Dr. Mays and His Influence on MLK

I chose to do my SC Tourism Project on Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, a civil rights leader, former president of Morehouse College, and native of Greenwood SC, my hometown. 

Dr. Mays is legacy not only in the state of South Carolina, but all across the country, from Florida to Maine. He spread his wisdom throughout the east coast and parts of the midwest, encouraging young people of color to expand their education. He revitalized Morehouse College and brought it back from the harmful damages of the Great Depression and WWII. He created a head start program for gifted high school students at Morehouse which included Martin Luther King Junior. 

Dr. Mays became a mentor to the future Dr. King and thought of him as a son. He thought him the lessons that were taught to him by his parents, former slaves, and well as the many lessons he had learned from his extensive education at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. 

Many people admire Dr. King for his peaceful manner in which he fought for social justice but aren't aware of where exactly it was that he learned those practices. Though Dr. King is the figure most well known for heading up the Civil Rights movement in the 1960′s, I think that knowing the foundation of those thoughts and theories that he held are of equal importance. 

Like Dr. King, Dr. Mays knew that one of the biggest weapons to be used to fight bigotry and racism was education. Dr. Mays was born in rural SC in 1894, so getting a quality education was rare for a Black man at that time. However, he made it a priority to gain as much knowledge as he could and in turn he has received numerous degrees and countless awards for his work in education. 

When it comes to persuading the masses and starting a movement, the best thing you can do is get behind an issue that you really care about and work every day to make that movement a little bit stronger. For Dr. Mays, his cause was empowering young Black scholars and encouraging them to never stop striving for success. I think it’s safe to say that those goals were achieved. 

What the DNC Speeches Mean For Young Women

This past week at the DNC we heard from a variety of amazing speakers. All the way from comedian Sarah Silverman, to the Mothers of the Movement, Barack and Michelle Obama, to the Queen herself, Hillary Clinton. The speeches varied in topic discussing issues like income inequality, #blacklivesmatter, and reproductive rights.

What really struck me was how important this election really is for us as young people, specifically young women. For the first time we are getting to see a woman with a clear shot at taking the White House. Not only is she the first female nominee for a major political party, she is one of the most experienced candidates we’ve seen in years. In her nomination speech Hillary talked about so many issues that relate to all of us, men and women alike. I often hear people criticize her saying that she will “only talk about ‘women’s issues’”. She proved all of those people wrong last night. She talked about jobs, she talked, about strengthening the military, she talked about healthcare... just to name a few. Oddly enough, all of those issues include women as well. So sure, keep saying that she only focuses on “women’s issues”.

Hillary’s nomination is proof to young women and girls everywhere that dreams like this can be achieved, and that the glass ceiling is one step closer to being shattered once and for all. 

Political Slogans

One of the most important parts of a political campaign is the slogan. Just like with a business, having a catch phrase that people like and remember is crucial to it being a success. 

Last year began with “Ready for Hillary”, a campaign slogan designed to further encourage Hillary Clinton to run again for President. Mid way through the campaign around the beginning of this year, “Im With Her” became a hashtag that quickly took off. It’s simple and witty, and has proven to be a staple in 2016. 

Donald Trump has coined a phrase that will likely go down in history as the most obnoxious campaign slogan of all time. “Make America Great Again” has been a battle cry for conservatives this election. I think that it definitely plays into the “sacrificing substance for style” concept mentioned in the readings. The phrase is designed to tap into the mindset that there are people in this country who are pissed off, even if they don't really know why, then they hear something like “make American great again” and they’re like, “yeah, okay, i’m down”. Its dangerous, but clearly effective. 

VALS

I thought the readings about VALS was interesting, as well as the survey. Knowing how your mind works and how others’ work as well can tell you a lot about what you are persuaded by personally as well as how you can persuade others. 

As an apparent “innovator”, I am someone who is open to trying new technologies, I am an active consumer, and I seek challenges. I think that by realizing these things about myself I can know how I operate better as a worker, student, consumer, etc. I know what makes me tick and peaks my interest, and by knowing these things it could help me avoid wasting money on an unnecessary good or service in the future. 

On the other side of this, if I learn the tendencies that others have, I can know better ways to persuade them based on various details of their life that have probably molded their way of thinking. 

It almost seems manipulative, and in a way I guess it is, but I think surveys like VALS are useful because it makes people more self aware. 

Pandering vs. Persuassion

With the presidential election in full swing, a lot of times people criticize candidates for how they approach an issue or talk to a certain demographic. For instance, Hillary Clinton was criticized for saying she liked hot sauce when she was a guest on a black radio station. Many of her opposers and even a few of her supporters claimed that she was pandering to the black community to get their votes. Is there a difference between pandering and persuasion? I think that pandering is definitely a form of persuasion, but you can also persuade someone without pandering.

Persuasion Through Advertisement

Advertisements are a tool that companies use in order to persuade consumers to buy their good or service. The art of crafting a successful advertisement has a lot of various components used to appeal to a broad audience, even if that particular product or service is targeting a more specific demographic.

When ads are on paper often times the person creating them will use bright colors or an inviting font and text size to draw the reader in. They might even use a phrase or specific word to appeal to the reader. 

The same could be said for TV and radio, except in this instance you’re adding sound into the mix.