2015.09.23 女权主义的灵魂兄弟

shiyi18

Feminism’s soul brother
Zainab Salbi, the founder of Women for Women International, admires Aamir Khan’s efforts to confront women’s issues in India

Sep 23rd 2015

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Zainab Salbi, 45, is an Iraqi-American humanitarian and entrepreneur, who founded Women for Women International when she was 23. Aamir Khan, 50, is an Indian actor, director and television presenter

There are lots of good men who support women, but there are very few who speak up with courage about women’s lives and issues. One who has is Aamir Khan.

Aamir spoke when he really didn’t need to: he had earned great love and admiration in India as a Bollywood star. And then he launched a talk show called “Satyamev Jayate” (“Truth Alone Prevails”), that goes to the heart of the issues Indian women have to deal with. He was famous and successful, with everything to lose – this definitely isn’t something you do for popularity – so he risked a lot.


Why did he do it? There are probably two main reasons, both from his childhood. The first is that when he was 12 or so he loved tennis: he was good at it and often won. And like most children he would brag about winning, but his mother would always ask him about the boys who lost, and tell him to think about them. Her constant concern and questioning made him realise he needed to be compassionate.

The second reason was his best friend in high school. This friend was the boy that got all the top grades and who everyone said would do great things. When he left school, he went on to study social work. Aamir was surprised and touched that this man, who could have done anything, had followed his heart and worked for charities. They remained close and over the years Aamir’s friend kept him in touch with what was going on in the hidden places in India, the things that people don’t like discussing. So when one day a company contacted Aamir with the offer to do a show, he said yes, it was his time to do some good.

In the show he talks openly and honestly about some terrible things in his home country: foeticides, the untouchables, the attitude to women. It was incredibly gutsy and visionary – a sort of social entrepreneurship – because nothing like this had been done before, and who knew whether people would want to watch it?

One show in particular really sticks out for me, on masculinity. Khan interviewed men who talked very honestly about why they beat their wives; he really wanted to understand. And then he went on to work with them to change their behaviour. That has stuck with me because I believe that, in the larger feminist movement, there is still a lot of anger. But change cannot happen through anger. We have to create a dialogue with men and create a new path together. So Aamir is a soul brother to the feminist movement, and I deeply admire and respect what he has done.

illustration adam cruft



女权主义的灵魂兄弟
国际妇女组织创始人扎伊娜卜-萨尔比对阿米尔-汗在印度直面妇女问题的努力表示钦佩

2015年9月23日


45岁的扎伊娜卜-萨尔比是一位伊拉克裔美国人道主义者和企业家，她在23岁时创立了妇女国际组织。阿米尔-汗，50岁，印度演员、导演和电视节目主持人。

有很多支持妇女的好男人，但很少有人能勇敢地说出妇女的生活和问题。阿米尔-汗就是其中之一。

阿米尔在他真正不需要说话的时候说了话：作为宝莱坞明星，他已经在印度赢得了巨大的爱和钦佩。然后，他推出了一个名为 "Satyamev Jayate"（"真相独占"）的谈话节目，直指印度妇女必须处理的核心问题。他很出名，也很成功，可以失去一切--这绝对不是为了受欢迎而做的事情--所以他冒了很大的风险。


他为什么要这样做？可能有两个主要原因，都来自他的童年。第一个原因是，当他12岁左右的时候，他喜欢网球：他很擅长网球，而且经常赢。而且像大多数孩子一样，他会吹嘘自己的胜利，但他的母亲总是会问他那些输掉的男孩，并告诉他要为他们着想。她不断的关心和询问使他意识到他需要有同情心。

第二个原因是他在高中时最好的朋友。这个朋友是那个成绩优异的男孩，大家都说他会有大作为。当他离开学校时，他继续学习社会工作。阿米尔感到惊讶和感动的是，这个本来可以做任何事情的人却追随自己的心，为慈善机构工作。他们的关系一直很好，多年来，阿米尔的朋友一直让他了解印度隐秘地方发生的事情，那些人们不喜欢讨论的事情。因此，当有一天一家公司与阿米尔联系，提出做一个节目时，他说好，这是他做一些好事的时候。

在节目中，他开诚布公地谈论了他家乡的一些可怕的事情：堕胎、贱民、对妇女的态度。这是令人难以置信的勇气和远见--一种社会企业家精神--因为以前没有这样的事情，谁知道人们是否愿意观看呢？

有一个节目让我印象特别深刻，是关于男性气质的。汗采访了那些非常诚实地谈论他们为什么打妻子的男人；他真的想了解。然后他继续与他们一起工作，以改变他们的行为。这让我记忆犹新，因为我相信，在更大的女权运动中，仍然有很多愤怒的情绪。但改变不可能通过愤怒发生。我们必须与男性建立对话，共同创造一条新的道路。因此，阿米尔是女权运动的灵魂兄弟，我深深钦佩和尊重他所做的一切。

插图：阿米尔-克鲁夫特