balding angrily

‘Member when I said I had a difficult conversation with my superiors? Part of that discussion was about an article I wrote for Columns, the Dallas AIA newsletter. The uppers weren’t exactly pleased. They felt that with the name of my firm so prominently displayed under my article, people would think that my firm is a sweatshop. (I removed the name of the firm from the file above.) That implication honestly never crossed my mind, and most architectural firms are sweatshops. Whether mine is or not I can’t say as I’m not in an objective place right now.

Most everyone who approached me personally told me they really liked it. Only one person that talked to me personally expressed concern with the content. Now I’m getting feedback from the architectural community at large about my article. This feedback comes to me through the editor and is negative. So far the positive feedback versus negative breakdown has broken along an expected line. The uppers don’t like it, and my peers do.

Here’s some asinine feedback:

Innuendos supportive of homosexuality as a life style and egocentric ranting appear to me to fall outside of a range of subject matter appropriate to the type of publication, which I understand “Columns” to be.

I really can’t justify such bigotry with a reply. Here’s some better thought-out feedback:

Twisted perception of Fountainhead aside, the article by Alex seems more than just a little naïve and annoyingly bitter – which came across as a personal rant on his soap box about what must have been some bad leadership in his seemingly limited personal history in the profession.

I know there have been young people in the profession who have felt beaten down by the boss man as long as the profession has existed. Occasionally those people grow up to be the next generation’s lousy bosses – but more often than not, they grow increasingly bitter and wash-out or change professions.

…

While provocative for sure, personal rants and bitterness should be saved for internet blogs and spirited drunken happy hours – not Columns.

Yes, sir, I will own “bitter rant”. I take that criticism and acknowledge I may not be the most mature writer. But, sir, that I’m bitter and feel beaten down by the boss does not obviate the possibility or likelihood that there are plenty of bosses - architects - doing a lot of beating.