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550 reviews for:
Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right
Arlie Russell Hochschild
4.09 AVERAGE
550 reviews for:
Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right
Arlie Russell Hochschild
4.09 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Much of the rightwing ideology investigated here didn't come as too much of a surprise, although I really appreciated the way that Hochschild meticulously unpacked the backgrounds and thinking processes of her subjects.
The one aspect that did blow my mind were the points-of-view regarding what to do about environmental threats. The people that Hochschild interviewed were certainly not happy about the pollution that they lived with it, but at the same time, as the author argued persuasively, seemed to find significant self-worth in putting up with it. This is totally polar to the liberal notion, to which I subscribe, that you would best defend your self-worth by fighting against polluting companies and electing representatives who would force them to abide by regulations and to clean up their messes. The hugeness of this difference in thinking is confounding.
The one aspect that did blow my mind were the points-of-view regarding what to do about environmental threats. The people that Hochschild interviewed were certainly not happy about the pollution that they lived with it, but at the same time, as the author argued persuasively, seemed to find significant self-worth in putting up with it. This is totally polar to the liberal notion, to which I subscribe, that you would best defend your self-worth by fighting against polluting companies and electing representatives who would force them to abide by regulations and to clean up their messes. The hugeness of this difference in thinking is confounding.
Sociologist from Stanford travels to Louisiana to empathetically understand the Tea Party movement.
I loved the idea behind this book, and had some important (for my own journey of empathy) moments of understanding. But I'm not sure it's an approach that fully works for me. Her delving into the Tea Party's "deep story" was at times illuminating. But I guess I was hoping for a more clear path to solutions for bridging the gap and didn't get them. The "deep story" eventually made me feel frustrated because it felt like it was built on falsehoods. (Not that this is the author's fault.) Yes, I recognize that this misses the point of the book entirely.
I loved the idea behind this book, and had some important (for my own journey of empathy) moments of understanding. But I'm not sure it's an approach that fully works for me. Her delving into the Tea Party's "deep story" was at times illuminating. But I guess I was hoping for a more clear path to solutions for bridging the gap and didn't get them. The "deep story" eventually made me feel frustrated because it felt like it was built on falsehoods. (Not that this is the author's fault.) Yes, I recognize that this misses the point of the book entirely.
I have to come back to review this one - but suffice it to say for now that this was utterly amazing. Read it now, go.
As a liberal who is also intrigued by human behavior and how we think, I think it's important to understand the thought processes of the right. After having this book referenced in multiple other books, I decided to check it out, and I was severely disappointed. In my opinion, it's extremely overrated. I figured it'd be great for me since Hochschild is a social psychologist, but it wasn't. The book barely touches on any psychological theories and it's in no way a book backed with significant data.
If you like good storytelling and want to read about a liberal social psychologist from Berkely who moved to Louisiana to interview Tea Party members, this book might be great for you. I did learn a lot about how awful the local government treats Louisiana residents, and I'm shocked at how the locals she spoke to still support their government. But again, this is a very microscopic view of the right, and there's probably less than a dozen people she "analyzed". I think there are far better books if you're trying to understand the other side as a whole.
If you like good storytelling and want to read about a liberal social psychologist from Berkely who moved to Louisiana to interview Tea Party members, this book might be great for you. I did learn a lot about how awful the local government treats Louisiana residents, and I'm shocked at how the locals she spoke to still support their government. But again, this is a very microscopic view of the right, and there's probably less than a dozen people she "analyzed". I think there are far better books if you're trying to understand the other side as a whole.
I think this was a really important book. I struggled with getting over the empathy wall. I'm not sure that I made it. But there is a window in it, at least. I highly recommend pairing this with The Unwinding, for a reminder about the larger context in which the "right-ing" described in this book has unfolded.
First few chapters give fantastic explanations about the research behind understanding people with views different from you, and I particularly remember the idea of scaling the empathy wall. The book is also admirable for its empathetic character portraits.
However, in the end, and especially reading the appendix, I get the sense that at the end of the day, these rural people mostly just live according to feelings and tradition rather than fact, which is not a flattering description. The author does not say anything negative or much nuanced about left leaning views or protests or anything, which in this case makes the right seem uniquely stupid - despite this book being about empathy.
Also, not that the book claims it sets out to do so, it provides no significant message on how to remedy/reconcile the political spectrum. Therefore, although maybe I empathize a little more in the end, I gotta say that I am not exactly more uplifted or hopeful about the people and progress of the nation. Perhaps a subsequent book can study people who change their minds - in either political direction.
However, in the end, and especially reading the appendix, I get the sense that at the end of the day, these rural people mostly just live according to feelings and tradition rather than fact, which is not a flattering description. The author does not say anything negative or much nuanced about left leaning views or protests or anything, which in this case makes the right seem uniquely stupid - despite this book being about empathy.
Also, not that the book claims it sets out to do so, it provides no significant message on how to remedy/reconcile the political spectrum. Therefore, although maybe I empathize a little more in the end, I gotta say that I am not exactly more uplifted or hopeful about the people and progress of the nation. Perhaps a subsequent book can study people who change their minds - in either political direction.
I would say this book is essential reading for anyone who was dismayed by the November 2016 election results. It was at times heartbreaking, frustrating, infuriating, and enlightening.
This was a very informative book, the author offers a glimpse into a world and culture I have little frame of reference for. While I can personally understand the religious moral view of the people she talked to and some of the super conservative views, as I grew up with and am surrounded by those opinions, I can't wrap my head around the lack of environmental clean up and regulation or how the people are willing to just live with the consequences. These are anathema to everyone in the area I live and I can't even imagine the hoopla that would exist should something like this occur.
I did come out of reading this with much better understanding of the American conservative right. The authors analogy about everyone cutting in line ahead of the lower class white family and how frustrated they are with feeling like everyone gets to the American dream before them (even the Brown Pelican) illustrated for me a piece of the puzzle I was missing.
The unconscious racism that still exists here was also eye opening for me, I like to think I'm enlightened and don't do or think like this but I'm sure I do. The fact that some of this racism is so blatant, at least to my politically correct brain, is curious. What is not considered racism there is definitely not acceptable where I am, I would get the most shocked looks and would more than likely be told off in no uncertain terms.
Democrats and their ideals are perceived to be a threat to a way of life and judgement against a moral code. This isn't new, how many people have I talked to who grew up in the 50s that think it was better back then?? It wasn't as rosy as they remember, there were massive global issues, lots of crime, plenty of moral degenerates, it was never Leave it to Beaver like. They just hid everything, and I don't think that was a good way to live.
To look at all of this from a different perspective and see what they see, whether I agree or not, was enlightening though. It has given me a better appreciation for what these poor states are up against, both in the populaces demands for immediate solutions and the big corporations that abuse the system. It's a tricky problem and it's going to be tough to fix, especially with the wish to deregulate rather than regulate that permeates the region.
I did come out of reading this with much better understanding of the American conservative right. The authors analogy about everyone cutting in line ahead of the lower class white family and how frustrated they are with feeling like everyone gets to the American dream before them (even the Brown Pelican) illustrated for me a piece of the puzzle I was missing.
The unconscious racism that still exists here was also eye opening for me, I like to think I'm enlightened and don't do or think like this but I'm sure I do. The fact that some of this racism is so blatant, at least to my politically correct brain, is curious. What is not considered racism there is definitely not acceptable where I am, I would get the most shocked looks and would more than likely be told off in no uncertain terms.
Democrats and their ideals are perceived to be a threat to a way of life and judgement against a moral code. This isn't new, how many people have I talked to who grew up in the 50s that think it was better back then?? It wasn't as rosy as they remember, there were massive global issues, lots of crime, plenty of moral degenerates, it was never Leave it to Beaver like. They just hid everything, and I don't think that was a good way to live.
To look at all of this from a different perspective and see what they see, whether I agree or not, was enlightening though. It has given me a better appreciation for what these poor states are up against, both in the populaces demands for immediate solutions and the big corporations that abuse the system. It's a tricky problem and it's going to be tough to fix, especially with the wish to deregulate rather than regulate that permeates the region.