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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
As a liberal person living in the south, this was a very necessary read for me to understand the conservative mindset. Highly recommend!
This is an extremely relevant book for our time, and I came to this book (surely like many others) to grasp and understand the rise of Trump. Admirably the book tries to answer this on a human level, and it seems the central thesis is, hey when you meet people in person they can be nice! All the same I spent most of the book moth agape at abject horror at the views of the book's subjects. The author may want to hurdle the "empathy wall", but instead allows these Tea Partiers to validate every negative stereotype about themselves and the South.
There is a lot of good content here, and I can't stop thinking about it. Unfortunately it is also buried under layers of repetition, confusing structure, and merely satisfactory writing. I can't help but wish for the probing touch of a real journalist, and not the tame curiosity of a professor. I have the sneaking suspicion the book was originally meant to be titled THE GREAT PARADOX as well, but in a far more illuminating second half the current title asserts itself. All in all it's an accessible intro into understanding the great political divide of our age. Its lessons don't bode well for our future.
There is a lot of good content here, and I can't stop thinking about it. Unfortunately it is also buried under layers of repetition, confusing structure, and merely satisfactory writing. I can't help but wish for the probing touch of a real journalist, and not the tame curiosity of a professor. I have the sneaking suspicion the book was originally meant to be titled THE GREAT PARADOX as well, but in a far more illuminating second half the current title asserts itself. All in all it's an accessible intro into understanding the great political divide of our age. Its lessons don't bode well for our future.
It’s hard to get to a place where people feel safe enough to live creative lives when the decisions of important leaders are based on bravado.
-Mike Tritico
-Mike Tritico
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This book isn't quite what I thought it'd be, as it focuses heavily on environmental issues in southern Louisiana, but overall, it was a short, clear, narrative non-fiction book that gives some really great insights into the thinking behind the rise of the Tea Party and (eventually) Donald Trump's election.
I'd recommend the entire book, but if you only read one chapter, read chapter 9: The Deep Story and The People In It. The 20-page chapter succinctly describes how and why Donald Trump won the election, even thought the chapter doesn't mention him by name.
I'd recommend the entire book, but if you only read one chapter, read chapter 9: The Deep Story and The People In It. The 20-page chapter succinctly describes how and why Donald Trump won the election, even thought the chapter doesn't mention him by name.
Arlie Hochschild set herself a worthy goal, to climb over what she calls an "empathy wall" in an effort to understand the growing number of Americans who embrace far-right politics. However, while she produced an engaging sociological study, I don't believe she achieved the empathy she claimed to be striving for.
If anything makes me feel sympathetic toward the people profiled in this book, it's the tone of condescension and paternalism that pervades the whole work. Hochschild repeatedly refers to interviewees as her "Tea Party friends," a label that sounds about as sincere as a millionaire homeowner introducing the housekeeper as "my dear friend Guadeloupe." Let's be clear: friends are people you want to spend time with for no other reason than enjoyment of their company. They are people who can call on you in time of need and vice versa. Interview subjects are not friends.
I say Hochschild failed to achieve the empathy she was aiming for because all throughout this book it is clear she believes her subjects are wrong to think as they do and vote as they do. Even though I happen to share her political views, I found this attitude disturbingly similar to that of early-20th century sociologists studying primitive cultures. She fails to get out of the way and let her subjects speak for themselves.
In this respect, Hochschild's decision to base her study in Louisiana is troubling. On the one hand, the state provides a stark example of the paradoxes of Tea Party politics. It ranks near the bottom of all states on measures of income, health and education. As Hochschild shows quite vividly, it is one of the most polluted regions of the country. Yet white voters (and let's be clear about this, too: Hochschild only profiles white voters) consistently elect politicians who oppose social welfare and environmental regulations that might improve their lives. Former governor Bobby Jindal diverted billions of state dollars from schools and health care to oil and chemical companies that create very few long-term jobs. Yet despite these real problems, one can't help feeling that it was chosen as the site for this study at least in part because it fits an elite, Northern stereotype of the backward Southerner. Surely Hochschild could have found similar communities in the Midwest. North Dakota? Wisconsin?
And ultimately, I don't think her conclusions are terribly insightful. She discovers, after years of research, that the white, working-class people who vote for conservative candidates are frustrated by stagnant or falling incomes, that they feel threatened by America's growing racial and religious diversity, and that they believe their values are under attack by the immoral left. They respond favorably to politicians who make them feel good about themselves. I could have told you all that without reading this book, simply from listening to relatives and neighbors.
So maybe that's the real lesson. If you are a liberal befuddled by recent trends in American politics, don't read another book, get out and talk to people. Make friends. Listen to them. Then maybe we can start to work together.
If anything makes me feel sympathetic toward the people profiled in this book, it's the tone of condescension and paternalism that pervades the whole work. Hochschild repeatedly refers to interviewees as her "Tea Party friends," a label that sounds about as sincere as a millionaire homeowner introducing the housekeeper as "my dear friend Guadeloupe." Let's be clear: friends are people you want to spend time with for no other reason than enjoyment of their company. They are people who can call on you in time of need and vice versa. Interview subjects are not friends.
I say Hochschild failed to achieve the empathy she was aiming for because all throughout this book it is clear she believes her subjects are wrong to think as they do and vote as they do. Even though I happen to share her political views, I found this attitude disturbingly similar to that of early-20th century sociologists studying primitive cultures. She fails to get out of the way and let her subjects speak for themselves.
In this respect, Hochschild's decision to base her study in Louisiana is troubling. On the one hand, the state provides a stark example of the paradoxes of Tea Party politics. It ranks near the bottom of all states on measures of income, health and education. As Hochschild shows quite vividly, it is one of the most polluted regions of the country. Yet white voters (and let's be clear about this, too: Hochschild only profiles white voters) consistently elect politicians who oppose social welfare and environmental regulations that might improve their lives. Former governor Bobby Jindal diverted billions of state dollars from schools and health care to oil and chemical companies that create very few long-term jobs. Yet despite these real problems, one can't help feeling that it was chosen as the site for this study at least in part because it fits an elite, Northern stereotype of the backward Southerner. Surely Hochschild could have found similar communities in the Midwest. North Dakota? Wisconsin?
And ultimately, I don't think her conclusions are terribly insightful. She discovers, after years of research, that the white, working-class people who vote for conservative candidates are frustrated by stagnant or falling incomes, that they feel threatened by America's growing racial and religious diversity, and that they believe their values are under attack by the immoral left. They respond favorably to politicians who make them feel good about themselves. I could have told you all that without reading this book, simply from listening to relatives and neighbors.
So maybe that's the real lesson. If you are a liberal befuddled by recent trends in American politics, don't read another book, get out and talk to people. Make friends. Listen to them. Then maybe we can start to work together.
4.5. In my effort to expand my non-fiction reading habits, I’ve asked myself plenty of times how do certain conservatives overlook entirely immoral behaviors but vote religiously. Honestly this book doesn’t have all the answers but I’m impressed how well the author was immersed by the subjects lives in the book. As someone whose family lives in Louisiana and had a parent in the oil industry, I’ve always known even at a young age that what they were doing to the environment was wrong. I was not expecting that take to be a main plot point for this book and I loved exploring the history of how oil has completely taken advantage of the gulf coast region.
Overall I found myself not empathizing with the other side like I know others have and maybe I would have if certain tangents weren’t explored for a long time. BUT I am always a supporter when it comes to different political sides having a respectful conversation, though I do struggle as a lot of them have been led astray with half truths and emotional speeches/rants. I really enjoyed this dive into history, my history and hopefully Louisiana will realize what a gem they have and they don’t need corporations coming in ruining their land.
Overall I found myself not empathizing with the other side like I know others have and maybe I would have if certain tangents weren’t explored for a long time. BUT I am always a supporter when it comes to different political sides having a respectful conversation, though I do struggle as a lot of them have been led astray with half truths and emotional speeches/rants. I really enjoyed this dive into history, my history and hopefully Louisiana will realize what a gem they have and they don’t need corporations coming in ruining their land.
I read “Hillbilly Elegy” a couple years ago and wanted to understand more about why right wing Republicans seemed to vote against their self interests and discard facts and science. The chapter on the Deep Story and line cutters analogy opened my eyes. I was also shocked to read about environmental conditions in Louisiana and how worse Governor Jindal made the conditions.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Equal parts enlightening, confirming, and frustrating.