Sum Blog 4: Max Weber and Charismatic Authority

  For this week's discussions in class, we read about Max Weber and focused for awhile on his idea of what power and authority mean. I found it interesting that there are different types of authority according to Weber because that was something I had not previously known. Out of the three types of authority, I think I could relate the most with charismatic authority because it seems as if I've had more experience with it than the other two types. I was a political science major for awhile, so the charisma of politics and political parties is familiar to me.
  Charismatic authority belongs to people or groups of people who are able to convince and sway other people in a certain direction and who also strongly believe in what they are trying to persuade. A few examples we talked about in class were the music industry, the green movement, and the tea party movement. I think all three of those are good examples of charismatic authority because they are all trying to convince the general public of something, whether it's listening to a certain genre of music, increasing the sustainability of the environment or believing in certain political ideas. I can for sure say that Weber's idea of charismatic authority has held strong and moved into today's society because everywhere you look you're constantly being persuaded to do certain things, from buying advertised products to voting for a candidate who had a very convincing campaign.
  As I was trying to think of my own example that wasn't discussed in class, my mind kept focusing on an organization in the town where I live called Walls of Wittenberg because I consider them to be very charismatic. The group is responsible for the placement and creation of various murals located throughout Wittenberg, and to get the murals placed where they want and to have them painted by certain painters, they have to have charismatic authority to convince people. So far, 22 murals have been painted, the most recent being a Green Bay Packers mural. This last mural in my opinion required the highest amount of charisma from the group because it really wasn't that easy to put together and fund. The whole town had to be persuaded to donate money to the cause, and in return they would get their picture painted on the mural. Also, the Green Bay Packer owners and players themselves had to be persuaded to allow this mural to be painted, as well as the owners of the grocery store where the mural is located. When all is said and done, the Walls of Wittenberg organization has to show a great amount of charisma to make the things they want to achieve actually happen. Below is a picture of the Green Bay Packers mural, titled "Go Pack Go!", showcasing Donald Driver and Jordy Nelson, as well as an array of avid Packer's fans.