Courtney Martin: Reinventing feminism

翻译人员: Coco Shen 校对人员: Angelia King

So I was born

我出生于70年代

on the last day

最后一年

of the last year of the '70s.

的最后一天。

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

我是听着“自在作自己”--

(cheering)

(注:1974年New Seekers的一首主打歌) (掌声)

hip-hop --

和嘻哈音乐长大的--

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

这一屋人为嘻哈喝彩的似乎没有那么多。

Thank you. Thank you for hip-hop --

谢谢，谢谢大家为嘻哈（喝彩）--

and Anita Hill.

以及安妮塔·希尔斯（因诉讼最高法院大法官的性骚扰而受关注）

(Cheering)

（喝彩）

My parents were radicals --

我的父母曾经都是激进派--

(Laughter)

（笑声）

who became,

他们后来终于

well, grown-ups.

长大成为成年人。

My dad facetiously says,

我父亲开玩笑地说，

"We wanted to save the world,

“我们曾想拯救世界，

and instead we just got rich."

相反，我们只是变得富裕。”

We actually just got "middle class"

事实上，我们仅仅是中产阶级而已

in Colorado Springs, Colorado,

在科罗拉多州的斯普林斯，

but you get the picture.

但你懂他的意思。

I was raised with a very heavy sense

我是这样在一种浓重的

of unfinished legacy.

未完成的使命下长大。

At this ripe old age of 30,

在三十而立之年，

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

我思考了许多

in this horrible, beautiful time,

在这个恐怖并美好的年代，成年人意味着什么。

and I've decided, for me,

就自己而言，我认定

it's been a real journey and paradox.

它是一个实实在在的旅程，充满了自相矛盾。

The first paradox

第一个矛盾

is that growing up is about rejecting the past

是成长意味着拒绝过去

and then promptly reclaiming it.

又不断接受它。

Feminism was the water I grew up in.

女性主义是我成长的羊水。

When I was just a little girl,

当我还是个小女孩的时候，

my mom started what is now

我母亲在着手做现在

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

世界上最长的女性电影节。

So while other kids were watching sitcoms and cartoons,

所以当其他孩子们在看情景喜剧和卡通的时候，

I was watching very esoteric documentaries

我却在看着难懂的

made by and about women.

由女性制作的关于女性的纪录片。

You can see how this had an influence.

不难看出这对我的影响。

But she was not the only feminist in the house.

我母亲并不是家中唯一的女性主义者。

My dad actually resigned

我父亲事实上从

from the male-only business club in my hometown

我们家乡一个只有男性的商业俱乐部辞了职

because he said he would never be part of an organization

因为他说他永远不想成为

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

一个某一天只欢迎他的儿子，不欢迎他女儿的组织的一份子。

(Applause)

（掌声）

He's actually here today.

其实他今天也在现场。

(Applause)

（掌声）

The trick here

有趣的是，

is my brother would become an experimental poet,

我的兄弟将成为一个实验性诗人，

not a businessman,

而不是商人，

but the intention was really good.

不过初衷的确是很好的。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

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

无论如何，我原来并未为自己戴上女性主义者的标牌，

even though it was all around me,

尽管它处处都在，

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

因为我把它和我母亲在的女性团队联系了起来，

her swishy skirts and her shoulder pads --

还有她们瑟瑟作响的裙子和肩垫--

none of which had much cachet

这些在

in the hallways of Palmer High School

巴尔默高中的门厅中通通找不到

where I was trying to be cool at the time.

我那时还曾试着装酷。

But I suspected there was something really important

但我猜想这整个女性主义的事情中

about this whole feminism thing,

应该有一些很重要的部分，

so I started covertly tiptoeing into my mom's bookshelves

于是我开始偷偷地踮着脚尖走到我母亲的书架旁

and picking books off and reading them --

挑选几本书，读了起来--

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

当然，我从来没有承认干过这件事。

I didn't actually claim the feminist label

其实我一直没有认定自己是女性主义者

until I went to Barnard College

直到我进了伯纳德大学

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

直到第一次听艾米·理查德和珍妮·包姆加德纳的讲话。

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

她们共同写了一本叫做“宣言”的书。

So what very profound epiphany, you might ask,

你也许会问，到底是什么意义深远的顿悟

was responsible for my feminist click moment?

让我带上女性主义的帽子呢？

Fishnet stockings.

渔网袜。

Jennifer Baumgardner was wearing them.

珍妮·包姆加德纳当时正穿着它们呢。

I thought they were really hot.

我当时想这袜子真是性感啊。

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

于是我决定，好，我该贴上女性主义的标签了。

Now I tell you this --

之所以现在，我告诉大家这个--

I tell you this at the risk of embarrassing myself,

还冒着自我难堪的风险，

because I think part of the work of feminism

因为我认为女性主义的一部分的工作

is to admit that aesthetics, that beauty,

是承认这种审美观，这种美，

that fun do matter.

以及这种乐趣本身也是很重要的。

There are lots of very modern political movements

有许多现代的政治运动

that have caught fire in no small part

因为创新时尚文化

because of cultural hipness.

产生很大的影响。

Anyone heard of these two guys as an example?

大家有听到我用她们两个来做例子吗?

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

我要感谢母亲给我带来女权主义的观念，

but it looks very different.

但我和她的女权主义很不同。

My mom says, "patriarchy."

我母亲说“父权主义。”

I say, "intersectionality."

我说“交集。”

So race, class, gender, ability,

种族, 阶级, 性别, 以及能力

all of these things go into our experiences

都会逐渐变成

of what it means to be a woman.

成为一个女人的必然经验。

Pay equity? Yes. Absolutely a feminist issue.

薪资平等?当然，这绝对是女权议题。

But for me, so is immigration. (Applause)

但对我而言，移民也是议题。

Thank you.

谢谢。

My mom says, "Protest march."

我母亲说过“游行示威。”

I say, "Online organizing."

而我说“在线组织。”

I co-edit, along with a collective

我之前跟着一群非常棒又超级聪明的女人们

of other super-smart, amazing women,

一起弄了一个网页

a site called Feministing.com.

叫做“Feministing.com。”

We are the most widely read feminist publication ever,

我们的网站是最广为浏览的女性出版网站。

and I tell you this

我告诉你们这个

because I think it's really important to see

是因为我觉得看着女性故事延续下去

that there's a continuum.

是一件非常重要的事。

Feminist blogging is basically the 21st century version

女权主义的博客基本上是21世纪中

of consciousness raising.

女性意识的提升。

But we also have a straightforward political impact.

我们也直接承受了政治影响。

Feministing has been able

女权主义

to get merchandise pulled off the shelves of Walmart.

是能够让商品从沃尔玛下架的。

We got a misogynist administrator sending us hate-mail

曾经有个变态管理员因为寄恐吓信给我们

fired from a Big Ten school.

而被一所前十名的好学校开除。

And one of our biggest successes

而我们的最大成功之一

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

就是我们曾经收过一个爱荷华州的小女孩来信说

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

“我在搜寻杰西卡·辛普森时, 碰巧进到你们的网站。

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

它让我了解到女权主义并不是恨男生或是勃肯鞋。”

So we're able to pull in the next generation

所以我们能够用一种全心的方式

in a totally new way.

让下一代加入我们的行列。

My mom says, "Gloria Steinem."

我母亲也曾提过Gloria Steine​​m(注:她是著名的美国女性人权先锋)。

I say, "Samhita Mukhopadhyay,

而我说，“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."

还有许许多多的女权主义者。”

We don't want one hero.

我们不要只有一个英雄。

We don't want one icon.

我们不要只有一个偶像。

We don't want one face.

我们不需要只有一张脸来代替我们所有人。

We are thousands of women and men across this country

我们是一起生活在这个国家的数以千万的女人和男人

doing online writing, community organizing,

从事着网絡创作,社区组织，

changing institutions from the inside out --

从体制里开始改变--

all continuing the incredible work

所有人都在从事着这不可思议的工作

that our mothers and grandmothers started.

从母亲们或祖母们那儿就已经开始的工作。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Which brings me to the second paradox:

这让我想到第二个矛盾点：

sobering up about our smallness

让我们意识到我们的眇小

and maintaining faith in our greatness

同时保持我们

all at once.

伟大的信念。

Many in my generation --

跟我同年代的很多人--

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

因为父母的用心栽培,以及受到自尊式的教育--

were socialized to believe

社会上都相信

that we were special little snowflakes --

我们会走出自己的一片天和拯救世界。

(Laughter)

(笑声)

who were going to go out and save the world.

因为我们都是最特别的小雪花。

These are three words many of us were raised with.

我们曾经伴随着这些长大。

We walk across graduation stages,

我们走过毕业阶段，

high on our overblown expectations,

先是高于我们的期待，

and when we float back down to earth,

然后我们又回到现实，

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

我们忽然发现自己根本不知道

to actually save the world anyway.

拯救世界真正的意义。

The mainstream media often paints my generation

主流媒体常常描绘我们这个世代

as apathetic,

是冷漠的时代。

and I think it's much more accurate

更准确一点来说

to say we are deeply overwhelmed.

我们其实深感打击。

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

说句公道话，打击我们的不只这些--

an environmental crisis,

像是环境危机，

wealth disparity in this country

我们国家的贫富差距

unlike we've seen since 1928,

不止我们自1928年以来所看到的，

and globally,

全球

a totally immoral and ongoing wealth disparity.

都存在着不道德的，与日俱增的贫富差距。

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

仇外的倾向逐渐升温，非法贩卖妇女及女童...

It's enough to make you feel very overwhelmed.

这些都足以让我们感到难以承受。

I experienced this firsthand myself

在2002年，当我毕业于柏纳大学时

when I graduated from Barnard College in 2002.

我曾亲身经历过。

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

我充满热情，准备要有所做为。

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

我开始为一家非营利公司工作，

I went to grad school, I phone-banked,

我进入研究所，我打电话筹款，

I protested, I volunteered,

我上街头抗议，我做义工，

and none of it seemed to matter.

但这些似乎都无关紧要。

And on a particularly dark night

2004年12月

of December of 2004,

在某个特别漆黑的夜晚，

I sat down with my family,

我坐下来和我的家人说

and I said that I had become very disillusioned.

我决定不抱任何幻想了

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

我承认我曾有个幻想--有种黯淡的幻想--

of writing a letter

就是写一封信

about everything that was wrong with the world

关于这世界上所有的错，

and then lighting myself on fire

然后在白宫的阶梯上

on the White House steps.

引火自焚。

My mom

我妈

took a drink of her signature Sea Breeze,

喝下一口她最爱的调酒“海风”，

her eyes really welled with tears,

眼里充满了眼泪，

and she looked right at me and she said,

她直直看着我说，

"I will not stand

“我绝对不会容忍

for your desperation."

你的绝望行径。”

She said, "You are smarter, more creative

她说，“你会更聪明，更有创意

and more resilient than that."

更有弹性，你不应该如此。”

Which brings me to my third paradox.

我第三个矛盾点是

Growing up is about aiming to succeed wildly

长大不过是瞄准巨大的成功

and being fulfilled by failing really well.

然后彻底失败。

(Laughter)

(笑声)

(Applause)

(掌声)

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

影响我很深的作家帕克·帕尔默Parker Palmer(教育、社区、社会改变问题的作者)

and he writes that many of us are often whiplashed

他说我们中多数人往往

"between arrogant overestimation of ourselves

“在自大，高估与卑微地低估自己中”

and a servile underestimation of ourselves."

鞭励自己。

You may have guessed by now,

你现在可以看到

I did not light myself on fire.

我没有引火自焚。

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

我做了我在绝望中所做的，就是写作。

I wrote the book I needed to read.

我写了本我需要阅读的书。

I wrote a book about eight incredible people

书中描写我们国家

all over this country

八位从事社会正义

doing social justice work.

了不起的人士。

I wrote about Nia Martin-Robinson,

其中有来自底特律之女的Nia Martin-Robinson，

the daughter of Detroit and two civil rights activists,

和两个民权运动家，

who's dedicating her life

她将一生奉献于

to environmental justice.

环境正义。

I wrote about Emily Apt

我写了Emily Apt

who initially became a caseworker in the welfare system

一开始她加入社福团体

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

因为她认为这是她所能做的最崇高的事，

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

但很快发现她不但不喜欢，

but she wasn't really good at it.

她甚至做不好。

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

她真正想做的事情，其实是拍电影。

So she made a film about the welfare system

她拍了一部有关社会福利制度的电影

and had a huge impact.

有很大的影响力。

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

我写了Maricela Guzman ，一个墨西哥移民之女，

who joined the military so she could afford college.

她参加军队只是为了付大学学费。

She was actually sexually assaulted in boot camp

她在新兵训练营被性侵犯

and went on to co-organize a group

于是她创建了一个叫

called the Service Women's Action Network.

女兵行动网的组织。

What I learned from these people and others

我从她们之中学到的是

was that I couldn't judge them

我不能因为一个人没有达到崇高的目标

based on their failure to meet their very lofty goals.

就认为他们失败。

Many of them are working in deeply intractable systems --

他们往往在极为棘手的社会体制里工作--

the military, congress,

像是军队、国会

the education system, etc.

以及教育体制等等。

But what they managed to do within those systems

但是他们设法成为这些体制内

was be a humanizing force.

人性化的力量。

And at the end of the day,

到最后

what could possibly be more important than that?

还有什么比这些更重要的呢？

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

Cornel West说，“这当然是个失败。

But how good a failure is it?"

但这是个多好的失败经验啊！”

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

这不是要我们放弃伟大的梦想。

It's to say we operate on two levels.

这是要我们应该有两种做法。

On one,

一个做法是

we really go after changing these broken systems

我们的确要进入这些我们所处的

of which we find ourselves a part.

失败的体系中去。

But on the other, we root our self-esteem

但另一种做法是把我们的自尊落实到日常生活行动中去

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

试图使每个人的每一天

more kind, more just, etc.

都更宽容，更公正等等。

So when I was a little girl,

当我还是个小女孩的时候，

I had a couple of very strange habits.

我有些特奇怪的习惯。

One of them was

其一是

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

我习惯躺在我孩童时家里厨房的地板上，

and I would suck the thumb of my left hand

左手吸吮我的拇指

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

右手握着我妈冰冷的脚趾。

(Laughter)

(笑声)

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

我常听我妈讲电话。

She was talking about board meetings,

她常常在电话中讨论董事会议，

she was founding peace organizations,

当时她正创办和平组织，

she was coordinating carpools, she was consoling friends --

她要协调合伙用车，她要安慰朋友...

all these daily acts of care and creativity.

这些所有日常关怀和创意的事等等。

And surely, at three and four years old,

可以肯定的是，在三、四岁的时候，

I was listening to the soothing sound of her voice,

我听着她安定人心的舒缓声音。

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

这也是我成为积极活动家的第一课。

The activists I interviewed

我采访的积极活动人士

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

毫无共通处，除了她们

which was that they all cited their mothers

都说她们的母亲

as their most looming and important

是影响她们

activist influences.

成为积极活动家的重要原因。

So often, particularly at a young age,

所以，特别在我们年轻的时候，

we look far afield

我们往往在远方

for our models of the meaningful life,

找寻一个富有意义的生活的模范，

and sometimes they're in our own kitchens,

有时这个模范就在我们自家厨房，

talking on the phone, making us dinner,

讲电话，做晚餐，

doing all that keeps the world going around and around.

尽一切所能让这世界持续前进。

My mom and so many women like her

我妈，还有众多像我妈一样的女人

have taught me that life is not about glory,

都教育我-人生不是为了荣耀，

or certainty, or security even.

或者确定地说，甚至不是为了安全感。

It's about embracing the paradox.

而是欣然接受矛盾。

It's about acting in the face of overwhelm.

在难以承受的状况下开始行动。

And it's about loving people really well.

好好珍爱人们。

And at the end of the day,

在一日结束后，

these things make for a lifetime

这些事会让我们的一生

of challenge and reward.

充满挑战和收获无比。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

(掌声)