Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right

Throughout the course of her interviews, Hochschild has begun to understand what motivates Tea Party voters to elect politicians whose interests do not seem to align with their own, and she elucidates that “deep story” in Part 3. Here, she outlines the archetypal white, working-class voter who feels as though they have been working hard toward the American dream and waiting patiently “in line” while various minoritarian groups are allowed to “cut in” line by the government. The Impact of Deep Stories on Political Ideology becomes clearer as Hochschild begins to understand a group of people with views markedly different from her own. She has only arrived at this deep story by breaking down the empathy walls that prevented her from seeing conservative voters as multi-faceted and complex.

Additionally, Hochschild models empathy in her discussion of the way that working-class, right-wing voters are stereotyped in the media and dismissed by the liberal establishment: She argues that it is deeply damaging for white, working-class voters to be dismissed as “hillbillies,” maligned as “white trash,” and branded as racists. She hears from one interviewee that in the media, “working-class whites are now often portrayed as moronic” (144). This kind of depiction is in marked contrast to past media representations of working-class people as honest and hardworking. She realizes that it makes sense for this group of people to have drifted away from the political party whose rhetoric reproduces these damaging characterizations and understands why so few white, working-class voters feel welcome in the Democratic Party. This section of the text is at the core of how the author argues Americans can begin Bridging the Political Divide in that it treats what is for the author the “other side” of the political spectrum with dignity, respect, and understanding.

In Part 3, the author spends time with Janice Areno and delves even deeper into the Tea Party mindset. She labels Janice as a “team player,” a woman who is willing to do her part to help her family, church, and community. Janice is proud of her work ethic and her willingness to do her part, and she sees those values reflected in Republican voters and politicians, but not in Democratic ones. For Janice, the author learns, a spirit of sacrifice and perseverance is a key part of her identity, and her voting habits reflect not only an interest in electing like-minded candidates but a commitment to ensuring the continued presence of those values within American society.

The author continues to explore the way that faith shapes identity and politics through her interviews with Jackie Tabor, a woman who grew up in an under-resourced family and who credits God for all her success. Jackie’s deep faith is the single most important aspect of her identity, and Hochschild characterizes her as a “worshiper.” Jackie also helps the author to see the intersection of faith and environmentalism with more nuance: Jackie is deeply concerned with the impact that pollution has on public health, particularly for children. She is aware that area pollution is the result of politicians who are closely allied with business interests and whose policies do little to regulate environmental damage. However, Jackie firmly believes that everything that happens on Earth is the will of God, and that fighting big business or the government is futile. The author understands that this attitude, coupled with the fact that Jackie sees her faith respected by Republican politicians and derided by Democratic ones, pushes her to the right of the political spectrum and prevents her from voting for politicians whose policies would not pollute her lakes and parks. Jackie’s story deepens and complicates the author’s understanding of Environmental Challenges Facing Rural, Working-Class Communities and allows her a better window into the voting habits of Louisianans.

Throughout Part 3, the author encounters people whose opposition to the Democratic party derives from the “deep story” that for them explains contemporary American politics and society. Although the author contends that left-wing politicians would do more to help under-resourced citizens in deep-red states, she comes to realize that she and the Tea Party voters whom she interviews have markedly different deep stories. In addition to their resentment of the stereotypical lens through which they believe liberal elites view them, the people whom the author interviews also resent left-wing moralizing: They do not want to be told whom to feel sorry for. This subset of the population, the author acknowledges, struggles to access the American Dream in a way that they did not used to. Hard work and determination no longer guarantee success. The white, working-class voters whom the author encounters are struggling. Although they do not want to be labeled as “victims,” they also bristle against the idea that they are privileged. They further resent their hard-earned tax dollars being funneled into programs that benefit these people for whom they have very little sympathy, and the author hears the sentiment: “Your money is running through a liberal sympathy sieve you don’t control or agree with” from many of the people she encounters (137).