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Social inequality and racial discrimination
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In the book, “Strangers in their own land” by Arlie Russell Hochschild, a sociologist from Berkeley, CA who sets out on a journey to the heart of Louisiana in an attempt to climb over the “empathy wall’ to understand the great paradox of the conservative tea party of the south. She confronts the tea party followers of the south and why they vote and support a free market capitalism, when the same system has destroyed their homes and environment? In search of answers Hochschild discovers the narrative that gives these people meaning, explaining their political convictions. Trying to bridge the deeply dividing gap between the two political groups that define this nation today, with race, class, and gender all playing a role. Hochschild explains and describes in detail the “empathy wall” and how we create these walls …show more content…
to shield us from the indifference of the people we share the world with today. People use these walls out of fear of what’s on the other side. For instance, if a person was brought up differently via poverty, religion, etc., or somebody who came from another country, your views and ideology might not always coincide with the other person. This is creating a sympathy wall between a person and other demographics. An example in the book, “strangers in their own land”, Mike Schaff, a conservative republican from Louisiana. Has this assumption that everyone from Berkeley, California “must be a communist” but Mike has never been to California, however, he has this preconceived notion that everyone from Berkeley, California must have the same political views as a communist. Mike put up a sympathy wall between him and anyone from Berkeley, California. Now applying these sympathy walls to the government in America, we know that the republican party does not share the same views as the democratic party, creating this diverse prejudices’ we see in today’s government. With all the turmoil comes a wall between many social groups that no longer define themselves by economic, gender, race, or age, but by their political views. Making people want to surround themselves and their families with like-minded people such as themselves, this intensifies their belief structure. Making the political parties stronger by dividing the people. We must break down these walls and embrace our indifferences so we may grow stronger together. Hochschild would also explains the great paradox by using examples such as Mike Schaff.
Mike was from the rural parts of Louisiana and worked for a small business, always supporting free market for all business. But then he supports the same politics who are allowing big companies to gain monopoly power, running the small businesses into the ground, why? that is Hochschild’s great paradox. Why did Mike Schaff vote for someone who didn’t have his best interest in mind? Why was he misled? Ignorance you might ask? Not that easy. Mike was a well-educated man who talked regularly about politics with family and friends. However, these were like-minded people who shared the same beliefs and views who are also being misled as well. Hochschild said it best when referring to What’s the Matter with Kansas? We are misled by a rich man’s economic agenda baited by social issues. For instance, if fox news told Mike that the democrats are going to take your guns he might be more inclined to vote for a right-wing party. It’s the old bait and switch, many politicians are guilty of this, making people worried of a certain social issue to make us not look at the big
picture. Hochschild discusses how Mike Schaff’s home and community were being destroyed by the 2012 sinkhole in the Bayou Corne of Louisiana. Many people blame the oil and drilling companies that were drilling in the Bayou at the time. Also, the government for allowing such practices to destroy a whole community without enforcing the laws and regulations. However, many of these officials of the government were aware of the neglect for safety concerns and still issued permits for drilling and fracking in the Bayou. These neglected permits date all the way back into the early 1980’s. Hochschild explains government failed to enforce many of the laws and regulations and when they did enforce the law the government neglected to receive and form of retribution for committing these penalties. Basically, waging their finger at them isn’t going to make them stop. Even the general inspector, hired by the government to inspect these companies, when asked why these regulations went unpunished he utters,” Natural disasters, low funds, and a culture in which state agency is expected to protect the industry”. Meaning he wasn’t hired for the safety of the people but to protect the companies that the state has deemed more important than the people. Louisiana even cuts more funds to the environmental protection agency in 2012 after the sinkhole has already spread into 37 acres in which they needed more money to protect this environment. The government of Louisiana (many other states are guilty too) is too busy about losing companies business to care really how this is affecting the people and environment of the Bayou. Hochschild explains that ever since the 1970’s Americans have shifted their social and political agendas. Focusing more on being sympathetic towards Native Americans, African Americans, women, and gays. Setting the stage for the civil rights movement, women’s movement, and the gay rights movement. Many of those groups had pointed the blame at the entitled white male for receiving special treatment throughout the United States history. With this shift in America’s social agenda, the government that once stood for racial segregation, now stood up for racial equality. In 1948, the president integrated the armed forces, following in 1954 the supreme court decided to integrate the public-school system, and later in 1964 the president would sign the civil rights act enforcing affirmative actions for minorities the rights to equal employment. With the government helping out other races and genders get ahead in America where did this leave the entitled white male? In the back of the line Hochschild explains watching all these others “cutting in line” at their slice of the American dream. This would lay the foundation for the rise of Donald J. Trump. With many white tea party followers of the right thinking it was unfair to let people get handouts and head start because of race and gender while making the white male work for his. Hochschild described the tea party followers around the country felt afraid, resentful, displeased, and dismissed with their government and with the people getting the American dream instead of them, turning these tea party followers into strangers in their own land. Also, many of these tea party followers didn’t see eye to eye with the Obama administration and their cultural views on abortion, gay marriage, gender roles, race, and guns. Ultimately, setting the stage for the republican Donald Trump to stand up for right-wing tea party followers. The deep story of the tea party followers of Louisianan that seek this American dream helped me understand the great paradox of why those people still vote for the same system of government that is hurting them and their environment today. By Hochschild telling the story of these fellow countrymen like Mike Schaff and Lee Sherman I can see why people feel violated by their government letting everyone “cut in front of them” in their pursuit to the American dream. I believe they are trying to pull themselves out the only way they know how, by siding with capitalism and the free market. Blaming the government but still voting for the same system that has put them in the situation they face today.
In “The Baby in the Well: The Case Against Empathy” by Paul Bloom, Paul want’s his readers to understand that empathy is not very helpful unless it is fused with values and reason.
So if we want joy, love, and empathy in our lives, we need to let vulnerability into our hearts.... ... middle of paper ... ... But instead of reacting negatively, I was pleased to see that Anabella and Francisco and Santos – and all my other students – understood. They saw that I was trying my best, and that for any positive change to occur, we, all, had to put ourselves at risk in the arena.
Furthermore, Jeremy Rifkin writes “The Age of Reason is being eclipsed by the Age of Empathy,”(qtd. in Huffington 551). As the years go by, the sign of empathy within humans increase. The increase of empathy is valuable but, there is not reason behind the empathy. Rifkin makes the case that
Empathy is used to create change in the world by reaching out to the emotions of people and attending to them. It is used to help others learn and decide on matters that would not be reasonable without feelings attached to them. Empathy helps bring together communities that would have long ago drifted apart, but instead welcomed all who were different. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. This attribute of human-beings really allows us to not only attend to situations as if they were our own, but it allows us to feel most of what others feel because humans are very much alike in some ways. In many of the articles and novels that we have read this quarter, characters from different pieces of context have portrayed empathy whether it was toward
Empathy is imperative to teach kids from a young age in order to help them recognize mental states, such as thoughts and emotions, in themselves and others. Vital lessons, such as walking in another’s shoes or looking at a situation in their perspective, apprehends the significance of the feelings of another. Our point of view must continuously be altered, recognizing the emotions and background of the individual. We must not focus all of our attention on our self-interest. In the excerpt, Empathy, written by Stephen Dunn, we analyze the process of determining the sentiment of someone.
Empathy, is a self-conscious characteristic human beings hold that allows them to understand another individual’s situation and feelings (Segal, Cimino, Gerdes &Wagaman, 2013). In regard to ho...
‘The Strangers that Came to Town’ is a short story and considered one of the best works of Ambrose Flack. Central in the story corresponds to the struggle felt by an immigrant family in Croatia as they try to adjust to the American way of life. Evident in the piece is the fact of discrimination and prejudice by the locals against the Duvitch family. Despite this treatment, the family continued to demonstrate resilience, optimism and generosity to the people who continue to ostracize them. In the end however, these traits would remain to be significant as acceptance is gained by the Duvitch family.
From “The Stranger” we can see that Albert Camus to express his strong disproval the French colonists’ brutal behavior through Meursault’s monologue. In reality, Albert Camus is actually more like a supporter of peace. He dose not advocate for either French colonists or Algerian natives if their activities become violent. What Albert Camus advocates is that a peaceful truce between French and Algeria.
This Novel, by Albert Camus, traces a year in the life of a young clerk, Meursault, in the 1940s who works for a shipping company in Algiers. The first thing that happens to Meursault is that he gets a telegram that his mother has departed. He takes a bus to see her and they hold the vigil. He shows no expression of remorse or sadness. Once back in Algiers Meursault goes to the public beach for a swim. There, he runs into Marie Cardona, his former co-worker. They decide to go on a date and they see a comedy movie, which is ironic after his mother’s death, and they sleep together during the night. The next day he spends just watching people in the street. That next day Meursault returns to work and works all day and while at his apartment Meursault runs into Salamano, an old man who lives in his building and owns a mangy dog. He also runs into his neighbor Raymond, who is suspected to be a pimp. Raymond invites Meursault to dinner and asks Meursault to write a nasty letter to this girl who cheated on Raymond, and Meursault complies. The next Saturday Marie comes over and asks if Meursault loves her, he doesn’t love her and doesn’t show it, and at night Meursault runs into Salamano who is crying over his dog who ran away. The following Sunday Meursault, Marie, and Raymond go to a beach house owned by Masson, one of Raymonds friends. They run into the girl’s, of whom they wrote the letter to, brothers and a knife is pulled on Raymond and cuts him. They both go different ways and later Meursault shoots one of the girl’s brothers. Meursault is then sent to jail and put on trial. He shows no remorse and over time he goes through more trials after being in prison for over a year and he is sentenced to death by the guillotine. The setting...
Have you ever felt alone or different? What do think about when you hear stranger in the village? When I hear the phrase “Stranger in the Village” I think of someone or something that does not belong or is new in the area. Being a stranger in the village can be scary, uncomfortable, or even embarrassing. In this essay, I will use three pieces of writing to show stranger in the village.
The fact that the English language has words that can have multiple totally different meanings and definitions is what makes literature fun and beautiful. The Stranger by Albert Camus is an example of that. The title of the novel, The Stranger, itself is a play on words, or even a double or even triple entendre. Camus utilizes the multiple meanings of the word Stranger to create a sense of ambiguity and larger profound meaning. Camus leaves both the meaning of the title and the question of who is the Stranger rather vague because he wanted to. He wanted the reader to question what is the right meaning or who is it? Or even if there is any or anyone. We don’t even know what the true meaning
1. In five sentences tell what you have learned about The Kindertransport and Great Britain’s rescue of Jewish children that you did not know before watching this documentary.
Disillusionment in Camus' The Stranger (The Outsider) & nbsp; In Albert Camus' The Stranger (The Outsider), the protagonist Meursault is clearly disillusioned with life in general. Two examples of this disillusionment occurred in the instances of his mother's death and an offer to be transferred to another work environment. This incomplacency is paramount in discerning this meticulous, selfish Camusian character. In regard to his mother's death, he seemed indifferent at the loss of her life. He was so uninterested in her funeral that he remarked the following: ".I can be there for the vigil and come back tomorrow night" (Camus 3).
Now the initial reason for our lack of empathy towards others could be how we don’t communicate with others. Communication shouldn’t be over Skype, Facebook or on Twitter. I don’t mean that texting or calling someone
No Emotions in Camus' The Stranger (The Outsider) In The Stranger, Albert Camus portrays Meursault, the book's narrator and main character, as aloof, detached, and unemotional. He does not think much about events or their consequences, nor does he express much feeling in relationships or during emotional times. He displays an impassiveness throughout the book in his reactions to the people and events described in the book. After his mother's death he sheds no tears; seems to show no emotions.