Blog Post 6: Speaking For Others

In the article The Problem of Speaking for Others by Linda Alcoff, we explore the idea of speaking for other people, who is allowed to speak for others, and if/when/how it may be appropriate and inappropriate. Speaking for others may regard speaking for people lesser than you and not representing them accurately. But, is speaking for those who are more disadvantaged than you ever okay? Well, what if you are using your privilege to give voice to those who cannot speak themselves. As stated in the text, speaking for others is not always about getting out of the way, but this may differ depending on who is speaking. In the comparison between speaking for others and speaking about others, the text identifies that both are problematic. If one is wrong, the other is. In both cases, someone else's, or your own, narrative is in your control. In both speaking for and about, you are constructing their subject positions (Alcoff, 1991). In speaking for self, you create self just like when you speak for others. Details included may affect the individual represented, or it may effect those who hear the narrative given. Certain characteristics and not others are identified when speaking for self/others. These details construct the framework that one is viewed with. 

The idea of "speaking for others" reminds me of the "lack of competence model." The idea behind the lack of competence model was inspired by Ruth G. Dean. The lack of competence model is an approach to cross-cultural communication and work. This model assumes and suggests that an individual embraces a lack of competence, as the name suggests. Specifically, this means that in cross-cultural work, the client is the expert. The other opens themselves up fully to learning about the client from the client, and without any preconceived notions about them. In the lack of competence model, being 'informed' and not 'knowing' are the paradoxical combination of ideas at work (Dean, 2001). It is emphasized that assuming and claiming knowledge is not what is necessary for work across cultures, but actually understanding (Dean, 2001). If this is applied to speaking for others, we would refrain from doing so inappropriately or inaccurately. 

While we may learn basic information about one another's cultures from news or books, these materials are not where the narrative ends. Everyone is an individual. We must use an open mind when it comes to interpreting people. We are not all knowing about someone's character based on preconceived notions about their culture or physical traits. This idea goes for interactions with one another, speaking for one another, and life in general. 

In relation to speaking for others, oppression creates problems out of difference (Dean, 2001). People who do not fit the societal norm get excluded from the narrative, and they are spoken for in society. More times than not, one needs to assume a lack of competence in order to open themselves up to new perspectives and understandings. 

References: 

Alcoff, Linda. “The Problem of Speaking for Others.” Cultural Critique, no. 20, 1991, p. 5., doi:10.2307/1354221.

Dean, Ruth G. “The Myth of Cross-Cultural Competence.” Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, vol. 82, no. 6, 2001, pp. 623–630., doi:10.1606/1044-3894.151.