Essay On Oratorical Leaders

Oratorical Leaders and the Magic of Stereotypes
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed in fighting injustice and oppression with the use of nonviolence. I choose this great leader and speaker because he understood the battle was against malevolent forces and not against those succumbing to those forces. In Dr. King’s (1957) “Nonviolence and Racial Justice” commentary he states, “It is evil we are seeking to defeat, not the persons victimized by evil” (p. 120). Dr. King’s leadership within the civil rights movement was grounded in biblical Christian beliefs, holding God as the ultimate authority, Jesus as the redeemer for all humanity, un-conditional love and forgiveness, strength of internal character, and the power of
1). This speech was designed to bring in-group solidarity, world awareness, and meaningful legislation change to alter the racial discrimination in jobs, education, politics and daily life. In this case the in-group was African-American citizens, at the time called Negros, all those who wanted freedom and equality in America, and the oppressed around the world. By using statements such as, “My friends…”, “This is our hope…”, or “With this faith, we will be able to transform…” Dr. King is establishing a group for and against civil rights. Author Bakanic (2009) defines this as social identity theory, which reinforces and defends mutual self-worth, with stereotypes encouraging group association and inclusion (p. 86). For example, identifying and directing the statement “…I say to you today, my friends…”, to the massive group and television audience he personalized and communicated the message, all who were listening were a part of the in-group fighting for equal rights. In addition, Dr. King used the American, Christian, and Jewish belief systems such as, “…all men are created equal” , “…let freedom ring”, and “…when all God’s children…”, to combine feelings of American and faith loyalties, with African-Americans as equal citizens, deserving the same rights as anyone else. To establish out-group
My family held to Christian beliefs, teaching me that character defined a person. I grew up in a multicultural neighborhood, attended a small and racially diverse Christian elementary school, and attended a multicultural high school and university. I have been blessed with meaningful friendships with people from diverse faiths, races, gender identities, and ethnic backgrounds. Throughout my life there has been a strong appreciation for diversity and empathy. Although, I did not always make the right choices, respecting, forgiving, and loving others is sewn into my being, stemming from my upbringing and relationships. My family believes as Martin Luther King did, that you can love a person, without agreeing or tolerating un-just actions. I was taught and firmly believe I am called to love and forgive, because Jesus loves and forgives me. This belief system opposes acts of prejudice, discrimination, and subordination, believing God creates humans with equal value and purpose. We are all wonderfully different and capable of great good and evil. Because we are human and imperfect, making assumptions, stereotyping, discriminating, and pre-judging is unavoidable. Bakanic (2009) explains, “Socialization is the process of learning how to behave according to the rules and expectations of a particular culture” (p. 172).