Courtney Martin: Reinventing feminism

Prevoditelj: Kristina Gottwald Recezent: Mislav Ante Omazić - EFZG

So I was born

Rodila sam se

on the last day

zadnjeg dana

of the last year of the '70s.

zadnje godine sedamdestih.

I was raised on "Free to be you and me" --

Odgojena sam u duhu projekta "Slobodni da budemo...i ja i ti",

(cheering)

(Poklici iz publike)

hip-hop --

na hip-hopu,

not as many woohoos for hip-hop in the house.

ne čujem toliko ovacija za hip hop.

Thank you. Thank you for hip-hop --

Hvala vam. Hvala vam na hip-hopu

and Anita Hill.

i Aniti Hill.

(Cheering)

(Poklici iz publike)

My parents were radicals --

Moji roditelji su bili radikali --

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

who became,

koji su postali

well, grown-ups.

pa, odrasli.

My dad facetiously says,

Moj otac je znao reći u šali,

"We wanted to save the world,

"Htjeli smo spasiti svijet,

and instead we just got rich."

i umjesto toga smo se obogatili."

We actually just got "middle class"

Srednja klasa je tek nedavno nastala

in Colorado Springs, Colorado,

u Colorado Springsu, Colorado,

but you get the picture.

ali shvaćate o čemu je riječ.

I was raised with a very heavy sense

Odgojena sam sa snažnim osjećajem

of unfinished legacy.

nedovršenog naslijeđa.

At this ripe old age of 30,

Sa svojih zrelih 30 godina

I've been thinking a lot about what it means to grow up

puno sam razmišljala o značenju odrastanja

in this horrible, beautiful time,

u ovom strašnom predivnom vremenu.

and I've decided, for me,

I odlučila sam da je, za mene,

it's been a real journey and paradox.

to bilo pravo putovanje i paradoks.

The first paradox

Prvi paradoks je

is that growing up is about rejecting the past

odrastanje u kojem prvo odbacujemo prošlost,

and then promptly reclaiming it.

a zatim ju brzo ponovno prihvaćamo.

Feminism was the water I grew up in.

Feminizam je bio plodno tlo moga odgoja.

When I was just a little girl,

Kad sam bila djevojčica,

my mom started what is now

moja majka je osnovala danas

the longest-running women's film festival in the world.

najdugovječniji ženski filmski festival na svijetu.

So while other kids were watching sitcoms and cartoons,

Dok su ostala djeca gledala serije i crtiće,

I was watching very esoteric documentaries

ja sam gledala ezoterične dokumentarce

made by and about women.

koje su napravile žene o ženama.

You can see how this had an influence.

Shvaćate kakav je to utjecaj imalo na mene.

But she was not the only feminist in the house.

Ali ona nije bila jedina feministkinja u našoj kući.

My dad actually resigned

Moj otac je istupio

from the male-only business club in my hometown

iz muškog poslovnog kluba u mojem gradu

because he said he would never be part of an organization

jer nije htio biti dio organizacije

that would one day welcome his son, but not his daughter.

koja će jednog dana prihvatiti njegovog sina, ali ne i kćer.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

He's actually here today.

Danas je s nama.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

The trick here

Stvar je u tome

is my brother would become an experimental poet,

da je moj brat postao eksperimentalni pjesnik,

not a businessman,

a ne poslovni čovjek,

but the intention was really good.

ali namjera je bila dobra.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

In any case, I didn't readily claim the feminist label,

U svakom slučaju, nisam objeručke prihvatila etiketu feministkinje,

even though it was all around me,

iako je feminizam bio svuda oko mene,

because I associated it with my mom's women's groups,

jer sam ga povezivala sa ženskim grupama moje majke,

her swishy skirts and her shoulder pads --

s njezinim šuškavim suknjama i jastučićima za ramena

none of which had much cachet

koji nisu bili baš popularni

in the hallways of Palmer High School

u hodnicima srednje škole Palmer

where I was trying to be cool at the time.

gdje sam u to vrijeme pokušavala biti kul.

But I suspected there was something really important

Ali znala sam da postoji nešto prilično važno

about this whole feminism thing,

oko cijele te feminističke priče,

so I started covertly tiptoeing into my mom's bookshelves

pa sam počela tajno pretraživati police moje majke,

and picking books off and reading them --

birala knjige i čitala ih,

never, of course, admitting that I was doing so.

nikad, naravno, ne priznajući da to radim.

I didn't actually claim the feminist label

Nisam se nazivala feministkinjom

until I went to Barnard College

dok nisam krenula na sveučilište Barnard

and I heard Amy Richards and Jennifer Baumgardner speak for the first time.

i prvi put čula predavanja Amy Richards i Jennifer Baumgardner.

They were the co-authors of a book called "Manifesta."

One su koautorice knjige "Manifesta".

So what very profound epiphany, you might ask,

Mogli bi se zapitati, kakvo je to prosvjetljenje

was responsible for my feminist click moment?

bilo zaslužno za aktiviranje feminizma u meni?

Fishnet stockings.

Mrežaste čarape.

Jennifer Baumgardner was wearing them.

Jennifer Baumgardner ih je imala na sebi.

I thought they were really hot.

Jako su mi se svidjele.

I decided, okay, I can claim the feminist label.

I odlučila sam, u redu, bit ću feministkinja.

Now I tell you this --

Govorim vam ovo --

I tell you this at the risk of embarrassing myself,

uz rizik da ću se osramotiti

because I think part of the work of feminism

jer smatram kako je dio feminizma

is to admit that aesthetics, that beauty,

priznanje da estetika, ljepota,

that fun do matter.

zabava jesu važni.

There are lots of very modern political movements

Postoji mnogo modernih političkih pokreta

that have caught fire in no small part

koji su postali aktualni

because of cultural hipness.

radi popularnosti u kulturi.

Anyone heard of these two guys as an example?

Je li netko možda čuo za ovu dvojicu?

So my feminism is very indebted to my mom's,

Moja majka je uvelike zaslužna za moj feminizam,

but it looks very different.

ali pogledi su drugačiji.

My mom says, "patriarchy."

Moja majka kaže "patrijarhat".

I say, "intersectionality."

Ja kažem "intersekcionalitet".

So race, class, gender, ability,

Tako da naša rasa, klasa, spol, sposobnost,

all of these things go into our experiences

sve te sastavnice čine naša iskustva

of what it means to be a woman.

koja nam definiraju značenje žene.

Pay equity? Yes. Absolutely a feminist issue.

Jednake plaće? Da. Apsolutno feminističko pitanje.

But for me, so is immigration. (Applause)

Ali za mene, je također to i imigracija. (Pljesak)

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

My mom says, "Protest march."

Moja majka kaže "prosvjedni pohod".

I say, "Online organizing."

Ja kažem "online organizacija".

I co-edit, along with a collective

Surađujem s grupom

of other super-smart, amazing women,

super pametnih, iznimnih žena

a site called Feministing.com.

na web stranici "Feministing.com".

We are the most widely read feminist publication ever,

Postala je najšire čitana feministička publikacija ikad,

and I tell you this

i govorim vam ovo

because I think it's really important to see

jer mislim kako je važno primjetiti

that there's a continuum.

da postoji kontinuitet.

Feminist blogging is basically the 21st century version

Feministički blogovi su postali

of consciousness raising.

sredstvo osvještavanja 21. stoljeća.

But we also have a straightforward political impact.

Također imamo izravan politički utjecaj.

Feministing has been able

"Feministing" je omogućio

to get merchandise pulled off the shelves of Walmart.

povlačenje proizvoda s polica u supermarketima.

We got a misogynist administrator sending us hate-mail

Dobivali smo mejlove mizoginog administratora

fired from a Big Ten school.

koji je kasnije dobio otkaz iz jedne od najboljih škola.

And one of our biggest successes

Jedni od naših najvećih uspjeha

is we get mail from teenage girls in the middle of Iowa

su mailovi koje dobivamo od tinejdžerica iz Iowe

who say, "I Googled Jessica Simpson and stumbled on your site.

koje pišu "Googlale smo Jessicu Simpson i naišle na vašu stranicu.

I realized feminism wasn't about man-hating and Birkenstocks."

Shvatile smo da feminizam nije mržnja prema muškarcima i nošenje Birkenstocksica."

So we're able to pull in the next generation

Tako da smo uspjele privući novu generaciju

in a totally new way.

na potpuno novi način.

My mom says, "Gloria Steinem."

Moja majka kaže "Gloria Steinem".

I say, "Samhita Mukhopadhyay,

Ja kažem "Samhita Mukhopadhyay,

Miriam Perez, Ann Friedman,

Miriam Perez, Ann Friedman,

Jessica Valenti, Vanessa Valenti,

Jessica Valenti, Vanessa Valenti,

and on and on and on and on."

i tako dalje, i tako dalje."

We don't want one hero.

Mi ne želimo jednog heroja.

We don't want one icon.

Ne želimo jednu ikonu.

We don't want one face.

Ne želimo jedno lice.

We are thousands of women and men across this country

Tisuće žena i muškaraca diljem zemlje

doing online writing, community organizing,

pišu, organiziraju zajednice,

changing institutions from the inside out --

mijenjaju institucije iznutra,

all continuing the incredible work

svi nastavljaju nevjerojatne akcije

that our mothers and grandmothers started.

koje su započele naše majke i bake.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

Which brings me to the second paradox:

Što me dovodi do drugog paradoksa:

sobering up about our smallness

osvještavanje naše sitnosti

and maintaining faith in our greatness

i održavanje vjere u našu veličinu

all at once.

u isto vrijeme.

Many in my generation --

Mnogi su iz moje generacije,

because of well-intentioned parenting and self-esteem education --

radi dobronamjernog odgoja i obrazovanja samopouzdanja,

were socialized to believe

naučeni vjerovati

that we were special little snowflakes --

da smo posebne snježne pahuljice

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

who were going to go out and save the world.

koje će spasiti svijet.

These are three words many of us were raised with.

To su riječi koje su nas odgojile.

We walk across graduation stages,

Nakon što diplomiramo

high on our overblown expectations,

puni smo napuhanih očekivanja

and when we float back down to earth,

i kad se vratimo na zemlju,

we realize we don't know what the heck it means

shvatimo da zapravo ne znamo što točno znači

to actually save the world anyway.

spasiti svijet.

The mainstream media often paints my generation

U medijima je moja generacija opisana

as apathetic,

kao ravnodušna.

and I think it's much more accurate

Smatram da je točnije

to say we are deeply overwhelmed.

reći da smo izgubljeni.

And there's a lot to be overwhelmed about, to be fair --

Iskreno, u mnogim stvarima možemo biti izgubljeni;

an environmental crisis,

ekološka kriza,

wealth disparity in this country

razlika u imetku u ovoj zemlji

unlike we've seen since 1928,

kakvu nismo vidjeli od 1928. godine,

and globally,

i globalno,

a totally immoral and ongoing wealth disparity.

potpuno nemoralna raspodjela bogatstva u tijeku.

Xenophobia's on the rise. The trafficking of women and girls.

Ksenofobija u porastu, trgovina ženama i djevojčicama.

It's enough to make you feel very overwhelmed.

Sve je to dovoljno da se osjećate izgubljeno.

I experienced this firsthand myself

Sama sam to osjetila

when I graduated from Barnard College in 2002.

kad sam diplomirala na visokoj školi Barnard 2002. godine.

I was fired up; I was ready to make a difference.

Bila sam puna elana, spremna promijeniti svijet.

I went out and I worked at a non-profit,

Krenula sam i počela raditi pro bono,

I went to grad school, I phone-banked,

Išla sam na diplomski studij, radila u pozivnom centru,

I protested, I volunteered,

protestirala sam, volontirala

and none of it seemed to matter.

i činilo se kao da ništa ne pomaže.

And on a particularly dark night

I onda jedne posebno mračne noći

of December of 2004,

u prosincu 2004. godine,

I sat down with my family,

sjela sam sa svojom obitelji

and I said that I had become very disillusioned.

i zaključila kako sam se razočarala.

I admitted that I'd actually had a fantasy -- kind of a dark fantasy --

Priznala sam da sam zamišljala, što je pomalo mračno,

of writing a letter

kako pišem pismo

about everything that was wrong with the world

o svemu što ne funkcionira u svijetu

and then lighting myself on fire

te kako se samozapaljujem

on the White House steps.

na stepenicama Bijele kuće.

My mom

Moja majka

took a drink of her signature Sea Breeze,

je popila gutljaj svog koktela,

her eyes really welled with tears,

oči su joj se ispunile suzama,

and she looked right at me and she said,

pogledala je ravno u mene i rekla:

"I will not stand

"Neću trpiti

for your desperation."

tvoj očaj."

She said, "You are smarter, more creative

Rekla je: "Pametnija si, kreativnija

and more resilient than that."

i otpornija od toga."

Which brings me to my third paradox.

Što me dovodi do trećeg paradoksa.

Growing up is about aiming to succeed wildly

Odrastanje je pokušaj brzog uspjeha

and being fulfilled by failing really well.

i uspjeh velikog neuspjeha.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

There's a writer I've been deeply influenced by, Parker Palmer,

Jedan pisac je veoma utjecao na mene, Parker Palmer,

and he writes that many of us are often whiplashed

koji piše kako su mnogi od nas često neodlučni

"between arrogant overestimation of ourselves

"između arogantne precijenjenosti

and a servile underestimation of ourselves."

i pokorne podcijenjenosti samih sebe."

You may have guessed by now,

Vjerojatno ste i sami dosad zaključili

I did not light myself on fire.

da se nisam samozapalila.

I did what I know to do in desperation, which is write.

Napravila sam ono što uvijek radim iz očaja, pisala sam.

I wrote the book I needed to read.

Napisala sam knjigu koju sam trebala pročitati.

I wrote a book about eight incredible people

Napisala sam knjigu o osmero nevjerojatnih ljudi

all over this country

diljem ove zemlje

doing social justice work.

koji se bave socijalnom pravdom.

I wrote about Nia Martin-Robinson,

Pisala sam o Niji Martin-Robinson,

the daughter of Detroit and two civil rights activists,

kćeri Detroita i dvoje aktivista za ljudska prava,

who's dedicating her life

koja je posvetila svoj život

to environmental justice.

okolišnoj pravdi.

I wrote about Emily Apt

Pisala sam o Emily Apt

who initially became a caseworker in the welfare system

koja je isprva bila socijalna radnica

because she decided that was the most noble thing she could do,

jer je smatrala kako je to najplemenitije zvanje kojim se može baviti,

but quickly learned, not only did she not like it,

ali je brzo shvatila da, ne samo da joj se nije sviđalo,

but she wasn't really good at it.

već nije ni bila jako dobra u tome.

Instead, what she really wanted to do was make films.

Ono što je zapravo htjela raditi je bilo snimanje filmova.

So she made a film about the welfare system

Napravila je film o socijalnoj pomoći

and had a huge impact.

koji je imao veliki utjecaj.

I wrote about Maricela Guzman, the daughter of Mexican immigrants,

Pisala sam o Mariceli Guzman, kćeri imigranata iz Meksika,

who joined the military so she could afford college.

koja se pridružila vojsci kako bi platila školovanje.

She was actually sexually assaulted in boot camp

Za vrijeme osnovnog treninga, bila je seksualno napadnuta

and went on to co-organize a group

nakon čega je koorganizirala grupu

called the Service Women's Action Network.

nazvanu 'Mreža za podršku žena u službi'.

What I learned from these people and others

Ovi ljudi su me naučili

was that I couldn't judge them

da im ne mogu suditi

based on their failure to meet their very lofty goals.

samo na osnovi njihovih poraza da ostvare nejasne ciljeve.

Many of them are working in deeply intractable systems --

Mnogi od njih rade u nedodirljivim sustavima,

the military, congress,

kao što su vojska, kongres,

the education system, etc.

obrazovni sustav, itd.

But what they managed to do within those systems

Ali ono što uspiju napraviti unutar tih sustava

was be a humanizing force.

je snaga čovječnosti.

And at the end of the day,

I na samom kraju,

what could possibly be more important than that?

što može biti važnije od toga?

Cornel West says, "Of course it's a failure.

Cornel West je rekao, "Naravno da je to neupjeh.

But how good a failure is it?"

Ali koliko je to dobar neuspjeh?"

This isn't to say we give up our wildest, biggest dreams.

Ne želim reći da bismo trebali odustati od naših najvećih snova.

It's to say we operate on two levels.

Ovdje želim reči kako možemo funkcionirati na dvije razine.

On one,

Na jednoj razini

we really go after changing these broken systems

slijedimo te pokvarene sustave

of which we find ourselves a part.

kojih smo i sami dio.

But on the other, we root our self-esteem

Ali, na drugoj razini, pokušavamo osvjestiti samopoštovanje

in the daily acts of trying to make one person's day

u svakodnevnim radnjama kojima drugima uljepšavamo dan,

more kind, more just, etc.

činimo ga srdačnijim, pravednijim, itd.

So when I was a little girl,

Kad sam bila djevojčica,

I had a couple of very strange habits.

imala sam par čudnih navika.

One of them was

Znala sam

I used to lie on the kitchen floor of my childhood home,

ležati na kuhinjskom podu svoga doma,

and I would suck the thumb of my left hand

cuclati palac lijeve ruke

and hold my mom's cold toes with my right hand.

i držati hladne nožne prste moje majke desnom rukom.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

I was listening to her talk on the phone, which she did a lot.

Slušala sam ju kako priča na telefon, što je često radila.

She was talking about board meetings,

Pričala je o sastancima odbora,

she was founding peace organizations,

osnivala je mirovne organizacije,

she was coordinating carpools, she was consoling friends --

koordinirala prijevoze, tješila prijatelje,

all these daily acts of care and creativity.

sve te svakodnevne radnje brige i kreativnosti.

And surely, at three and four years old,

I naravno, s tri ili četiri godine,

I was listening to the soothing sound of her voice,

slušala sam njezin smirujući glas.

but I think I was also getting my first lesson in activist work.

Ali mislim da sam i dobivala prve lekcije o aktivističkom radu.

The activists I interviewed

Aktivisti koje sam intervjuirala

had nothing in common, literally, except for one thing,

nisu imali ništa zajedničko, osim jedne stvari;

which was that they all cited their mothers

svi su naveli svoje majke

as their most looming and important

kao najsnažnije i najvažnije

activist influences.

aktivističke utjecaje.

So often, particularly at a young age,

Tako da često, pogotovo kad smo mladi,

we look far afield

predaleko tražimo

for our models of the meaningful life,

uzore značajnog života,

and sometimes they're in our own kitchens,

koji su nekad u našim kuhinjama,

talking on the phone, making us dinner,

razgovaraju na telefon, rade nam večeru,

doing all that keeps the world going around and around.

rade sve ono što održava ovaj svijet.

My mom and so many women like her

Moja majka, i mnogo žena slične njoj,

have taught me that life is not about glory,

su me naučile da smisao života nije slava

or certainty, or security even.

niti nužnost niti čak sigurnost.

It's about embracing the paradox.

Smisao je prihvaćanje paradoksa.

It's about acting in the face of overwhelm.

Smisao je reagirati na izgubljenost.

And it's about loving people really well.

I smisao je voljeti ljude.

And at the end of the day,

Na samom kraju

these things make for a lifetime

ove stvari pružaju život ispunjen

of challenge and reward.

izazovima i nagradama.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)