美国国家公共电台 NPR A Trump Voter And Facebook Insulter Talk It Out — In Person

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

After Donald Trump¹'s election, we spoke² with a woman near Wilkes-Barre, Pa. And like many of her neighbors, Jamie Ruppert voted Democratic in the past, but this time she picked Trump.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)

JAMIE RUPPERT: The majority of the things that he wanted to do, as far as tax cuts and helping³ the failing middle class, is what kind of got me behind him.

SIMON: After that story aired, critics ripped⁵ into Jamie Ruppert on social media platforms. NPR's Jeff Brady brought her and one of her critics together for a conversation.

JEFF BRADY, BYLINE⁶: We reached out to 10 people on Facebook who had nasty⁷ comments for Jamie Ruppert. Only two responded. One of them happens to live in the next county over from Jamie, and she agreed to meet us at a local hotel. Walking down the hallway, I ask Jamie how she feels about the meeting.

RUPPERT: I won't lie. I'm a little nervous. You know, I'm meeting somebody new with opposing views as you. You don't even know - a lot of times when you meet somebody new, you don't even know what they think or whatever about you. But I already know, so it's a little - a little scary (laughter). I won't lie.

BRADY: All right, here we go.

RUPPERT: Hi.

BRADY: So Jamie...

RUPPERT: There's cookies (unintelligible).

BRADY: Oh, yes, we brought cookies (laughter). Jamie Ruppert, Amy Whitenight.

AMY WHITENIGHT: Nice to meet you.

RUPPERT: Hi, nice to meet you.

BRADY: The first thing you notice about Amy Whitenight is her bright pink hair. Beyond that, the two women have a lot in common. Both grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania. They're in their 30s. Both are nurses and they're moms. Historically they voted for Democrats⁸, but this time Amy chose Hillary Clinton and Jamie chose Donald Trump. As the conversation starts, I ask Amy to read her Facebook comment that was directed at Jamie.

WHITENIGHT: (Reading) The only good thing about Trump getting elected is that idiots⁹ like this will get a big kick in the ass⁴. The bad part is we will all have to suffer along with these unintelligent Trump supporters.

BRADY: OK. Do you still feel that same way?

WHITENIGHT: Yeah, a little bit.

BRADY: The two were sitting next to each other on a couch¹⁰. I ask Jamie how it feels to hear this in person.

RUPPERT: Well, it's hurtful. I mean, she doesn't even know me. She's basing my intelligence off of one decision. You know, that's, like, just being so judgmental and very unfair.

BRADY: Amy says that Facebook comment was written just about a week before Trump's inauguration¹¹. She's mellowed¹² a bit but is still pretty angry.

WHITENIGHT: I feel like Trump supporters have gone and voted for Donald Trump for the pretty packaging. They are seduced¹³ by his words, and they don't think about the big picture and how all of his policies will affect everyone and everything.

BRADY: Jamie tells Amy that she couldn't support Clinton because she didn't trust her. Jamie liked that Trump promised stricter immigration policies and more blue-collar jobs.

RUPPERT: I was tired of not seeing Americans come first, the people who are here and who pay into the whole thing as a whole. I was tired of them being pushed aside for people who maybe aren't so deserving of what they're getting.

BRADY: The conversation quickly turns to social service programs. Both women have benefited from them. Amy says as a single mom, she needed help while in school studying to be a registered nurse.

WHITENIGHT: I know that it's helped me and it's helped others that I am friends with. They now have college degrees. They are now in - considered middle class. So, I mean, I think that's a good thing.

RUPPERT: But you took the system and you bettered yourself. There are people who don't do that. I have had personal friends who are still on welfare, who are still getting section 8, who are still getting food stamps and not trying to do anything with their lives. There are career welfare people.

BRADY: Any response to that?

WHITENIGHT: I guess I just find it - I'm always flabbergasted that people are so upset by helping people and feeding people and make sure people have housing.

RUPPERT: You're right. There's nothing wrong with helping people, helping people who want to be helped and not are just walking around with their handout¹⁴.

WHITENIGHT: Why do you let other people's situations bother you so much? Like, it's not really affecting you because, I mean, really, if you go and do the research on it, you're not paying - that much money of your taxes isn't going to social programs. It's going to everything else.

BRADY: As the conversation continues, it becomes clear that Jamie had an experience a few years back that played a big role in her decision to vote for Trump. She lived in Wilkes-Barre in a rough neighborhood.

RUPPERT: I had two white guys pull up in front of my house, start shooting up heroin¹⁵ 5 o'clock in the afternoon during the summer - broad daylight.

BRADY: Jamie says her family was struggling financially. There was a subsidized apartment building nearby that attracted crime and drug dealing¹⁶. Jamie says she saw people driving away in nice cars. It upset her that people who broke the rules appeared to be doing well. At the end of our conversation, we concluded that Jamie Ruppert voted for Trump because she's fed up. Amy Whitenight voted for Clinton because she's afraid of Trump. Amy also observes that they were both afraid, just of different things. Jeff Brady, NPR News.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

5 ripped   

adj. <美俚>喝醉的，受毒品麻醉的 动词rip的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He had ripped up the carpet, leaving only the bare boards. 他用力扯去了地毯，只剩下裸露的地板。
• I ripped my jeans on the fence. 我的牛仔裤在栅栏上划破了。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 nasty   

adj.令人讨厌的，困难的，恶劣的，下流的

参考例句：

• She got a nasty knock on the head when she fell.她跌倒时头部受到严重碰撞。
• When this material burns，it flings off a nasty smell.这种物质燃烧时发出一股难闻的气味。

8 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 idiots   

傻子，笨蛋( idiot的名词复数 )； 白痴

参考例句：

• "How I hate them-those idiots in charge of the town! “我恨极了，那班混账东西！ 来自子夜部分
• 'May the Devil carry away these idiots! “但愿魔鬼把这些白痴都抓了去！ 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

10 couch   

n.睡椅，长沙发椅；vt.表达，隐含

参考例句：

• Lie down on the couch if you're feeling ill.如果你感觉不舒服就躺到沙发上去。
• The rabbIt'sprang from its grassy couch.兔子从草丛中跳出。

11 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

12 mellowed   

（使）成熟( mellow的过去式和过去分词 )； 使色彩更加柔和，使酒更加醇香

参考例句：

• She's mellowed over the years. 这些年来他变得成熟了。
• The colours mellowed as the sun went down. 随着太阳的落去，色泽变得柔和了。

13 seduced   

诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷

参考例句：

• The promise of huge profits seduced him into parting with his money. 高额利润的许诺诱使他把钱出了手。
• His doctrines have seduced many into error. 他的学说把许多人诱入歧途。

14 handout   

n.散发的文字材料；救济品

参考例句：

• I read the handout carefully.我仔细看了这份分发的资料。
• His job was distributing handout at the street-corner.他的工作是在街头发传单。

15 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

16 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。