Kenji Yoshino

Thank you so much for having me.

Thank you so much for having me.

Thank you so much for having me.

So Franklin Delano Roosevelt was struck by polio and in the wake of that had a motor disability where he was in a wheelchair. And he made every effort to downplay this to the American public. And that included having photographs taken of him only from the waist up.

So Franklin Delano Roosevelt was struck by polio and in the wake of that had a motor disability where he was in a wheelchair. And he made every effort to downplay this to the American public. And that included having photographs taken of him only from the waist up.

So Franklin Delano Roosevelt was struck by polio and in the wake of that had a motor disability where he was in a wheelchair. And he made every effort to downplay this to the American public. And that included having photographs taken of him only from the waist up.

And he was able to minimize or edit his public persona so that his disability was in the background rather than the foreground of his interactions with others.

And he was able to minimize or edit his public persona so that his disability was in the background rather than the foreground of his interactions with others.

And he was able to minimize or edit his public persona so that his disability was in the background rather than the foreground of his interactions with others.

That's exactly right. And in fact, we know that he used to make sure that he was seated behind a table before his cabinet entered so that nobody needed to see him kind of laboriously getting in or out of his seat. So it was a very kind of manicured and orchestrated and choreographed appearance that he gave to the world.

That's exactly right. And in fact, we know that he used to make sure that he was seated behind a table before his cabinet entered so that nobody needed to see him kind of laboriously getting in or out of his seat. So it was a very kind of manicured and orchestrated and choreographed appearance that he gave to the world.

That's exactly right. And in fact, we know that he used to make sure that he was seated behind a table before his cabinet entered so that nobody needed to see him kind of laboriously getting in or out of his seat. So it was a very kind of manicured and orchestrated and choreographed appearance that he gave to the world.

Yes. So this is a car that he could drive with his hands only. So things like the gas pedal or the brakes could all be manipulated through his hands. And he made a special point of being photographed driving around in this car to give the impression that he was just as capable of driving as anybody else.

Yes. So this is a car that he could drive with his hands only. So things like the gas pedal or the brakes could all be manipulated through his hands. And he made a special point of being photographed driving around in this car to give the impression that he was just as capable of driving as anybody else.

Yes. So this is a car that he could drive with his hands only. So things like the gas pedal or the brakes could all be manipulated through his hands. And he made a special point of being photographed driving around in this car to give the impression that he was just as capable of driving as anybody else.

That's exactly right. So, again, he wasn't trying to fool anybody, nor could he have. But what he was trying to do was to soften the impression that this made a difference.

That's exactly right. So, again, he wasn't trying to fool anybody, nor could he have. But what he was trying to do was to soften the impression that this made a difference.

That's exactly right. So, again, he wasn't trying to fool anybody, nor could he have. But what he was trying to do was to soften the impression that this made a difference.

Yes, absolutely. And one of the things that, like FDR, she did was to carefully orchestrate her speaking voice. So when she was first standing for prime minister, her handlers came to her and said, you need to go into voice coaching. And what they were doing was saying to her, look, you speak with a working class accent, so you need to posh up your voice, you're a grocer's daughter.

Yes, absolutely. And one of the things that, like FDR, she did was to carefully orchestrate her speaking voice. So when she was first standing for prime minister, her handlers came to her and said, you need to go into voice coaching. And what they were doing was saying to her, look, you speak with a working class accent, so you need to posh up your voice, you're a grocer's daughter.