Al Vernacchio: Sex needs a new metaphor. Here's one ...

譯者: Bert Chen 審譯者: Ekaterina Saraeva

I'd like to talk to you today

今天 我想和大家談談

about a whole new way to think about sexual activity

如何用一個全新的角度 去思考性活動

and sexuality education, by comparison.

和性教育 兩者相比

If you talk to someone today in America

如果在美國 今天你和某人談論

about sexual activity,

有關性活動的事情

you'll find pretty soon you're not just talking

你很快就會發現 你不只是在聊

about sexual activity.

性活動

You're also talking about baseball.

你們可能還會聊到棒球

Because baseball is the dominant cultural metaphor

因為棒球是一種主流文化喻象

that Americans use to think about

美國人會想到

and talk about sexual activity,

聊天談到性生活時

and we know that because there's

我們會知道是因為

all this language in English

在英文裡 所有這種言語

that seems to be talking about baseball

都聽起來好像是在講棒球

but that's really talking about sexual activity.

但是其實都是在談論性活動

So, for example, you can be a pitcher or a catcher,

舉個例子 你是位投手或是捕手

and that corresponds to whether you

但其實在比喻

perform a sexual act or receive a sexual act.

你是主動方還是被動方

Of course, there are the bases,

當然說上了幾壘這種就更不用說了

which refer to specific sexual activities

每一壘都代表特定的性活動進度

that happen in a very specific order,

發生在一個非常特定的順序

ultimately resulting in scoring a run

最後就是要跑回本壘得分

or hitting a home run,

或轟出一支全壘打

which is usually having vaginal intercourse

那通常指的是發生第一次性行為

to the point of orgasm,

就有高潮

at least for the guy.

至少男的會有

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

You can strike out, which means

你也可能被三振出局 意思是

you don't get to have any sexual activity.

你沒有進行任何性活動

And if you're a benchwarmer,

如果你是一位板凳球員

you might be a virgin or somebody who for

那可能表示 你是一位處男、處女

whatever reason isn't in the game,

或是一位與這場無關的人

maybe because of your age or because of your ability

可能是因為你的年紀或能力

or because of your skillset.

或是因為你的技巧

A bat's a penis,

球棒指的是男性生殖器

and a nappy dugout is a vulva, or a vagina.

球員休息區則是指女性陰唇或陰道

A glove or a catcher's mitt is a condom.

手套或是捕手套就是保險套

A switch-hitter is a bisexual person,

如果說一個人能夠左右開弓 意思是他是一位雙性戀者

and we gay and lesbian folks play for the other team.

不管是男同志還是女同志

And then there's this one:

還有一句話是這麼說的

"if there's grass on the field, play ball."

『只要球場上有草，就可以打球了』

And that usually refers to

這通常是指

if a young person, specifically often a young woman,

如果一位年輕人 通常指的是年輕女性

is old enough to have pubic hair,

她的年紀已經夠大 開始會長陰毛

she's old enough to have sex with.

也表示她已經到適當年紀 可以與他人有性行為

This baseball model is incredibly problematic.

拿棒球來比喻「性」會造成非常多問題

It's sexist. It's heterosexist.

這種比喻是性別主義 是異性戀主義

It's competitive. It's goal-directed.

具有競爭意味 而且是目標導向

And it can't result in healthy sexuality

這種比喻方式無法導致

developing in young people or in adults.

讓年輕人或成人發展健康的性活動

So we need a new model.

所以我們需要一個新的模範

I'm here today to offer you that new model.

今天我在這裡就是要給大家看看新的模組

And it's based on

這是以

pizza.

披薩為模組

Now pizza is something that is universally understood

現在人人都知道披薩

and that most people associate with a positive experience.

並且大多數人對披薩都有正向經驗

So let's do this.

所以我們來試試看

Let's take baseball and pizza and compare it

我們拿棒球和披薩來比較一下

when talking about three aspects of sexual activity:

談到性活動的三個面向的時候

the trigger for sexual activity,

性活動的觸發點

what happens during sexual activity,

在從事性活動的時候

and the expected outcome of sexual activity.

以及希望性活動帶來的結果

So when do you play baseball?

所以你在打棒球的時候?

You play baseball when it's baseball season

你會在球季開始的時候打棒球

and when there's a game on the schedule.

有一場排定的比賽的時候

It's not exactly your choice.

你無法選擇

So if it's prom night or a wedding night

所以如果是舞會之夜或婚禮之夜

or at a party or if our parents aren't home,

或是在派對上或如果我們的父母不在家

hey, it's just batter up.

我們就準備來翻雲覆雨

Can you imagine saying to your coach,

你能想像一下 對你的教練說

"Uh, I'm not really feeling it today,

我今天狀態不太好

I think I'll sit this game out."

我想我還是不要上場比賽

That's just not the way it happens.

事情不是這樣子的

And when you get together to play baseball,

你們在一起打棒球的時候

immediately you're with two opposing teams,

馬上就要分成兩隊

one playing offense, one playing defense,

一邊扮演進攻方 另一邊扮演防守方

somebody's trying to move deeper into the field.

有人想試著更深入球場

That's usually a sign to the boy.

那通常是指的是男生

Somebody's trying to defend people moving into the field.

有人試著防守不讓人進入

That's often given to the girl.

通常指的是女生

It's competitive.

競爭非常激烈

We're not playing with each other.

我們不是在玩

We're playing against each other.

我們是在互相對抗

And when you show up to play baseball,

你要去打棒球的時候

nobody needs to talk about what we're going to do

大家都知道我們要做什麼

or how this baseball game might be good for us.

這場球賽對我們有什麼好處

Everybody knows the rules.

大家都知道規則

You just take your position and play the game.

你就只要站好你的位置 開始比賽

But when do you have pizza?

但是你什麼時候會去吃披薩?

Well, you have pizza when you're hungry for pizza.

當然是在你非常想吃披薩的時候 你就會去吃披薩

It starts with an internal sense, an internal desire, or a need.

這是源自於一種內在的感受、欲望或是需求

"Huh. I could go for some pizza."

我想去吃披薩

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

And because it's an internal desire,

因為這是一種內在的欲望

we actually have some sense of control over that.

事實上我們有些許控制感 想去控制內在欲望

我可以決定 我很餓

I could decide that I'm hungry

but know that it's not a great time to eat.

但我知道現在還不到吃飯的時候

And then when we get together with someone for pizza,

我們跟他人一起去吃披薩的時候

we're not competing with them,

我們不是在跟他們競爭

we're looking for an experience

我們是在尋找一種經驗

that both of us will share

讓我們兩個能夠共同分享

that's satisfying for both of us,

同時滿足我們雙方

and when you get together for pizza with somebody,

我們跟某人一起去吃披薩的時候

what's the first thing you do?

第一件事你會做什麼?

You talk about it.

你會討論要吃那種披薩

You talk about what you want.

你會說出你的需求

You talk about what you like.

你會談到你喜歡什麼東西

You may even negotiate it.

你甚至可能會忽略它

"How do you feel about pepperoni?" (Laughter)

你覺得義式香腸好不好吃?(笑聲)

"Not so much, I'm kind of a mushroom guy myself."

感覺還好 我個人比較喜歡吃洋菇

"Well, maybe we can go half and half."

也許我們可以各來一點

And even if you've had pizza with somebody

即使你跟某人一起吃披薩

for a very long time,

已經有一段很長的時間

don't you still say things like,

難道妳不會說這種話 就像是

"Should we get the usual?"

我們應該常吃嗎?

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

"Or maybe something a little more adventurous?"

或者做一些更有冒險感覺的事情

Okay, so when you're playing baseball,

好 所以你在打棒球的時候

so if we talk about during sexual activity,

所以我們在從事性活動的時候 談到棒球

when you're playing baseball,

你在打棒球的時候

you're just supposed to round the bases

你只要去跑壘

in the proper order one at a time.

在一定的順序之下 一次上一壘

You can't hit the ball and run to right field.

你不能擊球

That doesn't work.

那樣沒用

And you also can't get to second base and say,

你也不能跑到二壘 說

"I like it here. I'm going to stay here."

我喜歡在這裡 我想待在這裡

No.

不行

And also, of course, with baseball, there's, like,

當然 說到棒球 當然有

the specific equipment and a specific skill set.

特定的裝備和技巧組合

不是每個人都可以打棒球

Not everybody can play baseball. It's pretty exclusive.

Okay, but what about pizza?

好 但是披薩呢?

When we're trying to figure out what's good for pizza,

我們試著要了解披薩有什麼好吃的時候

isn't it all about what's our pleasure?

這不都與我們的意願有關嗎?

There are a million different kinds of pizza.

有一百萬種不同的披薩

There's a million different toppings.

有一百萬種不同的配料

There's a million different ways to eat pizza.

有一百萬種不同的披薩吃法

And none of them are wrong. They're different.

都沒有錯 他們都不一樣

And in this case, difference is good,

就這個例子而言 有差異是件好事

because that's going to increase the chance

因為這將能夠增加機會

that we're having a satisfying experience.

讓我們有個滿意的經驗

And lastly, what's the expected outcome of baseball?

最後這場棒球賽期望的結果是什麼?

Well, in baseball, you play to win.

在棒球領域而言，你打棒球是為了要獲勝

You score as many runs as you can.

你盡可能多跑壘得分

There's always a winner in baseball,

打棒球的時候 一定會有贏家

and that means there's always a loser in baseball.

也就是說 也會有輸家

But what about pizza?

但披薩呢?

Well, in pizza, we're not really --

就披薩而言 我們不是真的

there's no winning. How do you win pizza?

這方面沒有輸贏 你要怎麼贏得披薩?

You don't. But you do look for,

你沒辦法 但是你會去找披薩

"Are we satisfied?"

我們滿意嗎?

And sometimes that can be different amounts

有時候 我們吃的數量會不一樣

over different times or with different people

次數不一樣 或是跟不同人一起吃

or on different days.

或是在不同日子

And we get to decide when we feel satisfied.

我們必須決定我們什麼時候覺得滿意

If we're still hungry, we might have some more.

如果我們還很餓 可能就多吃一點

If you eat too much, though,

如果你吃太多

you just feel gross.

你只會覺得想吐

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

So what if we could take this pizza model

所以假使我們拿這個披薩模組

and overlay it on top of sexuality education?

套用在性教育上

A lot of sexuality education that happens today

今日許多性教育

is so influenced by the baseball model,

都深受棒球模組的影響

and it sets up education that can't help

以這種模組建立起的教育

but produce unhealthy sexuality in young people.

不得不對年輕人產生不健康的性活動

And those young people become older people.

讓那些年輕人的思想變得更老化

But if we could create sexuality education

但是如果我們能創造出一套性教育方式

that was more like pizza,

更像是披薩譬喻的方法

we could create education that invites people

我們創造出一套教育方法 邀請民眾

to think about their own desires,

思考他們自己的性欲

to make deliberate decisions about what they want,

經過深思熟慮做下他們想要的決定

to talk about it with their partners,

跟他們的父母談談「性」

and to ultimately look for

最後

not some external outcome

不是要尋找外部結果

but for what feels satisfying,

而是要尋找怎樣會讓我們覺得滿意

and we get to decide that.

我們必須決定

You may have noticed

你們可能已經注意到

in the baseball and pizza comparison,

在棒球和披薩的比較之下

under the baseball, it's all commands.

在棒球領域 都是命令的方式

They're all exclamation points.

他們都是驚嘆號

But under the pizza model, they're questions.

但是在披薩模組 他們都是問號

And who gets to answer those questions?

誰會回答這些問題呢?

You do. I do.

你會 我也會

So remember, when we're thinking about

所已請記得 當我們想到

sexuality education and sexual activity,

性教育 性活動

baseball, you're out.

棒球的時候 你就出局了

Pizza is the way to think about healthy,

披薩是一種方式 思考健康

satisfying sexual activity,

令人滿意的性活動

and good, comprehensive sexuality education.

和適當且具廣泛性的性教育

Thank you very much for your time.

謝謝大家

(Applause)

(掌聲)