「気づき」の大切さ

The Hate U GiveというYA小説が話題になっていたのは知っていましたが、中年のYutaはどうしてもヤングアダルト小説というだけで敬遠していました。アメリカでは映画が公開されたそうですね。Yutaは映画館で予告編を見て、ようやくというか、Sorry to bother youの映画監督Boots Rileyが警察が黒人の味方のように描いたことに対してSpike Leeの映画を批判したことも腑に落ちました。

National Geographicの4月号には黒人が運転中に警察官に止められることが多いこと、その不安や屈辱を記事にしていました。この記事も目を通していたはずですが、自分の中で繋がらなかったんですよね。。。

For Black Motorists, a Never-Ending Fear of Being Stopped

Minorities are pulled over by police at higher rates than whites. Many see a troubling message: You don't belong.

BY MICHAEL A. FLETCHER

The first time my now 28-year-old son was stopped by police, he was a high school student in Baltimore, Maryland. He was headed to a barber shop when he was startled by flashing lights and the sight of two police cars pulling up behind him. The stop lasted just a few minutes and resulted in no ticket. It seems the cops just wanted to check him out. My son’s fear morphed into indignation when an officer returned his license, saying, “A lot of vehicles like yours are stolen.” He was driving a Honda Civic, one of the most popular cars on the road.

Shaken by cases in which seemingly routine traffic stops turn deadly, many black parents rehearse with their children what to do if they are pulled over: Lower your car window so officers have a clear line of sight, turn on the interior lights, keep your hands visible, have your license and registration accessible, and for God’s sake, let the officer know you are reaching for them so he doesn’t shoot you.

引用した部分の触れている黒人の親が自分の子供に警察官に止められた時の対処方法を教えることは、The Talkと呼ばれているそうです。

Black parents describe “The Talk” they give to their children about police

By German [e-mail]@vox.com  Aug 8, 2016, 11:40am EDT

It’s known as "The Talk" — a discussion left almost exclusively to black parents and family members about police.

"It’s maddening," one black mother said. "I get so frustrated and angry about having to prepare my kids for something that they’re not responsible for."

"The Talk" was the topic of a New York Times video from 2015, explaining how black parents have to prepare their sons for police encounters — out of fear, mainly, that such interactions can go horribly wrong, ending with their son dead.

まさにこのThe Talkの場面はThe Hate U Giveでも出てくるそうで以下の動画では監督自ら説明してくれています。

NPRのインタビューでも語っています。親が大事な子を守るためにできる精一杯のことだと思うといたたまれなくなります。

The Hate U Give' Creators Tell Their Story Through A 16-Year-Old Black Girl

October 8, 20184:21 PM ET

Heard on All Things Considered

On filming the scene where the children receive 'the talk' from their father

Tillman: You know, it was a very emotional scene. I remember Russell Hornsby, who plays Mav Carter, would choke up because he has kids himself. I have a 15-year-old son. So it was a very emotional time because in the African-American community, that is something that every kid have been through one way or another. For me, it was with my uncles and my dad. You know, they came out of the MLK riots, you know, in '68 with family members in Detroit and Milwaukee, Wis. So all those things were planted inside me.

So in the movie, you know, it's two young kids who actually hearing the scene for the first time. It was just emotional. This deals with history. This deal with survival and how we can continue to stay on this earth without police brutality or being shot or being killed. You know, this is part of the fear of the African-American community.

The Hate U Giveがどんな本かは渡辺由佳里の書評を読んでいただきたいのですが、その書評でもこの場面が取り上げられています。

#BlackLivesMatter（ブラック・ライブズ・マター）運動を理解できるようになるYA小説　The Hate U Give

投稿日: 2017-11-11 投稿者: 渡辺由佳里 YUKARI WATANABE SCOTT

だが、二人の乗る車を警官が止める。後部ライトが消えているという理由だ。そして、武器も持たず、何の抵抗もしていないKhalilは、Starrの目の前で銃殺されてしまう。

Starrが思い出したのは、両親から教え込まれたことだ。

When I was 12, my parents had two talks with me. One was the usual birds and the bees. The other talk was about what to do if a cop stopped me.

Mama fussed and told Daddy I was too young for that. He argued that I wasn’t too young to get arrested or shot. Starr-Starr, you do whatever they tell you to do, he said. Keep your hands visible. Don’t make any sudden moves. Only speak when they speak to you.

私が１２歳になったとき、両親は私に２つの「重要な話」をした。ひとつは、よくある鳥とミツバチについて（注：性の話）。もうひとつは、警官に止められたときにどうするのか、という話だ。

お母さんは嫌がって、まだその話をするには子どもすぎるとお父さんに反対した。けれども、お父さんは、子どもすぎるから逮捕されたり銃で撃たれないというものではないと反論した。スターよスター。警官が何を言っても、そのとおりにしなければならないよ。そうお父さんは言った。両手は、常に警官から見えるところに置いておかなければならない。いきなり動いてはいけない。あちらが質問したときに答える以外には話しかけてはいけない。

知識だけを仕入れてもなかなか繋がらないものでセンスのなさに凹みます。こういう「気づき」がいつ起きるのかは難しいですね。

日本公開は未定のようなので、とりあえず遅ればせながら本を読み始めました。