Discussion of the power of words is interesting

There has been a lot of discussion over the rhetoric that has been used over the past several years to tear our country apart. People on both sides pretending that their words were not meant to inspire action. Give me a break. The whole purpose of rhetoric is to inspire action. The problem is that rhetoric can inspire but often times it cannot control. The shooting of Congressional Representative Giffords is horrible and there is no one cause but I think we can all agree the shooter did not just wake up in a social vacuum one morning and decide to kill. He is responsible for his thoughts, his actions and his schema but there were a great many people whose unquestioning self righteousness helped him form those ideas. Those who have rhetorical power should understand this power and take some responsibility for the way their audience understands the words, symbols and frameworks those words help people construct.

This coming week we are honoring a Community Builder whose rhetoric helped to change the direction of our nation. He had the power of rhetoric and he used the power of rhetoric. But, the reason I am using Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as an example is that the rhetoric of Dr. King stood in direct contrast to the rhetoric of several other major civil rights activists and civil rights opponents. One of the major phrases in the speeches of many who were fighting for civil rights were words to the effect of "by any means possible." The reason white men as well as black men will honor Dr. King this Monday is that he cautioned against such "Means" and allowed people to see another way. His non-violent perspective did not make him popular in many civil rights groups. Contrast Dr. King's "Dream" with what we hear today and you can see and feel how rhetoric can build instead of destroy. On Monday, when we honor Dr. King, there may be more to our celebration that we might at first understand.