他用自嘲打败了那些熊孩子
我的一位好友、微博「爱英语斯坦」博主Troy前段时间送我了一本书：YouTube超级红人（订户超2000万，视频总点击量超30多亿次）Ryan Higa的How to Write Good.
大家可能会想：不应该是how to write well吗？书名都有语法错误还怎么教人写作啊... 这就是Ryan Higa的幽默
This is the story of how I went from being a relatively happy kid to being depressed and angry and filled with dark thoughts. This is the story of how I thought I had only one way out of this cruel world. This is the story of how I found a better way.
But wait, there's more! You're not only getting my story but you'll also learn how to write good well from a college dropout who struggled in basic-level English classes and still became a legit, published Best Sailing Author. (That wasn't a typo. I plan to buy a boat one day... but probably not anytime soon. This book might not cell good.)
Ryan Higan在书中用他的无厘头风格讲述了成长的故事。 他聪明机灵，有一个优秀到让他自卑敏感的哥哥，他从小被妈妈逼着学篮球和柔道（judo）。初中的时候妈妈为他选择了一所她认为更好的中学，在这所学校里他没有什么朋友。在班级中他的年龄最小，成绩拔尖，有一副少有亚洲人的面孔，从此他成为了被欺负的对象。
他们故意把他绊倒，看他的洋相；他们叫他little ugly Chink boy（尽管他不是中国人）, gay faggot，变本加厉地四处挤兑他。妈妈和校长的介入也无济于事，他讨厌学校，讨厌一切，他想结束自己的生命。善于分析（highly analytical）的他午夜睡不着的时候开始胡思乱想：
One day I'm just going to snap and fight them.
But I don't want to deal with the consequences of getting in trouble.
So I'll just kill myself.
在分析了各种死法之后，他想：我连死都不怕，还怕活吗？我的世界还可以更糟糕吗？(How could it be any worse?) 为什么他们会欺负我？为什么是我而不是别人？
他突然想通了：欺负他的人之所以欺负他，是因为他们的欺凌行为可以让旁观者发笑。他人的发笑可以让他们觉得自己是受欢迎的。That's what everyone seemed to want in this world: a laugh. Popularity.
于是他想到，想要不被欺负，他需要"take the funny from them"。他开始观察人们为什么会笑？怎么才能使人笑？开始练习搞笑的本领。当别人挑衅地叫他Ugly的时候，他学会做一个如花样的鬼脸😜，回应说：啥？你在叫我吗？
Ryan最喜欢模仿的喜剧演员Jim Carrey
他观察、琢磨、准备套路，用幽默和自嘲打败了那些熊孩子。就像是《老友记》中的Chandler，《8英里》中的Eminem。
2003年，13岁的Ryan在一场婚礼中偶然玩起了妈妈的录像机，他找到了自己的兴趣 -- something that gave me all-new focus (pun intended)。
Finally, for the first time in my life, I was doing something not because I had to do it. It wasn't like school, or judo, or basketball with all the rules, and the drills, and the need to compete against others and try to be the best. This was zero pressure. It was just something I enjoyed doing. It didn't matter that I wasn't particularly good at it at first. I did it because I wanted to.
通过摄像机，他可以从另一个视角（persepective)去看世界，这时候那些无聊的、恼人的时刻突然也可以变得有趣起来。他开始和小伙伴们一起用拍视频的方式来打发时间，开始看无数的电影琢磨里面的情节和镜头，试着去翻拍这些经典作品。尽管技术渣、设备差、服装靠床单、道具用纸糊，他用拍视频找到了表达自己的方式，找回了自信。
像Ryan这样的故事其实有很多，他们把经历分享出来让更多正在经历的人有所启示。好像是生命中总会有那么几次让你捶胸顿足欲哭无泪黯然伤神的时刻，然后也总有那么一个人一件事命中注定一样出现，让阳光透进来。Life would get better if you choose to make it better.
其实这本书80%的内容都来自于他之前的一个视频Draw My Life，有兴趣的朋友可以看一下。中秋节快乐！
https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=d05577sh61r&width=500&height=375&auto=0