Sisonke Msimang: If a story moves you, act on it | TED

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Joanna Pietrulewicz

翻译人员: Duoduo Bao 校对人员: Hong Li

So earlier this year,

今年早些时候，

I was informed that I would be doing a TED Talk.

我得知要来TED做演讲。

So I was excited, then I panicked,

一开始我很兴奋，然后开始紧张，

then I was excited, then I panicked,

继续兴奋，继续紧张，

and in between the excitement and the panicking,

在兴奋与紧张之间，

I started to do my research,

我开始做研究，

and my research primarily consisted of Googling how to give a great TED Talk.

研究内容主要就是在谷歌上搜索： 如何做好一次精彩的TED演讲。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And interspersed with that,

在这期间，

I was Googling Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

我还谷歌了 齐玛曼德·恩戈奇·阿蒂切。

How many of you know who that is?

你们知道她是谁吗？

(Cheers)

（欢呼声）

So I was Googling her because I always Google her

我总是在谷歌她，

因为我是她的粉丝，

because I'm just a fan,

but also because she always has important and interesting things to say.

因为她总是分享一些 有意义又有意思的事情。

And the combination of those searches

我在搜索这些内容的时候，

kept leading me to her talk

总是会把我带到她的演讲，

on the dangers of a single story,

关于一面之词的危险之处，

on what happens when we have a solitary lens

关于我们片面 去看待某一个群体的人，

through which to understand certain groups of people,

会产生哪些后果，

and it is the perfect talk.

这是一个完美的演讲。

It's the talk that I would have given if I had been famous first.

我也会做这样的演讲， 前提是，我也是个名人。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

You know, and you know, like, she's African and I'm African,

你看，她是非洲人， 我也是非洲人，

and she's a feminist and I'm a feminist,

她是女权主义者， 我也是女权主义者。

and she's a storyteller and I'm a storyteller,

她讲故事，我也讲故事，

so I really felt like it's my talk.

所以，我真心觉得那是我的演讲。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So I decided that I was going to learn how to code,

所以我决定要去学编程，

and then I was going to hack the internet

然后黑掉整个因特网

and I would take down all the copies of that talk that existed,

把那个演讲的所有备份都删掉，

and then I would memorize it,

把演讲背下来，

and then I would come here and deliver it as if it was my own speech.

然后来到这里把它讲出来， 就像是我自己的演讲。

So that plan was going really well, except the coding part,

整个计划进展得很不错， 除了编程的那一部分，

and then one morning a few months ago,

然后几个月前的一个早晨，

I woke up

我醒来，

to the news that the wife of a certain presidential candidate

新闻里在播某一个 总统候选人的夫人，

had given a speech that --

所做的一次演讲——

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

that sounded eerily like a speech given by one of my other faves,

真是奇了怪了，听起来 特别像我另一位偶像的演讲，

Michelle Obama.

米歇尔·奥巴马。

(Cheers)

（欢呼声）

And so I decided that I should probably write my own TED Talk,

于是我想通了，也许我应该 准备一个我自己的TED演讲，

and so that is what I am here to do.

于是今天我站在了这里。

I'm here to talk about my own observations about storytelling.

我想谈谈我自己对于讲故事的观察。

I want to talk to you about the power of stories, of course,

我想谈谈故事的力量，这毫无疑问，

but I also want to talk about their limitations,

但我也想讲讲它的局限性，

particularly for those of us who are interested in social justice.

尤其对那些对社会公义感兴趣的人。

So since Adichie gave that talk seven years ago,

自从7年前阿蒂切做了那次演讲后，

there has been a boom in storytelling.

讲故事这件事发生了 翻天覆地的变化。

Stories are everywhere,

故事无处不在，

and if there was a danger in the telling of one tired old tale,

如果说老调重谈是一种危险，

then I think there has got to be lots to celebrate about the flourishing

那么我们真的应该欢呼雀跃，

因为有如此多的故事， 如此多不同的声音。

of so many stories and so many voices.

Stories are the antidote to bias.

故事是治疗偏见的良药。

In fact, today, if you are middle class and connected via the internet,

事实上，今时今日， 如果你属于上网的中产阶级，

you can download stories at the touch of a button

你随便按一个按钮， 或者扫一下屏幕，

or the swipe of a screen.

就可以下载到很多故事。

You can listen to a podcast

你可以听播客，

about what it's like to grow up Dalit in Kolkata.

了解加尔各答的一名贱民 是如何生活的。

You can hear an indigenous man in Australia

你可以听澳大利亚的一名土著

talk about the trials and triumphs of raising his children in dignity

讲述他克服重重困难， 把自己的孩子养大，

那种骄傲和自豪。

and in pride.

Stories make us fall in love.

故事让我们陷入爱河。

They heal rifts and they bridge divides.

能弥补裂痕，消除分歧。

Stories can even make it easier for us

甚至还能帮助我们自如地讨论

to talk about the deaths of people in our societies

那些逝去的人们

who don't matter, because they make us care.

可能原本他们无关紧要， 但故事可以让我们更关心他们。

Right?

对吗？

I'm not so sure,

我也不是那么确定，

and I actually work for a place called the Centre for Stories.

我在一个叫做 “故事中心”的地方工作。

And my job is to help to tell stories

我的工作是帮助那些

that challenge mainstream narratives about what it means to be black

与主流描述不同的故事，关于黑人

or a Muslim or a refugee or any of those other categories

穆斯林、难民，或者其他群体，

that we talk about all the time.

那些我们成天谈论的群体。

But I come to this work

但在做这件工作之前，

after a long history as a social justice activist,

我当了很久的社会公义活动家，

and so I'm really interested in the ways

于是我的兴趣点在于，

that people talk about nonfiction storytelling

人们谈论纪实文学的方式，

as though it's about more than entertainment,

好像它会更严肃一些，

as though it's about being a catalyst for social action.

好像它会是社会活动的催化剂。

It's not uncommon to hear people say

人们总是会说

that stories make the world a better place.

某些故事让这个世界变得更美好。

Increasingly, though, I worry that even the most poignant stories,

然而，我却越来越担心， 即便是最让人心酸的故事，

particularly the stories about people who no one seems to care about,

特别是那些 讲述无人关心的人群的故事，

can often get in the way of action towards social justice.

常常会成为社会公义行动的阻碍。

Now, this is not because storytellers mean any harm.

并不是因为故事的讲述者有意为之。

Quite the contrary.

恰恰相反。

Storytellers are often do-gooders like me and, I suspect, yourselves.

讲述者往往是不切实际的改良主义者， 就像你我一样。

And the audiences of storytellers

而故事的听众们

往往都是富有同情心 和同理心的人们。

are often deeply compassionate and empathetic people.

Still, good intentions can have unintended consequences,

尽管如此，好心常常会办坏事，

and so I want to propose that stories are not as magical as they seem.

因此我想说，故事并不会那么神奇。

So three -- because it's always got to be three --

因此，有3点理由—— 貌似理由总是要有3点，

three reasons why I think

为什么我会认为

that stories don't necessarily make the world a better place.

故事并不一定会把世界变得更美好。

Firstly, stories can create an illusion of solidarity.

首先，故事会创造一种团结的假象。

There is nothing like that feel-good factor you get

没有什么东西会比 听到一个很棒的故事

from listening to a fantastic story

更让你感觉良好，

where you feel like you climbed that mountain, right,

就像你自己登上了一座山峰，对吧，

or that you befriended that death row inmate.

或者你是那群被处死的犯人的朋友。

But you didn't.

但你并没有。

You haven't done anything.

你什么都没做。

Listening is an important

倾听对于社会活动而言

but insufficient step towards social action.

非常重要，但是又不够充分。

Secondly, I think often we are drawn

其次，我觉得我们

往往会被讨人喜欢的，有人性的

towards characters and protagonists

角色或者主人公所吸引。

who are likable and human.

And this makes sense, of course, right?

这其实无可厚非，对吧？

Because if you like someone, then you care about them.

因为如果你喜欢某个人， 你就会在乎他。

But the inverse is also true.

但反过来说也是对的。

If you don't like someone,

如果你不喜欢某个人，

then you don't care about them.

你就不会在乎他。

And if you don't care about them,

如果你不在乎他，

you don't have to see yourself as having a moral obligation

你就不会觉得自己有义务

to think about the circumstances that shaped their lives.

去考虑他们的生活 被干涉会有什么后果。

I learned this lesson when I was 14 years old.

我是在14岁的时候学到这一点的。

I learned that actually, you don't have to like someone

具体来说就是， 你不需要喜欢一个人，

to recognize their wisdom,

才能看到他的智慧，

and you certainly don't have to like someone

你也不必因为喜欢一个人，

to take a stand by their side.

就要站在他那边。

So my bike was stolen

我的自行车被偷了，

while I was riding it --

在我骑的时候被偷的——

(Laughter)

（笑声）

which is possible if you're riding slowly enough, which I was.

很有可能啊，如果你 骑得非常慢的话，我就是啊。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So one minute I'm cutting across this field

上一分钟我还骑行在一片田野中

in the Nairobi neighborhood where I grew up,

那是在我家乡内罗毕，

and it's like a very bumpy path,

那条路很颠簸，

and so when you're riding a bike,

当你骑自行车的时候，

you don't want to be like, you know --

你不会想要骑成这样——

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And so I'm going like this, slowly pedaling,

于是我蹬得很慢，就像这样，

and all of a sudden, I'm on the floor.

突然之间，我就倒到地上了。

I'm on the ground, and I look up,

我躺在地上，往上看，

and there's this kid peddling away in the getaway vehicle,

一个孩子扬长而去，

which is my bike,

骑着我的车，

and he's about 11 or 12 years old, and I'm on the floor,

他差不多11、2岁，我躺在地上，

and I'm crying because I saved a lot of money for that bike,

放声大哭，因为我 存了好久的钱才买的那辆自行车，

and I'm crying and I stand up and I start screaming.

我哭着站起来，然后开始尖叫。

Instinct steps in, and I start screaming, "Mwizi, mwizi!"

之后我反应过来， 开始大喊“Mwizi，Mwizi！”

which means "thief" in Swahili.

是斯瓦希里语“小偷”的意思。

And out of the woodworks, all of these people come out

突然不知道从哪里冒出来一群人，

and they start to give chase.

就开始追那个小孩。

那可是在非洲， 存在暴民正义的地方。

This is Africa, so mob justice in action.

Right?

对吧？

And I round the corner, and they've captured him,

我转过一个街角， 发现他们抓住了他，

they've caught him.

他被抓住了。

The suspect has been apprehended,

嫌疑人被逮捕了，

and they make him give me my bike back,

他们让他归还了我的自行车，

and they also make him apologize.

让他道歉。

Again, you know, typical African justice, right?

又是一次典型的非洲式的正义，对吗？

And so they make him say sorry.

他们逼他说对不起。

And so we stand there facing each other,

于是我们面对面站着，

and he looks at me, and he says sorry,

他看着我，说对不起，

but he looks at me with this unbridled fury.

但他盯着我，怀着无法抑制的怒火。

He is very, very angry.

他真的非常非常生气。

And it is the first time that I have been confronted with someone

这是我第一次跟人起冲突

仅仅因为对方 不喜欢我所代表的阶层。

who doesn't like me simply because of what I represent.

He looks at me with this look as if to say,

他盯着我，感觉像是在说，

"You, with your shiny skin and your bike, you're angry at me?"

“你这个小妞，皮肤光洁， 有自行车，你还生我的气？”

So it was a hard lesson that he didn't like me,

我很难相信，他不喜欢我，

but you know what, he was right.

但你知道吗，他并没有错。

I was a middle-class kid living in a poor country.

我是一名中产阶级的孩子， 生活在一个贫穷的国家里。

I had a bike, and he barely had food.

我有自行车，而他常常吃不饱。

Sometimes, it's the messages that we don't want to hear,

有时候，那些我们并不想听到的话，

the ones that make us want to crawl out of ourselves,

那些会让我们觉得恶心想吐的话，

that we need to hear the most.

往往是我们最需要听到的。

For every lovable storyteller who steals your heart,

对所有曾经抓住你们心灵的、 可爱的故事讲述者而言，

there are hundreds more whose voices are slurred and ragged,

还有成百上千的声音 含糊不清、混乱不堪，

who don't get to stand up on a stage dressed in fine clothes like this.

他们没法穿得光鲜亮丽 站在舞台上，像我这样。

There are a million angry-boy-on-a-bike stories

还有无数个“偷自行车的愤怒男孩” 这样的故事

and we can't afford to ignore them

我们不应该无视，

simply because we don't like their protagonists

不应该仅仅因为我们不喜欢 故事的主人公

or because that's not the kid that we would bring home with us

或者他不是我们 想从孤儿院领回家的孩子，

from the orphanage.

就忽视这些故事。

The third reason that I think

第3个原因，

that stories don't necessarily make the world a better place

故事并不一定要让世界变得更美好，

is that too often we are so invested in the personal narrative

我们太过经常加入个人的描述

that we forget to look at the bigger picture.

常常忘了看得更全面一些。

And so we applaud someone

于是我们常常鼓掌，

when they tell us about their feelings of shame,

为了那些勇于分享自己羞愧感的人，

but we don't necessarily link that to oppression.

但我们没必要自己也觉得压抑。

We nod understandingly when someone says they felt small,

当别人说自己感到渺小的时候， 我们点头表示理解，

but we don't link that to discrimination.

但我们并不需要因此而歧视。

The most important stories, especially for social justice,

那些最重要的故事， 尤其是关于社会公义的，

are those that do both,

都会有2种效果，

that are both personal and allow us to explore and understand the political.

它既是关于个人的，同时也让我们去 探索和思考政治。

But it's not just about the stories we like

我们讨论的不仅仅是我们喜欢的故事

versus the stories we choose to ignore.

和我们选择忽略的故事间的较量。

Increasingly, we are living in a society where there are larger forces at play,

我们生活的社会， 越来越多的力量相互交织，

where stories are actually for many people beginning to replace the news.

很多人开始用故事来取代新闻。

Yeah?

对吧？

We live in a time where we are witnessing the decline of facts,

我们生活的时代， 事实已经不那么重要，

when emotions rule

情绪掌控一切，

and analysis, it's kind of boring, right?

然后各种分析，很无聊不是吗？

Where we value what we feel more than what we actually know.

跟事实相比， 我们更珍视自己的感受。

A recent report by the Pew Center on trends in America

皮尤研究中心最近有一篇 研究美国趋势的报告指出，

indicates that only 10 percent of young adults under the age of 30

30岁以下的成年人中间，只有10%

“非常相信媒体”。

"place a lot of trust in the media."

Now, this is significant.

这很说明问题。

It means that storytellers are gaining trust

意味着故事讲述者在赢得信任

at precisely the same moment

几乎与此同时

that many in the media are losing the confidence in the public.

许多媒体正在失去 公众对他们的信任。

This is not a good thing,

这很糟糕，

because while stories are important

因为尽管故事非常重要，

and they help us to have insights in many ways,

它们可以让我们 有多种方式来进行了解，

we need the media.

但我们仍然需要媒体。

From my years as a social justice activist,

在我做社会公义活动家的那些年，

I know very well that we need credible facts from media institutions

我深刻理解到，我们需要 从媒体机构了解可信的事实

combined with the powerful voices of storytellers.

同时也要听到 故事讲述者强有力的声音。

That's what pushes the needle forward in terms of social justice.

这样才能推动社会公义往前发展。

In the final analysis, of course,

到最后，毫无疑问

it is justice

是公义

that makes the world a better place,

让世界变得更加美好，

not stories. Right?

而不是故事，对吗？

既然我们寻求的是公义，

And so if it is justice that we are after,

then I think we mustn't focus on the media or on storytellers.

那我认为，我们不能关注媒体 或者是故事讲述者。

We must focus on audiences,

我们必须关注听众，

on anyone who has ever turned on a radio

关注每一个打开收音机，

or listened to a podcast,

或者收听播客的人，

and that means all of us.

也就是说，我们每一个人。

So a few concluding thoughts

最后我想总结一下

on what audiences can do to make the world a better place.

听众该做些什么 来让世界变得更美好。

So firstly, the world would be a better place, I think,

首先，世界肯定会越变越好，我觉得，

if audiences were more curious and more skeptical

如果听众更加好奇，更加不轻信，

and asked more questions about the social context

对于产生了如此多 令人津津乐道的故事的社会环境

that created those stories that they love so much.

有更多疑问的话。

Secondly, the world would be a better place

其次，世界肯定会越变越好，

if audiences recognized that storytelling is intellectual work.

如果听众们意识到 讲故事是一项智力活。

And I think it would be important for audiences

另外我觉得，还有一点很重要，

to demand more buttons on their favorite websites,

听众应该要求他们喜欢的网站

buttons for example that say,

多设置一些按钮，比如

"If you liked this story,

“如果你喜欢这个故事，

click here to support a cause your storyteller believes in."

点击这里支持你的故事讲述者 所相信的事业。”

Or "click here to contribute to your storyteller's next big idea."

或者“点击这里为你的故事讲述者投稿， 支持他的下一部作品。”

Often, we are committed to the platforms,

因为我们常常是冲着平台去的，

but not necessarily to the storytellers themselves.

而没有关注故事讲述者本人。

And then lastly, I think that audiences can make the world a better place

最后，我觉得听众 能让世界变得更美好，

by switching off their phones,

就是关掉手机，

by stepping away from their screens

离开整天面对的屏幕，

and stepping out into the real world beyond what feels safe.

走出安全区，踏入真实的世界。

Alice Walker has said,

艾丽斯·沃克说过，

"Look closely at the present you are constructing.

“走近观察你目前正在做的，

It should look like the future you are dreaming."

它看起来应该跟你梦想的未来相似。”

Storytellers can help us to dream,

故事讲述者能帮我们梦想，

but it's up to all of us to have a plan for justice.

但要想达成公义 还得靠我们每一个人。

Thank you.

谢谢大家。

(Applause)

（掌声）