4 larger-than-life lessons from soap operas | Kate Adams

翻译人员: Conway Ye 校对人员: 易帆 余

In 1987, Tina Lord found herself in quite the pickle.

1987年，蒂娜罗德发现自己深陷困境。

See, this gold digger made sure she married sweet Cord Roberts

所以，这个拜金女决定在 善良的科德 罗伯特

just before he inherited millions.

继承百万遗产之前嫁给他。

But when Cord found out Tina loved his money

但当科德发现她爱他的钱财，

as much as she loved him,

和爱他一样多时，

he dumped her.

他甩了她。

Cord's mother Maria was thrilled

科德的妈妈玛利亚很开心

until they hooked up again.

直到他们又搞在一起。

所以玛利亚雇了 马克思 赫登引诱蒂娜，

So Maria hired Max Holden to romance Tina

and then made sure Cord didn't find out Tina was pregnant with his baby.

并确保科德不知道蒂娜怀了他的孩子。

So Tina, still married but thinking Cord didn't love her

所以蒂娜还是嫁了， 但觉得科德不爱她了，

flew to Argentina with Max.

所以就和马克思飞到阿根廷。

Cord finally figured out what was going on

科德后来知道发生了什么事，

and rushed after them, but he was too late.

前去追赶他们，但为时已晚。

Tina had already been kidnapped,

当时蒂娜已经被绑架，

strapped to a raft and sent over a waterfall.

她被绑在一条筏上，冲下了瀑布。

She and her baby were presumed dead.

她和孩子被推断已经死亡。

Cord was sad for a bit,

科德有点伤心，

but then he bounced right back

但是他恢复的很快，

with a supersmart archaeologist named Kate,

和一个叫卡特的 聪明考古学家在一起了，

and they had a gorgeous wedding

他们举行了一场美丽的婚礼，

until Tina, seemingly back from the dead, ran into the church holding a baby.

直到被认为死亡的蒂娜 抱着一个婴儿冲进教堂，

“停！”她尖叫，

"Stop!" she screamed.

"Am I too late?

“我来晚了吗？

Cord, I've come so far.

科德，我克服万难回来了。

This is your son."

这是你的儿子。”

And that, ladies and gentlemen,

而这，女士们先生们，

is how the soap opera "One Life to Live" introduced a love story

这就是肥皂剧《只此一生》，

一个持续了25年的爱情故事。

that lasted 25 years.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now, if you've ever seen a soap opera,

如果你看过肥皂剧，

you know the stories and the characters can be exaggerated, larger than life,

你就会知道那些故事和角色 可能很夸张，超出实际，

and if you're a fan, you find that exaggeration fun,

如果你是一个粉丝， 你会发现这种夸张很有意思，

and if you're not,

如果你不是粉丝，

maybe you find them melodramatic or unsophisticated.

你会发现它们很情绪化和肤浅。

Maybe you think watching soap operas

可能你觉得看肥皂剧

is a waste of time,

是浪费时间，

that their bigness means their lessons are small or nonexistent.

夸张的剧情意味着没什么教育目的 或甚至根本不存在。

But I believe the opposite to be true.

但是我相信，反过来说才是对的。

Soap operas reflect life, just bigger.

肥皂剧反映了人生，只是夸张些。

So there are real life lessons we can learn from soap operas,

因為我们能从肥皂剧中 学到真实的人生道理，

and those lessons are as big and adventurous

而这些道理与肥皂剧剧情

as any soap opera storyline.

一样夸张且新奇。

Now, I've been a fan since I ran home from the bus stop in second grade

我是个大粉丝，从二年级开始， 我每天从车站跑回家

desperate to catch the end of Luke and Laura's wedding,

就为了看卢克和罗拉婚礼的故事结局，

the biggest moment in "General Hospital" history.

那是《综合医院》这场戏剧的重大时刻。

（鼓掌）

(Applause)

So you can imagine how much I loved my eight years

所以你可以想象我多么热爱

as the assistant casting director on "As the World Turns."

担任《地球照转》八年的助理导演。

My job was watching soap operas,

我的工作是看肥皂剧，

reading soap opera scripts

阅读肥皂剧本

并面试肥皂剧演员。

and auditioning actors to be on soap operas.

So I know my stuff.

所以我知道自己在干嘛。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And yes, soap operas

是的，肥皂剧

are larger than life,

比现实生活要夸张，

drama on a grand scale,

更大程度的戏剧化，

but our lives can be filled with as much intensity,

但是我们的生活也可以一样紧张、

and the stakes can feel just as dramatic.

利害关系也可以一样戏剧化。

We cycle through tragedy and joy

人生当中不断的悲欢离合

就像那些角色一样。

just like these characters.

我们跨越困境，与恶魔斗争 和在无意中找到了救赎，

We cross thresholds, fight demons and find salvation unexpectedly,

and we do it again and again and again,

而且我们一次又一次的做这样的事情，

but just like soaps, we can flip the script,

但是就像肥皂剧，我们可以改变局面，

which means we can learn from these characters

也就是说，我们可以从這些像大黄蜂一样，

that move like bumblebees,

被生活忙的团团转的角色身上

looping and swerving through life.

学到东西。

我们可以用这些教训，

And we can use those lessons

to craft our own life stories.

刻画出我们自己的人生故事。

Soap operas teach us to push away doubt

肥皂剧教我们不要怀疑

and believe in our capacity

并相信自己

for bravery, vulnerability,

勇敢、脆弱、

adaptability and resilience.

适应及恢复的能力。

And most importantly, they show us

最重要的，它们告诉我们

it's never too late to change your story.

要改变自己的故事永远不会太晚。

所以，我们从肥皂剧的第一课开始：

So with that, let's start with soap opera lesson one:

投降不是选择。

surrender is not an option.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

《我的孩子们》的艾瑞卡 卡恩 是电视版的斯佳丽 奥哈拉，

"All My Children"'s Erica Kane was daytime's version of Scarlett O'Hara,

a hyperbolically self-important princess

一个夸张、以自我为中心的公主

who deep down was scrappy and daring.

她的内心深处是好斗和大胆。

Now, in her 41 years on TV, perhaps Erica's most famous scene

艾瑞卡在她41年的电视生涯中， 可能是最出名的场景就是：

is her alone in the woods

她独自在森林里

suddenly face to face with a grizzly bear.

突然和一个灰熊面对面。

She screamed at the bear,

她朝灰熊大喊：

"You may not do this!

“你不能这样！

Do you understand me?

你听不懂吗？

You may not come near me!

你不能靠近我！

I am Erica Kane

我是艾瑞卡 卡恩

and you are a filthy beast!"

而你是一个卑劣的野兽！”

（笑声）

(Laughter)

And of course the bear left,

当然，灰熊离开了，

so what that teaches us

所以这教会我们

is obstacles are to be expected

人生总会有障碍

and we can choose to surrender or we can stand and fight.

但我们可以选择投降，或者站出来斗争。

Pandora's Tim Westergren knows this better than most.

潘多拉的蒂姆 韦斯特格伦 最了解这个道理。

你甚至可以叫他硅谷的艾瑞卡 卡恩。

You might even call him the Erica Kane of Silicon Valley.

蒂姆和其他联合创始人

Tim and his cofounders launched the company

集资了两百万，成立公司。

with two million dollars in funding.

They were out of cash the next year.

但他们在第二年就用光了资金。

Now, lots of companies fold at that point, but Tim chose to fight.

很多公司都在那个时候放弃， 但是蒂姆选择斗争。

He maxed out 11 credit cards and racked up six figures in personal debt

他刷爆11张信用卡， 背负了六位数的债务，

and it still wasn't enough.

但这还不够。

So every two weeks for two years on payday he stood in front of his employees

两年来每两周发工资的那天， 他都会站在他的员工前

and he asked them to sacrifice their salaries,

请求他们放弃他们的工资，

这有了成效。

and it worked.

More than 50 people deferred two million dollars,

超过50个人贡献了两百万美金，

and now, more than a decade later,

现在，十多年后。

Pandora is worth billions.

潘多拉的估值高达几十亿。

When you believe that there is a way

当你相信有办法

around or through whatever is in front of you,

可以解决你眼前所面对的任何问题时，

that surrender is not an option,

投降不是一个选择，

you can overcome enormous obstacles.

你可以克服巨大的障碍。

Which brings us to soap opera lesson two:

來到肥皂剧的第二课：

sacrifice your ego and drop the superiority complex.

放下你的自大和高人一等的情绪。

Now, this is scary.

这有点可怕。

It's an acknowledgment of need or fallibility.

这是对人性需求和错误的认知。

Maybe it's even an admission

可能这甚至是对我们自己

that we're not as special as we might like to think.

并没有想象中那样特殊的覺悟。

《大胆而美丽》的 斯坦芬尼 福瑞斯特

Stephanie Forrester of "The Bold and the Beautiful"

thought she was pretty darn special.

认为她自己非常特殊。

She thought she was so special,

她觉得她特殊到

she didn't need to mix with the riffraff from the valley,

不需要和来自村庄的普通人往来，

and she made sure valley girl Brooke knew it.

她还警告村庄的女孩布鲁克要知道这点。

But after nearly 25 years of epic fighting,

但是在快25年的史诗般的斗争后，

Stephanie got sick and let Brooke in.

斯坦芬尼生病了， 让布鲁克进入了她的内心。

They made amends,

她们重修旧好，

archenemies became soul mates

從敌人变成了灵魂伴侣，

and Stephanie died in Brooke's arms,

最后斯坦芬尼死在布鲁克的怀里，

这就是我们学到的：

and here's our takeaway.

Drop your ego.

放下你的自大。

人生谈的不是你，

Life is not about you.

It's about us,

人生谈的我们，

and our ability to experience joy

谈的是我们享受快乐、爱情

and love and to improve our reality

和改善现状的能力，

comes only when we make ourselves vulnerable

只有在我们最脆弱的时候，

and we accept responsibility for our actions

承担起我们所作所为的责任

以及不作为的责任。

and our inactions,

kind of like Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks.

有点像霍华德 舒尔茨， 星巴克的CEO，

Now, after a great run as CEO,

在結束了偉大的 CEO 任职后，

Howard stepped down in 2000,

霍华德在2000年辞职，

and Starbucks quickly overextended itself

但星巴克因迅速地过度扩张，

and stock prices fell.

造成股价下跌。

Howard rejoined the team in 2008,

霍华德在2008年重新加入团队，

and one of the first things he did

他做的第一件事，

was apologize to all 180,000 employees.

就是向18万员工道歉。

He apologized.

他向员工道歉，

And then he asked for help, honesty, and ideas in return.

并寻求帮助、真诚和建议。

And now, Starbucks has more than doubled

现在，自从霍华德归队后，

its net revenue since Howard came back.

星巴克的净利润超过两倍。

所以放下自己对正确和安全的渴望，

So sacrifice your desire to be right or safe all the time.

並不会帮助到任何人，也帮不了自己。

It's not helping anyone, least of all you.

Sacrifice your ego.

放下你的自大。

Soap opera lesson three:

肥皂剧课程三：

evolution is real.

进化是現实的。

You're not meant to be static characters.

并不是要你去当一位 一层不变的次要角色。

On television, static equals boring and boring equals fired.

在电视圈，一层不变意味着无聊， 无聊意味着随时会被解雇。

Characters are supposed to grow and change.

角色应该有成长和变化。

Now, on TV, those dynamic changes

在电视上，那些充滿變數的改变，

可以创造出一些剧烈的转变，

can make for some rough transitions,

particularly when a character is played by one person yesterday

特别是当一个角色昨天是一个演员，

and played by someone new today.

今天却是另一个演员。

Recasting happens all the time on soaps.

在肥皂剧里，角色重塑是很常见的。

Over the last 20 years,

过去的20年里，

four different actors have played the same key role

四个不同的演员都扮演过

of Carly Benson on "General Hospital."

《综合医院》的重要角色，卡莉 本森。

Each new face triggered a change in the character's life and personality.

每一个崭新的脸庞都引发了 角色的生活和人格的变化。

Now, there was always an essential nugget of Carly in there,

虽然卡莉的本质还在，

but the character and the story adapted to whomever was playing her.

但是角色和故事都要适应扮演她的人。

And here's what that means for us.

对我们来说，这意味着

While we may not swap faces in our own lives,

虽然我们不能在生活中变换面容，

但我们可以进化。

we can evolve too.

We can choose to draw a circle around our feet and stay in that spot,

我们可以选择画地自限，

or we can open ourselves to opportunities

或者我们可以向机会敞开心扉，

like Carly, who went from nursing student to hotel owner,

像卡莉，从一个护士专业学生 变成酒店业主，

or like Julia Child.

像朱莉娅 查尔得，

Julia was a World War II spy,

朱莉娅是一个二战间谍，

and when the war ended, she got married, moved to France,

当战争结束候，她结了婚、搬到法国，

and decided to give culinary school a shot.

并决定去烹饪学校学习。

朱莉娅，她的书和电视节目 颠覆了美国烹饪的方式。

Julia, her books and her TV shows revolutionized the way America cooks.

We all have the power to initiate change in our lives,

我们在生活中，都有启动改变的能力，

to evolve and adapt.

为了进化和适应环境，

We make the choice,

我们做出选择，

but sometimes life chooses for us, and we don't get a heads up.

但有时候我们不得不向生活低头，

意外扇了你一个耳光，

Surprise slams us in the face.

You're flat on the ground, the air is gone,

你躺在地板上，不知所措，

and you need resuscitation.

你需要恢復知觉。

So thank goodness for soap opera lesson four:

所以，感谢肥皂剧的第四课：

重生是有可能的。

resurrection is possible.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

In 1983, "Days of Our Lives"' Stefano DiMera died of a stroke,

1983年，《我们的日子》的 斯特凡诺 德米拉死于中风，

但那不是真的，因为在1984年

but not really, because in 1984

he died when his car plunged into the harbor,

他因车子掉进海港而死亡，

and yet he was back in 1985 with a brain tumor.

但是他在1985年带着脑瘤复活了。

（笑声）

(Laughter)

在肿瘤杀死他之前，

But before the tumor could kill him,

Marlena shot him, and he tumbled off a catwalk to his death.

马里拉朝他开枪， 他摔进狭窄巷道死亡。

And so it went for 30 years.

而这花了30年。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Even when we saw the body,

当我们看到他的尸体，

we knew better.

我们很清楚，

He's called the Phoenix for a reason.

他被称作凤凰是有原因的。

And here's what that means for us.

这对我们的意义是，

只要剧还在播出，

As long as the show is still on the air,

or you're still breathing,

或者你还在呼吸。

nothing is permanent.

没什么是不变的。

Resurrection is possible.

重生是有可能的。

Now, of course, just like life,

当然，就像生活一样，

soap operas do ultimately meet the big finale.

肥皂剧总会有大结局。

CBS canceled my show, "As The World Turns," in December 2009,

CBS在2009年12月取消了 我的肥皂剧——《地球照转》，

and we shot our final episode

我们在2010年6月，

in June 2010.

录制了最后一集。

It was six months of dying

在那痛苦的六个月当中，

and I rode that train right into the mountain.

我的人生看不到光明。

And even though we were in the middle of a huge recession

即使我们的经济仍在衰退，

百万人挣扎着寻找工作，

and millions of people were struggling to find work,

I somehow thought everything would be OK.

但我觉得一切都会变好。

我带着孩子，离开布鲁克林的公寓，

So I packed up the kids and the Brooklyn apartment,

and we moved in with my in-laws

和亲家一起

in Alabama.

居住在阿拉巴马州。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Three months later, nothing was OK.

三个月后，没有好转的迹象。

That was when I watched the final episode air,

在我看了最后一集的播出後，

and I realized the show was not the only fatality.

我意识到不仅那个电视剧结束了，

我也失业了。

I was one too.

我没有了工作，

I was unemployed and living on the second floor

住在亲家的二楼。

of my in-laws' home,

and that's enough to make anyone feel dead inside.

真的有够难受的。

（笑声）

(Laughter)

但是我知道我的故事还没有结束，

But I knew my story wasn't over,

that it couldn't be over.

也不会结束。

I just had to tap into everything I had ever learned about soap operas.

我只要运用我从肥皂剧 里学到的所有东西。

I had to be brave like Erica and refuse to surrender,

我要像艾瑞卡一样勇敢并拒绝投降。

so every day, I made a decision to fight.

所以每天，我都会做一个斗争的决定。

我要像斯坦芬尼一样脆弱，

I had to be vulnerable like Stephanie

and sacrifice my ego.

放下自大。

我要在很多州寻求很多帮助。

I had to ask for help a lot of times across many states.

I had to be adaptable like Carly

我需要像卡莉一样善于适应

and evolve my skills, my mindset, and my circumstances,

并进化我的技能、思考和境遇，

and then I had to be resilient, like Stefano,

然后我还要像斯特凡诺一样顽强，

and resurrect myself and my career

使我自己和我的职业重生

like a phoenix from the ashes.

就像凤凰涅槃一样。

Eventually I got an interview.

最后，我得到了一个面试。

After 15 years in news and entertainment,

在新闻和娱乐界工作了15年，

nine months of unemployment

失业了9个月

and this one interview,

在这次面试之后，

I had an offer for an entry level job.

我得到了一个入门级别的工作机会，

我当时已经37岁，

I was 37 years old

and I was back from the dead.

我复活重生。

We will all experience what looks like an ending,

我们都会经历人生低潮，

and we can choose to make it a beginning.

我们可以选择让低潮成为一个起点。

像蒂娜，奇迹般地从瀑布中存活下来，

Kind of like Tina, who miraculously survived that waterfall,

and because I hate to leave a cliffhanger hanging,

因为我不喜欢剧情有悬念，

Tina and Cord did get divorced,

蒂娜和科德真的离婚了，

但是他们在2012年 剧终之前结了三次婚。

but they got remarried three times before the show went off the air in 2012.

所以记住，

So remember,

as long as there is breath in your body,

只要你还有一口气在，

it's never too late to change your story.

改变你的故事永远不会太晚。

Thank you.

谢谢

(Applause)

（鼓掌）