Giving Voice
FFF here. I am thinking about SS's last posting where she engages with "an interesting article about the ethics of reading a zine, in which girls disclose personal matters" and questiones whether the reader should “stay out or wade in?” as well as which "readers are welcome, and who is intrusive?"
Her questions are similar to the considerations in the December 20th bluemilk blog posting entitled, "why your comment got deleted" (http://bluemilk.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/why-your-comment-got-deleted/), where the author explains why deleting certain comments on a blog are vital to creating safe and productive spaces for discussion. She recalls a particular case of only allowing the voices and opinions of people with disabilities to appear on a blog, rather than those of care givers, family members, and professionals.
It seems to me that making space and places for young folks to express themselves is part of the ethics of happiness that SUS also raises in her previous post. I suppose the question arises, what do we do when one person’s happiness infringes upon another’s happiness? When does speaking of our children publicly infringe upon their happiness? Heather B. Armstrong, author of the popular blog dooce.com, has had to come to terms with that ethical question in her own life and mommy blogging practice when her eldest daughter announced that she no longer wants to be the subject of her mother’s blog (http://www.dooce.com/2010/08/09/older-child).
I continue to be drawn to the examples of speaking for oneself that are provided by young folks who have videos posted at The Youth and Gender Media Project website (http://www.youthandgendermediaproject.org/Home.html). Autonomy is a fundamental human right from my feminist perspective, and in supporting folks to speak for themselves, regardless of their age, gender, sexual orientation, ability, education, class, or any other feature, appears to be a move in the right direction.
It is also incumbent upon all of us to be aware of whose voices are taking up and are given more space than the voices of others, and whose voices are being silenced or muted as a result. Reading and listening are just as important as speaking and writing. I urge us all to be open to the voices and experiences of those at the margins of or outside our circles, and particularly to those who make us feel uncomfortable. There is a lot to learn from their perspectives and life experiences, when given the chance.
Her questions are similar to the considerations in the December 20th bluemilk blog posting entitled, "why your comment got deleted" (http://bluemilk.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/why-your-comment-got-deleted/), where the author explains why deleting certain comments on a blog are vital to creating safe and productive spaces for discussion. She recalls a particular case of only allowing the voices and opinions of people with disabilities to appear on a blog, rather than those of care givers, family members, and professionals.
It seems to me that making space and places for young folks to express themselves is part of the ethics of happiness that SUS also raises in her previous post. I suppose the question arises, what do we do when one person’s happiness infringes upon another’s happiness? When does speaking of our children publicly infringe upon their happiness? Heather B. Armstrong, author of the popular blog dooce.com, has had to come to terms with that ethical question in her own life and mommy blogging practice when her eldest daughter announced that she no longer wants to be the subject of her mother’s blog (http://www.dooce.com/2010/08/09/older-child).
I continue to be drawn to the examples of speaking for oneself that are provided by young folks who have videos posted at The Youth and Gender Media Project website (http://www.youthandgendermediaproject.org/Home.html). Autonomy is a fundamental human right from my feminist perspective, and in supporting folks to speak for themselves, regardless of their age, gender, sexual orientation, ability, education, class, or any other feature, appears to be a move in the right direction.
It is also incumbent upon all of us to be aware of whose voices are taking up and are given more space than the voices of others, and whose voices are being silenced or muted as a result. Reading and listening are just as important as speaking and writing. I urge us all to be open to the voices and experiences of those at the margins of or outside our circles, and particularly to those who make us feel uncomfortable. There is a lot to learn from their perspectives and life experiences, when given the chance.
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