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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
I think this book explains perfectly how the conservative right came to vote for leaders who misaligned with their interests.
Although this book did not fully explain the election results of 2016 (as I perhaps foolishly hoped), it did introduce me to some Tea Party and other conservative people from Louisiana that I otherwise would have no clue about. Hochschild uncovers what she calls their "deep story," about how the world feels to them and why, by spending lots of time 1:1 and at church socials, dinners, political meetings, etc. The biggest takeaway for me is the paradox she explores between the environmental pollution these Louisianans experience and their opposition to government regulation. While Hochschild comes to understand their story, she remains the Berkeley blue state sociology professor, and an lengthy appendix fact checks many statements she hears and disagrees with. I was left wondering what some of the people featured in the book would say about her conclusions.
A 2017 staff favorite recommended by Nate and Haley. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sstrangers%20in%20their%20own%20land%20hochschild__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
Must read for both sides of the political spectrum
I am a die hard liberal and have strong feelings about progress and the importance of science and education. Before reading this book I didn't see a way to understand the far right. It is the reason I read this book. I didn't get it. Arlie Russell Hochschild does an incredible job of building the empathy bridge. While I still disagree with the right, for the first time I understand why they vote
I am a die hard liberal and have strong feelings about progress and the importance of science and education. Before reading this book I didn't see a way to understand the far right. It is the reason I read this book. I didn't get it. Arlie Russell Hochschild does an incredible job of building the empathy bridge. While I still disagree with the right, for the first time I understand why they vote
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
This book is largely a case study in Louisiana - a state with high levels of pollution and poverty that has consistently voted Republican. Hochschild observes a paradox wherein self-identifying Tea Party members in the midst of egregious environmental devastation continue to elect politicians that enact policies to deregulate polluting corporations and weaken environmental protections. Why do these folks vote seemingly against their own self interest?
The central thesis or "deep story" that Hochschild posits is that these people (older, white, Christian, predominately male conservatives) feel that moving through life is like you are waiting in line. At the end of this line is the American Dream, and you've waited a long time, worked hard, and the line is barely moving. Then, you see people cutting in line in front of you! As they cut in you feel as though you are being moved back. And worse still, the government is not only complacent towards these line cutters, they actually enabling the cutting through policies like welfare and affirmative action.
This offers an explanation for why many of the people Hochschild interviews, rather than wanting more government control on the industries responsible for dumping chemicals into their environment, want less of it. Their jobs at these polluting corporations give them purpose. Like waiting in line in the hot sun, their work is difficult and even dangerous, but this struggle is a necessary cost and even honorable. Therefore, when the government tries to enact environmental regulations, it is viewed as a threat against not only their jobs but their honor. They are motivated by bravery to stand against overregulation, even in risking one's own health and safety in the process. From an outsider’s perspective this might seem like self-sabotage, but from their perspective it’s viewed as an act of noble self-denial, a sacrifice for a holier cause, positioning themselves as morally better than the "poor me's" who ask for government handouts.
Overall, I appreciate that Hochschild does not talk down to or make a caricature of the people and stories featured here. I wonder to what extent this book provides a true insight into the motivations of the American right by examining a small niche group. I would love to see more of this type of work done in other conservative areas of the country.
The central thesis or "deep story" that Hochschild posits is that these people (older, white, Christian, predominately male conservatives) feel that moving through life is like you are waiting in line. At the end of this line is the American Dream, and you've waited a long time, worked hard, and the line is barely moving. Then, you see people cutting in line in front of you! As they cut in you feel as though you are being moved back. And worse still, the government is not only complacent towards these line cutters, they actually enabling the cutting through policies like welfare and affirmative action.
This offers an explanation for why many of the people Hochschild interviews, rather than wanting more government control on the industries responsible for dumping chemicals into their environment, want less of it. Their jobs at these polluting corporations give them purpose. Like waiting in line in the hot sun, their work is difficult and even dangerous, but this struggle is a necessary cost and even honorable. Therefore, when the government tries to enact environmental regulations, it is viewed as a threat against not only their jobs but their honor. They are motivated by bravery to stand against overregulation, even in risking one's own health and safety in the process. From an outsider’s perspective this might seem like self-sabotage, but from their perspective it’s viewed as an act of noble self-denial, a sacrifice for a holier cause, positioning themselves as morally better than the "poor me's" who ask for government handouts.
Overall, I appreciate that Hochschild does not talk down to or make a caricature of the people and stories featured here. I wonder to what extent this book provides a true insight into the motivations of the American right by examining a small niche group. I would love to see more of this type of work done in other conservative areas of the country.
Fantastic. Relevant and incredibly well written. I can’t begin to comprehend the amount of work and skill that went into this book. It’s so difficult to put objectively into words for outsiders the preeminent political psyche of the deep south as someone who grew up there. Hochschild is a whiz. I learned plenty about the red mindset from this book that I somehow missed being immersed in it for 20 years. Empathy wall is really a bitch.
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced