We know that Martin Luther King was a great peaceful and charismatic leader, so choosing him to represent what a charismatic leader should represent is only right. In the reading it was interesting when it said, “The fact that he has more prestige than power; the fact that he not only criticizes whites but explicitly believes in their redemption…”(27). In other words he was willing to forgive those who had judged him for the color of his people’s skin. It takes the right type of good charisma to forgive those who have hurt you for that long.
I think it was also interesting how Carson noted how King “rejected” charismatic traits assigned to him because they conflicted with his own self-doubts and limitations. I think this made him an even greater leader, because being able to recognize your weaknesses while knowing how important you are to the movement made him connect with his followers better and made the whole movement more genuine. He still naturally used Being in a leadership role can blind people of the fact that they are still human just like any one of their followers, but King knew that he was just as vulnerable ass any other person.
You bring up an interesting point- I agree that through the recognition of his weaknesses, King was able to create a deeper connection with his followers. I believe this is why he was so successful in inspiring the black community to fight for their rights through mass meetings, workshops, freedom schools, etc.
I found that King “rejecting” certain parts of charismatic leadership was a really interesting thing for Carson to write. Carson also said that King didn’t have the sort of sheeple followers (not his words) that charismatic leaders tend to have. By putting his way of thinking into his oratory (his scholar + religion combo), he had followers who clearly understood and cared about the concepts he was putting forth.
After our discussion last class, I almost wonder if that was intentional or if he was truly limited to only being X amount charismatic (it’s a stretch, but still).