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美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Ramy' Is About One Millennial American Muslim — And Everyone's Racist Uncles

时间:2019-04-26 05:55来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:

Stories of first-generation Americans tend to stress the same struggles - how do you fit in with your peers when your parents aren't assimilating? How do you balance your instinct to rebel against your parent's traditionalism and customs and religion with your awareness1 of how much your parents sacrificed to get here? A new TV series called "Ramy" addresses many of those issues. Its namesake character is an Egyptian American Millennial2 in his 20s grappling with being a practicing Muslim. He's also struggling to blend his religious beliefs with 21st century life in the U.S. - praying, dating, working, drinking, relating to your parents. It's complicated.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "RAMY")

HIAM ABBASS: (As Maysa Hassan) I don't understand. Why is he getting married before you?

RAMY YOUSSEF: (As Ramy) OK, I got to go.

ABBASS: (As Maysa Hassan) Hey, maybe you can find a girl in there.

YOUSSEF: (As Ramy) I'm not going to flirt4 with girls at the mosque5.

ABBASS: (As Maysa Hassan) Why not? The girls in there are high quality.

YOUSSEF: (As Ramy) The mosque is for praying. It's not for picking people up. And it's like a bunch of families, too. And you can't just walk up to a Muslim girl and, like, start spitting game or something. What am I supposed to say? Like, hey, can I get your father's number?

ABBASS: (As Maysa Hassan) Yes. Why not?

PFEIFFER: The show is out on Hulu. And it's co-written and co-created by Ramy Youssef, an actor and standup comedian6. He based the main character on his own experiences growing up in suburban7 New Jersey8 as a Muslim who considers himself religious.

Ramy Youssef joins us from Chicago. Ramy, welcome.

YOUSSEF: Hey.

PFEIFFER: So in real life, you seem to have your act together more than the TV version of you does. You know, you've been on Stephen Colbert. You - I understand you have a deal with HBO for an hour-long standup special. You're doing well. But I assume that a lot of what we see in "Ramy," the show, reflects your real life personal experiences. Is that fair to say?

YOUSSEF: I would say it's all very emotionally true. I try to imagine a character that didn't have a creative outlet9. In real life, I have these creative outlets10. And I have, you know, really clear conversations with my parents. But he's a little more stunted11. And I wanted to write from that place.

PFEIFFER: It's in some ways a classic first-generation immigrant experience. But I'm wondering how being a millennial in particular you think makes the experience of growing up as a first-generation American any different than for any prior generations?

YOUSSEF: Well, I think that we face just some different economic things. I mean, I think a lot of the pressure that happens in this show is about money. I mean, we see my character kind of forced into this relationship with his uncle, this family member that is pretty intolerable. But it's clear that the only reason he hangs around is because he has money. And he has this influence over the family. And so you see somebody who is trying to do good and be good and figure out what that means to him morally, but he's also pressed to kind of accelerate his life.

PFEIFFER: You mentioned the uncle. And this is a blatantly12 anti-Semitic character who says some really terrible things. It's almost as if you're not afraid of offending people. I mean, when you watch the show, you have to be willing to hear and watch some things that might make you squirm or cringe. Were you aware that it might have that effect on people?

YOUSSEF: Yeah. And, I mean, for the record, he's also racist13 and homophobic and Islamophobic. So he is all of those things. And absolutely, I think that the show isn't going to sit for everyone with the approach that we took. And that's OK. There's a lot of - there's I think 500 shows on TV this year. So we wanted to take this approach not to be sensational14, not to offend for the sake of offending.

And I think that many people who have watched this show and they see that character along with seeing the other characters say, I know that guy, you know? I know a Ramy. Or I know an Uncle Naseem. Or I have an Uncle Naseem. And instead of the racist, anti-Semitic thing he says, he actually says stuff about Muslims. Or he actually says stuff about black people. Or he actually says stuff, you know, insert group. And we don't know what to do with him.

And so what we were really looking to do here is to not hide any of these characters but actually set them up and show them and begin their stories so that we can trace out their arc over multiple seasons. There isn't this resolution or instant karma. I think that there's a little bit of an uneasy feeling. And I think that's OK. I think that that's what's really nice about TV is that things can play out a little bit slower.

PFEIFFER: A big theme of the whole season is the fact that even though you are a somewhat young, kind of hit millennial, you believe in God. And you don't try to hide that from people. But you don't exactly look like what people might think is a person who would embrace religion. And it can be hard for you to have your peers understand that. You actually address this in a really funny way when you went on Stephen Colbert.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT")

YOUSSEF: I grew up in a town where I watched my gay friends struggle to come out to the religious community. And now I live in LA, where I'm a religious person struggling to come out to the gay community.

(LAUGHTER)

PFEIFFER: I thought that was so interesting. And it made me think about, for example, politicians in the U.S. If someone were to say they were an atheist15, it's almost a political death sentence. It's expected that our politicians will believe in God. It's surprising to people when someone as young as you seem to. Talk a little bit about that because that really reflects your real life, doesn't it?

YOUSSEF: Yeah, it does. I think it's something that I found early on in doing standup that I could just feel a little bit of a tension in the room when I started talking about it in an honest way because I think church is kind of a punchline16, you know, like, that sounds like the end of the joke, right? And then I took her to church.

And I think religion has earned being made fun of. I think that religious culture and the industry of religion pretty much deserves most of the heat that it gets. But I think that there is a human side to why the faiths have continued. And I think that there's some really valuable things. And it is my personal belief, and so presenting a character that isn't trying to erase17 this part of his life, isn't trying to erase his parent's culture and the tradition that he comes from was what we really tried to do with this show.

And I think as you framed this in the beginning, most of the stories that we've seen is somebody fighting to have the ability to just be - not like their family or like everyone that's in front of them. There's almost this subtext of, like, hey, I want to be white, too. And I have the right to do that, mom. And that feels like every narrative18 that's been jammed down my throat as a viewer.

PFEIFFER: Two of the 10 episodes in the first season focus on supporting female characters - your onscreen sister and your onscreen mother. We want to play a clip from one in which your sister is upset about what feels like a double standard to her.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "RAMY")

YOUSSEF: (As Ramy) I don't understand how you still don't get it.

MAY CALAMAWY: (As Dena) What do you mean?

YOUSSEF: (As Ramy) Mom and Dad just say [expletive] to say it. Like, they have all this stuff that worries them. And they think if they say it out loud, then it won't happen. But that's it. You don't have to actually listen to them.

CALAMAWY: (As Dena) They're so different with me. You saw how mom was last night just for me to go to Fatima's.

YOUSSEF: (As Ramy) You still got to go out, right?

CALAMAWY: (As Dena) Yeah. But...

YOUSSEF: (As Ramy) That's it. That's the point. You let them get to you. Just let them say whatever they want. And then do whatever you want.

CALAMAWY: (As Dena) You're so [expletive] entitled.

YOUSSEF: (As Ramy) You can be, too.

PFEIFFER: Why was it important for you to allow other characters to have the stage rather than your character all the time?

YOUSSEF: Yeah, that was something that I fought for a bunch when we were presenting it to the network. But it was really important because I felt like it was the only way you could understand the world. And I think that when we talk about representation and showing a family that hasn't been seen before, representation isn't three lines in a scene. Representation is actually when the character doesn't have lines, but the camera is lingering on them in their thoughts after something happened. And then we get to see them walk to their car.

You really need to follow a character in order to understand what they're going through. So I didn't want to just play this game where I was checking boxes by giving my sister and my mom a line here or there. I wanted to actually sit with them and experience what they were going through. And I want that to be the tone of this show. So we might not have every type of character or every type of experience yet, but that's because we want to give it the right treatment. And we want to actually represent them.

PFEIFFER: What is it that you want people to think about Muslims or think differently about Muslims after watching the season?

YOUSSEF: I just want people to see Muslims as human. That's it. I don't really think that there's much more you could get out of this series because it's so limited. We're talking about one type of family. To say that all Muslims are like this, to even say that Arab Muslims in North Jersey are like this would be ridiculous. This is my point of view. And that's why I call the show "Ramy." I made the show that I would want to see. I just want to complicate3 the conversation. I want you instead of thinking of terrorism when you think about a mosque, maybe you can think about the characters in this show.

I would love to reframe certain words and certain settings. But outside of that, even my reframe is not worthy19 of where your mind should land. It's just a complication of the conversation.

PFEIFFER: That's Ramy Youssef. He's an actor and standup comedian whose new show called "Ramy" is out on Hulu. Ramy, thanks for talking with us.

YOUSSEF: Thank you.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 awareness 4yWzdW     
n.意识,觉悟,懂事,明智
参考例句:
  • There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
  • Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。
2 millennial ef953914f342cb14bd9e488fe460c41e     
一千年的,千福年的
参考例句:
  • Both Russia and America looked to the future to fulfill their millennial expectations. 俄国和美国都把实现他们黄金时代的希望寄托于未来。
  • The millennial generation is celebrating the global commons every day, apparently unmindful of Hardin's warning. 千禧一代显然对哈丁的警告不以为然,每天都在颂扬全球“公地”。
3 complicate zX1yA     
vt.使复杂化,使混乱,使难懂
参考例句:
  • There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
  • These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。
4 flirt zgwzA     
v.调情,挑逗,调戏;n.调情者,卖俏者
参考例句:
  • He used to flirt with every girl he met.过去他总是看到一个姑娘便跟她调情。
  • He watched the stranger flirt with his girlfriend and got fighting mad.看着那个陌生人和他女朋友调情,他都要抓狂了。
5 mosque U15y3     
n.清真寺
参考例句:
  • The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
  • Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前,清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。
6 comedian jWfyW     
n.喜剧演员;滑稽演员
参考例句:
  • The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
  • The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。
7 suburban Usywk     
adj.城郊的,在郊区的
参考例句:
  • Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
  • There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。
8 jersey Lp5zzo     
n.运动衫
参考例句:
  • He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
  • They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致,都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。
9 outlet ZJFxG     
n.出口/路;销路;批发商店;通风口;发泄
参考例句:
  • The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
  • Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。
10 outlets a899f2669c499f26df428cf3d18a06c3     
n.出口( outlet的名词复数 );经销店;插座;廉价经销店
参考例句:
  • The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
11 stunted b003954ac4af7c46302b37ae1dfa0391     
adj.矮小的;发育迟缓的
参考例句:
  • the stunted lives of children deprived of education 未受教育的孩子所过的局限生活
  • But the landed oligarchy had stunted the country's democratic development for generations. 但是好几代以来土地寡头的统治阻碍了这个国家民主的发展。
12 blatantly rxkztU     
ad.公开地
参考例句:
  • Safety guidelines had been blatantly ignored. 安全规章被公然置之不顾。
  • They walked grandly through the lobby, blatantly arm in arm, pretending they were not defeated. 他们大大方方地穿过门厅,故意炫耀地挎着胳膊,假装他们没有被打败。
13 racist GSRxZ     
n.种族主义者,种族主义分子
参考例句:
  • a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
  • His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。
14 sensational Szrwi     
adj.使人感动的,非常好的,轰动的,耸人听闻的
参考例句:
  • Papers of this kind are full of sensational news reports.这类报纸满是耸人听闻的新闻报道。
  • Their performance was sensational.他们的演出妙极了。
15 atheist 0vbzU     
n.无神论者
参考例句:
  • She was an atheist but now she says she's seen the light.她本来是个无神论者,可是现在她说自己的信仰改变了。
  • He is admittedly an atheist.他被公认是位无神论者。
16 punchline punchline     
n.(笑话、故事等的)结尾警语,点睛之笔
参考例句:
  • Even then,the magical pause can strengthen the punchline.即使这样,有魔力的停顿依然可以增强笑点。
  • A good joke or a mystery novel has along wind up to the final punchline.好的笑话或神秘小说都是一路曲折,直至最后的笑料或真相。
17 erase woMxN     
v.擦掉;消除某事物的痕迹
参考例句:
  • He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
  • Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。
18 narrative CFmxS     
n.叙述,故事;adj.叙事的,故事体的
参考例句:
  • He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
  • Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。
19 worthy vftwB     
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的
参考例句:
  • I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
  • There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
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TAG标签:   NPR  美国国家电台  英语听力
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