"Whose Voice is it Anyway" Response

What I found most compelling about Gere's essay is the idea of voice in general and how an individual's is incredibly susceptible to influence from community and authoritarian figures. This led me back to the book's introduction which talks about the crucial importance of community acceptance of sufferers who need healing. However, talking FOR someone who has a softer voice, or difficulty expressing themselves has an adverse effect from the people intending to help by translating. This is because when you tell someone else's story for them, it becomes your story instead of theirs, and it makes the softly-spoken that much more voiceless. I would like the class to focus on how we, as allies, can create a space for these kinds of people to speak for themselves without taking the reins of the conversations.