Two Self-Intros

Here's Angel! Hi everyone.

「有請 Angel！」大家好。

Today I want to talk about some gender stereotypes

今天我想談談一些性別刻板印象，

I've encountered in the music scene in Hong Kong.

是我在香港的音樂圈裡遇到的。

So I think one of the most common topics

我想，最常被討論的話題之一，

that we have discussed these days in modern days

就是我們最近，在現代社會裡談的——

is that it's gender stereotypes.

性別刻板印象。

And I don't know if you have actually encountered

我不知道你們在現實生活中

these kind of issues before in real life

有沒有真的碰過這種事，

or what occasions that you have actually noticed that.

或者在什麼場合注意到過。

For me, I think it's everywhere, even when it comes to my favorite hobby.

對我來說，它無所不在，連我最喜歡的興趣也不例外。

Because my favorite thing to do is listen to music,

因為我最喜歡做的事就是聽音樂，

and I always go to different kind of gigs to enjoy the live music.

我常常去各種各樣的演出，享受現場的音樂。

And I think one of the things I haven't noticed before this year

我想，有一件事我今年以前一直沒注意到，

probably is that there are still kind of boundaries

大概就是，還是有一種界線

between different groups, even in terms of music.

存在於不同的群體之間，連音樂圈也一樣。

It seems like a very accepting and diverse community,

這個圈子看起來很包容、很多元，

but somehow there is something that is unchangeable in our subconsciousness

但不知怎的，我們的潛意識裡總有些東西動不了，

about different kind of expectations on different groups of people.

那就是對不同群體的人抱著不同的期待。

So an example is, there are a lot of different kinds of genres in music,

舉個例子，音樂裡有很多不同的曲風，

and people still have certain kind of stereotypes on different genre.

而大家對不同的曲風還是有某些刻板印象。

Because for example, for metal and hardcore rock music,

比如說，金屬樂和硬核搖滾，

they are more violent, masculine and somehow rebellious.

比較暴力、比較陽剛，也帶點叛逆。

So people would think these are very much the qualities in male that we can only see.

所以大家會覺得，這些特質只有在男生身上才看得到。

And on the other hand, people would think that for the softer genres

另一方面，大家又會覺得，那些比較柔和的曲風——

like dream pop, folk music or some kind of pop music like Taylor Swift,

像 dream pop、民謠，或者 Taylor Swift 那種流行樂——

very feminine, they would think that oh, these are for girls,

很陰柔，他們會說：「這些是給女生聽的」，

and only girls could understand the feminine, um, femininity behind it.

而且只有女生才懂背後那種陰柔、那種女性特質。

And they're more like, um, even if males are listening to this music,

他們還會覺得，就算男生真的在聽這種音樂，

maybe they probably really enjoy this kind of music,

就算他們真的很喜歡，

people would say oh, you're just being performative,

大家還是會說：「你只是在演」，

and you don't really actually understand

「你根本就不明白，

what they're talking about in this kind of music.

這種音樂在講的是什麼。」

So actually for me, I enjoyed all these kind of different genres.

其實這些曲風我都聽，也都喜歡。

So one time I actually went to a metal gig with one of my male friends,

有一次我跟一個男生朋友去看金屬樂的演出，

and what he said really shocked me at that time.

他說的話當場讓我很震驚。

Because he told me that he didn't really think

因為他跟我說，他其實不覺得

that most females could fit in the community

大部分女生能融入

of metal and hardcore rock music,

金屬樂和硬核搖滾的圈子，

because — because he doesn't really think

因為——因為他不覺得

that we could understand the mentality behind this kind of music.

我們能懂這種音樂背後的那種心態。

Because you see, it's always male artists,

你看，台上一直都是男的樂手，

and it's very high energy,

能量非常強，

and it's very different from the norms of females usually.

跟一般對女生的想像很不一樣。

So there is a kind of ritual in metal gigs actually,

金屬樂的演出其實有一種儀式，

and that is called mosh pit.

叫做 mosh pit。

And basically it's a small circle under the stage.

基本上就是台下的一個小圈子。

When it comes to a specific timing, people would start doing slam dancing

到了某個時間點，大家就會開始撞舞，

and maybe push each other.

互相推擠。

So sometimes it get a little bit chaotic,

所以有時候場面會有點混亂，

and it really requires you to be quite physically capable of doing that,

而且真的需要你身體夠強壯才行，

otherwise you might get hurt.

不然可能會受傷。

So you really need to know your limit.

所以你要很清楚自己的極限。

So that's why usually, for a long history,

所以長久以來，

it's always males happen to jump into the mosh pit instead of females.

跳進 mosh pit 的幾乎都是男生，不是女生。

So I think that is where the stereotypes come from,

我想刻板印象就是這樣來的：

is that people think that females have to be very elegant

大家覺得女生就該優雅，

— you know, the gender norms back in the old days,

你知道的，就是舊時代那套性別規範，

and they have to comply with certain kind of social rules.

女生得守某些社會規則。

So if you do that, probably people will think

所以你要是真的去跳，大家大概會想：

oh, that's not — that's not very elegant of you, of doing that.

「這樣不太——不太優雅吧，去跳那個。」

So I think that's — that is why what I said is very, like, um,

所以我覺得，這就是為什麼我剛剛說的那個東西，

unchangeable in our subconsciousness.

在我們的潛意識裡動不了。

So we have to learn how to accept different people in one community.

所以我們得學會在同一個圈子裡接納不同的人。

And you know what the irony is?

你知道諷刺的地方在哪嗎？

After my friend said that, in that gig, I saw in the mosh pit,

我朋友說完那些話之後，那場演出裡，我就在 mosh pit 裡看到，

there are a lot of females enjoying their great time.

好多女生玩得非常開心。

And one of the females actually did a very great job

其中一個女生做得特別好，

in looking out for other people in the mosh pit.

她照顧著 pit 裡的其他人。

I saw a man, he almost fell down,

我看到一個男生差點跌倒，

because you see it's a mess sometimes in the pit.

因為 pit 裡有時候真的很亂。

And that female actually tried to control the pit a little bit,

那個女生就試著把場面稍微控住，

and try to make out some space for him,

幫他讓出一點空間，

so that he would — he wouldn't get hurt,

讓他不會——不會受傷，

and he could get up easily and settle down.

能順利站起來、穩下來。

So that's when I think that even females could actually look out for male.

那時候我就想，女生其實也照顧得了男生。

Although they might not be physically stronger,

她們也許力氣沒那麼大，

but — but they could be quite sensitive,

但——但她們很敏銳，

and they could notice all the details around us.

身邊所有細節都注意得到。

So that's why I think we shouldn't devalue them

所以我覺得我們不該小看她們，

and just thinking, oh, they can't belong in certain type of communities.

不該就這樣認定：「她們不屬於某些圈子。」

And okay, that's why I think it's really important for us

所以我覺得，對我們來說真的很重要的一件事，

to eliminate the boundaries between different genders,

就是把性別之間的界線拿掉，

and try to accept different people in a community.

學著在一個圈子裡接納不同的人。

Thank you.

謝謝大家。

Here's Mark.

「有請 Mark。」

So we're in a writing class.

我們現在在一堂寫作課上。

The room is silent, and like, the seats facing front,

教室很安靜，座位全朝著前面，

and also like, on the blackboard there were a few words:

黑板上寫著幾個字：

What do you want to be when you grow up?

你長大以後想做什麼？

Then you hear only the AC, like, humming in the background,

接著你只聽見冷氣在背景嗡嗡作響，

and everyone scribbling with their pencils frantically.

還有大家拼命用鉛筆刷刷地寫。

But there's a boy sitting on his seat, like, struggling,

但有個男孩坐在位子上，很掙扎，

really struggling to put even a word down.

連一個字都寫不出來。

The teacher came and asked what's wrong,

老師走過來問他怎麼了，

and asked if anything's okay.

問他還好嗎。

But the boy cannot utter a word.

但男孩一句話也說不出來。

He just sat there with a blank sheet of paper with a squiggly line on it, and nothing else.

他就坐在那裡，紙是空白的，上面只有一條彎彎的線，別的什麼都沒有。

I was once that boy on that seat.

我就當過那個坐在那裡的男孩。

And now when I started teaching, I start to see them,

後來我開始教書，才發現他們——

like, appearing all over Hong Kong

在全香港到處都是，

— like hundreds and thousands of students

成千上萬的學生，

struggling to put down anything on the paper,

在紙上寫不出任何東西，

like, in writing class.

就在寫作課上。

So like, all along, we usually, like, see — see them

一直以來，我們通常都把他們看成

as lazy or like, incompetent.

懶惰，或者沒能力。

But I would say that we're at the wrong place all along.

但我會說，我們一直都找錯地方了。

It's not that they don't have the ability to write;

不是他們沒有能力寫，

it's more so that they have nothing to write about.

而是他們沒有東西可以寫。

So, as we have learned in, like, basic geometry:

就像我們在基礎幾何學過的：

one, that is a point.

一個，那是一個點。

Two points, then you get the line.

兩個點，就有一條線。

Three, maybe a triangle.

三個點，也許就是一個三角形。

But that is kind of the — the world

但這差不多就是——就是

that students of our age, and of our future generations,

我們這一代還有下一代的學生，

are dealing with right now.

現在所面對的世界。

School, cram school, and home.

學校、補習班、家。

And that's their whole world.

那就是他們的全世界。

So what can we expect of them?

那我們還能期待他們什麼？

What can we expect of them, when they only have a few points in the world?

當他們的世界裡只有那幾個點，我們還能期待什麼？

Like, they have missed a lot of things.

他們錯過了太多東西。

Like the grainy sands in the beaches, with like, broken shells that cut your feet.

像海灘上粗粗的沙，還有割腳的碎貝殼。

The dozen tadpoles that you scoop from the stream,

像你從溪裡撈起來的一群蝌蚪，

and they turn into frogs and jumping around, like, two months later.

兩個月後就變成青蛙到處亂跳。

Like the fading neon lights and the bustling streets

像那些褪色的霓虹燈和熱鬧的街道，

from Mong Kok to Tsim Sha Tsui.

從旺角一路到尖沙咀。

And also like the night sky and the cityscape from, like, Tai Mo Shan,

還有大帽山上的夜空和整片城市的景色，

when you look down and there's all lights.

你往下一看，全是燈火。

They've never experienced that.

這些他們都沒經歷過。

I'm kind of fortunate that I get to experience those

我算幸運，這些我都經歷過，

in the later stages of my childhood.

在童年比較後面的那幾年。

So they have nothing to write about.

所以他們沒有東西可以寫。

But it's kind of not their fault.

但這其實不是他們的錯。

It's us — as educators, as parents,

是我們——身為教育者、身為父母、

as a society as a whole, we failed those children.

身為整個社會，我們辜負了這些孩子。

We failed them because they need to focus on their study.

我們辜負他們，因為他們得專心讀書。

We failed them because we think

我們辜負他們，因為我們以為

that this will — will bring them a brighter future.

這樣會——會給他們更好的未來。

But what's a life without experiencing the life itself?

但沒有真正活過的人生，算什麼人生？

So maybe next time when you see a kid struggling to write,

所以下次你看到一個孩子寫不出來，

or struggling to speak out,

或者說不出話來，

take him outside to see the trees,

帶他到外面看看樹，

or to just bathe into the sun, or kind of take a walk.

或者曬曬太陽，散散步。

And maybe things will improve.

也許事情就會不一樣。

Thank you. Thank you.

謝謝。謝謝大家。