Refers to the way that many of Hochschild’s subjects see no rewards for sympathizing with marginalized groups and therefore start to think those groups are taking advantage of their charity. They become skeptical of whether their good deeds are actually doing good and revert to an attitude of self-protection rather than openness toward difference.
Sympathy Fatigue Quotes in Strangers in Their Own Land
The Strangers in Their Own Land quotes below are all either spoken by Sympathy Fatigue or refer to Sympathy Fatigue. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 8
Quotes
The Tea Party listener felt Christiane Amanpour was implicitly scolding her. The woman didn't want to be told she should feel sorry for, or responsible for, the fate of the [sick or starving] child. Amanpour was overstepping her role as a commentator by suggesting how to feel. The woman had her feeling guard up.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Strangers in Their Own Land LitChart as a printable PDF.
Sympathy Fatigue Term Timeline in Strangers in Their Own Land
The timeline below shows where the term Sympathy Fatigue appears in Strangers in Their Own Land. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 9 – The Deep Story
Many of Hochschild’s Louisiana acquaintances feel sympathy fatigue . At first, they are sympathetic to marginalized groups, but they soon begin to think...
(full context)
