What is Authority?

According to the writing “Authority & Belonging” by WRI@SLU authority is a continually negotiated concept that is determined by how the presented genre is understood and used in interactions between people. There are two types of authority. The first one being speaking as authority while writing. When one does this, you are considering other possibilities and end results including your own feelings. An example of this is a talk show host expressing their views about a topic while respecting and accepting others’ opinions. The second type is speaking with authority. This is when you disregard other possibilities other than your own. An example of this is politicians discussing their views on certain issues while not acknowledging and caring about their opponents’ views. A unique factor about authority that makes it unlike other writing concepts is that it can be both oral and written. Authority is usually seen within a community. This “ranking” is often based on length of time in that community, power, and/or money. Due to this being a dynamic concept authority can be lost if an explanation is requested. This is because the authority of the writer or speaker is being questioned. New members of the community usually fall into this category of questioning the person in authority.