Why we must stop dancing to the sound of our own oppression | Madame Gandhi

翻译人员: Hang Liangli 校对人员: Yolanda Zhang

So often,

很多时候，

I'll take a fitness class,

我去上健身课，

or I'll go to a music venue,

或者去音乐厅，

or, really, anywhere that plays music in the background,

或者任何 播放音乐的地方，

and I'll find myself loving the rhythms

我都会发现自己 非常喜欢这些节奏、

and the melodies and the beats ...

旋律和节拍……

And then I take a second to listen to the lyrics,

然后我会停下来 听一会儿歌词，

lyrics that, for example, place us in a position of subservience

而这类歌词往往赋予我们 一种卑躬屈膝的感觉，

that we would never tolerate in any other context.

但是在其他情况下， 我们肯定无法忍受这种感觉。

And I'm aghast at the degree to which we normalize sexism in our culture.

我很惊讶我们的文化里， 性别歧视正常化的程度竟然这么高。

I listen to this music and I'm like,

听到这些音乐时，我的第一反应就是，

I don't want to have to turn up to the sound of my own oppression.

我可不想调大这种 让我感觉压抑的声音。

You know, music is one of the most powerful forms of communication,

大家都知道， 音乐是最有力的交流方式之一。

because it has the potential to either uplift or oppress.

音乐可以让人情绪高涨， 也可以让人心情压抑。

Music caters to the emotions. Music caters to the soul.

音乐可以表达各种情绪， 音乐可以和灵魂相契合。

Music opens up our soul.

音乐可以唤醒我们的内心。

It opens up our channels to receive information

音乐让我们有机会

about somebody else's walk of life,

去了解其他人的生活。

to inform our own roles.

音乐也可以让我们 向别人介绍自己。

And while I have no problem with male fantasy,

我并不反对男性幻想，

what I do have a problem with

但让我疑惑的是，

is that, according to a recent study, only 2.6 percent of all music producers

最近的一项研究显示， 只有 2.6% 的音乐制作人

identify as women.

是女性。

That means an even smaller percentage identify as trans or gender nonconforming.

也就是说跨性别人者或者 自身性别不适者的比例还要更低。

And why does this matter?

这一点为什么这么重要呢？

Because, if we don't own and control our own narrative,

因为如果我们不拥有 和掌控我们自己的叙事角度，

somebody else will tell our stories for us,

就会有其他人替我们 讲我们自己的故事。

and they will get it wrong,

他们会把我们的故事 讲得很糟糕，

perpetuating the very myths that hold us back.

那些对我们不利的故事 就会一直流传下去。

And I'm not here to tell other people how to make their music.

我在这里不是要告诉 别人怎么制作音乐，

But I am here to provide and design the alternative.

我是想提供和设计 一种替代性的音乐。

One strategy I take in my music

我在自己的音乐中 常常采取的一个策略就是，

is making uplifting, energetic, percussive global beats

我会加入令人振奋、充满活力的， 撞击式的全球化节拍，

and placing lyrics on top of them

并在上面填上歌词。

that genuinely describe my life's experiences

这些歌词都是来源于 我个人的生活经历，

without contributing to the oppression of anybody else.

而并不会让别人心情压抑。

It's funny, because it's the same reason

这很有趣，

as to why we excuse so many problematic lyrics;

因为这跟每次我们给很多劣质歌词 找的理由都是一样的。

it's because we love how the beats make us feel.

因为我们喜欢 节拍带给我们的感觉。

An example of this is my song "Top Knot Turn Up."

我的歌曲《Top Knot Turn Up》 就是一个很好的例子。

(Music: "Top Knot Turn Up")

(音乐：《Top Knot Turn Up》)

(Sings) I turned off my phone's notifications so I have more time /

（唱）我关掉手机提示 好让我有更多时间 /

No bubbles to trouble my clear state of mind /

弹窗提示不再打扰 我清醒的头脑 /

One thing to know, I'm not here to please /

要知道 我不是来取悦你的 /

Hair tied up, I do it properly /

头发扎起来 我扎得很合适 /

My time is not your property /

我的时间不是你的资产 /

When I'm productive like my ovaries, eyy! /

我是个创造力很强的人，嘿 /

Give a grown girl room to breathe, basic rights and her liberty /

给一个成年女孩一些空间去呼吸 给她基本的权利和自由 /

Free from insecurity that the world's projecting onto me /

从世界给我们带来的 不安全感中解放出来/

Please do not trouble me when I am focused /

我专注的时候 不要来干扰我 /

The future is female you already know this /

未来是女性的 你们要知道 /

I'm fighting against the corruption on SCOTUS /

我在和美国最高法院的 腐败作斗争 /

Turned up in my top knot since when I first wrote this /

我写下这首歌时 把发髻扎高/

It's a top knot turn up It's a top knot turn up, turn up, turn up.

发髻朝上 发髻朝上 朝上 朝上 /

It's a top knot turn up It's a top knot turn up, turn up, turn up.

发髻朝上 发髻朝上 朝上 朝上 /

It's a top knot turn up It's a top knot turn up, eyyy.

发髻朝上 发髻朝上 嘿

It's a top knot turn up.

发髻朝上

(Music ends)

（音乐结束）

I want us to keep making sex-positive, beautiful music

我们应该坚持制作 倡导性别平等的优美旋律。

about joy and freedom.

音乐应该带来欢乐和自由。

I want us to embrace our own pleasure

我想要和大家分享我自己的快乐，

just as much as we embrace our own pain.

就像分享自己的痛苦一样。

I want us to celebrate the authentic,

我想要大家用音乐歌唱

nuanced,

我们人类

multidimensional aspects of our human existence,

真正微妙的、 多个维度的故事，

rather than perform false narratives of degrading sexuality

而不是用错误的表达方式 进行性别歧视，

in order to feel accepted or loved.

以此来获得认可和爱。

And another strategy that I take in my music

我在音乐里还采用了另一个策略。

to combat the misogyny that exists on the airwaves

我会描述我希望生活的世界的样子，

is to visually depict the very world I wished we lived in.

去抵消音频里消极的厌女情绪。

In the music video for my song "See Me Thru,"

在我的歌曲《See Me Thru》的 音乐视频里——

which is like a vibe-y, queer electronic R and B song,

它听起来就像一种—— 气氛古怪的电子 R&B 歌曲——

I cast two of my dear friends, Ania and Dejha,

我的两个好朋友阿尼亚和德加

to play the role of the lovers, because they're married in real life.

在视频里扮演情人的角色， 他们也是现实生活中的夫妻。

But what you don't know is that they also are behind the camera

但你不知道的是， 他们也在镜头后面

concepting and directing the entire video.

构思和指导了整个视频的制作。

(Video) Heyyyyy ohhhh My emotions were tired

（视频）嘿 哦哦哦 我心累了

Music should be safe and accessible for all to experience.

甘地夫人：音乐对任何人来说 应该都是安全和平易近人的。

As you can see, it's not about losing the sex appeal or swag

就像你看到的， 这么做不是让音乐失去魅力，

that music has,

或者音乐的范儿，

it's about writing messages that infuse tenderness and positivity

而是为音乐注入 温暖、积极的信息。

into music that motivates us and challenges us.

这样的音乐可以激励我们， 督促我们进步。

And while we as musicians absolutely have the responsibility

作为音乐家， 我们完全有责任

to make music that isn't disempowering,

让音乐听起来不那么灰心丧气，

the consumers can be part of the change, too.

听音乐的人也不会因此而心情压抑。

Firstly, we get to choose which songs we want to mute

但首先，我们要筛选哪些音乐 我们想要关掉，

and which songs we want to turn louder.

或者调高音量。

We get to say, "I respect myself enough to say I don't want to listen to this,

我们想说， “我尊重自己， 所以我不想听这些，

and I don't want this to be in anybody else's space, either."

我不想别人侵占这个空间。”

Secondly, we can simply ask ourselves:

第二点，我们可以问问自己：

"Does this music or this message

“这段音乐或者信息

会不会让别人感觉更压抑？

contribute to the oppression of somebody else?

为什么我要忍受它呢？”

Why am I tolerating it?"

And finally, we can all be choosing to make playlists or DJ-ing music

最后，我们都能选择 制作播放列表或者 DJ 音乐列表，

that provides the right vibe or mood that we're looking for in that moment

这个列表可以提供当下 我们所需要的气氛和情绪，

without the problematic messaging.

而不是错误的情绪。

Why does this matter?

为什么这一点这么重要？

Because it's teaching algorithms in our streaming systems and our world

因为它会教给我们的流媒体系统 和生活中的算法，

exactly what it is that we do want to listen to,

我们究竟想要听什么，

creating long-term change and a feedbacking mechanism

从而创造长期的变化 和反馈机制。

that impacts the entire industry.

进而影响整个产业。

This is not a message

这并不仅仅是一条

for just a small group of people.

给少数人的信息。

This is a message that affects everybody,

这是一条会影响每个人的信息。

because when we protect and liberate our most vulnerable genders,

因为当我们解放了 最脆弱的性别群体，

we liberate everybody.

我们就解放了所有人。