Can A Disrespectful Person Be A Moral Leader?

[YmirGF]

I think the OP is a valid question in that people follow leaders.

Do you think the Buddha was a moral leader? How about Gandi? Jesus? Certainly they have lessons to teach people of a like mind. I think given the fact that these three leaders have millions of followers shows that some people DO need a moral leader.

Ah yes... the lemming syndrome. : hamster :

In all fairness to the big three, Buddha, Krsna and the Christ, I have no interest in their moral messages, period.

 

[Random]

A leader of any kind is required to make judgements: therefore, judgement being a form of necessary discrimination, someone or some group is going to have to be disenfranchised or, as they would see it "disrespected", in order for the leader to fulfill the criterium of his or her role.

 

[Hema]

To me, morality will always encompass being kind towards others. It doesn't matter if someone is a King - status does not make one better than another. We should never look down on others no matter what position we may have. We are all going to die and leave it all behind. We cannot carry anything with us. We should always practice what we preach else, who's going to listen when we preach? There's a story about a mother who wanted her little son to stop eating sweets. She took him to a Holy Man, thinking that he would tell the child to stop eating sweets. After the mother related her situation to the Holy Man, he told them to return the next week. A week passed and the mother returned with the boy. The Holy Man told them to wait another week again and then come back. After a week passed they returned and still the Holy Man said to come back next week. When they returned again, the Holy Man said to the boy, "Little boy, please do not eat any more sweets." The mother became angry and asked the Holy Man why he made them wait so long just to tell the boy what he just said. He told her that he himself loved to eat sweets and he waited until he broke off his own habit before he could tell the boy to do the same. The point here is that leaders should lead by example.

 

[Sunstone]

If a person is disrespectful towards others, does that indicate some fundamental fearfulness towards others? And can a person who on some level fears others be a moral leader?

 

[!Fluffy!]

What if they regard themselves as a humanist but cannot bring themselves to respect other humans?

But seriously. That would be the definition of a hypocrite and a sociopath who needs to find a new "ism" to tack on behind their name. Like hypopath, or sociocrite.


:biglaugh:

 

[Pardus]

Is it so hard to picture someone who hates human beings (race, gender, etc does not matter) but wants to see them better off?

To hate every bit of pain they inflict on others, to hate every chance they ignore where they could ease the suffering of others.

To hate that they only care about the "little orphan annie" cases and don't gives a crap about the people really suffering.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

I think it's possible for someone to be disrespectful, yet still be a moral leader. If the leader's ideas (as in, his arguments for morality and such) are valid and true, then it shouldn't matter what the person is like.

While I agree that someone should "practice what they preach," I don't see it as a requirement for following their preaching. Adequate consideration, yes, but not a requirement.

An argument against someone's ideas based on their person is a logical fallacy known as ad hominem.

 

[gnomon]

Can a person who is disrespectful of others be a moral leader? Or is a lack of respect for others something that disqualifies someone from being a moral leader?

Some people consider Al Sharpton a moral leader despite an incidence of sheer disrespect given to the New York police after a fabricated rape charge.

Also, it is in the perception of the people. Wasn't Gandhi assassinated by a man who felt Gandhi was disrespectful of Hindus for his ... respectful ... attitude of Muslims.

It's all in the eye of the follower. So logically, I can only conclude that there are moral leaders who are deemed disrespectful by others based upon cultural values.