Strangers In Their Own Land Analysis

Strangers in Their Own Land: The Forgotten Population of the American South
In a 2012 survey performed by CBS and the New York Times, it was found that almost 40% of Tea Party members were from the South, with more than three quarters of the members being older whites (Montopoli). Many people outside of the Tea Party share similar views about its members: they are just a bunch of Bible-thumping, backwards hicks and rednecks who do not respect others’ opinions. This view is analyzed and debunked by Arlie Russell Hochschild in her book, Strangers in Their Own Land. Hochschild visits different towns in Louisiana to meet with self-identifying members of the Tea Party and to understand why they vote and feel the way they do. Hochschild meets with

various members of the Tea Party, each helping build the story of living in the South. Arlie Russell Hochschild uses the environment and community aspects of the life of Louisianans to explain the social and political dynamics of the United States.
During her initial meetings, she mentioned trying to cross the empathy wall between herself and those in her new surroundings. She wanted to get a grasp on what processes and decisions in a person’s life led them to become a Tea Party member. She stated in her book that, being from Berkeley, California, she was used organic food and liberals everywhere she turned. When she travelled to the towns and communities of southern Louisiana, she was greeted with an entirely different atmosphere. She was met with fast food restaurants on every corner and people with viewpoints beyond the opposite of what she believed. Many of the people she encountered were older white members of the working class, most getting their working experience in manufacturing plants. A major element in understanding the social and political dynamics of the whole nation is understanding the reasoning behind the voting patterns of people like Lee Sherman and others in his community. She first met with Lee Sherman, a retired pipefitter for Pittsburgh Plate Glass (PPG). While working for PPG, he dealt with many dangerous chemicals, often without any protection. After several years, he was asked by the company to illegally dump tar into a nearby water source, further polluting the area. The incidents led to Sherman becoming an environmentalist, yet he still votes in favor of the Tea Party candidate. When asking Sherman why, Hochschild finds what she thinks may be key to the “Great Paradox.” She learns from him that a major part of him endorsing John Fleming is his support of fewer regulations, meaning less government intervention. Hochschild writes, “…most of those local activists are now Tea Party Republicans and…are averse to an overbearing federal government, and even to much of the EPA” (Hochschild 33). The idea of having too big of a government is so iniquitous that risking their own health and the health of loved ones is a better option if it meant small government.
Small government is a widely accepted idea among those who fall on the right side of the political spectrum, especially those of the Tea Party.

Louisiana is a hub for new nonrenewable energy sources, like oil and natural gas. For Louisianans, voting in the pro-oil government members is the most logical response for small government. Hochschild explains this logic, “The more oil, the more jobs. The more jobs, the more prosperity, and the less need for government aid. And the less the people depend on the government—local, state, or federal—the better off they will be” (Hochschild 73). This quote gives insight as to why there are so many people in Louisiana, and across the country, who are so against environmental regulations. Madonna Massey, a woman from Lake Charles interviewed by Hochschild, goes further and says if she “had to choose between the American Dream and a toad,” she would take the American Dream (Hochschild 122). This thought process goes to show that being successful and having fewer regulations is better than having a government trying to control one’s every move, even if that controlling nature prevents environmental disasters from occurring. One question that is raised in Strangers in their Own Land is “Where does this hatred for big government come from?” Nearly everyone who is interviewed by Hochschild knows someone using federal assistance or thinks “If it’s there, why not use it.” However, this thought process goes against their loathing for big government. One answer that Hochschild hints at in her book is the communal aspect of these smaller towns she visited. Though many people had the “why not use it” way of thinking, many also believed in their own community to help resolve their problems. The deeply rooted religious aspect of life let these people believe that the church and God will protect them from all of their

problems.
The way of thinking in parts of Louisiana that Hochschild visited is a reflection of what most right-leaning Americans believe. As put by Harold Areno, “’We’re on this Earth for a limited amount of time…But if we get our souls saved, we go to Heaven…We’ll never have to worry about the environment from then on…I’m thinking long term” (Hochschild 54). Harold Areno, as with many other Americans, holds his religion near and dear to his heart; so much so that he would rather have someone like Mitt Romney in office, knowing that he wouldn’t clean up the rivers, than someone who would.