Kingonomics By Rodney Thomson

Kingonomics by Rodney Sampson is about intertwining Martin Luther King Jr’s principles and entrepreneurship. The title itself is captivating because it could have been titled ‘Martin Luther King Jr and Entrepreneurship’ but morphing the two main aspects of each idea cause interest and topics. Throughout reading this piece of literature, I could not help but notice myself agreeing with much of what was said. My eyes were open to a broader range of problems and solutions. What the author, Sampson, and I have in common is that we both seek to innovate the social issues in the modern world.
We live in a blind culture, and the first step into the path of equality is the acceptance of diversity. Defining diversity is necessary because people tend to narrow it down to only skin color
when in reality, diversity applies to gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and everything else that at one point has been discriminated.
“When we learn to welcome and appreciate diversity instead of just tolerating it, new ideas will rapidly take flight and old, unworkable ideas will rapidly evaporate” (Sampson, 2013, p. 124). What Sampson is saying is that there is a difference between accepting and tolerating diversity. Let us say that you are the leader of a project in your company. There is a Hispanic employee in your group and you feel slightly uncomfortable but you say nothing. He is pitching in multiple ideas for the project and you listen respectfully but you take none of it into consideration. This is tolerance because you allow him to speak his mind without any interference although you do not necessarily agree or feel comfortable with him. Welcoming his ideas could mean that you create the greatest outcome for the assignment and receive a
promotion. In this same scenario, it is also important to acknowledge the need for diversity. Sampson (2013) states that “Diversity skills are not the only reason to collaborate, however; diverse backgrounds also bring us a host of values, perspectives, knowledge, and tastes that we simply cannot learn from people who are just like us” (p. 29). Imagine if all the people in your group were exactly the same. There would not be many ideas flowing through and nothing would be accomplished. As Sampson said, all these cultures merge differently and sometimes contradicting aspects which is vital in every ambiance.
Many of the people that live in America still face discrimination and it will not be dying down anytime soon. With all these internal problems going on, this country still enjoys boasting about its diversity and equality. “Interacting with people from different nationalities and religious backgrounds is almost unavoidable in America, and yet we seem to go out of our way to avoid it” (Sampson, 2013, p. 125). A good example of this would be the immigration problem that has been blown out of proportion recently. Our country embraces all these different cultures only if they benefit us. The immigrants that are not welcomed are those from Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and many other third-world countries. They are not seen as people that better our country therefore our government does what it can to keep them all out. Sampson (2013) says that “It’s time to recognize…that the ‘brotherhood of man’ comes in all genders, body types, skin colors, sexual orientations, cultures and religions, so that the memories of past injustices can finally fade away. Only then can we start using our differences boldly and creatively” (p. 135). The United States is called The Melting Pot for a reason. Instead of completely shutting out those trying to flee from their countries, America should form a better system that will benefit both sides. Sampson named practically all the differences that stand out in each of us but what we must all keep in mind is that we are anatomically the same.
In order to move past our blind culture, we must find ways to fix the big picture by first working within ourselves. Through my Personal Brand Reflection, I conversed how within myself I would imprint and listen to the lives of the unheard. The readings of Kingonomics provided greater reasons as to why we must look within ourselves first in order for anything to be done. We have to be the example for those who aspire to do the same as you. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to see change therefore he began speaking out against the corruptness of the government. Due to King’s actions, Sampson decided to create a book that would inspire people to build a better country. Through my Personal Manifesto, I discussed about egalitarianism within our country through personal experiences just as Sampson did. Sampson helped me realize that our country has many social problems within itself. Not until I read Kingonomics did I realize how much America embraced diversity yet avoided it simultaneously. Nothing would allow us all to be treated equally if we do not take some form of action.