For economists, that's bad, but also sort of good news because you can make almost any arguments stick if you just troll around in the data for long enough.

對經濟學家來說，這是個壞消息，但也算是個好消息，因為你幾乎可以讓任何論點都堅持下去，如果你只是在數據中兜兜轉轉足夠長的時間。

But to the average person, the layman, it's a little bit different.

但對普通人，也就是外行人來說，這就有點不同了。

The global economy must feel like a giant hulking mass that grinds against the world, unstoppable and unanswerable to the small problems of individuals.

全球經濟感覺像一個巨大的體積，與世界磨合，不可阻擋，無法回答個人的小問題。

So when your boss asks you to work overtime but won't pay you for it, you don't argue or demand to be paid because how could an ant influence a conversation between people

所以，當你的老闆要求你加班但不給你報酬時，你不會爭論或要求得到報酬，因為一隻微小的螞蟻怎麼可能影響人們之間的對話。

Or when you ask for a raise and the boss threatens to fire you, you don't stick up for yourself because no raise is better than no job.

或者當你要求加薪而老闆威脅要解僱你時，你不為自己辯護，因為沒有加薪總比沒有工作好。

Threats like these don't just function on the level of individuals.

這樣的威脅不只發生在個人身上。

In many ways, it's how the entire American economy has operated for almost 40 years.

在許多方面，這就是整個美國經濟近 40 年來的運作方式。

That's how you end up with a graph like this, which shows the wealthiest sliver of society getting virtually all the gains from economic growth, siphoning money from the middle class and the poor.

這就是為什麼會有這樣的圖表，它顯示社會中最富有的那部分人幾乎得到了經濟增長的所有收益，從中產階級還有窮人那裡抽走了錢。

Take a step back from this.

往後退一點看。

In a democratic system which extends the vote to all citizens over 18, it's hard to imagine how such a small percentage of people could convince the rest to perpetuate a system that does this.

在一個將投票權擴大到所有 18 歲以上公民的民主制度中，很難想像這麼少比例的人如何能夠說服其他人維持這樣的制度。

The truth is there's only one way to do this.

事實是，只有一種方法可以做到這一點。

You have to create an economic theory that makes the exploitation of the people look like the solution to their problems.

你必須創造讓人民的剝削看起來是解決他們問題的辦法的經濟理論。

In other words, you have to tell a story.

換句話說，你必須講一個故事。

That's all the economy is.

經濟學就是這樣。

It's a story that we tell ourselves, a story that tells us what decisions to make about our own resources.

這是一個我們告訴自己的故事，一個告訴我們對自己的資源應該做出什麼決定的故事。

So what if your story is that lowering taxes on the rich, especially on unearned income,

那麼，如果這個說法是，降低富人的稅收，特別是對不勞而獲的收入的稅收，

deregulating finance and privatizing the public commons is like taking the living economy out of the shade and into the sun, or it can flourish.

放鬆對金融的管制，將公共公有財產私有化，就像是讓生活經濟走出陰影，走向陽光，它就會蓬勃發展。

It's a pretty good story.

這是個相當好的故事。

And in fact, those are the basics of a story that have animated our politics and our economy since Ronald Reagan, a story that has produced advocates and presidents on both sides of the political spectrum.

事實上，自隆納·雷根執政以來，這些都是激勵我們的政治和經濟的故事內容，這個故事在政治光譜的兩左右邊都產生了倡導者和總統。

This story didn't help the middle class or the poor, not really; their wages haven't risen since we began telling it.

這個故事並沒有幫助中產階級或窮人，完全沒有，自從我們開始講述這個故事以來，他們的工資並沒有增加。

But it did give the top 1% greater access to and greater power over all the best storytellers — politicians, academics, and the media.

但它確實給了前 1% 的人更多的機會，還有最會講故事的人，像是政治家、學者和媒體擁有更大的權力。

To change the economy, you have to change the story, a difficult thing to do considering how much power has consolidated in the hands of so few, but it's not impossible.

為了要改變經濟，就必須改變這個故事，考慮到有這麼多權力已經鞏固在這麼少數的人手中，這是一件困難的事情，但這是不是不可能的。

Take the minimum wage, for example, right now, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

以最低工資為例，現在，聯邦最低工資是每小時 7.25 美元。

That's about $15,000 a year in 1968.

這在 1968 年大約是每年 15,000 美元。

The minimum wage was $1.60 but when you adjust for inflation, that number goes all the way up to $8.54 an hour, $1.29 more than it is today.

當時最低工資是 1.60 美元，但當根據通貨膨脹進行調整時，這個數字一直上升到每小時 8.54 美元，比現在多 1.29 美元。

Meanwhile, American worker productivity has never stopped growing.

同時，美國工人的生產力從未停止增長。

So much so that if the minimum wage kept pace with productivity, it would have been $21 an hour by now.

以至於如果最低工資與生產力保持同步，現在應該是每小時 21 美元。

So in the absence of federal action, states have raised their own minimum wages, 30 of which are higher than the federal.

所以，在聯邦沒有採取行動的情況下，各州已經提高了自己的最低工資，其中 30 個州的最低工資高於聯邦。

Most notably of all California, just voted to raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022.

最引人注目的是加州，剛剛投票決定在 2022 年前將其最低工資提高到每小時 15 美元。

That's something that was unthinkable, even five years ago. New York did the same a short time after

這是以前不可想像的事情，即使在五年前也是如此。紐約在隨後也跟進了。

This movement, the fight for 15 is part of a new story, a story that believes in finally growing the wages of the middle class,

這場為時薪 15 美元而戰的運動是新故事的一部分，這個故事相信最終會提高中產階級的工資，

so that their collective purchasing power, their demand can grow the economy organically in a way that's not dependent on speculation or financial bubbles.

這樣他們的集體購買力和需求就能以不依賴投機或金融泡沫的方式有機地增長經濟。

It believes in regulating the abuses of Wall Street and making what should be accessible to all, education and healthcare, a part of our commons again.

這個故事相信要監管華爾街的濫用行為，並使所有人都能獲得應有的教育和醫療保健。

There are no shortage of articles, politicians or studies showing, for example, that increasing the minimum wage is a risky gamble or a job killer, no shortage of doomsday forecasting, that prices would rise.

關於文章、政治家或研究宣稱增加最低工資是一場冒險的賭博或就業殺手很多，末日預測、價格會上漲的預測也很多。

But remember that this status quo has a huge interest in maintaining itself just like a boss.

但請記住，這種現狀在維持自身方面有著巨大的利益，就像一個老闆。

It uses threats to keep the society in line.

它威脅大眾使社會保持一致。

Here's a meta analysis of pretty much every single minimum wage study, the closer to the top, the more precise and accurate the study is.

這裡有一個幾乎所有最低工資研究的元分析，越是靠近頂部的研究越是精確和準確。

And this shows that all the most comprehensive analyses of the minimum wage show that it would have little to no negative effect on employment levels.

而這表明，所有關於最低工資的最全面的分析表明，它對就業水平幾乎沒有負面影響。

And yet it could raise the incomes and standards of living of millions.

但是它可以提高數百萬人的收入和生活水平。

In places where the minimum wage has increased, like Seattle, prices haven't skyrocketed,

在最低工資增加的地方，如西雅圖，價格沒有暴漲，

instead, people are actually able to buy the things they have consistently increased their productivity to produce.

相反的，人們能夠購買他們不斷提高生產效率生產的東西。

Minimum wage increases won't solve all the problems in the economy. Not even close, it's just one thing.

提高最低工資並不能解決經濟中的所有問題。 還差得遠，這只是一個小小的改變。

But the victory of an idea that runs counter to the dominant ideology is hugely significant.

但一個與主流意識形態相悖的想法的勝利是富有重大的意義。

Otto von Bismarck said that politics is the art of the possible.

奧托·馮·俾斯麥說，政治是可能性的藝術。

But I think that sometimes invoking the possible is just another tactic, another negotiating strategy, Another threat used on behalf of the status quo to restrict the movement of alternative ideas.

但我認為，有時援引可能只是另一種策略，另一種談判策略，另一種代表現狀用來限制替代思想運動的威脅。

The story of this economy has been laboring under for 40 years is failing. People feel it, even if they don't know why.

這個經濟已經苦苦掙扎了 40 年的故事正在失敗，人們感受得到，雖然他們不知道為什麼。

A moment like this is when alternative ideas can populate the center.

像這樣的時刻是替代思想可以替代主流思想的時刻。

So maybe it's time to stop leading with what is possible and start leading with what's right.

所以也許是時候停止以可能的方式領導並開始以正確的方式領導。

Hey, everybody thanks for watching.

嘿，感謝大家觀看。

I have to thank Nick Hanauer who helped me research and sponsored this video.

我必須要感謝 Nick Hanauer，他幫助我研究並贊助了這支影片。

He's been an activist in the fight for a $15 minimum wage movement for a long time.

他長期以來一直積極爭取時薪 15 美元最低工資。

He's written a lot about it, and he's got a great TED talk to which I'll link to over there, definitely watch that.

他寫了很多關於這個問題的文章，他也發表了很棒的 TED 演講，我把連結放在這裡，一定要看。

Um, if you wanna help pledged to this channel, you can go right below here to my Patreon, pledge a dollar or $3 per video.

如果你想幫忙贊助這個頻道，你可以到我的 Patreon，每支影片捐贈一或是三美元。

Everything helps you guys have been incredible, and, and I'll see you guys next Wednesday.

你們的幫忙真的很棒，下週三再見。