I was afraid of womanhood.

我曾經很怕女性特質。

Not that I'm not afraid now,

我不能說我現在不害怕了，

but I've learned to pretend.

但我已經學會了偽裝。

I've learned to be flexible.

我已經學會了靈活。

In fact, I've developed some interesting tools

事實上，我已經開發了一些有趣的工具

to help me deal with this fear.

來幫助我對付這種恐懼。

Let me explain.

讓我解釋一下。

Back in the '50s and '60s, when I was growing up,

早在50年代和60年代，就是我成長的年代，

little girls were supposed to be kind and thoughtful

小女孩應該是善良、體貼、

and pretty and gentle and soft,

漂亮、溫婉和輕柔的。

and we were supposed to fit into roles

而我們應該適應角色

that were sort of shadowy --

是有點朦朧。

really not quite clear what we were supposed to be.

真的不是很清楚什麼應該是我們。

(Laughter)

（眾笑）

There were plenty of role models all around us.

我們周圍有很多榜樣。

We had our mothers, our aunts, our cousins, our sisters,

我們有我們的母親、我們的阿姨、我們的堂表姐妹、姐妹，

and of course, the ever-present media

以及，當然，永遠存在的媒體

bombarding us with images and words,

用圖像和文字轟炸我們，

telling us how to be.

告訴我們應該如何做。

Now my mother was different.

而我的母親是不同的。

She was a homemaker,

她是一個家庭主婦，

but she and I didn't go out and do girlie things together,

但她和我沒有出去一起做娘娘腔的東西。

and she didn't buy me pink outfits.

她並沒有給我買粉紅色的衣服。

Instead, she knew what I needed, and she bought me a book of cartoons.

相反，她知道我需要什麼，她給我買了漫畫書。

And I just ate it up.

而我對它愛不釋手。

I drew, and I drew,

我畫了又畫，

and since I knew that humor was acceptable in my family,

因為我知道在我家是可以接受幽默的，

I could draw, do what I wanted to do,

我可以畫畫，做我想做的事，

and not have to perform, not have to speak --

而不用表演、不用說話 --

I was very shy --

我曾經很害羞 --

and I could still get approval.

而我仍然可以得到認同。

I was launched as a cartoonist.

我被推為一個漫畫家。

Now when we're young,

正當我們年輕的時候，

we don't always know. We know there are rules out there,

我們並不總是知道 -- 我們知道外面有規則，

but we don't always know --

但我們並不總是知道 --

we don't perform them right,

我們沒有正確執行它們，

even though we are imprinted at birth

儘管在我們出生時就存在

with these things,

有這些東西，

and we're told

我們被告知

what the most important color in the world is.

什麼是世界上最重要的顏色。

We're told what shape we're supposed to be in.

我們被告知我們應該是什麼形狀。

(Laughter)

（眾笑）

We're told what to wear --

我們被告知應該穿什麼衣服 --

(Laughter)

（笑）

-- and how to do our hair --

-- 和我們的頭髮應該怎麼辦 --

(Laughter)

（笑）

-- and how to behave.

-- 還有如何行為舉止。

Now the rules that I'm talking about

現在我在說的規則

are constantly being monitored by the culture.

是不斷地被文化監測的。

We're being corrected,

我們被糾正。

and the primary policemen are women,

而這些基層民警是女性，

because we are the carriers of the tradition.

因為我們正是這傳統的繼承者。

We pass it down from generation to generation.

我們將它傳遞了一代又一代。

Not only that --

此外，

we always have this vague notion

我們總是有種模糊的概念

that something's expected of us.

有些什麼東西在期望著我們。

And on top of all off these rules,

而在所有這些規則之上，

they keep changing.

他們不斷發生變化。

(Laughter)

（眾笑）

We don't know what's going on half the time,

我們在一半的時間裡不知道發生了什麼事，

so it puts us in a very tenuous position.

所以這讓我們置身於一個非常脆弱的位置。

(Laughter)

（眾笑）

Now if you don't like these rules,

現在，如果你不喜歡這些規則，

and many of us don't --

而我們很多人都不喜歡 --

I know I didn't, and I still don't,

我知道我之前不喜歡，我仍然不喜歡，

even though I follow them half the time,

雖然有一半時間我遵守著它們，

not quite aware that I'm following them --

而並不清楚我在遵守它們 --

what better way than to change them [than] with humor?

還有什麼比幽默更好的辦法去改變他們？

Humor relies on the traditions of a society.

幽默依賴於社會的傳統。

It takes what we know, and it twists it.

它將我們所知道的，做了些扭曲。

It takes the codes of behavior and the codes of dress,

它隱身於行為守則和社會規範，

and it makes it unexpected,

而製造出意外效(笑)果，

and that's what elicits a laugh.

而這正是如此 能讓人會心一笑。

Now what if you put together women and humor?

現在，如果你把婦女和幽默放在一起會怎樣？

I think you can get change.

我想你可以得到改變。

Because women are on the ground floor,

因為婦女就是基層，

and we know the traditions so well,

而且我們最了解傳統，

we can bring a different voice to the table.

我們可以把不同的聲音帶上檯面。

Now I started drawing

現在我開始在

in the middle of a lot of chaos.

混亂之中畫畫。

I grew up not far from here in Washington D.C.

我在離這裡不遠的華盛頓特區長大。

during the Civil Rights movement, the assassinations,

歷經民權運動，暗殺事件，

the Watergate hearings and then the feminist movement,

水門事件聽證會，然後到女權運動。

and I think I was drawing,

而我覺得我是在透過繪畫，

trying to figure out what was going on.

試圖找出到底發生了什麼事。

And then also my family was in chaos,

然後我的家人也是在一片混亂之中。

and I drew to try to bring my family together --

而我用繪畫設法把我的家人放在一起 --

(Laughter)

（眾笑）

-- try to bring my family together with laughter.

-- 用笑聲盡量把我的家人放在一起。

It didn't work.

它沒有成功。

My parents got divorced, and my sister was arrested.

我的父母離婚了，妹妹被逮捕。

But I found my place.

但是我找到屬於我的地方。

I found that I didn't have to wear high heels,

我發現我不需要穿高跟鞋，

I didn't have to wear pink,

我不需要穿粉紅色，

and I could feel like I fit in.

而我能感覺到自己很自在。

Now when I was a little older, in my 20s,

當我年紀大一點的時候，20多歲，

I realized there are not many women in cartooning.

我意識到沒有太多的婦女在畫漫畫。

And I thought, "Well, maybe I can break

我想，“嗯，也許我可以打破

the little glass ceiling of cartooning,"

漫畫界的小小玻璃天花板。”

and so I did. I became a cartoonist.

而我就這樣做了；我成為了一個漫畫家。

And then I thought -- in my 40s I started thinking,

後來我又想到，在我40多歲的時候，我開始想，

"Well, why don't I do something?

“哦，為什麼我不做些什麼呢？

I always loved political cartoons,

我一直喜歡政治漫畫，

so why don't I do something with the content of my cartoons

為什麼我不用我的漫畫做一些有關的內容

to make people think about the stupid rules that we're following

使人們在思考的那些我們一直遵循的愚蠢規則的同時，

as well as laugh?"

也會心一笑？“

Now my perspective

現在我的觀點

is a particularly --

是一個特別 -

(Laughter)

（眾笑）

-- my perspective is a particularly American perspective.

-- 我的觀點是特別美國的觀點。

I can't help it. I live here.

我不能擺脫它。我住在這裡。

Even though I've traveled a lot,

儘管我經常旅遊，

I still think like an American woman.

我仍然像一個美國女人般思考。

But I believe that the rules that I'm talking about

但我相信，那些我說的規則

are universal, of course --

是普遍的，當然 --

that each culture has its different codes of behavior

這每一種文化都有其不同的行為模式

and dress and traditions,

和服飾和傳統，

and each woman has to deal with these same things

而每個女人都要處理同樣的這些事，

that we do here in the U.S.

像我們在美國這裡做的。

Consequently, we have.

因此，我們 --

Women, because we're on the ground, we know the tradition.

婦女，因為我們就是基層，我們知道傳統 --

We have amazing antennae.

我們有驚人的敏銳度。

Now my work lately

我最近的工作

has been to collaborate with international cartoonists,

與國際漫畫家合作，

which I so enjoy,

這個我很享受。

and it's given me a greater appreciation

而它讓我更欣賞

for the power of cartoons

用漫畫的力量

to get at the truth,

來獲得真相，

to get at the issues quickly and succinctly.

迅速和簡潔的獲得問題關鍵。

And not only that, it can get to the viewer

不僅如此，它可以傳達給觀眾，

through not only the intellect, but through the heart.

不只是經由智識，也同時能深入人心。

My work also has allowed me to collaborate

我的工作也使我與

with women cartoonists from across the world --

來自世界各地的女漫畫家合作 --

countries such as Saudi Arabia,

國家，如沙特阿拉伯、

Iran, Turkey,

伊朗、土耳其、

Argentina, France --

阿根廷、法國 --

and we have sat together and laughed

我們坐在一起，笑著聊天，

and talked and shared our difficulties.

共享我們的困難。

And these women are working so hard to get their voices heard

而這些婦女很努力的工作讓她們的聲音

in some very difficult circumstances.

在一些非常困難的情況下被聽見。

But I feel blessed to be able to work with them.

但能夠與她們合作我覺得很幸運。

And we talk about

我們還談到

how women have such strong perceptions,

為何婦女有如此強烈的看法，

because of our tenuous position

因為我們脆弱的地位

and our role as tradition-keepers,

和我們作為傳統保持者的角色，

that we can have the great potential

我們可以有很大的潛力

to be change-agents.

成為可變革推動者。

And I think, I truly believe,

我認為，我真的相信，

that we can change this thing

我們可以改變這種事情，

one laugh at a time.

每次一笑。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）