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

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Joanna Pietrulewicz

譯者: JIAN CUI 審譯者: 庭芝 梁

So earlier this year,

今年年初，

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

我被告知要發表一場 TED 的演說。

So I was excited, then I panicked,

一開始我很興奮，然後變成緊張，

then I was excited, then I panicked,

然後又很興奮，然後又很緊張，

and in between the excitement and the panicking,

就在興奮與緊張之間，

I started to do my research,

我開始進行一些研究，

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

我的研究主要是用 Google 搜尋： 如何發表一場完美的 TED 演說。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And interspersed with that,

在這個過程中，

I was Googling Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

我也查詢了 奇瑪曼達．恩格茲．阿迪契。

How many of you know who that is?

有多少人知道她是誰嗎？

(Cheers)

（鼓掌）

So I was Googling her because I always Google her

我 Google了她 因為我經常 Google 她，

因為我是她的粉絲，

because I'm just a fan,

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

而且因為她總是講了 重要又有趣的事情。

And the combination of those searches

所有搜尋到的結果，

kept leading me to her talk

總是把我引導到她的演講，

on the dangers of a single story,

關於只聽單一故事的危險性，

on what happens when we have a solitary lens

關於當我們只用一種視角

through which to understand certain groups of people,

去觀察某些特定群體的後果。

and it is the perfect talk.

這是一場完美的演講。

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

如果當初是我先成名的話， 這就是我想進行的演講。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

你知道，就像，她是非洲人， 而我也是非洲人；

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

她是女權主義者， 而我也是女權主義者；

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

她講故事，而我也講故事；

so I really felt like it's my talk.

所以我真的認為那是我的演講。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

所以我決定學習寫程式，

and then I was going to hack the internet

然後去入侵網際網路，

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

把所有這場演講的影片全部刪除，

and then I would memorize it,

然後我會把演講內容背熟，

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

然後就把它當成自己的演講說出來。

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

整個計劃進行得非常成功， 除了寫程式的部分之外；

and then one morning a few months ago,

直到在幾個月前的一個早上，

I woke up

當我醒來時，

to the news that the wife of a certain presidential candidate

看到一則新聞當中， 某位總統候選人的太太

had given a speech that --

發表了一場演說──

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

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

感覺很詭異，聽起來像是 另一個我喜歡的人在演講，

Michelle Obama.

蜜雪兒．歐巴馬。

(Cheers)

（歡呼）

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

於是我決定應該寫一篇 自己的 TED 演講稿，

這就是我現在要做的。

and so that is what I am here to do.

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

我要說的是自己對於 「說故事」的觀察。

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

當然，我會告訴你故事的力量，

but I also want to talk about their limitations,

但是我也想談它的侷限性，

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

特別是對於我們之中， 某些關注社會正義的人。

So since Adichie gave that talk seven years ago,

自從七年前阿迪契的演講之後，

there has been a boom in storytelling.

說故事形成一股風潮。

Stories are everywhere,

到處都是故事，

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

雖然這可能是老生常談，

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

但我還是認爲能有這麼多的故事，

of so many stories and so many voices.

能有這麼多的聲音出現， 是很值得慶祝的事。

Stories are the antidote to bias.

故事是偏見的解藥。

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

實際上，如今，如果你屬於中產階級， 而且能連上網際網路，

you can download stories at the touch of a button

你可以下載很多故事， 只需要按下滑鼠按鈕，

or the swipe of a screen.

或是滑動觸控螢幕。

You can listen to a podcast

你可以藉由收聼 Podcast，

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

瞭解加爾各答地區的 賤民階層如何生活。

You can hear an indigenous man in Australia

你可以聽到澳洲的原住民

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

談論關於教育出端莊、 具有自尊的孩子，

所需要進行的嘗試與成功經驗。

and in pride.

Stories make us fall in love.

故事讓我們相愛。

They heal rifts and they bridge divides.

故事能治癒裂痕，弭平分歧。

Stories can even make it easier for us

故事甚至能讓我們更容易

to talk about the deaths of people in our societies

談論社會上某些市井小民的死亡，

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

因爲故事讓我們關注這些事。

Right?

對嗎？

I'm not so sure,

我不是很確定，

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

事實上我在一個叫 「故事中心」的地方工作。

And my job is to help to tell stories

我的工作是幫助人們

說出一些挑戰主流論述的故事， 例如我們經常討論的議題：

that challenge mainstream narratives about what it means to be black

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

身爲黑人，穆斯林，難民

that we talk about all the time.

以及其他族群，背後所代表的含意。

But I come to this work

但是我接手這份工作，

after a long history as a social justice activist,

是在我長期從事社會正義行動之後，

and so I'm really interested in the ways

而且讓我非常感興趣的，

that people talk about nonfiction storytelling

是人們在談論「紀實故事」時 所持的態度和方式，

as though it's about more than entertainment,

認為它不只是娛樂，

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

認為它是社會行動的催化劑。

It's not uncommon to hear people say

我們常聽到人們說：

that stories make the world a better place.

故事能讓世界更美好。

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

不過我開始擔心： 即使是最讓人感動的故事，

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

特別是那些市井小民的故事，

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

也經常會妨礙到社會正義的進行。

Now, this is not because storytellers mean any harm.

這不是因爲說故事的人 故意要造成傷害。

Quite the contrary.

恰恰相反，

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

說故事的人通常是想要做好事的人， 例如我，以及在座的你們。

And the audiences of storytellers

而聼故事的人

are often deeply compassionate and empathetic people.

通常也是充滿熱情和同情心的人。

Still, good intentions can have unintended consequences,

但是，好的動機也會導致 意想不到的後果，

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

所以我想強調的是， 說故事並不像看起來那麽神奇。

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

有三個原因，總是要有三個──

three reasons why I think

我認爲有三個原因，

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

故事不一定會讓世界變得更好。

Firstly, stories can create an illusion of solidarity.

首先，故事能產生一種 「共同一致」的幻覺。

There is nothing like that feel-good factor you get

沒有其他東西能夠像 聽了奇幻故事一樣，

from listening to a fantastic story

能帶給你更好的感覺了；

where you feel like you climbed that mountain, right,

就彷彿是你自己征服了那座山，是的。

or that you befriended that death row inmate.

或者是你和一位死刑犯成為朋友。

But you didn't.

但是你並沒有真的去做。

You haven't done anything.

你沒有完成任何事。

Listening is an important

傾聽故事是很重要的一步，

but insufficient step towards social action.

但對於社會行動來説，仍然不足夠。

Secondly, I think often we are drawn

第二，我認爲人們經常會被

那些令人喜愛、具有人性化的

towards characters and protagonists

who are likable and human.

角色和主人公所吸引。

And this makes sense, of course, right?

而且這也符合常理，是不是？

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

因爲如果你喜歡他們， 你自然就會關心他們。

But the inverse is also true.

但反之亦然。

If you don't like someone,

如果你不喜歡他們，

then you don't care about them.

你自然也不會關心他們。

And if you don't care about them,

如果你不關心他們，

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

你自然也不會認爲 自己負有道義責任，

to think about the circumstances that shaped their lives.

去思考那些人周遭的生活環境。

I learned this lesson when I was 14 years old.

我在 14 嵗時學到了這一點。

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

我學到的是，實際上 你不一定要喜歡某個人，

才能認可他的智慧；

to recognize their wisdom,

and you certainly don't have to like someone

而且你也不需要喜歡某個人，

to take a stand by their side.

才能和他站在同一陣線。

So my bike was stolen

我的脚踏車被偷了，

while I was riding it --

在我騎著它的的時候──

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

這是可能的，如果你騎得夠慢， 我當時就是這樣。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So one minute I'm cutting across this field

就在我正要穿過一片田地的時候，

in the Nairobi neighborhood where I grew up,

就在奈洛比附近，我生長的地方，

and it's like a very bumpy path,

因為路非常崎嶇不平，

and so when you're riding a bike,

所以當你騎車時，

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

你不會想要......你知道的──

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

所以我就騎得很慢。

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

突然間，我摔倒在地上。

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

當我躺在地上時，抬頭一看，

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

有個小孩正騎著車逃跑，

which is my bike,

他騎著我的脚踏車。

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

他大概 11 或 12 嵗， 我還倒在地上，

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

然後我大哭，因為我存了很久的錢 才買了這輛脚踏車，

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

於是我一邊哭，一邊站起來大喊。

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

出於本能，我開始大喊： "Mwizi, mwizi! "

which means "thief" in Swahili.

這在斯瓦希里語中 代表「小偷」的意思。

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

這時候許多人從伐木場跑出來，

and they start to give chase.

他們開始追趕。

This is Africa, so mob justice in action.

這是在非洲，當時暴民政治 正在興起。是吧？

Right?

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

（笑聲）

當我走到轉角時， 他們已經抓住了小偷。

they've caught him.

他們已經抓住了他。

The suspect has been apprehended,

嫌犯已被逮捕，

and they make him give me my bike back,

他們要他把脚踏車還給我，

and they also make him apologize.

而且他們還要他道歉。

Again, you know, typical African justice, right?

你知道，這是典型的非洲正義，是吧？

所以他們要他說：對不起。

And so they make him say sorry.

And so we stand there facing each other,

我們當時就面對面站著，

and he looks at me, and he says sorry,

他看著我，說了對不起。

but he looks at me with this unbridled fury.

但是他用非常憤怒的表情看著我，

He is very, very angry.

他非常，非常生氣。

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

這是我第一次直接面對著，

一個只是因爲我的身份 而不喜歡我的人。

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

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

他帶著那種神情看著我，彷彿在説：

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

「你，你有光滑的皮膚， 還有一輛脚踏車，你對我生氣？」

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

我知道他不喜歡我，這的確不好受，

but you know what, he was right.

但是你知道嗎，他這樣想是正常的。

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

在這個貧窮的國家， 我是一個生長在中產階層的小孩。

I had a bike, and he barely had food.

我擁有一輛脚踏車， 而他幾乎連食物都沒有。

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

有時候，有些訊息是我們不想聼的；

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

但是那些讓我們坐立難安的訊息，

that we need to hear the most.

卻正是我們最需要聼的。

For every lovable storyteller who steals your heart,

在每一位我們所喜愛的 故事演說者背後，

there are hundreds more whose voices are slurred and ragged,

有成百上千個被忽略、 疲憊不堪的聲音，

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

他們沒有機會穿上這麽好的衣服， 站在這個講臺上。

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

有數百萬則像是 脚踏車上生氣男孩的故事，

and we can't afford to ignore them

我們不應該忽視他們，

simply because we don't like their protagonists

只是因爲我們不喜歡 那些故事裏的主角，

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

或者只是因爲，

他不是我們在孤兒院 想領養的那個小孩。

from the orphanage.

The third reason that I think

而第三個原因，

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

我認爲故事不一定能讓世界更美好，

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

是因爲我們經常 過於投入在個人敘事中，

that we forget to look at the bigger picture.

而讓我們忘記去綜觀全局。

And so we applaud someone

當某些人告訴我們 他們感覺到羞辱時，

when they tell us about their feelings of shame,

我們會為他們鼓掌，

but we don't necessarily link that to oppression.

但這時我們不一定會聯想到壓迫。

We nod understandingly when someone says they felt small,

當有人說他們覺得自己渺小， 我們會理解地點點頭，

but we don't link that to discrimination.

但是我們不會聯想到這是歧視。

The most important stories, especially for social justice,

那些最重要的故事， 特別是有關社會正義的，

are those that do both,

是那些能夠兼顧兩方面的故事，

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

不僅能讓我們心有所感， 又能讓我們去探究和理解它背後的政治。

But it's not just about the stories we like

但這不僅僅是關於 我們所喜歡的故事，

versus the stories we choose to ignore.

以及我們所選擇忽視的故事 兩者間的比較。

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

逐漸的，我們生活的社會裏 出現了一股愈來愈大的力量。

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

事實上，許多人開始 用故事來取代新聞。

Yeah?

沒錯吧？

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

我們所處的時代，正在見證著： 事實開始不被重視，

when emotions rule

情感開始主導一切，

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

而理性的分析，令人感覺枯燥，對吧？

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

我們重視自己的感覺 遠勝過我們實際知道的真相。

A recent report by the Pew Center on trends in America

探討美國趨勢的皮尤研究中心 最近有一份報告，

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

顯示在 30 歲以下的年輕人當中，

衹有 10% 的人 「非常信任傳播媒體」。

"place a lot of trust in the media."

Now, this is significant.

這是很重要的警訊。

It means that storytellers are gaining trust

這意味著，在講述故事的人

at precisely the same moment

贏得信任的同時，

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

傳播媒體正在失去大眾的信心。

This is not a good thing,

這不是件好事。

because while stories are important

因爲故事雖然很重要，

and they help us to have insights in many ways,

它能幫助我們在很多方面獲得領悟，

we need the media.

但是我們仍然需要傳播媒體。

From my years as a social justice activist,

在我從事社會正義行動的時期，

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

我很清楚的知道，我們需要 結合傳媒機構提供的可靠事實，

combined with the powerful voices of storytellers.

以及講述故事者，强而有力的聲音。

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

這才能推動社會正義的前進。

In the final analysis, of course,

最後的分析，當然，

it is justice

衹有正義

that makes the world a better place,

才能讓這個世界更美好。

not stories. Right?

而不是故事本身，對吧？

And so if it is justice that we are after,

所以說如果我們追求的是正義，

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

我認爲我們不應該聚焦在 媒體或是講故事的人身上。

We must focus on audiences,

我們必須關注聽眾，

on anyone who has ever turned on a radio

關注那些打開收音機

or listened to a podcast,

或收聼 podcast 的人，

and that means all of us.

這就意味著我們每一個人。

So a few concluding thoughts

最後我有一些想法，

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

關於聽眾能做些什麽， 讓這個世界更美好。

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

首先，我認爲這個世界會變得更好，

if audiences were more curious and more skeptical

如果聽眾能夠更加好奇、更加質疑，

and asked more questions about the social context

並且對於他們喜愛的故事 背後的社會脈絡，

that created those stories that they love so much.

提出更多問題。

Secondly, the world would be a better place

其次，這個世界會更加美好，

if audiences recognized that storytelling is intellectual work.

如果大家能意識到 說故事是耗費腦力的工作。

And I think it would be important for audiences

另外我認為有件事 對聽眾來說是非常重要的，

to demand more buttons on their favorite websites,

就是要求他們喜愛的網站 增加更多的按鈕，

buttons for example that say,

比如說，像這樣的一個按鈕：

"If you liked this story,

「如果你喜歡這個故事，請點擊這裏，

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

支持講故事那人所捍衛的信念。」

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

或者是「點擊這裏 來捐贈她下一個大理念」。

Often, we are committed to the platforms,

我們一般總是忠於某個網路平台，

but not necessarily to the storytellers themselves.

而不是在故事人的本身。

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

最後，我想大家可以讓世界更美好，

by switching off their phones,

我們可以關掉手機，

by stepping away from their screens

遠離各種電子螢幕，

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

走進這個真實， 但感覺不太安全的世界。

Alice Walker has said,

愛麗絲．華克曾經説過，

"Look closely at the present you are constructing.

「仔細看著你正在建造的當下，

It should look like the future you are dreaming."

那應該是你夢想中的未來。」

Storytellers can help us to dream,

講故事的人能幫助我們去夢想，

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

但是最終還是要靠我們自己 為正義制定計劃，採取行動。

Thank you.

謝謝大家。

(Applause)

（掌聲）