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flexibeastRecently i watched The life of Brian with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sacred_harlot (i'd seen it before; sacred_harlot hadn't.) It made me think: what makes a person charismatic, the sort of person other people follow with enthusiasm? The sort of person whose followers talk about in reverential tones? The sort of person whose followers are afraid of angering or upsetting? The sort of person whose followers believe is the person to lead them on The True Path to whateverness?
On-line and off-, i'm as charismatic as a brick. And that's fine with me. i would hope that, if people think i have anything interesting to say, it's purely because of the content of what i say, and not also, or purely, because i exude charisma à la Saruman1. Nevertheless, charisma intrigues me because so many social movements have been led by 'charismatic' people.
So is charisma an innate either/or thing (i.e. "you have it, or you don't")? Is it something that can be cultivated? It is basically an unconscious, or semi-conscious, use of certain forms of magick? Or is it something else altogether?
1. Tolkien wrote that:
sacred_harlot (i'd seen it before; sacred_harlot hadn't.) It made me think: what makes a person charismatic, the sort of person other people follow with enthusiasm? The sort of person whose followers talk about in reverential tones? The sort of person whose followers are afraid of angering or upsetting? The sort of person whose followers believe is the person to lead them on The True Path to whateverness? On-line and off-, i'm as charismatic as a brick. And that's fine with me. i would hope that, if people think i have anything interesting to say, it's purely because of the content of what i say, and not also, or purely, because i exude charisma à la Saruman1. Nevertheless, charisma intrigues me because so many social movements have been led by 'charismatic' people.
So is charisma an innate either/or thing (i.e. "you have it, or you don't")? Is it something that can be cultivated? It is basically an unconscious, or semi-conscious, use of certain forms of magick? Or is it something else altogether?
1. Tolkien wrote that:
Saruman's voice was not hypnotic but persuasive. Those who listened to him were not in danger of falling into a trance, but of agreeing with his arguments, while fully awake. It was always open to one to reject, by free will and reason, both his voice while speaking and its after-impressions. Saruman corrupted the reasoning powers.
-- "Letters", letter number 210
