The Fairfax
Library Book Discussion Group will meet Thursday, March 8th at 7 p.m. in the
meeting room of the Fairfax Library to discuss our March book, Strangers in
Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild.
Discussion
questions are below.
Here are some
links for additional background and information:
Baton
Rouge news story on quality of life (you’ll
want your sound on)
How did
California deal with two environmental disasters?
Coming up, we
have the following book to look forward to reading:
Thurs. May 10th Hero
of the Empire: The Boer War, A Daring Escape and the Making of Winston
Churchill by Candice Millard
Thurs. June
14th Pond by
Claire-Louise Bennett
Thanks for
reading with us. I look forward to seeing you at the Fairfax Library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of
the Fairfax Library
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.
Early in the book, when introducing her important idea of “empathy walls,”
Arlie Russell Hochschild mentions that in 1960 fewer than 5 percent of
Americans would have been disturbed if their child married a member of the
opposite political party, while in 2010 over 30 percent would find it
troubling. Clearly this speaks to our ever-increasing political divide. Have
you yourself experienced or observed this phenomenon in your community? (p. 6)
2.
Hochschild argues that our political split has widened because “the right has
moved right—not because the left has moved left.” Do you agree or disagree? Is
her evidence persuasive? What are the implications for our democracy? (p. 7) 3.
What does Hochschild consider “the Great Paradox” and why is Louisiana an
extreme example? (p. 8)
4.
Early on as well as later in the book, Hochschild mentions the friendship of
Sally Cappel and Shirley Slack and says she believes “their friendship models
what our country needs to forge: the capacity to connect across difference.” Do
you agree? Do you have friends from across the political divide? What
challenges do these “across the- divide” friendships present? (pp. 13, 240)
5.
Discuss the story of Lee Sherman—how does he represent “the Great Paradox
through a keyhole”? How is it possible for an environmentalist whistle blower
to also be a member of the Tea Party? (p. 33)
6.
When telling the story of Harold Areno, Hochschild quotes him as saying, “If
you shoot an endangered brown pelican, they’ll put you in jail. But if a
company kills the brown pelican by poisoning the fish he eats? They let it go.
I think they overregulate the bottom because it’s harder to
regulate the top.” Hochschild mentions the brown pelican throughout the
book—how does the pelican function as an important motif in the book? (pp. 52,
138, 212)
7.
When spending time with the General, whom Hochschild calls an “empathy wall
leaper,” she writes that Louisiana residents prize the freedom to do certain
things but resent the freedom from things like gun violence or toxic
pollution, even when such restrictions might improve their lives. How does the
General deal with what he calls this “psychological program”? (p. 71)
8.
Hochschild provides overwhelming evidence that establishes a correlation between
pollution and red states. She also discusses a report from the 1980s that
helped identify communities that would not resist “locally undesirable land
use.” Do you think she’s right to connect this profile of the “least resistant
personality” with the General’s idea of the “psychological program”? (p. 81,
Appendix B)
9.
In a moment of feeling stuck on her own side of the empathy wall, Hochschild
asks Mike Schaff what the federal government has done that he feels grateful
for. What do you make of his answer and the idea that the less you depend on
the government, the higher your status? Do you feel one’s status is diminished
by receiving government help of any sort? Do others you know feel this way—and
why? Do you think people generally feel less gratitude to the government today
than in the past? What are you grateful for from the government? (pp. 113–114)
10.
Discuss the role of religion in the lives of the individuals Hochschild profiles
in determining their political choices, priorities, and outlook. How does it
contribute to the Great Paradox? What do you make of Hochschild’s observation
that the churches she visited “seemed to focus more on a person’s moral
strength to endure than on the will to change the circumstances that called on
that strength”? (pp. 124, 179)
11.
Hochschild says that Fox News exerts a powerful influence over her Tea Party
friends—what is it about Fox that appeals to them and what do they find
troubling about liberal commentators? Is all media biased? What media do you
read, watch, or listen to, and do you think it is impartial? (p. 126)
12.
In the chapter “The Deep Story,” Hochschild presents the perspective of people
she meets to understand and explain their point of view, focusing on feelings
and emotions. Does this ring true to you? Hochschild says we all have a “deep
story”—do you agree? What is yours? (p. 135)
13.
In this same chapter, Hochschild suggests that blue-collar Americans have felt
marginalized in a number of ways, including by the election of President Obama.
How do you think these feelings culminated in the election of Trump? What role
did racism possibly play in the election? Later, Hochschild attends a Trump
rally—why does she call him an “emotions candidate”? (pp. 140, 225)
14.
How does Hochschild’s idea of racism differ from Mike Schaff’s? Which resonates
more with you? (p. 147)
15.
Throughout the book, Hochschild discusses the Great Paradox mainly in terms of
the environment. But she also notes that by embracing the free market—which
favors big business—Tea Party members are often working against their own
interests, since many of these members own or work for small businesses. Why
does their deep story make it hard for them to see this? Must we choose between
the free
market
and a healthy environment? (p. 150)
16.
Hochschild presents Mike and Donny’s argument about the I-10 bridge as
dialogue—how does this capture the Great Paradox? If you could enter the
conversation, what would you say to Mike and/or Donny? (p. 185)
17.
What role does memory play in Hochschild’s story of the people she meets with
regard to the environmental disasters, the development of industry, and the way
things used to be? Looking at Hochschild’s visit with Mayor Hardey, how do
industry and local government allow the potential disaster and pollution to
re-occur in the name of business? What is it about the residents’ deep story
that allows them to be susceptible to “structural amnesia”? (pp. 51, 90, 198)
18.
How does Hochschild explain Tea Party members’ identification with Trump and
the 1 percent? After reading Strangers in Their Own Land, are there
ideas or stories that you can draw from the book that help you understand
Trump’s victory? (p. 217)
19.
What does Hochschild mean by the “Northern strategy”—and how does it fit into
the historical narrative she provides? She suggests that the Southern legacy of
secession has been applied to social class: it’s not that the South is seceding
from the North but that the rich are seceding from the poor. What do you make
of this point? (p. 220)
20.
By the end of the book, Hochschild expresses admiration for her new Tea Party
friends, mentioning their capacity for loyalty, sacrifice, and endurance. Are
there other notable traits you became aware of while reading the book? (p. 234)
21.
Many of the people Hochschild meets are worried about jobs and blame government
regulations for getting in the way of jobs. Yet the petrochemical companies in
Louisiana are for the most part owned by foreign companies, so the money leaves
the state and the jobs are often held by temporary workers from the Philippines
or Mexico. How do you explain this disconnect?
22.
Did the book make you feel hopeful about climbing the empathy wall and the
possibility of bridging the political divide with people in your own community?
23.
In Appendix C, Hochschild provides some startling research that contradicts
more than a few commonly held perceptions. For example, 40 percent of people do
not work for the federal and state government; the correct number is 1.9
percent. And it’s not true that “the more environmental regulations we have,
the fewer jobs.” Why are the perceptions of some of the people Hochschild
writes about so deeply at odds with the research and facts?
24.
Hochschild argues that left and right focus on different areas of conflict or
“flashpoints.” Do you agree? (p. 236)
