Sociology

There are few moments in the history of this nation when any other event has caused a lot of sociological, psychological, and even political effects with far-reaching impacts than when a leading national or political figure is assassinated. The implications of such an act are usually ones that are so hard to deal with especially in the short term (Pennebaker, 1997). Although different people will respond differently to the situation particularly based on their political affiliations among a few other factors, it will almost always cause a lot of emotional and psychological suffering to the majority. Such assassinations are usually for different reasons and aimed to achieve different purposes (Pennebaker, 1997). The assassination of Martin Luther King was one such event that sparked a lot of controversy as it regards to the cause of the death. This paper explores the possible causes of his death, and considers the implications that the assassination of any other political figure would have on the psychological and sociological aspects of the people of the country.

The Murder of King
Martin Luther King was an outspoken critic of racism and other acts that were against the rights of mankind. His famous Letter from Birmingham Jail perhaps epitomizes Kings love for freedom for all, and illustrates the extent to which he was willing to go just to see to it that what he lived for and believed in was accomplished (King, 2000). This letter was written while King was under confinement in a Birmingham City Jail, and was aimed at continuing his vocal opposition to the then rampant racial discriminatory actions as well as a way of asserting his non-relenting personality. King was typically a man who believed in the cause of justice for all. As much as this was a good cause and which many, especially the blacks who were particularly targeted for these racial prejudices, people in the country supported, Martin Luther approached them in so robust a manner that it was very easy for him to fault with the majority who were not yet prepared to have anything about ending racism (King, 2000).

King cared less who it was that was behind any act of oppression (Pennebaker, 1997). What mattered to him was that a human right was breached and that it was not an acceptable order. Therefore, Martin King would organize rallies and campaigns to publicly denounce both the acts as well as those who perpetrated them (King, 2000). It was a life of survival for the fittest and all he did was to survive as best he could. At that time, it was unheard for anybody to come up and oppose the cause of the majority. In this case, it was the whites who really discriminated against other people in the country. Kings vocal opposition against them might have had them greatly offended.
That aside, Kings political ideologies also added to the hatred that the racists had for him (King, 2000). At that time, it was an unheard of thing for anyone, least of all a black person, to oppose the policies of the government. This was a time when most democratic aspects in the country really discriminated against blacks. They were not as much as allowed to vote in any election. Kings opposition to this contributed to his increased isolation by the whites, who must have been really annoyed (King, 2000).

That aside, King was very much opposed to the continued preferences given to white children over blacks in schools, and the increased judging of people on the basis of their skin color and not the content of their character or their intellectual ability. All these could not have played any lesser role in his consequent assassination. The drive behind the assassination must have been to silence him forever so their ambitions to expand racism and discrimination would be easier to achieve. Had he chosen to remain neutral or to keep silent about what was happening, he most likely would be still alive today and the psychological and sociological pains that he put people to when he was assassinated could have been avoided (Pennebaker, 1997).

Consequences of Assassination of a Political Leader
In the event of a political assassination, the Conflict Theory can be used to illustrate how different people will respond to it as far as their psychological and sociological ideologies are concerned (Bartos, 2002). There will likely result an outcry from the persons own people. For instance, if president Barack Obama was assassinated today, the implications, according to the Conflict Theory, would include a feeling on the part of black people that they have been targeted for elimination. This will likely cause uproar from this group, owing to the fact that black people have been marginalized for a very long time. This theory is very relevant in this case because it is mainly concerned with issues of political, materialistic, and other sociological inequalities and the conflicts based on them.
Inequalities have been very rampant in this country, and every black American knows that it is a real privilege and great honor to have a leader from among their own. It is a very normal occurrence for people to have differences and inequalities, and the result of this is that, it will be very easy for conflicts to arise (Andraine, 2006). Conflicts, when they come, usually causes divisions and people affected will tend to view them based on the likely cause and not the actual cause. The possible assassination of President Barack Obama will make black people in the country to probably arm themselves and wage war  any form of war is possible  against the white people and the other communities in the country. They will be able to look at the assassination as an attempt to take their community back in history when they were despised, enslaved, and discriminated against racially. Because of this fear and the natural drive within them to both seek a way to defend themselves and to resist such a move, they are likely to oppose all the polices of the other communities (Andraine, 2006).

At the worst, there is a likelihood of an emergence of racially motivated fighting (Bartos, 2002). If the worst goes to the worst, a civil war could also result although its scale is likely to be lower than the Civil War because it will involve a community that does not form a majority in the country. Because of the popularity that President Obama has enjoyed since he first became a Senator and subsequently a president, he has won over many other non-black communities as well. As such, these other supporters of the president will also seek ton vent their anger on whoever will be suspected of masterminding the murder. The Conflict Theory points out that it will be hard to avoid a conflict at all in the event if such a high-ranking national and political leader is assassinated (Andraine, 2006). While ethnically motivated retaliatory fighting is the most likely outcome, other implications will result as well. Notably, people will be affected socially and psychologically as well (Bartos, 2002). For instance, the mutual trust between people of different ethnicities will be lost as hatred takes over its place.

Conclusion
Sociological and psychological consequences of high profile political assassinations are usually widespread and universal. Even those involved in the assassination are not left without as much as a psychological effect. It has been noted that the assassination of the human rights activist Martin Luther King was caused by his own personal and political ideologies. In essence, his outspoken criticism of the white-propagated racial discriminations as well as his failure to be cowed into keeping quiet regarding the lack of political goodwill in fighting this social vice led to a state where he was at loggerheads with many people both in the government and in the movements that supported racism. The possible assassination of another American national and political leader will have many other psychological and sociological implications, depending on the specific person targeted. The outcome will involve racial fighting, and the possibility of communal and civil unrest. All the implications of such an assassination will be best understood from the Conflict Theory which focuses of inequalities in material, social, and political resources and notes them as being behind the reactions of the people in the event of such an assassination.