To future generations of women, you are the roots of change
-
0:01 - 0:03Gloria Steinem: Yes, hello, hello.
-
0:03 - 0:05Pat Mitchell: Hello, hello.
-
0:05 - 0:08What a thrill to have this opportunity.
-
0:08 - 0:12When we ask all of our
TED community, many of them, -
0:12 - 0:17"Who would you like to hear from
if we're going to look forward and onward, -
0:17 - 0:19when it comes to women in the world?"
-
0:20 - 0:24Unanimously, the answer
was "Gloria Steinem." -
0:24 - 0:28Now I know you're way too modest
to accept that easily, -
0:28 - 0:31so before we move onward,
-
0:31 - 0:33may I go back a bit,
-
0:33 - 0:36since we have known each other
for a long time, -
0:36 - 0:42and talk about those early days
when you were building a movement, -
0:42 - 0:44challenging stereotypes,
-
0:44 - 0:47moving beyond cultural norms.
-
0:47 - 0:51You must have had some manifestation
of fearless in your life. -
0:52 - 0:56What were your fears
and how did you overcome them? -
0:57 - 0:59GS: No, I certainly had a lot of fears,
-
0:59 - 1:02and chief among them
was speaking in public, -
1:02 - 1:04just like I am now.
-
1:04 - 1:08Because, you know, we choose
to express ourselves -
1:08 - 1:10in the way that is most natural,
-
1:10 - 1:13and I became a writer
because I didn't want to talk. -
1:13 - 1:18So the first thing I had to overcome
was the fear of public speaking, -
1:18 - 1:21and because I was afraid
to do it by myself, -
1:21 - 1:24I asked a friend to do it with me --
-
1:24 - 1:26Dorothy Pitman Hughes,
and then Flo Kennedy -- -
1:26 - 1:31anyway, so we became,
in that way, somewhat accidentally, -
1:31 - 1:35one white woman, one Black woman,
speaking together, which, you know, -
1:35 - 1:40was very helpful to express
that the movement was for everyone. -
1:42 - 1:44PM: And in those early days,
-
1:44 - 1:50when you were becoming,
not only a really powerful public speaker, -
1:50 - 1:52in spite of your fears,
-
1:52 - 1:56you were also normalizing and creating
-
1:56 - 2:01response to a word that became
the anthem for so many of us, -
2:01 - 2:03literally changing lives,
-
2:03 - 2:07standing in front of crowds and saying,
-
2:07 - 2:10"Feminism is for every woman."
-
2:11 - 2:15And I see now, as you do,
that there are still ways -
2:15 - 2:19in which feminism
is not understood as a concept. -
2:19 - 2:22Misunderstood, criticized,
sometimes ridiculed. -
2:22 - 2:26How do you describe feminism?
-
2:27 - 2:30GS: Well, it's just the radical idea
that human beings are all equal -
2:30 - 2:37and we can dispense with the labels
of gender and class and race -
2:37 - 2:42and begin to realize
our unique individuality. -
2:42 - 2:45Of course feminism
was misunderstood in the beginning, -
2:45 - 2:48as if it were about female superiority
-
2:48 - 2:52or it was a movement for lesbians only,
-
2:52 - 2:53not for all women.
-
2:53 - 2:57I mean, you know, there were all kinds
of misunderstandings, -
2:57 - 2:59not to mention ridicule.
-
2:59 - 3:00But I hope that that's past.
-
3:00 - 3:03I used to just send people
to the dictionary -
3:03 - 3:05to look up feminism, very helpful.
-
3:05 - 3:07(Both laugh)
-
3:07 - 3:09PM: How do you feel the new generation
-
3:09 - 3:12and the next generation of young women --
-
3:12 - 3:15what is their relationship with the word
-
3:15 - 3:18and the concept of,
"there's still a lot to be done -
3:18 - 3:20to reach that equal step"?
-
3:22 - 3:23GS: Yeah, well I don't think that --
-
3:23 - 3:28I mean, the word is still there,
womanism, women's liberation, -
3:28 - 3:30there are all kinds of words,
-
3:30 - 3:33but I think it's much more about content
-
3:33 - 3:36and not worrying too much about form.
-
3:36 - 3:42So Black Lives Matter was started
by three young Black feminists. -
3:42 - 3:45You know, that was their creation
-
3:45 - 3:50that is beginning to change
much that needs to be changed. -
3:50 - 3:52And they just assumed
-
3:52 - 3:55that of course they were there
as three young Black feminists. -
3:56 - 3:59PM: And in the early days
of the women's movement -
3:59 - 4:00and continuing all the way through,
-
4:00 - 4:03one of the ways that we have learned
to talk to each other -
4:03 - 4:07about difficult issues
in which we may have disagreements, -
4:07 - 4:11were sort of the talking circles
or the consciousness raising, -
4:11 - 4:14but is this something we could do
-
4:15 - 4:18to begin to build back
the bridges between us? -
4:20 - 4:24GS: You know, I regret
the emphasis on divisions, -
4:24 - 4:28because we are more unified
than any other movement in history. -
4:28 - 4:33So I think we ought
to celebrate that fact. -
4:33 - 4:37And it comes out of talking circles
as you point out, -
4:37 - 4:39which used to be called
consciousness raising groups. -
4:39 - 4:43And it just means
that you sit in a circle, -
4:43 - 4:46as Native Americans taught us long ago,
-
4:46 - 4:51and you each get to speak in turn --
-
4:51 - 4:54Native Americans passed
around a talking stick -- -
4:54 - 4:58and everybody has to listen
while each person -- -
4:58 - 5:02and in that way, you say unsayable things
-
5:02 - 5:04and somebody on the other
side of the circle says, -
5:04 - 5:06"Oh, I've experienced that too."
-
5:06 - 5:11And you discover what is shared
-
5:11 - 5:16and also, you discover
how you can help each other. -
5:16 - 5:21There's no substitute
for those kinds of talking circles. -
5:22 - 5:26PM: I want to be the first
to volunteer with you, Gloria, -
5:26 - 5:31to start the talking circles
and passing the talking sticks again. -
5:31 - 5:35One of the surprising things
that people who come into your presence -
5:35 - 5:39are always surprised to find out
what a great sense of humor you have. -
5:39 - 5:42And one of my favorite books
of the many you have written -
5:42 - 5:44sits by my bedside,
-
5:44 - 5:48and the title of it -- forgive me
those who might not like bad language -- -
5:48 - 5:54the title is "The Truth Will Set You Free,
But First It Will Piss You Off!" -
5:54 - 5:57So I'm wondering now
what truth is setting you free -
5:57 - 6:01and what continues to piss you off?
-
6:03 - 6:06GS: Well, actually, right at this moment,
-
6:06 - 6:09I mean, the truth is COVID --
-
6:09 - 6:14you know, and we understand
that is a universal experience -
6:14 - 6:16and danger we're all dealing with,
-
6:16 - 6:22and what pisses me off
is that we don't use that experience -
6:22 - 6:24in the positive sense.
-
6:24 - 6:29In the sense that we learn from dangers
-
6:29 - 6:32as well as from accomplishments.
-
6:32 - 6:37It pisses me off that this is not
used in a positive way -
6:37 - 6:44to overcome the idea
of categories of human beings -
6:44 - 6:47or of national boundaries or of countries.
-
6:47 - 6:49I mean, we're all here on Spaceship Earth.
-
6:49 - 6:50(Laughs)
-
6:50 - 6:54We're all citizens of Spaceship Earth,
and COVID knows that, -
6:54 - 6:57so it should help to teach us that.
-
6:58 - 7:00PM: And as we're looking
at our current reality, -
7:00 - 7:04we've seen yet another
great milestone for women, -
7:04 - 7:06in this country for sure,
-
7:06 - 7:09with the newly elected
Vice President Kamala Harris, -
7:09 - 7:11who said in her speech, you know,
-
7:11 - 7:14"I may be the first,
but I won't be the last," -
7:14 - 7:19and I think of the many times
that you and I and others have said that. -
7:19 - 7:21What difference will it make,
-
7:21 - 7:24in our country and around the world,
-
7:24 - 7:28when there are more women
in all leadership positions, -
7:28 - 7:31what are our differences as leaders?
-
7:31 - 7:32GS: Well, I mean for one thing,
-
7:32 - 7:36we will have the advantage
of using all of human intelligence -
7:36 - 7:39instead of only a small portion of it;
-
7:39 - 7:40this would be a good thing.
-
7:42 - 7:47And we will also allow children
-
7:47 - 7:51to see themselves as leaders universally,
-
7:51 - 7:53instead of just one small group.
-
7:54 - 7:58Because right now,
when kids look at leaders, -
7:58 - 8:01they don't necessarily see themselves.
-
8:01 - 8:04PM: When we look at you,
we see a leader, Gloria, -
8:04 - 8:07and there are so many things
that you could point to with pride, -
8:07 - 8:10although I know you don't.
-
8:10 - 8:15But what is it that motivates you
-
8:15 - 8:20or keeps you on the path onward
in those moments of doubt, -
8:20 - 8:23or the times when things look bleak
or there are fears, -
8:23 - 8:25or do you ever fear,
-
8:25 - 8:27ever feel those feelings?
-
8:27 - 8:32GS: No, of course I fear,
I mean, definitely. -
8:32 - 8:34But as the slogan goes,
-
8:34 - 8:36"Follow the fear and do it anyway.
-
8:36 - 8:38Fear is a sign of growth."
-
8:38 - 8:39(Laughs)
-
8:40 - 8:41It's a good thing, right?
-
8:41 - 8:42PM: Right.
-
8:43 - 8:45GS: I'm so inspired by young women,
-
8:45 - 8:46I mean, I keep feeling
-
8:46 - 8:51as if I just had to wait
for some of my friends to be born. -
8:52 - 8:58And to see that this is profoundly
-
8:58 - 9:01a global movement, as it always has been.
-
9:01 - 9:07I mean, you know, even the response
to the march right after the inauguration -
9:07 - 9:10of the current president, in every --
-
9:10 - 9:14Latin America, Africa, you know,
were marching together. -
9:14 - 9:17It really has become a global movement,
-
9:17 - 9:20thanks in large part to technology,
-
9:20 - 9:23because we can see each other,
as we are now, -
9:23 - 9:30and also just to the contagion
of the idea of freedom, you know. -
9:30 - 9:36If women spend nine months
being pregnant and caring for a child, -
9:36 - 9:39why isn't it that men are responsible
-
9:39 - 9:42for spending that much more
than half the time -
9:42 - 9:44taking care of the child, hello?
-
9:44 - 9:46(Laughs)
-
9:46 - 9:48Logic is in the eye
of the logician, right? -
9:48 - 9:49(Laughs)
-
9:49 - 9:53So you know, wherever you look,
-
9:53 - 9:59there's just a discovery of freedom,
of common sense, of companionship. -
10:00 - 10:01PM: Is there,
-
10:01 - 10:03of all the things in your life,
-
10:03 - 10:09what has been the greatest source
of confidence building and inspiration? -
10:09 - 10:12Is it the global sisterhood
that you've built around the world? -
10:12 - 10:15GS: Well, it's just other women.
-
10:15 - 10:18I mean, I would not
have been able to ever conquer -
10:18 - 10:19my fear of public speaking,
-
10:19 - 10:22which is where we started out,
-
10:22 - 10:27if it hadn't been for my fearless friend,
-
10:27 - 10:28Dorothy Pitman Hughes,
-
10:28 - 10:30you know, for doing it together.
-
10:31 - 10:36So you know, it's learning
from each other, -
10:36 - 10:40and just remembering to ask, really,
-
10:40 - 10:42because the help is there,
-
10:42 - 10:45the inspiration is there,
-
10:45 - 10:48the sense of community is there,
-
10:48 - 10:54and I hope that technology
can help us in this way, -
10:55 - 10:57especially because for women,
that's important, -
10:57 - 11:01because we can communicate in safety.
-
11:01 - 11:06But I do regret and worry
about the COVID emergency, -
11:06 - 11:11because we do also need to be together
with all five senses -
11:11 - 11:13in order to truly empathize.
-
11:13 - 11:16So I look forward to the day
-
11:16 - 11:21when you and I can once again
be in the same room. -
11:22 - 11:25PM: Well, you and I have been
in a lot of the same rooms, -
11:25 - 11:28and even when you're not
in the same room with women everywhere, -
11:28 - 11:30you have inspired them, Gloria.
-
11:30 - 11:32And to see the full and total story,
-
11:32 - 11:36well, at least part
of the full and total story, -
11:36 - 11:39the movie has been made
about Gloria's life. -
11:39 - 11:43It's called "The Glorias,"
based on her book "My Life on the Road," -
11:43 - 11:46which is certainly the way
you've spent your life, -
11:46 - 11:50and it's available for livestreaming
on Amazon Prime -
11:50 - 11:53and I do highly recommend it.
-
11:53 - 11:57Gloria, thank you for your work,
-
11:57 - 11:58for your life,
-
11:58 - 12:03for the fearless way
in which you have led us all forward, -
12:03 - 12:07and one last next step
for moving onward from you? -
12:07 - 12:10What advice or counsel?
-
12:11 - 12:13GS: Ah.
-
12:14 - 12:16Just do it.
-
12:16 - 12:17(Laughs)
-
12:17 - 12:22You know, I think we kind of wait
for instructions from up there, -
12:22 - 12:24or we worry or something,
-
12:24 - 12:29and you know, if we just get up
in the morning and say, -
12:29 - 12:31"OK, I'm going to do this,
-
12:31 - 12:35and I'm going to get in touch
with three or four other people," -
12:35 - 12:39and just think of change
as a tree, you know -- -
12:39 - 12:41it doesn't grow from the top down,
-
12:41 - 12:45so we shouldn't be waiting
for somebody to tell us what to do. -
12:45 - 12:47It grows from the bottom up,
-
12:47 - 12:50and we are the roots of change.
-
12:51 - 12:54PM: We are bearing the roots
of your work, Gloria, with gratitude. -
12:54 - 12:58Thank you very much
for joining us for TEDWomen 2020. -
12:58 - 13:01GS: No, and thank you
for bringing women together, -
13:01 - 13:02which is the magic.
-
13:02 - 13:03Thank you.
- Title:
- To future generations of women, you are the roots of change
- Speaker:
- Gloria Steinem
- Description:
-
Activist and author Gloria Steinem is an icon of the global feminist movement. She's spent her life defying stereotypes, breaking social barriers and fighting for equality. In conversation with TEDWomen curator Pat Mitchell, Steinem reflects on the revolutionary roots of the feminist movement, the fundamental need for intersectionality to combat prejudice, and how she overcame her fears with the support of friends. Now she urges future generations of women to advocate for each other in solidarity -- and discover the freedom found in companionship and community.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 15:07
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Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for To future generations of women, you are the roots of change | ||
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