Liza Donnelly: Drawing upon humor for change

Translator: Helena Ripoll Hazell Reviewer: Carmen Vega-Reina

(Laughter)

(Riures)

I was afraid of womanhood.

Jo tenia por de la femineïtat.

Not that I'm not afraid now,

No que no tingui por ara,

but I've learned to pretend.

però he après a fingir.

I've learned to be flexible.

He après a ser flexible

In fact, I've developed some interesting tools

De fet, he desenvolupat unes ferramentes interessants

to help me deal with this fear.

per ajudar-me a superar aquesta por.

Let me explain.

Permetin-me que els expliqui.

Back in the '50s and '60s, when I was growing up,

Als anys 50 i 60, quan jo estava creixent,

little girls were supposed to be kind and thoughtful

les nenes petites es suposava que havien de ser amables i considerades

and pretty and gentle and soft,

i boniques i gentils i dolces.

and we were supposed to fit into roles

I es suposava que haviem d'encaixar dins uns rols

that were sort of shadowy --

que no estaven gens clars.

really not quite clear what we were supposed to be.

No estava gens clar el que es suposava que haviem de ser.

(Laughter)

(Riures)

There were plenty of role models all around us.

Hi havia moltíssims models exemplars al nostre voltant.

We had our mothers, our aunts, our cousins, our sisters,

Teníem les nostres mares, ties, cosines, germanes,

and of course, the ever-present media

i per suposat, la sempre present premsa

bombarding us with images and words,

bombardejant-nos amb imatges i paraules,

telling us how to be.

diguent-nos com ser.

Now my mother was different.

Ara, la meva mare era diferent.

She was a homemaker,

Ella era mestressa de casa,

but she and I didn't go out and do girlie things together,

però ella i jo no sortiem a fer coses de noies juntes.

and she didn't buy me pink outfits.

I no em va comprar vestits roses.

Instead, she knew what I needed, and she bought me a book of cartoons.

En comptes d'això, ella sabia el que jo necessitava, i em va comprar un llibre de dibuixos.

And I just ate it up.

I el vaig devorar.

I drew, and I drew,

Vaig dibuixar i dibuixar,

and since I knew that humor was acceptable in my family,

i com sabia que l'humor era acceptable a la meva família

I could draw, do what I wanted to do,

podia dibuixar, fer el que volgués,

and not have to perform, not have to speak --

i no haver d'interpretar, no haver de parlar-

I was very shy --

jo era molt tímida-

and I could still get approval.

i encara podia aconseguir aprobació.

I was launched as a cartoonist.

I em vaig llençar com caricaturista.

Now when we're young,

Ara bé, quan som joves,

we don't always know. We know there are rules out there,

no sempre sabem-sabem que hi ha regles allí fora

but we don't always know --

però no sempre sabem-

we don't perform them right,

no les seguim correctament,

even though we are imprinted at birth

tot i que som gravades des del neixement

with these things,

amb aquestes coses,

and we're told

i se'ns diu,

what the most important color in the world is.

quin és el color més important al món.

We're told what shape we're supposed to be in.

Se'ns diu quina forma es suposa que hem de tenir.

(Laughter)

(Riures)

We're told what to wear --

Se'ns diu com ens hem de vestir-

(Laughter)

(Riures)

-- and how to do our hair --

-i com ens hem de pantinar-

(Laughter)

(Riures)

-- and how to behave.

- i com ens hem de comportar.

Now the rules that I'm talking about

Ara bé, les normes de les que parlo

are constantly being monitored by the culture.

són constantment vigilades per la cultura.

We're being corrected,

Estem sent corregides.

and the primary policemen are women,

Les principals policies són dones,

because we are the carriers of the tradition.

perquè som les portadores de la tradició.

We pass it down from generation to generation.

La passem de generació en generació.

Not only that --

No només,

we always have this vague notion

tenim sempre aquesta idea vaga

that something's expected of us.

de que s'espera alguna cosa de nosaltres.

And on top of all off these rules,

I a sobre de totes aquestes normes,

they keep changing.

continuen canviant.

(Laughter)

(Riures)

We don't know what's going on half the time,

La meitat del temps no sabem què és el que está passant,

so it puts us in a very tenuous position.

i això ens posa dins una situació delicada.

(Laughter)

(Riures)

Now if you don't like these rules,

Ara bé, si no els agraden aquestes normes,

and many of us don't --

i a moltes de nosaltres no ens agraden-

I know I didn't, and I still don't,

jo sé que a mi no m'agradaven, i encara no m'agraden,

even though I follow them half the time,

tot i que les segueixo la meitat del temps,

not quite aware that I'm following them --

sense ser del tot conscient d'estar seguint-les-

what better way than to change them [than] with humor?

quina manera millor de canviar-les que amb humor?

Humor relies on the traditions of a society.

L'humor es basa en les tradicions d'una societat.

It takes what we know, and it twists it.

Pren el que coneixem, i ho distorsiona.

It takes the codes of behavior and the codes of dress,

Pren el codis de comportament i els codis de vestimenta,

and it makes it unexpected,

i els fa inesperats,

and that's what elicits a laugh.

i això és el que provoca riures.

Now what if you put together women and humor?

Ara bé, què passa si ajuntem la dona i l'humor?

I think you can get change.

Jo penso que podem obtenir un canvi.

Because women are on the ground floor,

Perquè les dones estan a la planta baixa,

and we know the traditions so well,

i coneixem les tradicions tan bé,

we can bring a different voice to the table.

podem portar una veu diferent a la taula

Now I started drawing

Bé, jo vaig començar a dibuixar

in the middle of a lot of chaos.

en mig de molt de caos.

I grew up not far from here in Washington D.C.

Vaig créixer no molt lluny d´aquí a Washington D.C.

during the Civil Rights movement, the assassinations,

durant el moviment dels Drets Civils, els assassinats,

the Watergate hearings and then the feminist movement,

el judici de Watergate i el moviment feminista.

and I think I was drawing,

I crec que jo dibuixava,

trying to figure out what was going on.

per intentar entendre el que estava passant.

And then also my family was in chaos,

I a la vegada, la meva família estava en caos llavors.

and I drew to try to bring my family together --

I dibuixava per intentar mantenir unida la família-

(Laughter)

(Riures)

-- try to bring my family together with laughter.

-intentar unir la meva família amb riures.

It didn't work.

No va funcionar.

My parents got divorced, and my sister was arrested.

Els meus pares es van divorciar, i a la meva germana la van arrestar.

But I found my place.

Però vaig trobar el meu lloc.

I found that I didn't have to wear high heels,

Vaig descobrir que no havia de portar tacons,

I didn't have to wear pink,

no havia de vestir de rosa,

and I could feel like I fit in.

i podia sentir que encaixava.

Now when I was a little older, in my 20s,

Ara bé, quan vaig ser una mica més gran, als 20,

I realized there are not many women in cartooning.

Em vaig adonar que no hi ha gaires dones dins el món de la caricatura.

And I thought, "Well, maybe I can break

I vaig pensar, "Bé, potser puc rompre

the little glass ceiling of cartooning,"

el petit sostre de vidre del món de la caricatura."

and so I did. I became a cartoonist.

I així ho vaig fer; em vaig fer dibuixant.

And then I thought -- in my 40s I started thinking,

I llavors vaig pensar, als 40 vaig començar a pensar

"Well, why don't I do something?

"Bé, per què no faig alguna cosa?

I always loved political cartoons,

Sempre m'havia agradat la caricatura política,

so why don't I do something with the content of my cartoons

així que, ¿per què no faig alguna cosa amb el contingut de les meves caricatures

to make people think about the stupid rules that we're following

per fer reflexionar a la gent sobre les normes estúpides que estem seguint

as well as laugh?"

a més de fer riure?"

Now my perspective

Ara la meva perspectiva

is a particularly --

és particularment-

(Laughter)

(Riures)

-- my perspective is a particularly American perspective.

- la meva perspectiva és particularment una perspectiva americana.

I can't help it. I live here.

No ho puc evitar. Visc aquí.

Even though I've traveled a lot,

Tot i que he viatjat moltíssim,

I still think like an American woman.

encara penso com una dona americana.

But I believe that the rules that I'm talking about

Però crec que les normes de les que parlo

are universal, of course --

són universals, és clar-

that each culture has its different codes of behavior

cada cultura té els seus diferents codis de conducta

and dress and traditions,

i de vestimenta i tradicions,

and each woman has to deal with these same things

i cada dona ha de lluitar amb aquestes mateixes coses

that we do here in the U.S.

que fem aquí als EE.UU

Consequently, we have.

Com a conseqüència, tenim-

Women, because we're on the ground, we know the tradition.

dones, perquè estem de peus a terra, coneixem la tradició-

We have amazing antennae.

tenim una antena impressionant.

Now my work lately

Ara, últimament la meva feina

has been to collaborate with international cartoonists,

ha estat col.laborar amb caricaturistes internacionals,

which I so enjoy,

que de fet m'encanta

and it's given me a greater appreciation

I m'ha aportat una apreciació major

for the power of cartoons

pel poder de les caricatures

to get at the truth,

per arribar a la veritat,

to get at the issues quickly and succinctly.

per arribar als problemes ràpida i succintament.

And not only that, it can get to the viewer

I no només això, pot arrivar a l'espectador

through not only the intellect, but through the heart.

a través, no només de l'intel.lecte, sinò també del cor.

My work also has allowed me to collaborate

El meu treball també m'ha permès col.laborar

with women cartoonists from across the world --

amb caricaturistes dones de tot el món-

countries such as Saudi Arabia,

països com Aràbia Saudí,

Iran, Turkey,

Iran, Turquia,

Argentina, France --

Argentina, França-

and we have sat together and laughed

i ens hem assegut juntes i hem rigut

and talked and shared our difficulties.

i parlat i compartit les nostres dificultats.

And these women are working so hard to get their voices heard

I aquestes dones estan treballant tan de debò per aconseguir que les seves veus siguin escoltades

in some very difficult circumstances.

en circumstàncies molt difícils.

But I feel blessed to be able to work with them.

Però em sento afortunada de poder treballar amb elles.

And we talk about

I parlem de

how women have such strong perceptions,

com les dones tenen aquestes percepcions fortes

because of our tenuous position

degut a la nostra posició tènue

and our role as tradition-keepers,

i el nostre rol com a conservadores de la tradició,

that we can have the great potential

que podem tenir el gran potencial

to be change-agents.

de ser portadores del canvi.

And I think, I truly believe,

I jo penso, crec de veritat,

that we can change this thing

que canviem això

one laugh at a time.

riure a riure.

Thank you.

Gràcies.

(Applause)

(Aplaudiments)