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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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“In anything that has to do with human beings, and particularly in a democratic society, you cannot do this kind of a centralized, absolute control from the top down. That can be done only in a complete autocracy, a complete tyranny, a benevolent dictatorship, where the one man at the top is wonderfully wise and intelligent, and humane. He has a number of satraps under him who do what he says and are in such close sympathy with him that they understand his best thinking as well as his orders. Also when almost all the reat of the population are rather low--grade civilized epople, or high--grade savages -- I don't care which -- who aren't accustomed to thinking for themselves, and who don't know how anynow, and who are just mild people who will do better being pushed around. If you call “better” staying just as they are, not growing better spiritually, mentally, emotionally, but just staying as they are, being well-fed, and clothed, with murder and arson in a community at a minimum, then you can do this. This, kind of thing will not go, and it will damage the human nature subjected to it, if we carry it on in a society like ours where every man thinks for himself - doesn't always think well, thinks very badly, I admit, frequently doing things in all kinds of awkward, experimental ways.”

I told him all this. What happens is that you get the control coming from the top, through trusted subordinates, and then directives are set up that are all the same. The same rules apply to everybody. That sounds fine. You can always





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