family dysfunction, cultural segregation, and hopelessness. “We talk about the value of hard work but tell ourselves that the reason we’re not working is some perceived unfairness: Obama shut down the coal mines, or all the jobs went to the Chinese. These are the lies we tell ourselves to solve the cognitive dissonance,” he wrote. “Or we can do something considerably more difficult: reject the notion of a permanent American underclass“.
尽管我钦佩J.D. 万斯的个人成功历程和他在回忆录中提倡的价值观，但我对他政治立场的转变感到困惑。在《乡下人的悲歌》出版后，万斯的价值观和政治观点发生了逆转，他与特朗普为伍，不再倡导个人奋斗和教育改变命运的信念，而是散布将工薪阶层困境归咎于社会制度的言论。这种转变与他书中所赞美的价值观完全背道而驰，也背弃其初衷，那曾了曾鼓舞和感染了无数读者的理念和精神。
While I admire J.D. Vance's personal journey and the values he espouses in his memoir, I am perplexed by his later political stance. After the publication of "Hillbilly Elegy," Vance made a significant shift in his political views, aligning himself with Donald Trump and adopting a rhetoric that blames the system for the struggles of the working class, rather than emphasizing personal responsibility and effort. This shift seems to contradict the very values of personal resilience and the transformative power of education that his memoir so powerfully advocates, betraying the core principles that originally made his story so inspirational.
