Let me give you a few examples of this very
rewarding technique-starting with business firms. In our
advertising and public relations work, we had various
clients who were, at first, not considered to be among the
leaders in their respective fields.So in their advertising, publicity, and in their
statements and actions, they "included themselves in" the
next highest status bracket until they were accepted at the
very top-if not for size, then for quality, or some other
leadership "image".Among the many techniques which can be
used to "include yourself in" is the use of the word "we"
to associate yourself in the public mind with well-known,
fully-accepted leaders. Frequently assert: "As one of the
leaders in this industry, we must share the responsibility
for ... " Or: "As a leader in this field, we are proud of
the accomplishments which have been achieved in ... "
Or: "We know we cannot maintain our position of leader-
ship in quality craftsmanship unless we continue to ... "In using this "include yourself in" technique,
the meaning you give the word "we" is extremely impor-
tant. For example, Negroes, in asserting racial equality,
lose the opportunity to express integrated equality when-
ever they say: "we", meaning: "we, Negroes", when they
should, in asserting racial equality, say: "we, citizens"
... "we, parents"... "we, taxpayers"... "we, uni-
versity graduates" ... "we, Americans". By "including
themselves in" integrated groups to which they certainly
belong, they would stop emphasizing their differences