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jerrica's review against another edition
3.0
Though I liked this for the most part and found hooks' personal narrative fascinating, I found Chapter 7, entitled "The Me-Me Class: The Young and the Ruthless" to be just another run-of-the-mill old person complaining about the young, for example:
"In part, youth culture's worship of wealth stems from the fact that it is easier to acquire money and goods than it is to find meaningful values and ethics, to know who you are and what you want to become, to make and sustain and friends, to know love." (85)
"This generation has blood on its hands and does not care as long as the blood can be washed away by fancy soaps, aromatherapy, and a host of other little luxuries...When the deluded young are forced to face the reality that we are bound by class, by limited resources...they become rage filled and rage addicted. Only death, self-mutilation, or the slaughter of their peers appeases." (87)
Of course, hooks is writing soon after the Columbine shooting, as she cites it frequently as her main example of why teenagers are godless, stuff-driven machines who apparently are unable to know love in any form.
As many have said before me, hooks rarely cites her sources and often makes broad statements without backing them up with factual data, besides that of her own experience. Perhaps a couple NYC teenagers spray-painted Satanic phrases on her Greenwich Village apartment building, inspiring her to write this chapter about how we are all either obsessed with shopping or obsessed with death. Perhaps she stepped foot in a Hot Topic.
Either way, I found her statements about today's youth demoralizing considering our generation is the one currently being the one forced into abject poverty due to unemployment and student loans. Where we stand is a place where, as many have said, college is framed as a necessity but priced as a luxury. She frequently romanticizes her childhood of church and books without recognizing the fact that religion doesn't work for everyone, especially children of non-traditional families, and reading isn't always encouraged in public high schools, though she claims that public schools are places where "educational standards are excellent" (84). Again, another claim that she does not back up with any factual evidence.
BESIDES THAT, the book is well-written and accessible, something hooks claims that white feminist texts lack (not backed up by source). It's a worthwhile read into a personal narrative of crossing class boundaries and one woman's highly-leftist opinion on the treatment of the poor and the inequality of wealth. While those things do exist and probably have become even worse in the fifteen years since hooks wrote this book, maybe it would be best for her to give us some concrete evidence along with her broad-stroke statements.
"In part, youth culture's worship of wealth stems from the fact that it is easier to acquire money and goods than it is to find meaningful values and ethics, to know who you are and what you want to become, to make and sustain and friends, to know love." (85)
"This generation has blood on its hands and does not care as long as the blood can be washed away by fancy soaps, aromatherapy, and a host of other little luxuries...When the deluded young are forced to face the reality that we are bound by class, by limited resources...they become rage filled and rage addicted. Only death, self-mutilation, or the slaughter of their peers appeases." (87)
Of course, hooks is writing soon after the Columbine shooting, as she cites it frequently as her main example of why teenagers are godless, stuff-driven machines who apparently are unable to know love in any form.
As many have said before me, hooks rarely cites her sources and often makes broad statements without backing them up with factual data, besides that of her own experience. Perhaps a couple NYC teenagers spray-painted Satanic phrases on her Greenwich Village apartment building, inspiring her to write this chapter about how we are all either obsessed with shopping or obsessed with death. Perhaps she stepped foot in a Hot Topic.
Either way, I found her statements about today's youth demoralizing considering our generation is the one currently being the one forced into abject poverty due to unemployment and student loans. Where we stand is a place where, as many have said, college is framed as a necessity but priced as a luxury. She frequently romanticizes her childhood of church and books without recognizing the fact that religion doesn't work for everyone, especially children of non-traditional families, and reading isn't always encouraged in public high schools, though she claims that public schools are places where "educational standards are excellent" (84). Again, another claim that she does not back up with any factual evidence.
BESIDES THAT, the book is well-written and accessible, something hooks claims that white feminist texts lack (not backed up by source). It's a worthwhile read into a personal narrative of crossing class boundaries and one woman's highly-leftist opinion on the treatment of the poor and the inequality of wealth. While those things do exist and probably have become even worse in the fifteen years since hooks wrote this book, maybe it would be best for her to give us some concrete evidence along with her broad-stroke statements.
mariesalii's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
seeceeread's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
4.25
đ "Racial solidarity in anti-racist struggle can, sometimes does, and must coexist with a recognition of the importance of ending class elitism."
hooks' premise is strong: In the United States, competing myths leave most people confused and silent (or silenced) on class. She explores her journey across class lines and her current efforts at leveraging class power for democratic socialism. Many parts of this are wickedly quotable, delightfully insightful, applicable nearly a quarter century later:
âą The closest most folks can come to talking about class in this nation is to talk about money.
âą Living simply did not mean a life without luxuries; it meant a life without excess.
âą Through consumerism the evils of class difference are transcended.
âą Folks without privilege, who are yearning to have, do not want to be critical of class elitism, and folks with privilege, who want to maintain it at their expense of others, are careful not to talk about ending class hierarchies.
I especially appreciate how hooks returns to diverse spiritual traditions to discuss solidarity with the poor; her frank approach to naming her experiences at multiple points on the class continuum; and her effort to tackle the intersections of racism and classism with a discussion of searches for housing. There are some elements that feel dated, some components that seem too simple, some briefly mentioned visions for change that feel flat.
I'm impressed by the author's ability to incite my introspection. I found myself turning over memories and contexts with attention to class, eager to compare and challenge hooks' careful reflection by undertaking a serious inquiry into my own circumstances. It's not often that a book so warmly invites me to be curious about myself đ
hooks' premise is strong: In the United States, competing myths leave most people confused and silent (or silenced) on class. She explores her journey across class lines and her current efforts at leveraging class power for democratic socialism. Many parts of this are wickedly quotable, delightfully insightful, applicable nearly a quarter century later:
âą The closest most folks can come to talking about class in this nation is to talk about money.
âą Living simply did not mean a life without luxuries; it meant a life without excess.
âą Through consumerism the evils of class difference are transcended.
âą Folks without privilege, who are yearning to have, do not want to be critical of class elitism, and folks with privilege, who want to maintain it at their expense of others, are careful not to talk about ending class hierarchies.
I especially appreciate how hooks returns to diverse spiritual traditions to discuss solidarity with the poor; her frank approach to naming her experiences at multiple points on the class continuum; and her effort to tackle the intersections of racism and classism with a discussion of searches for housing. There are some elements that feel dated, some components that seem too simple, some briefly mentioned visions for change that feel flat.
I'm impressed by the author's ability to incite my introspection. I found myself turning over memories and contexts with attention to class, eager to compare and challenge hooks' careful reflection by undertaking a serious inquiry into my own circumstances. It's not often that a book so warmly invites me to be curious about myself đ
margaretpinard's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
WHERE WE STAND: CLASS MATTERS, bell hooks
âDrawing on both her roots in Kentucky and her adventures with Manhattan Coop boards, Where We Stand is a successful black woman's reflection--personal, straight forward, and rigorously honest--on how our dilemmas of class and race are intertwined, and how we can find ways to think beyond them.â
consumerism for middle classes, then poorer classes with debt
initially class diffs mediated by church teachings, then in cities/later, that internal tension vanishes, and no longer required to appear modest for respectâ> p124 poor people get a voice, poor people get demonized as predatory and not worthy anymore
P30/41/68 another internal tension of âall worthy, but aim highâ and shame (41) and mass media enabling this identification (68)
p43 âidentification with wealth has produced a culture where belief in an oppressive capitalism functions like a religionâ (ref: 1776 song)
p59 relates back to ownership concepts in Afro-minimalist book: https://youtube.com/live/S9fGQwFyMeU
p102 white feminism gains=BIPOC feminism losses read quote
p108 lesson: âlive simply, share resources, and refuse to engage in hedonistic consumerism and the politics of greedâ
p115 white poverty=invisible, called the resurgence of white supremacy in 2000!
p133 conflating property values falling with black integration (Color of Law, https://youtube.com/live/HcCFt8TI5ME?feature=shares&t=1752 and Sum of Us, https://youtube.com/live/F4_GRp1Sgek?feature=shares&t=1190 )
P146: âclass is more than moneyâ
P159: shout-out to JC Carpenter about charity
misslynette's review against another edition
5.0
I would give it six stars if I could. What an incredibly read.
cheap_and_cheerful's review against another edition
3.0
Ich bin vorher schon einige Male ĂŒber den Namen bell hooks gestolpert und hatte zugegebenermaĂen enorme Erwartungen. Diese wurden leider nicht in GĂ€nze erfĂŒllt, aber so ist das nun mal mit zu hohen Erwartungen.
Fangen wir mit dem Positiven an: bell hooks beschreibt sehr persönlich anhand ihrer eigenen Lebensgeschichte, wie Klasse lange Zeit nicht thematisiert wurde, obwohl Klassismus nun wahrlich keine neue Erfindung ist. Sie ordnet Klassismus ein in Intersektionale Diskriminierungsformen und nimmt dabei auf die Bezug, die sie selbst erfahren hat: Rassismus und Sexismus. Man erfĂ€hrt viel ĂŒber die Schwierigkeiten, sich als Person der working class "hochzuarbeiten", insbesondere wenn noch weitere Diskriminierungsformen hinzukommen. Sie rĂ€umt auf mit dem MĂ€rchen des American Dreams, beschreibt Chancenungleichheit und vieles mehr.
FĂŒr mich persönlich war der Lerneffekt nicht so groĂ, doch die persönliche Sichtweise hat mir streckenweise sehr gut gefallen. Auch mochte ich sehr, mit wie viel Ăberzeugung bell hooks vom Kommunalismus und Teilen von Ressourcen geschwĂ€rmt hat.
Nun zur Kritik: an einigen Stellen trifft die Autorin allgemeingĂŒltige Aussagen, ohne diese genauer zu kontextualisieren oder Belege zu liefern. So wird hĂ€ufig von "allen Schwarzen" gesprochen, "allen Jugendlichen" oder auch einem unbestimmten Subjekt.
An diesen Stellen habe ich mich oft gefragt, wie sie zu der Feststellung kam. Dabei möchte ich ihr Wissen und ihre langjĂ€hrige wissenschaftliche und persönliche Erfahrung gar nicht absprechen, jedoch hĂ€tte ich mir oft mehr Kontext, mehr Einordnung gewĂŒnscht (z.B. "Interviews haben ergeben.." etc.).
Ein weiterer groĂer Kritikpunkt ist die unvorsichtige Verwendung von Sprache, und hier weiĂ ich nicht, inwiefern die Ăbersetzung dafĂŒr verantwortlich ist. An mehreren Stellen im Buch wird der Umgang mit Armen gleichgesetzt mit Völkermord, Genozid, mit dem Holocaust und Gaskammern. FĂŒr mich ist das absolut nicht nachvollziehbar und die Benennung auch einfach falsch und verharmlosend.
Hinzu kommen mehrere kleinere Kritikpunkte, z.B. hÀufige Wiederholungen.
Insgesamt hĂ€tte ich mir einen radikaleren Ansatz erhofft, allerdings muss der Fairness halber erwĂ€hnt sein, dass das Buch im Jahr 2000 veröffentlicht wurde und ich nicht beurteilen kann, wie sich die Debatte seitdem verĂ€ndert hat. Zudem sollte man vermutlich berĂŒcksichtigen, dass die Angst vorm Kommunismus in den USA wesentlich eingebrannter ist als anderswo.
Fangen wir mit dem Positiven an: bell hooks beschreibt sehr persönlich anhand ihrer eigenen Lebensgeschichte, wie Klasse lange Zeit nicht thematisiert wurde, obwohl Klassismus nun wahrlich keine neue Erfindung ist. Sie ordnet Klassismus ein in Intersektionale Diskriminierungsformen und nimmt dabei auf die Bezug, die sie selbst erfahren hat: Rassismus und Sexismus. Man erfĂ€hrt viel ĂŒber die Schwierigkeiten, sich als Person der working class "hochzuarbeiten", insbesondere wenn noch weitere Diskriminierungsformen hinzukommen. Sie rĂ€umt auf mit dem MĂ€rchen des American Dreams, beschreibt Chancenungleichheit und vieles mehr.
FĂŒr mich persönlich war der Lerneffekt nicht so groĂ, doch die persönliche Sichtweise hat mir streckenweise sehr gut gefallen. Auch mochte ich sehr, mit wie viel Ăberzeugung bell hooks vom Kommunalismus und Teilen von Ressourcen geschwĂ€rmt hat.
Nun zur Kritik: an einigen Stellen trifft die Autorin allgemeingĂŒltige Aussagen, ohne diese genauer zu kontextualisieren oder Belege zu liefern. So wird hĂ€ufig von "allen Schwarzen" gesprochen, "allen Jugendlichen" oder auch einem unbestimmten Subjekt.
An diesen Stellen habe ich mich oft gefragt, wie sie zu der Feststellung kam. Dabei möchte ich ihr Wissen und ihre langjĂ€hrige wissenschaftliche und persönliche Erfahrung gar nicht absprechen, jedoch hĂ€tte ich mir oft mehr Kontext, mehr Einordnung gewĂŒnscht (z.B. "Interviews haben ergeben.." etc.).
Ein weiterer groĂer Kritikpunkt ist die unvorsichtige Verwendung von Sprache, und hier weiĂ ich nicht, inwiefern die Ăbersetzung dafĂŒr verantwortlich ist. An mehreren Stellen im Buch wird der Umgang mit Armen gleichgesetzt mit Völkermord, Genozid, mit dem Holocaust und Gaskammern. FĂŒr mich ist das absolut nicht nachvollziehbar und die Benennung auch einfach falsch und verharmlosend.
Hinzu kommen mehrere kleinere Kritikpunkte, z.B. hÀufige Wiederholungen.
Insgesamt hĂ€tte ich mir einen radikaleren Ansatz erhofft, allerdings muss der Fairness halber erwĂ€hnt sein, dass das Buch im Jahr 2000 veröffentlicht wurde und ich nicht beurteilen kann, wie sich die Debatte seitdem verĂ€ndert hat. Zudem sollte man vermutlich berĂŒcksichtigen, dass die Angst vorm Kommunismus in den USA wesentlich eingebrannter ist als anderswo.
danthompson1877's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0