In the “The Problem Of Speaking For Others” article by Linda Alcoff. The author brings up the concept of speaking for others and whether or not it is possible to adequately or justifiably speak for others. They state that the two main reasons speaking for others are a problem is, “First, there is a growing recognition that where one speaks from affects the meaning and truth of what one says…The second source involves a recognition that, not only is location epistemically salient, but certain privileged locations are discursively dangerous” (Alcoff, 7). They also address the concerns around not speaking up for those who are less privileged and how sometimes the answers to these concerns can be dependent on who's asking them.
One pop culture example that came to mind of how speaking for others can have negative outcomes is the recent coverage of Britney Spears's conservatorship. This was an example where she was no longer able to speak up for herself or have control over her life and her family took that role, which ended up not being in her best interest. Alcoff stated, “I am engaging in the act of representing the other's needs, goals, situation, and in fact, who they are” (Alcoff, 9). Alcoff goes on to say that they can't truly know a person or their experiences but rather represent their interpretation of the other person which I think is something that we see happen with Britney Spears.
Alcoff, Linda. “THE PROBLEM OF SPEAKING FOR OTHERS.” Feminist Nightmares: Women At Odds, New York University Press, 2020, pp. 285–309, https://doi.org/10.18574/9780814784945-016.
I think that your example of Britney Spear's and her conservatorship was a great example of someone speaking for others. Her conservatorship was a huge deal in pop culture and I think it really opened the publics eyes to how problematic they can be. I think that everything that happened with Britney Spear's before her conservatorship are also important when it comes to the problems of speaking for others. When Alcoff talked about how "if the practice of speaking for others is problematic, so too must be the practice of speaking about others, since it is difficult to distinguish speaking about and speaking for in all cases" (Alcoff, 9), I think that this idea played a role in how Britney's conservatorship came to be. The public talked about her, saying that she was unhinged and mentally unstable, which ultimately impacted her into the public assuming that these things were true.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your response to the reading, I had been very confused about the Alcoff reading myself. I thought it was interesting as I read about speaking up for others. A lot of times I find myself wanting to say things but I stop myself because I don't feel it's right coming from my position. Especially in cases that i can't relate to. If I have never gone through something that someone else is, I don't have that same experience.
ReplyDeleteOne question that I would like to bring forward is where is the communication lost between trying to help, and people being upset because they think you're doing too much. it seems that there is such a thin line and I still don't completely understand it.
An example I would use is feminism. I think it is a great movement and something that needs to be supported by all people. I feel like some people would tell me "You don't know what it's like" when I'm just trying to be another voice supporting them. That's just one example of hundreds but hopefully it makes sense.