R. Alan Brooks: When the world is burning, is art a waste of time? | TED

Transcriber:

譯者: 穎君 紀 審譯者: Helen Chang

我在喬治亞州亞特蘭大市長大， 我沒有認識很多白人，

但我在南部黑人教堂裡長大，

I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and I didn't know very many white people,

它在白人霸權的陰影之下， 由黑人經營，

他們在許多方面都被教導要討厭自己。

but I was raised in a Southern Black church

that was under the shadow of white supremacy

撫養我長大的一代仍然熟知私刑，

and run by Black people

who in many ways were taught to hate themselves.

所以為了不被種族主義者殺害，

The generation that raised me was still familiar with lynchings.

有一些在我上一代的黑人

學會把自己變得不顯眼：

So in order to not be murdered by racists,

我們不能太大聲、

some of the Black people in the generation before me

太聰明、太引人注目、太大膽。

learned to make themselves smaller.

他們甚至感覺

我們出了什麼風頭 都可能害我們被謀殺。

We couldn't be too loud,

too smart, too attractive, too bold.

On some level, they felt

在這情況中，我出現了，

like anything that we did that made us stand out

這位優等生唱著 RAP ，

might get us murdered.

熱愛 “Weird Al” Yankovic

還有看漫畫書。

In the midst of that, I emerged,

this straight-A student who rapped,

就這麼不顯眼。

loved "Weird Al" Yankovic

我身邊的大人 經常唱衰我的藝術技能。

and read comic books.

So much for not standing out.

在他們眼中，把漫畫書當娛樂的小孩 不那麼了解這世界。

So the grownups around me regularly discouraged my artistry.

他們告訴我藝術很愚蠢，

於是我參加了一些關於 現實世界的艱難課程。

To them, comic books were the pursuit of a kid

who didn't really understand the world.

They told me that art was silly

當時我只交到一個著迷於漫畫的朋友，

and I was in for some hard lessons about the real world.

他和我上不同的學校，

我大概 11 歲時，

我們第一次去漫畫博覽會。

Back then, I only had one other friend who was into comic books

他們很不習慣在那看到黑人小孩，

and he went to a different school.

有一個成年白人誤把我當成保全人員，

So when I was around 11,

he and I went to our very first comic book convention.

並且向我出示他的博覽會入場徽章。

They were so unused to seeing Black kids there,

請記得，我才 11 歲。

that one grown white man mistook me for security

但我和我朋友很愛這些文化。

and showed me his convention badge in order to get in.

我們終於找到更多人 來討論一些重要的問題，

Remember, I was 11.

像「為什麼浩克總是穿著紫色褲子？」

But me and my friend loved these conventions.

大約一年後，

Finally, we had other people to talk to about the important questions,

在我們擁有的每個空閒時刻，

我都會和那位相似的朋友 積極地畫漫畫書。

like, why does the Hulk always wear purple pants?

他的父親注意到這件事， 讓我們到客廳談談。

About a year or so later with every free moment that we had

me and that same friend were actively drawing comic books.

他很愛我們，所以他決定 該要引導我們走回正途。

His father took notice of this and he sat us down in the living room.

他說：「畫漫畫是很棒的興趣，

He loved us both, and he decided it was time to set us straight.

但你們仍要選擇正經的專業。

能照顧你們和家人的那種專業，

He said, "It's great that you two love these comic books,

畫漫畫可做不到這點。」

but you need to pick a serious profession,

我朋友的父親無意傷害我們，

something that's going to take care of you and your families.

他只是試著協助我們面對世界，

And you’re not going to be able to do that with comic books.”

就像我的父母一樣 擔心我們無法在世界上生存。

My friend's father wasn't trying to hurt us.

作為黑人藝術家會讓我脫穎而出，

He was trying to prepare us for the world

但我可能因此遭到種族主義者殺害。

and underneath that was this fear that was shared by my own parents.

這並不是危言聳聽。

That being a Black artist would make me stand out

我的父母出生於 50 年代早期，

and that I might be murdered by racists.

And it's not like that was a far jump.

在 1955 年，一個白人女子 指控一個 14 歲的男孩對著她吹口哨，

My parents were born in the early 50s.

男孩是黑人，

然後兩個白人成年男子 因此施暴殺害了他，

In 1955, a white woman accused a 14-year-old boy of whistling at her.

只因為白人女子的指控，

而那兩個男人沒有被判刑。

He was Black

男孩的名字叫做艾米特‧提爾。

and two grown white men brutally murdered him

just for her accusation.

由此知道我的父母成長於艱難的時代，

只需一個對白人女子吹口哨的指控， 就能讓黑人男孩被殘忍地殺害。

These men never went to prison.

The boy's name was Emmett Till.

So my parents grew up in a time

where just the accusation of whistling at a white woman

那麼他們怎麼能不擔心我作為一個 波西米亞藝術風格的傢伙突出顯眼呢？

could get a Black boy brutally murdered.

身為黑人藝術家，我必須問我自己：

So why wouldn't they be concerned about me standing out as some bohemian artsy dude?

「世道如此艱難，藝術真的值得嗎？」

So as a Black artist, I've had to ask myself:

when the world seems like it's burning, is art really worth it?

我長大後一邊作正經的工作 一邊偷偷搞藝術。

讓我說說我做過最正經的工作，

I grew up and I worked serious jobs and did art on the side.

我經營了一家保險公司，

我懂所有剛告訴你們的事情中， 很有保險員風格的事情，

Let me tell you about the most serious job that I ever worked.

可想而知，我超討厭這份工作，

I ran an insurance agency

and I know everything that you've learned about me so far

所以幾年後，我不顧所有明智建議，

screams insurance agent.

Predictably, I hated that job.

關掉我經營的的保險公司， 開始嘗試撰寫圖像小說。

So after a few years and against all the wise advice I heard in my life,

我想談論我在意的社會議題，

I decided to close my insurance agency and try my hand at writing graphic novels.

像警察暴力、性別歧視、 種族歧視那類的東西。

I wanted to address the social issues that I was passionate about.

說得清楚一點，

我辭了正經八百的保險工作，

Police brutality, sexism, racism, that kind of thing.

來追尋畫漫畫的夢想。

But to make it clear,

I was leaving the serious insurance job

你想，藝術，

多麽愚蠢，

in order to pursue writing comic books.

特別是在這個致力於除掉我的世界。

You know, art,

which is silly,

那是 2016 年的事情，

especially in the face of a world that seemed dedicated to murdering me.

有個實境秀的主持人來選總統。

你們可能沒聽過這個人，

不過當時全球有許多 令人不安的事正在發酵。

This was 2016

and there was this reality show host running for president.

納粹越來越放肆、

You guys probably never heard of him,

人們對自己的種族歧視 越來越不感羞愧，

仇恨犯罪也增加了。

but there were all these disturbing things arising in the world.

作為一系列事件的回應，

Nazis were feeling bolder.

我的有色人種朋友們 組織抗議和杯葛活動，

People were feeling less shame about their racism,

hate crimes arising.

自由派白人朋友則每週末都去 州議會大廈遊行，

In response,

my Black and Brown friends organize public protest and boycotts.

我呢，想畫本漫畫書。

A lot of my liberal white friends were marching on the Capitol every weekend.

我這樣很蠢嗎？

是在白費力氣嗎？

And I wanted to write a comic book.

我從來沒有依靠藝術維生過，

現在卻辭了工作，

Was I being silly?

在這個日漸分崩離析的世界。

Vain?

I never made a living off of art before

藝術很幼稚對吧？

我為這件事掙扎了一陣子，

and now I just quit my job

所以我休假一個月， 第一次去英國旅遊。

when it seemed like the world was falling apart.

我很緊張，因為我要一個人去，

Art is silly, right?

I struggled with this for a while.

而且我不知道這個國家的人

So I took a month to travel in the UK for the first time.

怎麼看待黑人。

我造訪了柏林、布拉格、布達佩斯，

I was nervous about this trip because I was traveling alone.

And I didn't know how people in these countries

和這座小小的英國城鎮：梅克舍姆。

felt about Black people,

在柏林，我和柏林 最大連鎖漫畫店的坐下來

but I went to Berlin, Prague, Budapest,

and this tiny British town called Melksham.

聊小時候最喜歡的英雄， 老闆最喜歡美國隊長，

In Berlin, I sat down with the owner

of the biggest comic book store chain there.

但有些議題永遠不會出現在 美國隊長漫畫裡，

And we talked about how as a kid, his favorite hero was Captain America,

因為美國隊長忙著打倒納粹份子，

但德國徹底禁止納粹相關的內容，

but certain issues of that comic book he never got to read as a kid

就算納粹是被打倒的那方。

because Captain America was fighting Nazis in those books.

我們一起來想想。

And nothing with Nazis was allowed in Germany,

在德國，

納粹已被全面驅逐，

even if they were getting beat up.

So let's think about that for a moment.

但在美國，

我們為背叛我國的邦聯立起雕像。

In Germany,

Nazis were banished from everything

我想著這位老闆，

這位成長在德國

while here in the States,

we've erected statues to Confederates who betrayed our country.

卻愛上美國漫畫故事的漫畫粉絲，

Anyway, I thought about this man,

我便領悟，優良的漫畫或圖像小說

this comic book fan who grew up in Germany,

but fell in love with the story of an American icon.

能夠打動地球另一端的人心。

And I realized a well-written comic book or graphic novel

接著我想到革命，

每當社會需要改變時，

could reach someone all the way across the world.

那改變或多或少都是被藝術家啟蒙的。

And I thought about revolution,

how whenever society needs to change,

我想到專制獨裁的統治者 經常殺害、抹黑藝術家。

that change is inspired at least in part by the artist.

希特勒的手下想出一個術語 來損害藝術家們的名譽：

I thought about how dictators and despots regularly murder and discredit artists.

頹廢的藝術。

他們焚燒書籍、畫作。

Hitler's people came up with a term specifically to discredit artists:

但為什麼，

為什麼納粹黨的領導人

degenerate art.

They were burning books and paintings.

這麼致力於摧毀藝術品？

But why,

如果藝術真的那麼無力，

why were the leaders of the Nazi party

如果藝術真的是在浪費時間，

dedicating their attention to destroying art?

為什麼獨裁者們這麼怕呢？

If art really has no power,

為什麼納粹黨員會燒毀書籍和畫作？

if it's really a silly waste of time,

為什麼麥卡錫在 1950 年代 這麼致力於把藝術家列為黑名單？

then why are dictators afraid of it?

為什麼史達林政府 這麼傾力審查國內藝術家？

Why were Nazis burning books and paintings?

Why was McCarthy so dedicated to blacklisting artists in the 1950s?

因為藝術能嚇到獨裁者。

Why was Stalin's government so focused on censoring artists in Russia?

因為藝術家們了解我活到現在 仍不停掙扎著想了解的事情：

藝術有強大的力量，藝術很重要，

Because art scares dictators.

藝術能改變人心、想法， 且藝術的力量無遠弗屆。

Because they understood something

that I've been struggling to understand my entire life.

1894 年，列夫・托爾斯泰寫了 《天國在你心中》，

Art is powerful. Art is important.

Art can change hearts and minds all the way across the world.

它提倡非暴力的抗議。

In 1894, Russian author, Leo Tolstoy wrote "The Kingdom of God Is Within You".

1920 年，聖雄甘地將該書

It's a book that advocates for nonviolence.

列為影響他最大的三本書其中一本。

In the 1920s, Mahatma Gandhi listed Tolstoy's book

托爾斯泰啟發了甘地，

as one of the three most important influences in his life.

那麼你們知道甘地啟發了誰嗎？

So Tolstoy inspired Gandhi.

小馬丁・路德・金恩。

要是沒了托爾斯泰的書， 美國的民權運動究竟會怎樣呢？

And you know who Gandhi inspired?

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

我還能站在這裡跟你們說話嗎？

So how would the civil rights movement in America have changed

托爾斯泰的書啟蒙許多人， 為世界帶來實質改變。

if Tolstoy had never written his book?

Would I even be here talking to you now?

在爭取民權的運動時，

Tolstoy's book made real changes in the world by inspiring people.

黑人們會並肩站在一起彼此牽手

面對警察和狗的攻擊，

During the civil rights struggle,

還唱著福音歌曲。

Black people would stand hand in hand

as police and dogs attacked us

這些歌曲，

這些藝術結晶，啟發人們，

and we'd sing gospel songs.

支持他們撐到最後。

Those songs,

行動能改變世界。

that art inspired these people

行動的方式很多， 而我的方式就是藝術。

and it helped them make it through.

Activism is how we change the world.

And there are different ways to engage in activism.

我回到美國，

And for me, that way is art.

針對我剛提的議題寫了一些文章，

警察暴力、性別歧視、種族歧視。

So I came back to the States

and I wrote about all those issues that I mentioned before:

老實說，我不清楚人們 將會如何看待我的作品。

the police brutality, the sexism, the racism.

我只知道我疲於奉獻我的人生 給我不在乎的事情上。

Honestly, I didn't know how the world was going to receive it from me.

所以我聘了位漫畫家，

I just knew that I was tired of giving my life

開始群眾募資，

to things that I didn't care about.

我的圖像小說 以《燃燒的節拍器》的書名問世。

So I hired a comic book artist,

這是本超自然謀殺懸疑作品， 講述一個外星生物

I ran a Kickstarter campaign

吸收人類暴行後產生魔力。

and my graphic novel became "The Burning Metronome."

It's a supernatural murder mystery about otherworldly creatures

牠們觀看人類，

給我們在同情與殘殺之間抉擇的機會。

who absorb magical power from human cruelty.

They watch human beings

其中一則故事中， 有位警察被賦予機會回到過去，

and they give us the chance to choose between compassion and cruelty.

改寫某次他對人用了過度暴力的往事。

In one of the stories a police officer has an opportunity to go back

那寫完這本書之後，發生了什麼事呢？

and undo a time when he was unnecessarily violent to someone.

我接到來自新聞台、報社的採訪，

也有大學邀請我去教博士班寫作。

So what happened as a result of me writing this book?

I was interviewed on TV news, newspapers.

我成了教授。

但更重要的是，

The university invited me to teach writing in their master's program.

我能觸及自己的內心深處，

吐出我最真實的想法，

I'm a professor now.

並目睹它帶給人們正面的影響。

But more importantly,

I was able to reach into my heart,

pull out the truest parts of my soul

and see it have a positive impact on other people's lives.

我在漫畫店簽書時，

有個男人跟我聊了 20 分鐘，

最後，他說我的書讓他反思 自己的工作方式。

I was signing books in this comic book store

and this man made small talk with me for about 20 minutes.

我問他「你做什麼工作？」

Eventually he said that my book made him think about how he does his job.

他說他是警察。

我的書讓一位警察反思他的工作方式，

So of course I asked, what do you do for a living?

He was a police officer.

So my book made a police officer think about how he does his job.

做保險時從來沒發生這種事。

我以畫漫畫和寫圖像小說維生，

現在我是個全職藝術家。

That never happened when I sold insurance.

如果我當初沒寫那本書，

沒有人現在會聽我說話。

I write comic books and graphic novels for a living.

但我爸媽給我的警告也沒有錯，

Now I'm a full-time artist.

關於這個國家的致命處。

If I hadn't written that book,

none of you would be listening to me right now.

去年就有位白人至上主義者 寄威脅信給我，

And listen, my parents weren't wrong to warn me

因為一本我甚至還沒寫完的書。

about the lethal tendencies of this country.

很明顯，他會感覺自己被威脅的原因是

Just last year,

他知道藝術有力量，

a white supremacist sent me death threats

over a book that I hadn't even finished writing yet.

能改變全世界的人心和想法。

But obviously the only reason he was threatened

所以現在我要和大家說，

is because he recognized the power of art

如果你有想創作的作品，

to change hearts and minds all the way across the world.

如果你心裡有想法， 你有想說的話，

我們此刻就需要你。

So I say to you now,

if there's any art you want to create,

你的作品能成為一種社會運動。

if there's something in your heart, if you have something to say,

它們可以啟發人們改變世界。

we need you now.

如果你很害怕，沒關係， 別讓那些阻撓你。

Your art can be activism.

創作吧，嚇嚇那些獨裁者吧。

It can inspire people and change the world.

If you're afraid, that's OK.

藝術值得嗎？

Just don't let it stop you.

當然。

Go make art and scare a dictator.

謝謝。

Is art worth it?

Hell yeah.

Thank you.