Growing up, I was taught that Martin Luther King Jr. was the most important leader of the civil rights era. We often focused on his actions and were taught that he was confident in what he did. We never learned about his self-doubts so I find it interesting that Carson decided to go into detail about those. According to Carson, King often doubted himself and feared for his life, as well as others. He wasn’t the person he is portrayed to be and that makes me wonder why we as a society create a false persona of him
I also found Carson’s understanding of the word charisma and how it pertains to MLK, very interesting. King understood that his charisma alone would not help him gain the number of followers that he wanted and he often risked his popularity. There is no doubt that he was charismatic but it was not always enough. I find it interesting that King used religion as his top tactic despite the backlash he would receive
I agree with your statement. At the end of Carson’s article I found myself more fixated on MLK’s mistakes and flaws, however, (as Carson states) we can’t let that take away from everything that he did do. And although he was not as much as a leader as we may have once thought he was one nonetheless and played a important role in unifying the people. Regardless of if he was the main cause of the smaller events (such as the boycotts) or not his impact is still remembered and celebrated today.
The amount of self doubt that King obtained throughout his leadership also came as a surprise to me. However, I agree that it is a factor worth exploring because it shows the degree to which he was a charismatic leader. For example, Carson mentioned that King would have wanted the black movement to be remembered as a “setting that brought out extraordinary qualities in many people,” which shows that he believed the movement was not dependent on him, and that it could be carried on even after he passed.
I also find it interesting that King used religion as an important tactic during that time period. By doing so he really solidified his message to the backlash because in that time period many things revolved around religion. Religion almost worked as a common ground between civil rights activist and those opposed to integration.
I agree that it is interesting how King didn’t have as much charisma as other great leaders. However, I do not think that we create a false persona of him in our society. When someone is able to accomplish what King did, people automatically label them a great leader. I agree with this notion, whether or not they are a charismatic leader.