SEEING OTHERS

A Harvard sociologist examines how inequality plays out in categorizing people in such a way as to render some voiceless—and effectively invisible.

Lamont, the author of How Professors Think and The Dignity of Working Men, is a longtime student of inequality and marginalization, and she shows how both have helped promote “some of the factors driving the far right and white nationalism.” Attitudes toward marginalized communities are malleable, notes the author, precisely because they are artificial constructs. For example, “in 1973…90 percent of Americans disapproved of homosexual relations, but by 2019 that number had fallen to 21 percent.” Much of society seemed to say, “we see you; we value you, and we invite you to take a seat at the table alongside us.” Now, with economic precarity and the feeling of so many middle-class Americans that they are losing ground to people they perceive to be less worthy, such a declaration is more needed than ever to destigmatize poor, immigrant, and outlier communities—and, she adds, for those in more comfortable circumstances to try to stop denigrating those who are struggling, regardless of political affiliation. “All of these—narratives, stigmas, stereotypes, and social hierarchies—are produced by human beings and thus changeable,” writes Lamont. Although the prescription is doubtless one that many people on all sides will find difficult, the author believes “we can all cultivate a wider range of friends and relationships across class and racial boundaries,” which may help reduce automatic, negative reactions to those who are “perceived as the losers of the system.” There’s no Pollyannaism in Lamont’s decidedly left-leaning program, though one wonders whether, given the increased divisiveness of America, it’s in any way practical. One hopes. Though not as deeply insightful, Lamont’s book complements Anand Giridharadas’ The Persuaders.

A thoughtful recipe for building social justice by being less judgmental.