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John F. Kennedy's Speech: The Application Of The Golden Rule

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I never liked to share my toys. In kindergarten one day, I saw that Claire had the stuffed animal I always played with when I was there. I got so angry that I went up to her, grabbed it, and started running in circles around her flaunting it. That was when my teacher pulled me to the side and told me the Golden Rule, “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” This lesson was continuously taught to me throughout my growth and had a lot of value placed onto it. Without much analysis, I simply assumed it meant to be kind to others. However, it is much more than that for it is seen in almost all organized religions. This principle is also known as the Ethic of Reciprocity, which is used as the key to solve conflict and encourage unity between …show more content…

Many presidents attempt to appeal to the public by using the rule in their speeches. President Obama has used the principle in over 20 speeches throughout his presidency, while George W. Bush used it in 18 (wikiversity). One of the most powerful speeches with the application of the Golden Rule was given in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy on anti-segregation of enrollment at the University of Alabama. He began his speech by asking the white population how they would feel if they were treated as second-class citizens based on their skin color. He followed this by forcing them to use their imagination in visualizing themselves as black and having their current rights being taken away, such as voting, eating at specific restaurants, and riding the bus. This assisted the white population in noticing how discontent and uncomfortable they would be in that position and pushed them to feel guilty on imposing others to those circumstances. Kennedy’s use of the Golden Rule demonstrates the essential aspect of switching places in staying consistent with following the principle. If the rule is violated, then the spirit of fairness and morality is as well. His application of the rule also was extremely intelligent and effective due to his consideration of the audience. The public of interest is predominately white, however, they vary in religions. The Golden Rule is a principle that strongly correlates between most belief systems. By taking an idea that the public has a firm understanding of not only allows them to better recognize the consequences of segregation, but also unifies them with each

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