Stolen Pride

1. The "Pride Paradox" Traps Hard-Hit Regions

We have divided into two economies and two cultures, one red, one blue.

Two Americas. The United States has split into distinct economic and cultural regions, largely along red/blue state lines. Red states, particularly rural areas like Appalachia, have faced tougher economic times due to globalization, automation, and industry decline. Blue states, often urban centers with diversified economies, have generally seen more opportunity.

Strict expectations. Compounding the economic hardship in red states is a stronger adherence to an old-school individualism. This cultural belief emphasizes personal responsibility for success or failure, often dismissing the impact of external circumstances like economic downturns or lack of opportunity. This creates a "pride paradox": high expectations for individual achievement clash with limited economic means to achieve it.

Moral pinch. People in hard-hit red states experience a significant moral tension. They are culturally expected to succeed through hard work alone and feel shame if they fail, even when structural economic forces make success difficult. This contrasts with blue states, where there is more economic opportunity and a greater cultural willingness to acknowledge systemic factors influencing success or poverty.

2. Economic and Cultural Loss Fuels Shame

If we lose our job, we are jobless (a material loss) and then ashamed of being jobless (an emotional loss).

Beyond material loss. The decline of traditional industries like coal mining in Appalachia resulted in more than just lost jobs and income. It also led to a loss of cultural pride associated with those jobs and the region's historical role in powering the nation. Skills and knowledge once valued became obsolete, further eroding a sense of worth.

Carried shame. Individuals often "carry" the pride or shame of their larger group or region. When a community faces economic decline and negative stereotypes ("hillbillies," "trailer trash"), residents can internalize this as personal shame, even if the circumstances are beyond their control. This "structural" or "carried" shame adds a heavy emotional burden to material hardship.

Stereotypes wound. Negative portrayals in media and by outsiders contribute to this shame. Being seen as poor, uneducated, or backward by urban liberals creates a feeling of being misunderstood and looked down upon. This external judgment exacerbates the internal shame felt by those struggling in a declining economy.

3. White Nationalism Exploits Shame by Offering Blame

We hear your distress. There’s much you do not have. We’re here to raise the value of what you do have—your whiteness.

Prospecting for emotion. Political leaders and extremist groups can exploit feelings of loss and shame for political gain. They identify the emotional "ore" of unwarranted shame and offer a simple, powerful appeal: divert that shame outward onto scapegoats. White nationalism, as seen with Matthew Heimbach's message, offers to restore lost pride by elevating racial identity.

Shame to blame. The core strategy is to shift the source of shame from internal failure or structural issues to external enemies. Groups like white nationalists blame immigrants, minorities, liberals, and the government for the economic hardship and loss of status experienced by white working-class people. This externalization provides a cathartic release from painful self-blame.

Offering false pride. By blaming others, white nationalism offers a sense of victimhood ("They took what was ours!") and a compensatory pride based solely on race ("Whites built this country, it belongs to us!"). This appeal is particularly resonant in areas where traditional sources of pride (like well-paid jobs) have disappeared, leaving a "pride deficit."

4. The Opioid Crisis Deepened Despair and Vulnerability

OxyContin was moving into eastern Kentucky just as coal-related jobs—mining, trucking, fixing trucks—were moving out, a hazard for the tempted and cash for the drug companies.

Perfect storm. The decline of coal jobs coincided tragically with the aggressive marketing of highly addictive opioid painkillers like OxyContin by companies like Purdue Pharma. This created a devastating "perfect storm" in regions already struggling with economic loss and despair. Injured miners and others facing hardship were targeted, leading to widespread addiction.

Corporate exploitation. Purdue Pharma deliberately downplayed the addictive nature of OxyContin and incentivized doctors and pharmacists to prescribe it heavily, particularly in states with lax regulations. This corporate pursuit of profit directly fueled the addiction crisis, causing immense suffering, family breakdown, and premature deaths in communities like Appalachia.

Hidden shame. Addiction itself carries a heavy social stigma and shame. For individuals like James Browning, drug use became a way to cope with pre-existing trauma and shame, only to create a new layer of shame associated with addiction, job loss, and family disruption. The crisis deepened the region's emotional burden, making residents even more vulnerable to external appeals offering escape from shame.

5. Local Communities Resisted Outside Hate

You don’t want someone stirring up the fringe.

Pikeville's response. When Matthew Heimbach's white nationalist march was announced, Pikeville city officials and residents largely rejected the message of hate. City Manager Donovan Blackburn prioritized protecting the community while upholding free speech rights, implementing careful security measures and keeping potential counter-protesters separate. The University of Pikeville banned the marchers from campus.

Community values. Despite facing economic hardship and feeling overlooked, many residents emphasized their core values of decency, hospitality, and respect for neighbors, including minorities. African American residents, Holocaust survivors, and Muslim immigrants, though potential targets, expressed confidence that the community would not embrace the hate groups. The march was seen as an unwelcome intrusion by outsiders.

Rejecting the bait. The low turnout of local residents joining the march demonstrated a rejection of the white nationalist appeal. While some individuals felt angry and forgotten, they did not translate this into support for racial hatred or violence. The community's response highlighted a distinction between legitimate grievances and the extremist agenda seeking to exploit them.

6. Personal Stories Reveal Diverse Responses to Hardship

Among the people I met, I discovered many bases of pride—regional pride, work ethic pride, bad-boy pride, recovery pride.

Beyond stereotypes. The book explores the lives of various individuals in Appalachia, revealing complex responses to economic decline and the "pride paradox." These personal narratives challenge simplistic stereotypes of the region's residents. Examples include:

• Alex Hughes: A striving entrepreneur who blamed himself for business failure but found a new path through job training.
• David Maynard: A survivor of poverty who felt invisible and misunderstood, comparing the struggles of "hood and holler."
• Wyatt Blair: A felon who embraced an "outlaw pride" based on violence and racial identity within prison culture.
• James Browning: An addict who hit rock bottom, faced his shame, and found "recovery pride" by helping others.

Multiple pride sources. Individuals drew on various sources of pride beyond economic success, such as regional identity, family ties, work ethic, resilience, or helping others. These alternative forms of pride became crucial for maintaining dignity in the face of economic and social devaluation.

Navigating shame. The stories illustrate different ways of coping with shame: internalizing it (Alex), externalizing it as blame (Wyatt, to some extent David), or confronting and moving through it (James, Tommy). These personal journeys highlight the emotional labor involved in navigating a world where one's worth feels constantly challenged.

7. The January 6 Attack as a National Shame Ritual

One day they were heroic patriots rescuing democracy from a “stolen” election; the next morning they were reviled criminals.

From protest to invasion. The January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, fueled by the "stolen election" narrative, represented a dramatic escalation of political tensions. For participants, it was framed as a patriotic act to save the nation. However, the violence and disruption led to widespread public condemnation and criminal charges.

Pride slide. For many who participated or supported the attack, the aftermath resulted in a sudden "pride slide." Individuals who saw themselves as heroes were publicly labeled as criminals and traitors. This clash between self-perception and public judgment created a profound sense of carried shame for them and their supporters.

Anti-shame responses. Supporters of the January 6 attackers employed various strategies to manage this shame:

• Denial: Claiming the violence didn't happen or was exaggerated.
• Externalization: Blaming "Antifa" or other groups for the violence.
• Minimization: Downplaying the seriousness of the events ("just blowing off steam").
• Defiance: Expressing pride in participation despite consequences.

These responses mirror the individual strategies for managing shame seen in Appalachia, but played out on a national stage, often amplified by partisan media.

8. The "Stolen" Narrative Resonates with Felt Losses

When something is lost, the question arises: Why is it gone? Did I (or we) lose it? Or is it lost because it was stolen?

Beyond facts. The widespread belief among many Republicans that the 2020 election was "stolen" persisted despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. This suggests the narrative resonated on a deeper, emotional level, connecting with pre-existing feelings of loss and injustice.

Magnet for grievances. The "stolen" narrative became a powerful magnet, drawing in various other felt losses and indignities. These included:

• Lost jobs and economic opportunity.
• Devaluation of rural culture and traditional skills.
• Feeling ignored or looked down upon by urban elites.
• Perceived loss of cultural dominance or "white power."
• Frustration with social changes (e.g., gender identity issues).

From loss to stolen. By framing these diverse losses as having been "stolen" by specific enemies (Democrats, liberals, immigrants, minorities), the narrative shifted the emotional response from grief and shame to blame and anger. This provided a sense of agency and a target for retribution, offering a way out of the painful "pride paradox."

9. Empathy Bridges Offer a Path Across Divides

Beneath the heated public rhetoric of the day, I discovered hidden foot traffic across what we might call an “empathy bridge” spanning opposing views...

Quiet connections. Despite deep political polarization, individuals are quietly building connections across divides. These "empathy bridges" involve understanding and relating to the experiences of those with opposing views, without necessarily agreeing with them. This happens through personal interactions and shared experiences.

Two paths to empathy. The book suggests two potential biographical patterns that may foster this ability to reach across divides:

• "Rise up, give back, reach out": Individuals who achieve success despite hardship and feel secure enough to extend empathy (e.g., Rob Musick).
• "Hit bottom, rise up, reach out": Individuals who experience profound shame or suffering, confront it, and develop empathy through shared vulnerability (e.g., James Browning).

Shared vulnerability. Experiences like addiction recovery can create unexpected bonds across racial and social lines. Sharing stories of hitting bottom and the struggle to recover fosters a sense of being "in the same boat," enabling empathy that transcends political or racial differences. These connections offer a counterpoint to the divisive rhetoric dominating the public sphere.

10. Political Leaders Exploit Shame for Power

He shifted the Protestant ethic notion of the responsible party to a focus on victimhood, shame, blame, and revenge.

The anti-shame ritual. Donald Trump, as a political figure, employed a consistent "anti-shame ritual" that resonated deeply with those feeling unjustly shamed. This ritual involves:

• Making a provocative statement that defies norms.
• Being publicly shamed or criticized by opponents/media.
• Adopting a posture of victimhood ("They're attacking me because I fight for you").
• Roaring back at the shamers, often with aggressive language.
• Solidifying loyalty by promising retribution against shared enemies.

Cathartic release. This ritual provides a cathartic release for those who feel silenced or shamed by perceived elites. Trump's refusal to show shame, even when confronted with evidence of wrongdoing, is seen not as a flaw but as strength – a defiance of the very forces they feel are shaming them. His personal battles become symbolic of their own struggles against perceived injustice.

Dangerous fusion. By constantly framing himself as a victim fighting against corrupt forces, Trump fosters a powerful emotional fusion with his followers. Their shame and anger become his, and his fight becomes theirs. This dynamic bypasses rational policy debate and creates a loyalty based on shared grievance and the promise of vengeance against those deemed responsible for their losses.

11. The Concept of "Overburden" Captures Felt Devaluation

Many workers in America have come to feel like a human overburden.

Beyond the valuable. In mountaintop removal mining, the "overburden" is the soil and rock above the coal seam – the valuable resource. This material is stripped away and discarded, often damaging the surrounding environment. This industrial process serves as a metaphor for how some people feel treated in the modern economy.

Discarded lives. Workers whose skills or industries become obsolete can feel like "human overburden" – no longer valued or needed by the economic system. Their sense of purpose, pride, and connection to the land or community is stripped away, leaving them feeling discarded and devalued. This feeling is particularly acute in regions like Appalachia that have been heavily exploited for resources and then left behind.

Recognizing the faces. Healing the national divide requires recognizing and addressing the plight of this "overburden." This involves not only economic investment ("rural new deal") but also acknowledging the emotional toll of lost pride and dignity. Creating space for mourning these losses and valuing the resilience and ingenuity of those who remain is crucial for building a more inclusive and equitable future.

Last updated: May 21, 2025