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Zusammenfassung von Strangers in Their Own Land

Name: Strangers in Their Own Land
Rating: 3.8 (29 reviews)
Author: Arlie Russell Hochschild

Arlie Russell Hochschild

Anger and Mourning on the American Right

3.8 (29 Bewertungen)

16 Min.

Kurz zusammengefasst

Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild is an exploration of the conservative mindset in America's Deep South. With empathy and clear analysis, Hochschild examines the feelings and beliefs of those who feel left behind by society and are deeply distrustful of the government and liberal elites.

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Strangers in Their Own Land
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What’s in it for me? Learn how politics is failing the forgotten people of Louisiana.

Louisiana is one of the poorest states in the Union. Yet the people of Louisiana have recently voted in a succession of Republican state representatives who have arguably made them even poorer. This paradox inspired sociologist Arlie Hochschild to go and see for herself how the state got into its current predicament.

During her time there, Hochschild met with the people of Louisiana and listened to both their grievances and their hopes. She learned that the state faces some serious problems, from an abnormal spike in cancer cases due to increased pollution created by big oil companies to the economic stagnation of the white working class. She also learned that the best way forward is to empathize with those whose politics don’t jibe with yours.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

why Republican governor Bobby Jindal gave away 1.6 billion dollars to oil and gas corporations;
what the Tea Party is; and
how Fox News drives the political debate in Louisiana.

The supporters of the Tea Party in Louisiana seem to be behaving paradoxically.

You’d think that the poorer American states would advocate for government aid. After all, if you need help, and help is available, why wouldn’t you try to get it? But, paradoxically enough, Louisiana, one of the poorest states in the nation, seems to be against such aid.

This may well be because a large number of Louisiana’s citizens support the Tea Party, a politically conservative movement within the Republican Party that favors the free market, supports big businesses and desires a small government which exercises little regulation.

A majority of the citizens of Louisiana evidently support these ideologies. They elected Bobby Jindal to the position of state governor in both 2007 and 2011, and Jindal reduced the number of regulations in place for the large chemical and oil companies operating within the state. He purposely lowered the region’s pollution standards so that the companies would meet the requirements, even though these lowered standards were far below the national average. In addition, he offered cash incentives worth billions of dollars to oil companies, encouraging them to relocate to Louisiana.

As for Louisianans’ desire for a smaller government, they believe that the state already has too much power. They believe that the state “steals” their tax dollars, passing the money on to people who, rather than struggling with unemployment, choose to be lazy and accept government handouts. A majority of Louisianans think that if the government were reduced in size and influence this wouldn’t be the case.

Ironically, this overt lack of regulatory policies and reduced governmental involvement has led to Louisiana being one of the worst-off states in America. A year after Jindal was first elected, Louisiana was ranked number 49 out of 50 in The Measure of America. The ranking assessed life expectancy, the number of people with educational degrees, median personal income and school-enrollment levels.

The people of Louisiana believe that the few regulations still in place are the root of their ills. So why do they think this and continue to vote along conservative lines? In the following blinks, you’ll find out.

Oil is highly overestimated as a benefit to Louisiana.

Louisianan politicians often talk about the positive impact the billion-dollar oil industry has on the state. But such praise is mere rhetoric. In fact, big oil has been exceedingly detrimental.

When an oil company plans to open a plant near the homes of Tea Party supporters, the prospects are often shared with residents. They’re told that the construction will provide them with steady jobs, but, in reality, most of these positions go to professionals who relocate there from outside the region. Workers from poorer countries – willing to accept much lower pay rates than American citizens – are also often recruited to work on these plants.

The Tea Party supporters feel neglected by the federal government.

Underpinning the attitude of Tea Party members is a shared belief that they’re hardworking individuals who aren’t justly rewarded for their efforts. Collectively, they’re looking for someone to blame – but their ire is often misplaced.

Much of the discontent stems from issues relating to race, class and gender. The majority of Tea Party supporters are white men who’re also blue-collar workers. Essentially, they feel that they’re the backbone of America – that, thanks to their hard work, the country is what it is today. However, they feel that they’re barred from the “American Dream,” whereas minorities are constantly given assistance, such as affirmative action.

Tea Party members feel disrespected by the rest of the nation.

When it comes to mocking Republicans, the liberal media often doesn’t hold back. Naturally, this mainstream behavior makes Tea Party members feel condescended to.

In fact, Southerners claim that they’ve been forcibly made to change their ways since the 1860s. According to them, this all began with the Civil War in 1861, when residents from the North came down to the South and told the inhabitants that their way of life was inherently wrong and had to change. Southerners believe that this occurred again later during the Civil Rights Movement, and that it’s essentially happening again now between the political right and left.

Louisiana’s small-government policies are destroying its environment and executing its residents.

Oil companies have done terrible damage to Louisiana – too much to list in full. But mentioning a few atrocities may suffice to drive home the general point.

The Bayou Corne Sinkhole was one of the worst disasters the state has ever seen. In 2012, an oil drill struck a salt dome under the canal’s floor, which caused the oil trapped within it to spill into the water. The crack then widened, and trees, boats and homes were sucked into the gaping hole left behind. The incident left an entire habitat poisoned and destroyed.

It’s important to try to empathize with the other end of the political spectrum.

In order to understand someone else’s political stance, you have to understand that person’s history – the personal experiences and practical exigencies that have informed her system of belief. If one fails to empathize in this way, it becomes difficult to work toward mutually tolerable political compromises.

Indeed, the left and the right are unable to understand each other because of such a failure of empathy. Though each side agrees there are major societal problems, they can’t agree on the cause of those problems.

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Worum geht es in Strangers in Their Own Land?

Strangers in Their Own Land (2016) discusses the issues that divide American politics, with specific focus on the Tea Party of Louisiana. In the course of explaining how Louisiana ended up where it is today, the author encourages readers to empathize with disparate political stances.

Bestes Zitat aus Strangers in Their Own Land

To some, Fox is family.

—Arlie Russell Hochschild

Wer Strangers in Their Own Land lesen sollte

People interested in American society
Students of politics and sociology
Anyone interested in today’s political climate

Über den Autor

Arlie Russell Hochschild is professor emerita in Sociology at the University of Berkeley, California. In 2015, she won the American Sociological Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She is also the author of The Outsourced Self: Intimate Life in Market Times.

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