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551 reviews for:
Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right
Arlie Russell Hochschild
4.09 AVERAGE
551 reviews for:
Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right
Arlie Russell Hochschild
4.09 AVERAGE
Tows the line between empathy and admonishment really well, anyone searching to understand our sociology-political divide should read it.
This book really packed a punch and certainly gave me a lot to think about. Just as important is the fact that I won't forget it.
A much more empathic and nuanced view than many (ie Hillbilly Elegy) of why many on the right vote against what seems to the left like their own interests. She whitewashes race - claims race doesn’t come up often which I am really skeptical of and wonder if she didn’t ask nuanced enough or skeptical enough questions. That was the main shortcoming.
As a book I found this to be a very interesting investigation into the 'great paradox' of why poor white voters vote against their interests. She paints a portrait of people who believe they are patiently waiting in line for the American Dream, and see themselves constantly passed by people who are being given a step ahead because of affirmative action/skin color/race/etc.
As a political salve, it did nothing to ease my anger and frustration. As much as it does to provide insight, it also showcases people who are all too willing to blindly ignore the obvious in exchange for their perfect vision of less government interference or whatever.
As a political salve, it did nothing to ease my anger and frustration. As much as it does to provide insight, it also showcases people who are all too willing to blindly ignore the obvious in exchange for their perfect vision of less government interference or whatever.
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
In the wake of the presidential election it seems that the conservative, white, working-class voter has become a thing worthy of study. Conventional wisdom has it that progressives forgot about these voters leaving an avenue for candidate Trump to become president Trump. While progressive have certainly been distracted by identity politics in the last decade, I'd argue that Trump's victory has more to do with his incessant lying, a gullible public and James Comey's questionable ethics. Putting all that aside, Strangers in Their Own Land offers plenty of insight into rural, working-class white America. I suppose credit it due to Hochschild for, as she puts it several times, climbing over the empathy wall in an effort to understand fellow Americans living a noticeably different existence. While some of these folks worked in the petroleum/energy industry in Louisiana, all of them were affected by it on various levels. They understand better than most the balance between appropriate safety and conservation regulations and excessive regulations that cost jobs. Energy extraction/production is a dirty business. The people profiled here lived that reality their entire lives and deserve our consideration. Perhaps it's a failing on my part, but that's as far as I can climb the empathy wall. The resentment these working-class folks had for poorer people is palpable and while none of them come across as overtly racist, that animus simmers not so far from the surface. Thoroughly documented with ample supporting materials, Strangers in Their Own Land is the work of a serious academic taking the time to study those she does not understand. While reading, I kept wondering if theses white, working-class people would be as willing to climb Hochschild's empathy wall and head north to NYC or west to San Francisco. By the end of the book I was pretty convinced the answer would be no. An genuinely interesting and frequently frustrating read.
This highly researched and well-written book taught me one thing for sure: avoid Louisiana at all costs. No, but really, it opened my eyes a bit to the plight of the Right. I still don't agree and there are still things that don't add up to me but I think I understand a bit more about why southern whites voted for Trump.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
So I had to read this book for a class, but I like to approach those situations with an open mind. This book was objectively well done, it was thought provoking, organized well, and empathetic on the rights reasonings. Something about her turning off her “political bubble” reeked of privilege then when she explained the southerners reasoning for their beliefs I was just like okay.... Overall it was fine, three stars from me. If you’d like to look more into the logistics behind the right believes what they do then I’d recommend, but for an everyday reader it’s sort of boring and not sharing much new news.
Hochschild attempts to scale the "empathy wall" from her progressive world view of a white Berkeley professor to that of white conservative Lousianans. Does she do an adequate job? She successfully assembles a "deep story" that informs the world view of her subjects, and realizes that her own world view has its own deep story. But do you really understand someone if you don't end up adopting their world view? I don't know. I'm not sure my empathy has been increased by this book, but I certainly learned a lot.