Thordis Elva and Tom Stranger: Our story of rape and reconciliation
Thordis Elva, Tom Stranger: Câu chuyện của chúng tôi về cưỡng hiếp và hòa giải
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and descriptions of sexual violence
về bạo lực tình dục
when I was 18 years old,
on an international exchange program.
who prefers proper icy cold weather,
when I got on a plane to Iceland,
my parents and brothers goodbye.
of a beautiful Icelandic family
of the melodic Icelandic language.
period of homesickness.
với khoảng thời gian nhớ nhà
that you don't yet fully understand
mà bạn chưa hiểu hết
I try out for the school play,
being part of the play,
tuổi teen dễ thương,
to just hold hands
and she met my friends.
for a bit over a month
and in love for the first time.
of our relationship,
girl in the world.
mà sẽ là một phụ nữ trẻ
rum for the first time that night, too.
to call me an ambulance,
in shining armor,
towards him soon turned to horror
đã sớm thành nỗi hoảng sợ
and get on top of me.
too weak to fight back,
on my alarm clock.
seconds in two hours.
trong hai tiếng.
and crying for weeks,
và khóc trong vài tuần
about rape like I'd seen on TV.
cưỡng hiếp như trên TV.
what had happened to me as rape,
là cưỡng hiếp,
to address what had happened.
where girls are taught
from being raped that night,
không bị cưỡng hiếp tối đó,
from being raped that night
that I tried to stifle.
around my mind as it should've,
trong đầu tôi như nó nên thế,
with memories of the night before.
về ký ức đêm trước.
of reality was forbidden.
refuted any recognition
in the days afterwards
nhiều ngày sau đó
myself it was sex and not rape.
không phải cưỡng hiếp.
spine-bending guilt for.
mà tôi luôn cảm thấy có lỗi.
a couple of days later,
of my year in Iceland,
of heavyheartedness each time.
something immeasurably wrong.
cực kỳ sai trái.
I sunk the memories deep,
as "Denial and Running."
the real torment that I caused,
of my inner speak,
upon other parts of my life
của cuộc sống
that I wasn't a bad person.
this dark corner of myself,
của bản thân,
for a nervous breakdown.
under a soul-crushing load of silence
that I cared about,
with misplaced hatred and anger
of the door in tears
in moments of inspiration,
trong phút cảm hứng,
to be constantly fidgeting,
as the words streamed out of my pen,
tuôn chảy từ ngòi bút của tôi,
I've ever written,
mà tôi từng viết,
that he subjected me to,
Tom gây ra cho tôi,
was my way out of my suffering,
he deserved my forgiveness,
nhận sự tha thứ của tôi hay không,
of negative responses,
no response whatsoever.
không có hồi đáp.
that I didn't prepare myself for
full of disarming regret.
had been imprisoned by silence.
of an eight-year-long correspondence
là dễ dàng,
that I'd wrongfully shouldered,
tự đè lên vai
owned up to what he'd done.
from gut-wrenching
closure for me.
didn't feel personal enough,
screen on the other side of the planet.
to explore to its fullest.
khám phá toàn bộ câu chuyện.
to propose a wild idea:
are geographically like this.
thì như thế này.
a stunningly powerful environment
and forgiveness.
and rapprochement been tested
to sit within the truth of its past,
sự thật trong quá khứ,
of its history.
that Cape Town had on us.
của Cape Town lên chúng tôi.
our life stories to each other,
our own history.
of being honest,
nghiêm ngặt là thành thật,
with a certain exposure,
absolutely couldn't fathom
không thể đo lường được
were spoken aloud and felt,
nói thẳng ra,
but liberating laughter.
không mong đợi.
to each other intently.
một cách chân thành.
were aired with an unfiltered purity
không tinh lọc
than lighten the soul.
is a very human emotion --
as he had hurt me.
out of the hatred and anger,
my doubts along the way.
on that landing strip in Cape Town,
a therapist and a bottle of vodka
for understanding in Cape Town
husband, Vidir,
in a victorious feeling
cảm giác chiến thắng
could be built out of the ruins.
từ đống đổ nát.
that you needed when you were younger.
that the shame wasn't mine,
không phải là bản thân tôi,
upon my return from Cape Town,
sau khi về từ Cape Town,
to people from both ends
những người ở cả 2 phía
to hear when we were younger.
cần được nghe khi còn trẻ.
that inevitably accompany it --
đi kèm với nó --
in their connotations.
về mặt ý nghĩa.
as someone damaged,
has been branded a rapist,
to call him a monster --
what it is in human societies
trong xã hội
the humanity of those who commit it?
của những người có tội?
if we're making them feel less than?
cảm thấy yếu kém hơn?
to one of the biggest threats
cho một trong những đe dọa lớn nhất
around the world,
ở khắp nơi.
are part of the problem?
chỉ là 1 phần của vấn đề?
were a self-centered taking.
social influences
behavior around me.
xung quanh tôi.
as having less intrinsic worth,
and symbolic claim to their bodies.
are external to me, though.
making choices,
có thể xảy ra.
under the weight of responsibility.
trách nhiệm lên bản thân.
of humanity would be burnt.
có khi sẽ bị đốt.
to really own what I did,
thừa nhận điều tôi đã làm,
the entirety of who I am.
con người tôi.
to constitute the sum of who you are.
tất cả con người bạn.
was starved of oxygen,
with the clean air of acceptance --
this wonderful person standing next to me;
người phụ nữ tuyệt vời đứng cạnh tôi;
and shockingly everyday grouping of men
toward their partners.
changed my accord with myself,
đã thay đổi hòa ước với bản thân,
từ Thordis sang tôi.
to female survivors of sexual violence,
at a great distance from the truth.
bên rời xa sự thật.
conversation happening now,
ngay lúc này,
that there's less retreating
but important discussion.
nhưng quan trọng này.
to add our voices to it.
that we're prescribing for others.
là công thức cho những người khác.
how to handle their deepest pain
nỗi đau sâu thẳm
you are in the world,
to speak out about rape.
khi tiết lộ việc cưỡng hiếp.
traumatic event of my life
khủng khiếp nhất trong đời
without getting ostracized,
my fellow survivors who can't.
những ai không có đặc quyền này.
là độc nhất
violence being a global pandemic.
đang trở thành vấn nạn trên toàn cầu.
on my own healing journey
hành trình chữa lành của mình
I've been reading, writing
for over a decade now,
trong hơn thập kỷ đến nay,
are almost exclusively women.
sexual violence as a women's issue.
như là vấn đề của phụ nữ.
against women and men
underrepresented in this discussion.
trong cuộc thảo luận này.
we could alleviate
chúng ta có thể làm dịu đi
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Thordis Elva - WriterThordis Elva is one of the two authors of "South of Forgiveness," a unique collaboration between a survivor and perpetrator of rape.
Why you should listen
Thordis Elva is a firm believer in the healing potential of dialogue when it comes to ending the silence that shrouds sexual violence. In 2015, she was voted Woman of the Year in her native Iceland due to her tireless campaigning for gender equality.
As an award-winning writer, journalist and public speaker, Elva has utilized many different platforms for her activism, including plays, films and books. Her passion for equality extends to the internet, and she has toured extensively giving lectures about online bullying, non-consensual pornography and digital human rights to audiences such as the United Nations and the Nordic Council of Ministers.
Read a Q&A with Elva about her TED Talk on the TED Blog.
Thordis Elva | Speaker | TED.com
Tom Stranger - Co-author, landscape gardener
Tom Stranger is the co-author "South of Forgiveness."
Why you should listen
Social sciences and the outdoors have been both professional directions and personal themes for Tom Stranger. After studying social science and working in outdoor recreation, Tom Stranger's focus shifted towards working with young people with complex needs -- mental health challenges, substance addiction, homelessness and neurological impairment. His time working with young people has taught him the immense value of listening with intent.
Stranger has recently completed and thoroughly enjoyed a Master of Cultural Studies at the University of Sydney, and he has returned to work in the outdoors as a landscaper. During his studies, he was involved as a co-author in the writing of South of Forgiveness. He and the book's primary author, Thordis Elva, share the hope that in speaking up they will add their voices to the ever-growing public discourse around relations of gender and sexual violence.
Read a Q&A with Stranger about his TED Talk on the TED Blog.
Tom Stranger | Speaker | TED.com