Inclusionary Practices Quotes
Mrs. Roosevelt tended to publish the complaints about her views that she received and these were many, as she was many years ahead of her time and a strong liberal by 21st century standards. However, it is historically useful to examine some of the complaints as the tell us much about the culture at the time. In this case, architects (all male) were outraged that she had suggested that women might make some good suggestions as to how the interior of a building might be designed. Many professional men thought so little of women’s intellectual capabilities that they reacted as modern professions might do if someone seriously suggested that before completing their plans they consult with some elementary school children. This passage illustrates one of her techniques for dealing with many organizational complaints. First she states the complaint fairly. For people of a modern liberal outlook, this said: “This is what we are up against!” To the complainers, “I want to make sure your important point is understood by all.” Then she apologizes and says that she did not mean to disparage the architects. They saw it as a disparagement that women should help them design buildings. She honestly never saw it as a disparagement; just a way to improve their buildings. Finally she ends by restating exactly the point that they objected to. She ends up getting two columns on the same point, and convincing more modern people and undecided that the complaining group—the architects in this case—were really reactionary and holding up progress and improvement. Ironically, this never seemed to stop the institutional complaints as most of the conservative complainers then understood little about the media. This was unlike the word of the late 20th century where the conservatives understood and used the media much more skillfully than the liberals.
