《欲望号街车》：你生活在现实还是幻想里？
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老桑说
教会我们做自己，
现实会比幻想更美好，
你将会在实现梦想的道路上走得更远。
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「 朋友，你好，我是老桑。 」
老桑在新奥尔良法国区的街上
我最近在新奥尔良举行的美国法学院协会年会上发表了讲话。这座城市以热闹的狂欢节（“肥胖星期二”）庆祝活动、法国区、爵士乐、南方的热情好客和令人垂涎的当地食物（如“穷汉三明治”（po’boys）和秋葵海鲜汤（seafood gumbo））而闻名。
老桑在AALS年会上发言
新奥尔良法国区
法国区的街景
新奥尔良早餐：
欧蕾咖啡(cafe au lait)与法式甜甜圈(beignet)
新奥尔良法式甜甜圈(beignet)
《欲望号街车》（A Streetcar Named Desire）是描述新奥尔良最著名的电影之一。这部1951年的电影改编自1947年田纳西·威廉姆斯的普利策奖获奖剧本，该剧本被认为是20世纪最优秀的剧本之一，是威廉姆斯最伟大的作品。
《欲望号街车》电影封面
故事围绕布兰奇·杜布瓦和斯坦利·科瓦尔斯基展开。布兰奇是一位青春已逝的南方美女，她失去了财产，成为了一名酒鬼，后来过着声名狼藉的生活。失去家庭后，她搬到新奥尔良和她的妹妹斯特拉住在一起。她的妹妹嫁给了斯坦利。从一开始，布兰奇和她的妹夫斯坦利就互相wary（厌恶）。
布兰奇与斯坦利
布兰奇装腔作势，掩饰自己的过去，自视甚高。她用谎言自欺欺人，以为自己又年轻了，准备嫁给一个百万富翁追求者。斯坦利是一个地地道道的汽车零件工人，他看穿了布兰奇的虚伪并蔑视她。
故事围绕布兰奇的幻想和斯坦利的现实之间的紧张关系展开。布兰奇起初confess(承认)她撒了谎，因为她拒绝接受命运的摆布。对自己和他人撒谎让她觉得生活看起来像她希望的那样。然而，斯坦利看穿了她，揭穿了她的谎言，突出了假象和现实之间的冲突。
在中文里，我们常用“自欺欺人”，意思是我们故意忽略一个不愿接受的现实，设计一系列谎言来掩盖我们不喜欢的东西，然后开始相信那些谎言。我们愚弄自己以欺骗别人。但这对任何人都没有好处，尤其是我们自己。在《哈姆雷特》中，莎士比亚笔下的角色波洛涅斯曾告诫他的儿子雷欧提斯:“要对自己忠实。”
布兰奇
最后，布兰奇过去所有sordid（肮脏的）故事都被曝光了: 银行抵押了房屋抵押贷款，她被解雇了，她和各种男人挤在在廉价的汽车旅馆里度日。她没有接受现实并努力改善自己，而是假装——后来变成想象——她仍然年轻、善良，是社会精英的一部分。
欲望街（Desire Street）是新奥尔良的一条真实存在的街道。欲望号街车穿过法国区著名的波旁街（Bourbon Street），驶向欲望街。1948年，电车被欲望号公共汽车取代。我们不能再搭乘欲望号线了，但是其他有轨电车仍然在新奥尔良运营，展示了这个城市的生活历史。
新奥尔良以boisterous（热闹的）狂欢节著称。Mardi Gras （法语中的“肥胖星期二”）是指狂欢节庆祝活动，在“圣灰星期三”的前一天达到高潮。在天主教传统中，“圣灰星期三”是守斋和悔改的日子，所以狂欢节是斋戒前最后一次享受欢呼的机会。
狂欢节游行
狂欢节的一个传统是戴面具。在游行中，法律要求游行者戴面具。佩戴色彩缤纷的面具的习惯起源于宗教庆典仪式，但后来，人们可以打破阶级的界限佩戴面具。戴上面具，狂欢者就可以成为他们想成为的任何人，也可以和任何社会阶层互动。
面具
今天，人们在狂欢节上都戴着华丽的面具，这一举动给狂欢增添了神秘的色彩。与此同时，面具使人们得以作出一些违背常规的举动。狂欢活动中，某些社会规范暂时被忘记，人们往往不那么受拘束。
在英语中，“戴面具 (to wear a mask)”是指不展现出真实的自己。影片中，布兰奇始终戴着面具。她把自己假扮成一个社交高手，但实际上，她无法走出自己的过去。她的面具(幻想)最终让位于她真实的外表(现实)。
当你和别人在一起时，你是像你自己一样，还是像别人一样？试图向他人强调我们的优势是很自然的，但如果我们试图欺骗他人，给他人制造假象，结果可能适得其反。
下面是我们戴的不同类型“面具”的一些例子:
积极面具
让一切看起来都很好，假装你过着完美的生活，从而让别人钦佩或羡慕你。
2强者面具
假装你不需要别人，可以自己处理一切，以避免被羞耻或嘲笑。
3智人面具
假装自己比别人更聪明，尤其是在你尚未完成学业的情况下。
4好人面具
把别人的需要放在自己的之前，试图获得他们的认可。
5脾气暴躁面具
恐吓别人，采取咄咄逼人的行动来保护你脆弱的自尊，尽量避免尴尬。
戴上这些面具，你向别人展示的自己和真实的自己是不同的。但在每一种情况下，面具都掩盖了更深层次的需求。通常，这些更深层次的需求只能通过与家人和朋友的真实互动来满足，或者在需要的时候，通过咨询师来满足。
现实总会战胜幻想。
”狂欢节只是一个狂欢者试图逃离现实、释放一些压力的短暂时期。我们不可能每天戴着陶瓷面具、羽毛面具或其他装饰面具生活。Fraudulent（掩饰）自我的行为总会被戳穿。
生活中也是如此。如果你戴上积极、坚强、理智、友善或暴躁的面具，你可能会开始看不到真实的自己。极端情况下，这些谎言会变成自欺欺人的“鸦片”，最终使你脱离现实。这就是布兰奇的遭遇，在戏剧的结尾，她被送进了精神病院。她给自己戴的“面具”导致了她的悲剧。
新奥尔良以其令人不可思议的好客而闻名，那里的人们特别热情，欢迎游客到家中做客。当地人说这种好客使他们成为更好的人。他们不是孤立的只是想着自己，而是外向的，喜欢和别人在一起。他们的好客是真诚的表现。
如果你正戴着“面具”，从和你最亲近的人摘下“面具”开始。交个朋友，坦诚表现出真实的弱点，解决困扰你的不安。迈出这第一步，成为你真正的自我，你的积极和力量将来自内心。
我的朋友，《欲望号街车》教会我们做自己，现实会比幻想更美好。面具(字面上或比喻义上)对于庆祝活动来说可能很有趣，但是它们并不能一直戴着。审时度势、设定现实的目标，你将会在实现 “desire”（梦想）的道路上走得更远。
本文部分图片来源网络。
谢谢收看《老桑说》。
给你启发，激励你上进，陪伴你坚持。
敬请期待下一集。
英文版
English
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A Streetcar Named Desire:
do you live in fantasy or reality?
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「 Hello, my friend！
I'm John Smagula. 」
I recently spoke at the American Association of Law Schools annual meeting in New Orleans. The city is known for its raucous Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”) celebrations, French Quarter, jazz, Southern Hospitality, and mouth-watering local food such as po’boys and gumbo.
French Quarter
po'boy & gumbo
A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the most famous film depictions of New Orleans. The 1951 movie is adapted from Tennessee Williams’s 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which is often regarded as among the finest plays of the 20th century and is considered to be Williams’ greatest work.
The story centers on Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski. Blanche is an aging Southern Belle who lost her fortune, becomes an alcoholic, and later lived a life of disrepute. After losing the family home, she moved to New Orleans to live with her sister Stella, who is married to Stanley. Right from the start, Blanche and her brother-in-law Stanley were wary of each other.
Blanche & Stanley
Blanche puts on airs, lies about her past, and makes herself look more important than she really is. Blanche’s lying becomes self-deception, and she ultimately deludes herself into imagining she is young again and set to marry a millionaire suitor. Stanley, a salt-of-the-earth auto-parts supply man, sees through Blanche’s disingenuousness, mocking and scorning her.
The story centers on the tension between Blanche’s fantasy and Stanley’s reality. Blanche at first confesses that she fibs because she refuses to accept the hand fate has dealt her. Lying to herself and others allows her to make life appear as she wishes it were. Stanley, however, sees through her and unravels her lies, highlighting the conflict between appearances and reality.
In Chinese, we say “to deceive oneself as well as others” to mean that we willfully ignore an inconvenient reality, tell a series of lies to cover up what we don’t like, and then start to believe those lies ourselves. We fool ourselves to fool others. This serves no one, least of all ourselves. In Hamlet, Shakespeare’s character Polonius said, “To thine own self be true.”
In the end, all of the sordid stories of Blanche’s past come into the open: the bank foreclosed the mortgage on the family home, she was fired from her job as a teacher, and she lived in a cheap motel with various men. Rather than accept reality and try to improve herself, she pretended—and later imagined—she was still young, virtuous, and part of the social elite.
Masking the Truth
Mardi Gras
New Orleans is known for its boisterous Mardi Gras celebrations. Mardi Gras (French for “Fat Tuesday”) refers to events of the Carnival celebration that culminate on the day before Ash Wednesday. In the Catholic tradition, Ash Wednesday is a day of abstinence and penitence, so Mardi Gras is an opportunity to enjoy the last hurrah before a period of self-denial.
One Mardi Gras tradition is to wear a mask. In the parades, float riders are required by law to wear masks. The colorful masks originated in ritual celebrations, but later, allowed wearers to evade social and class constraints. When wearing a mask, carnival goers could be whomever they wanted to be and mingle with whatever social class they desired to interact with.
Today, people of all traditions wear showy masks in Mardi Gras, as they add an element of mystery and intrigue to the celebration when worn. At the same time, wearing a mask allows people to behave in ways that are socially outrageous. During the merriment, certain social norms are suspended, and people tend to be less constrained.
In English, “to wear a mask” is to portray a face that is not truly yours or not be authentic with others. In Streetcar, Blanche wore a mask. She portrayed herself as a socially superior debutante, but in reality, was completely broke with a troubled past. Her mask (fantasy) ultimately gave way to her true appearance (reality).
What mask do you wear?
Mardi Gras Masks
When you are with others, do you act like yourself or perform as someone else? It’s natural to try to highlight our strengths to others, but at the same time, it can be a slippery slope if we try to defraud others into causing them to think we are someone we are not.
Here are some examples of the different kinds of masks we wear:
The positive person mask, making it look like everything is always going well and that you live a perfect life, so as to make others admire or envy you.
2The strong person mask, saying that you don’t need others and can handle everything on your own, so as to avoid shame or mockery.
3The intellectual person mask, where you try to appear smarter than you are, especially if you haven’t completed your education.
4The nice person mask, where you put others’ needs before your own to try to gain their acceptance.
5The grumpy person mask, where you intimidate others and act aggressively to protect your more fragile self-esteem and try to avoid embarrassment.
With all of these masks, you show yourself differently to others than who you really are. But in each case, the masks cover up a deeper need. Very often, these deeper needs can only be met by authentic human interaction with family and friends, or if needed, a counselor.
Reality will always triumph over fantasy.
”Be authentic
The debauchery of Mardi Gras is just a short period of time when revelers try to escape reality and let off some steam. But it’s not sustainable to live a life every day wearing one of the ceramic, feathered, or other decorative masks. Everyone will see the fraudulent attempt to be someone or something else.
The same is true in life. If you wear the positive, strong, intellectual, nice, or grumpy mask, you may start to lose sight of your authentic self. In extreme cases, these lies become self-delusion, where you end up separating yourself from reality. This is what happened to Blanche, and at the end of the drama, she is committed to an insane asylum. Her mask led to tragedy.
Make a friend
Stanley
New Orleans is known for its legendary Southern Hospitality, where the people are particularly warm, sweet, and welcoming to visitors to their homes. The locals say that this hospitality makes them better people. They are not isolated, just thinking of themselves, but outgoing, and enjoying the company of others. Their hospitality is an expression of sincerity.
If you’re wearing a mask, start by taking it off with those closest to you. Make a friend, show some vulnerability, and address the insecurities or weaknesses that are bothering you. Take this first step toward becoming your authentic self, and your positivity and strength will come from within.
My friend, a lesson from A Streetcar Named Desire is to be yourself, and your reality will become better than your fantasy. Masks (literal or figurative) may be fun for a celebration, but they are not intended to be worn all the time. By setting realistic goals within your current circumstances, you’ll be much farther along your way to achieving the dreams you so "desire."
{ 今日英文速记卡 }
1.Wary \ˈwer-ē \
a)含义：adj. 警戒的；警惕的
b)例句：
i.Right from the start, Blanche and her brother-in-law Stanley were wary of each other.
从一开始，布兰奇和她的妹夫斯坦利就互相厌恶。
ii.The police must keep a wary eye on this area of town.
警方必须密切注意这一带城区。
c)近义词：cautious, circumspect, guarded
2.Confess \kən-ˈfes \
a)含义： v. 承认；坦白
b)例句：
i.Blanche at first confesses that she fibs because she refuses to accept the hand fate has dealt her.
布兰奇起初承认她撒了谎，因为她拒绝接受命运的摆布。
ii.She was reluctant to confess her ignorance.
她不愿承认她的无知。
c)近义词：admit, concede, fess (up)
3.Sordid \ˈsȯr-dəd \
a)含义：肮脏的；卑鄙的
b)例句：
i.In the end, all of the sordid stories of Blanche’s past come into the open: the bank foreclosed the mortgage on the family home, she was fired from her job as a teacher, and she lived in a cheap motel with various men.
最后，布兰奇过去所有肮脏的故事都被曝光了:银行取消了家庭住房的抵押贷款，她被解雇了，她和不同的男人住在廉价的汽车旅馆里。
ii.It was a shock to discover the truth about his sordid past.
他以往的丑行被发现时，人们感到震惊。
c)近义词： dirty, filthy, squalid
4.Boisterous \ˈbȯi-st(ə-)rəs \
a)含义：adj. 喧闹的；骚嚷的
b)例句：
i.New Orleans is known for its boisterous Mardi Gras celebrations.
新奥尔良以热闹的狂欢节著称。
ii. It was a challenge to keep ten boisterous seven-year-olds amused.
要逗着十个好动的七岁孩子玩真是一种挑战。
c)近义词： rambunctious, raucous, rowdy
5.Fraudulent \ˈfrȯ-jə-lənt \
a)含义：adj. 欺骗的；不诚实的
b)例句：
i.Everyone will see the fraudulent attempt to be someone or something else.
掩饰自我的行为总会被戳穿。
ii.There is no evidence that the broker was working with the fraudulent vendor.
没有证据表明该经纪人与进行诈骗的卖主狼狈为奸。
c)近义词：deceitful, dishonest, false
Thank you for watching me to inspire, encourage, and accompany you.
See you next time.
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