Review Essay on Stranger in Their Land by Hochschild

Review Essay on Stranger in Their Land by Hochschild

Stranger in Their Own Landis a book written by Hochschild, who lived in Louisiana, which is a deep state in the south. She pulled different methods of research, starting from interviews to focused group discussions to bring up the issue. There is not only environmental pollution but also distress and suffering whereby some of the organizations protect this form of social organization large companies that are under-regulated and therefore, can cause problems with the rest of society for their profits. This paper reviews the book and highlights the views of the author.

In this book, the author explores the ‘deep tale’ behind the emergence of the Tea Party along with Donald Trump in the U.S. Hochschild refers to it as the time bind, which is a book relating to the blurred distinction between work and home social environment. Most working parents especially, the mothers, often say that family comes first. None of the parents considered changing their current long working hours even though the company offers telework and maternity leaves. Work is essential in contemporary society than family, therefore providing a sense of belonging to most parents.

Hochschild further presents the answer to the problem in this book. The discussed persons brought up with a different concept of fair social ascent and competition through hard work and discipline. The presence of wages and earnings squeeze in the final decades, increasing economy equalitiesas well as tightening this eventually has brought groups working in manual and manufacturing jobs. However, there has been the emergence of cultural pressure politics for initially marginalized groups, which include the ethnic minorities, women, and the LGTBQ community. These groups mainly demand recognition in political and law practice..

From the views of Hochschild’s protagonists, these factors led to an unfair result of the first competition.They got what they deserved as well as experienced other groups ‘cutting inline’. This embarrassment at already alleged respect for Hoskin’sperspective on fairness, including the scorning of these in the ’liberal’ TV channels and press, made them feel ‘strangers in their land.’ It prompted them to prefer a nationalistic perspective overa class-struggle one in understanding their situation. The groups found to be responsible, seemed to be the ‘liberals,’ the Northerners, the Washington government, with its regulation frenzy that unfairly skews and pervert’s fair competition(Hellwig, 86). It created the need to restore what was perceived to be lost one’shonorable way of life defined by hard work, fair pay, and free decisions (Hellwig, 86). Initial participation in political meetings where the call for extreme economic freedom previously coupled with national pride in the ‘American way of life’ created a catalyst effect that tended to feed on and extend itself because of the ‘collective effervescence.’ The ‘rebirth’ of collective dignity and pride it fostered and made possible. And so a new, toxic way of doing politics was born.

Anger and mourning expressed under the choices politically approved, and also the attitude showed under the political preferences evident. These expressions are experienced due to the lack of the government to implement proper economic methods for economic and environmental growth. The blame goes to the government, and individuals denied themselves personal desires for the greater good of America. There ‘worshipper’ quenches everything around her when she doubts anything in the Tea party politics in the religious drug dogma and subordination to her husband. There is the ‘cowboy’ who embraces the dire economic and environmental situation as a welcomed test for ‘masculine’ ‘character’ and ‘stamina.’ Lastly, and most ridiculous, ‘the rebel’ who, forced by personal tragedy and hardship, actually starts to develop a more nuanced and emancipated view that starts to signal possible ‘cross-over’ points.

Work cited

Hellwig, D. J. (2017). Strangers in their land: Patterns of Black Nativism, 1830-1930. American Studies, 23(1), 85-98.