Strangers in Their Own Land

Book summary

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.

Tea Party members believe they are hardworking yet undervalued, attributing their struggles to race, class, and gender issues, with many feeling excluded from the "American Dream" while minorities benefit from programs like affirmative action. This sentiment, amplified by Fox News, fosters a sense of marginalization among older, white, working-class men, who resonate with Donald Trump’s unapologetic rhetoric and promises to restore past societal structures. In Louisiana, despite the oil industry’s devastating environmental and economic impact, including pollution, job loss, and rising cancer rates, residents largely oppose government assistance, influenced by Tea Party ideals favoring limited government and free markets. Governor Bobby Jindal’s policies, such as reduced regulations and tax breaks for oil companies, have exacerbated poverty, yet many Louisianans blame remaining regulations for their hardships. The liberal media’s criticism of conservative values deepens the divide, as Tea Party members feel judged for their religious beliefs and traditional values. This polarization, fueled by cultural and historical differences, highlights a broader lack of empathy between the left and right, with both sides fearing a loss of what they see as America’s core identity.

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