Liza Donnelly: Drawing upon humor for change

翻译人员: Angelia King 校对人员: Xu Jiang

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I was afraid of womanhood.

对于女性气质，我曾经有些担心。

Not that I'm not afraid now,

不是说我现在不担心了，

but I've learned to pretend.

而是我已学会掩饰。

I've learned to be flexible.

我已学会应变自如。

In fact, I've developed some interesting tools

事实上，我学会了一些有趣的东西

to help me deal with this fear.

来帮助我应付这种担心。

Let me explain.

让我解释一下。

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

回到1950和1960年代，在我成长年代中，

little girls were supposed to be kind and thoughtful

小女孩应该是善良，体贴

and pretty and gentle and soft,

可爱，温柔和温顺的。

and we were supposed to fit into roles

我们得适应

that were sort of shadowy --

这种模糊的女孩象征模式。

really not quite clear what we were supposed to be.

真的不是很清楚我们应该是什么样子的？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

There were plenty of role models all around us.

在我们身边有很多女性榜样，

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

如我们的母亲，我们的阿姨，我们的姐妹，

and of course, the ever-present media

当然，无处不在的媒体

bombarding us with images and words,

不断给我们灌输女性的图片和文字，

telling us how to be.

教导我们该成为怎样的一个女孩。

Now my mother was different.

我母亲当时是与众不同的。

She was a homemaker,

她是一个家庭主妇，

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

但我和她没有出去，去做些女性该做的事情。

and she didn't buy me pink outfits.

她没有给我买粉红套装。

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

相反，她知道我所需的，她买给我卡通书。

And I just ate it up.

我就如饥似渴地读卡通书。

I drew, and I drew,

我也画画了，

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

自从我知道在我家漫画可以被接受，

I could draw, do what I wanted to do,

我可以画画，做我想做的事，

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

而不去做些我不擅长的事，我不善于讲话

I was very shy --

我非常害羞

and I could still get approval.

但我仍然得到画画的认同。

I was launched as a cartoonist.

后来我作为一名漫画家。

Now when we're young,

当我们年轻时，

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

我们总是不清楚--我们知道有关女孩的条条框框，

but we don't always know --

但是我们的确不清楚--

we don't perform them right,

我们完全不会遵照条条框框去做事，

even though we are imprinted at birth

尽管我们从出生被灌输

with these things,

这些女孩的东西，

and we're told

我们被教导

what the most important color in the world is.

世界上最重要的颜色是什么？

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

我们被教导我们应该是什么样子的？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

We're told what to wear --

我们被教导该怎样穿衣打扮？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

-- and how to do our hair --

怎样做头型？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

-- and how to behave.

怎样做个女孩？

Now the rules that I'm talking about

目前我要谈到的这些规则

are constantly being monitored by the culture.

随着文化不断地被监测。

We're being corrected,

我们不断被纠正。

and the primary policemen are women,

因为女性是传统的载体，

because we are the carriers of the tradition.

所以基层监视者就是女性。

We pass it down from generation to generation.

我们把这传统传递了一代又一代。

Not only that --

我们不仅仅

we always have this vague notion

常有这种模糊的

that something's expected of us.

关于我们自身期待的概念。

And on top of all off these rules,

在这些所有规则之上，

they keep changing.

它们还不断地改变。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

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

我们不知道长时间过后会发生什么，

so it puts us in a very tenuous position.

它使得我们处在非常脆弱的地位上。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now if you don't like these rules,

现在如果你不喜欢这些规则，

and many of us don't --

绝大多数人不喜欢这些规则，

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

我知道我也不喜欢这些规则，

even though I follow them half the time,

即使我遵从这些规则有好长时间，

not quite aware that I'm following them --

也没有意识到我在遵从这些规则，--

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

还有什么更好的能比用幽默的方法来改变这些规则呢？

Humor relies on the traditions of a society.

漫画依赖于社会的传统。

It takes what we know, and it twists it.

漫画取材于我们所知的，然后混合加工。

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

漫画取材于我们的行为守则和我们着装喜好，

and it makes it unexpected,

漫画是出人意料的创作，

and that's what elicits a laugh.

它才会激发出笑声。

Now what if you put together women and humor?

那么如果你把女性和漫画混合在一起又会是什么？

I think you can get change.

我认为你会得到变革。

Because women are on the ground floor,

因为女性是在基层，

and we know the traditions so well,

我们很了解传统，

we can bring a different voice to the table.

我们可以带来不一样的声音。

Now I started drawing

当时我开始画画

in the middle of a lot of chaos.

正处于很多混乱中。

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

我在离华盛顿特区不远的地方长大

during the Civil Rights movement, the assassinations,

经历了民权运动，一系列暗杀事件，

the Watergate hearings and then the feminist movement,

水门事件听证会，接下来的女权运动。

and I think I was drawing,

我认为我画画，

trying to figure out what was going on.

想要搞明白到底发生了什么。

And then also my family was in chaos,

随后我的家庭也陷入了混乱。

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

我尝试画画来使我们家庭团结起来，

(Laughter)

（笑声）

-- try to bring my family together with laughter.

试着用漫画引发出的笑声让家庭团结在一起。

It didn't work.

但漫画不管用。

My parents got divorced, and my sister was arrested.

我父母离婚了，我妹妹被逮捕了。

But I found my place.

但我发现了我自己。

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

我发现我没有穿高跟鞋，

I didn't have to wear pink,

我没有穿粉红套装，

and I could feel like I fit in.

我觉得我很合适。

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

当我20多岁时，

I realized there are not many women in cartooning.

我发现很少有女性从事漫画行业。

And I thought, "Well, maybe I can break

我想，“好吧，或许我可以打破

the little glass ceiling of cartooning,"

漫画这小玻璃天花板的规则。”

and so I did. I became a cartoonist.

我做到了；我成为了一个漫画家。

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

然后我想，在我40岁时我开始思考，

"Well, why don't I do something?

“那么我为什么不做些事情？

I always loved political cartoons,

我常常喜爱政治漫画，

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

那么我为什么不创作政治题材的漫画

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

让人们在思考我们所遵从的这些愚蠢的规则的

as well as laugh?"

同时也开怀一笑？”

Now my perspective

我的观点

is a particularly --

是典型的--

(Laughter)

（笑声）

-- my perspective is a particularly American perspective.

我的观点是典型的美国式观点。

I can't help it. I live here.

我改变不了。我生活在这儿。

Even though I've traveled a lot,

即使我常旅行，

I still think like an American woman.

我还是像一个美国女人那样去思考。

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

但我认为我谈到的规则

are universal, of course --

是普遍性的，当然--

that each culture has its different codes of behavior

每一种文化有其自身的行为守则

and dress and traditions,

和衣着喜好，风俗习惯，

and each woman has to deal with these same things

每个女人都得面对这同样的规则

that we do here in the U.S.

如同我们在美国这儿面对的。

Consequently, we have.

因此，我们

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

女性，因为我们处在基层，我们了解风俗传统，

We have amazing antennae.

我们有着惊人的直觉感。

Now my work lately

目前我的工作是

has been to collaborate with international cartoonists,

与国际漫画家一同协作，

which I so enjoy,

我喜欢这种经历。

and it's given me a greater appreciation

它给了我一个更大提升空间

for the power of cartoons

用漫画的力量

to get at the truth,

来揭示真相，

to get at the issues quickly and succinctly.

迅速和简洁地搞清问题。

And not only that, it can get to the viewer

不仅仅如此，漫画可以让观者感同身受，

through not only the intellect, but through the heart.

不仅是在智力上，更是在心灵上的共鸣。

My work also has allowed me to collaborate

我的工作使我

with women cartoonists from across the world --

和来自全球的女性漫画家们合作，

countries such as Saudi Arabia,

她们来自沙特阿拉伯，

Iran, Turkey,

伊朗，土耳其，

Argentina, France --

阿根廷，法国，

and we have sat together and laughed

我们一同坐下来，开心地

and talked and shared our difficulties.

谈论和分享我们所面临的困境。

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

这些女性是在一些非常困难的情况下努力工作着，

in some very difficult circumstances.

让世界听到她们发自内心的声音。

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

我能和她们一同工作，为此我感到很幸运。

And we talk about

我们谈到

how women have such strong perceptions,

女性怎么会有如此强烈的看法？

because of our tenuous position

因为我们女性自身的脆弱地位

and our role as tradition-keepers,

和我们作为传统守护者的角色，

that we can have the great potential

我们可以有极大的潜力

to be change-agents.

成为变革者。

And I think, I truly believe,

我认为，我真心相信，

that we can change this thing

每当我们变革这些事时，

one laugh at a time.

我们都能开兴一笑。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）