Stolen PrideLoss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right

by Arlie Russell Hochschild
Stolen PrideLoss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right cover
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  • ID: 436
  • Added: 2025-09-11
  • Updated: 2025-09-11
  • Formats: 32
  • Reviews: 4
Reviews
bookmarks.reviews · Unknown · 2025-09-20
insightful 4.50

Arlie Russell-Hochschild's 'Stolen Pride' explores how economic loss and shame fuel the rise of the political right, focusing on the emotional journeys of workers in Appalachian Kentucky. The book highlights the 'pride paradox' where hard work is believed to lead to success, but economic realities often contradict this, leading to despair and support for figures like Donald Trump.

In 'Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right,' sociologist Arlie Russell-Hochschild delves into the emotional and economic factors driving the rise of the reactionary right in U.S. politics. The book focuses on the stories of workers in Appalachian Kentucky, who have experienced significant economic loss due to the closure of coal mines and the decline of local economies. Russell-Hochschild introduces the concept of the 'pride paradox,' where individuals believe their success is due to hard work and personal responsibility, but economic realities often contradict this belief, leading to feelings of shame, despair, and anger. These emotions are then exploited by political figures like Donald Trump, who pose as victims of cultural elites. The book also highlights the commonalities in class struggles across racial and ethnic groups, emphasizing that the system is rigged against the working class. Russell-Hochschild's work is a call to understand and empathize with these struggles, directing anger towards the true causes of economic oppression: the capitalist class and their political allies.

Quick quotes

    They describe in painful detail how a few of her informants sunk into states of depression and despair after the loss of jobs or businesses, and then some of their falls into economic destitution, drug addiction, and the jail cell.

    She goes on to show how things many of her informants have valued — jobs, a decent income, recognition of skill and expertise, sense community, and more — have actually gone missing.

    We need to bridge the gaps that she so sensitively highlights. We all need to understand more clearly that pulling oneself up by the bootstraps is unrealistic on a large scale in a capitalist world designed to exploit us.

speakoutsocialists.org · Unknown · 2025-01-17
insightful 4.00

Arlie Russell Hochschild's 'Stolen Pride' explores the emotional lives of Americans who support Donald Trump, focusing on the pride and shame felt by residents of Kentucky's Fifth Congressional District. The book delves into the economic and cultural factors influencing their emotions, offering insights into the rise of the right.

In 'Stolen Pride,' Arlie Russell Hochschild uses the reactions to a white supremacist march in Pikeville, Kentucky, as a lens to understand the political and sociological shifts in America. The book is a sequel to her earlier work, 'Strangers in Their Own Land,' and focuses on the emotional lives of Trump supporters, particularly the pride and shame they experience due to economic and cultural factors. Hochschild argues that Trump offered these voters a way to feel pride by blaming others for their failures. The book provides a deep dive into the emotions and motivations of conservative voters, differentiating itself from other commentary by its sustained attention to the economic and cultural influences on their emotions.

Quick quotes

    It occurred to me that a close look at this vulnerable patch of red America — Kentucky’s Fifth Congressional District — might offer clues to red America as a whole, and indeed to the winds of white nationalism blowing around the world.

    On one hand, rural KY-5 Republicans felt fierce pride in hard work and personal responsibility.

    Trump, Hochschild theorizes, offered these voters a way out by telling them to be proud of themselves and blame others — liberals, immigrants, the federal government — for their failures.

nytimes.com · Unknown · 2024-11-26
insightful 3.50

Arlie Russell Hochschild's 'Stolen Pride' offers a compassionate and insightful exploration of the emotional and political landscape of the American right, though some reviewers find it somewhat incomplete or lacking in new insights compared to her previous work.

Arlie Russell Hochschild's 'Stolen Pride' delves into the emotional and political dynamics that have fueled the rise of the right in America. The book is praised for its empathy and acute observations, particularly in listening to voices often overlooked in national conversations. Hochschild's ability to merge empathy with analytical acumen is noted, but some reviewers feel the book doesn't break new ground compared to her earlier works. The book is seen as a timely explanation of conservatism, though it might be a bit too neat in its portrayal. Overall, it's a thoughtful examination of the emotional logic and cultural narratives that shape political beliefs.

Quick quotes

    Her compassion is tangible. The most effective of her myriad tools is simply listening to those whose life stories don’t often get heard in the national conversation.

    Hochschild has produced a seamless election-season-ready explanation of conservatism that might be just a little too neat.

    She pays close attention to what we tell ourselves, what we do and don’t express about the circumstances of our lives, and how our emotional logic fares against the facts of forces beyond our control.

theguardian.com · Unknown · 2024-10-06
intriguing 4.00

Arlie Russell Hochschild's 'Stolen Pride' explores the 'pride paradox' in conservative America, where personal responsibility leads to shame when circumstances are beyond individual control. The book delves into the economic and social distress of Appalachia, highlighting how Trump's appeal is rooted in his ability to channel and exploit feelings of shame and pride among the white working class.

Arlie Russell Hochschild's 'Stolen Pride' is a deep dive into the emotional and political landscape of conservative America, particularly in Appalachia. The book introduces the concept of the 'pride paradox,' where conservative values of personal responsibility lead to shame when individuals fail due to systemic issues beyond their control. Hochschild spent years in eastern Kentucky, a region hit hard by the decline of the coal industry and the opioid crisis, to understand how these factors contribute to political alienation. She argues that Trump's popularity in these areas stems from his ability to tap into and exploit feelings of shame and pride, positioning himself as a defender of the white working class against liberal elites. The book also contrasts the rejection of white supremacist rhetoric in the region with the embrace of Trump's message, highlighting the complex interplay of identity, economics, and politics.

Quick quotes

    They felt proud when they did well, and blamed themselves when they didn’t.

    Conservative regions often have worse economies and fewer opportunities than so-called blue states, so people feel ashamed of circumstances that aren’t really their fault.

    Trump shrewdly understands the power of shame and pride, and his antagonism of the liberal establishment follows a predictable pattern: Trump makes a provocative public pronouncement; the media shames Trump for what he said; Trump frames himself as a victim of censorious bullies; then he 'roars back', shifting blame back on to his persecutors and away from himself and, by extension, his supporters.

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