美国国家公共电台 NPR These Short Films Shine A Spotlight On Sexual Harassment

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

A male boss brushes up against his female employee. Off the record, a male politician makes suggestive remarks to a female reporter. Those are just a couple of examples that may be all too familiar to some career women. Producers Sigal Avin and David Schwimmer and Mazdack Rassi have released a series of short films called #ThatsHarassment. Each film begins with a headline, quote, "based on a real incident," like the episode "The Co-Worker," which takes place at a bar. Take a listen. And we should warn you that the nature of this conversation and the clips we're about to hear are graphic².

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "#THATSHARASSMENT")

JOSEPH SIKORA: (As character) Because you know guys, they'll be getting drunk, and they think they can have whatever they want, you know, the whole grab them by the [expletive] thing...

GRACE GUMMER: (As character) Oh, yeah.

SIKORA: (As character) ...And then it's like out of nowhere they're like, boom, right there. You know what I mean though?

GUMMER: (As character) Yeah, no, I get it. You just - you, like, totally, like, grabbed - you...

SIKORA: (As character) I was totally showing how...

GUMMER: (As character) No, it's fine.

SIKORA: (As character) ...Well, here look, let's make things even...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Joining us now from NPR's New York bureau is Sigal Avin and David Schwimmer. Thanks so much for being on the program.

DAVID SCHWIMMER: Thanks for having us.

SIGAL AVIN: Thank you.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So if you couldn't tell, the male character whose voice we hear grabs his new female co-worker inappropriately after quoting President Trump's hot mic moment. Let me ask you, Sigal, what is the goal of this series?

AVIN: I created this in Israel before it came here to the States. I was reading about a lot of sexual harassment¹ in Israel as in the States. And I started asking myself, what is sexual harassment? We hear about it all the time, but we never actually see what it is.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: You had a personal experience. One of the films called "The Actor" is based on something that happened to you.

AVIN: Yes. I was a young playwright³. And I went to speak to an actor who was a pretty big star back then. And he was always - really cool guy, always funny. And we were at his place talking about the play. I went to the restroom. When I came back, he had taken it out.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: You mean he exposed himself, his genitalia.

AVIN: Yes, he exposed himself. The dialogue that he used is the same dialogue that the actor uses. It's, look who came to say hello. It took me a couple of years to realize that was sexual harassment. I mean, I thought this is a weird⁴ guy; I just want to get out of here. That was kind of humiliating. But it took me a while to understand that he was using his power.

SCHWIMMER: And that's one of the reasons, personally, I was struck by the original films because everyone is so used to violent sex crime being portrayed⁵ in the media. In television and film - you know, the guy hiding behind the bushes, jumping out at you and grabbing and attacking. But this kind of crime happens with such frequency on a daily basis to most women - if not all women - where there's any kind of imbalance of power and often at work. I think one of the goals for us was to really show it. There's something about the power of actually seeing it for victims because it's by seeing it happen that they realize, oh, that was sexual harassment. It wasn't just me.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: You know, women may understand about sexual harassment in the workplace. They may experience it. But what is it that you want men to understand through watching this?

SCHWIMMER: And that's one of the reasons I wanted to get involved because we really don't feel this is a, quote, unquote, "women's issue." This is a human issue. And I think for men some of the films, which are less overt⁶ than, say, the one I'm acting⁷ in where I actually grab and kiss an employee as her boss - there's a lot of confusion with some men. They're like, well, how is that sexual harassment? And so we're hoping that by showing these and having a conversation that men will become more aware. And they will work to protect their colleagues and their wives and their daughters.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: David, you just mentioned the short that you were in. Let's hear a clip.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "#THATSHARASSMENT")

SCHWIMMER: (As character) No, I just - I just want you to know that I - I really believe in you, you know.

ZAZIE BEETZ: (As character) Thank you. It's nice to hear that from someone...

SCHWIMMER: (As character) These are cool. Did you - where'd you...

BEETZ: (As character) Um...

SCHWIMMER: (As character) What?

BEETZ: (As character) I'm sorry. I have a boyfriend.

SCHWIMMER: (As character) No, that's - that's OK. I'm married. I mean, I just - I was just trying to show you how much I appreciate you, you know.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So for our listeners - you go in to kiss your employee, and obviously it's not a welcome advance.

SCHWIMMER: Right.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Who is the boss for you?

SCHWIMMER: Well, it's really inspired by different people, specifically in Sigal's life and from my own observation. I've seen men abuse the power they have, especially on a film or television set or in the theater. And, more often, younger actors and actresses are subjected to things that they feel they don't really have the ability to say no to out of fear that the repercussion⁸ will be the loss of a job or word will get out of what they're like in the industry or they're difficult to work with, you know. I was channeling, I guess (laughter), this kind of behavior - this guy that I've seen my whole life.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Where does this live? Where does this go from here? What is the hope here?

AVIN: When you see this, it kind of hits a nerve. You understand things better.

SCHWIMMER: Yeah, the goal is to change the culture simply. And this is just one of many steps we still need to be taking.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Sigal Avin and David Schwimmer, producers of #ThatsHarassment. Thank you both so much for joining me.

SCHWIMMER: Thank you.

AVIN: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF WITCH HOUSE'S "NUJABES")

1 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

2 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

3 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。

4 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

5 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 overt   

adj.公开的，明显的，公然的

参考例句：

• His opponent's intention is quite overt.他的对手的意图很明显。
• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

8 repercussion   

n.[常pl.](不良的)影响，反响，后果

参考例句：

• After being put out,service has received very good market repercussion.服务推出后收到了非常好的市场反响。
• The president's death had unexpected repercussion.总统的逝世引起出乎意料的反响。