Friday, November 27th, 19-20 pm
Abstract
In any political struggle, one theatre of struggle is that of a legitimating “righteous story.” Focusing on the American Republican right, in this talk, Hochschild will discuss three things, a) the basic right wing deep story of blacks, women, public officials “cutting ahead” in line ahead of rule-abiding, hard-working but stuck line-waiters. She also analyzes the additional “chapters” to this story drawn from current events (eg our chosen leader will liberate us, he is under assault, etc), b) the powerful appeal of the presidential story-teller and c) the steps taken in the presidential reach for power –(incrementalism, adding a lightness to serious norms regarding violence, focus on personal loyalty, etc). She will conclude with ideas for best next steps.