"We, on both sides, wrongly imagine that empathy with the “other” side brings an end to clearheaded analysis when, in truth, it’s on the other side of that bridge that the most important analysis can begin."

Talking about Banderville: “When I was a kid, you stuck a thumb out by the side of the road, you got a ride. Or if you had a car, you gave a ride. If someone was hungry, you fed him. You had community. You know what’s undercut all that?” He pauses. “Big government.”"

Note: Many conservatives see *big government* as cutting back their community, when in actuality, it may be *big business*

Empathy walls: "An empathy wall is an obstacle to deep An empathy wall is an obstacle to deep understanding of another person, one that can make us feel indifferent or even hostile to those who hold different beliefs or whose childhood is rooted in different circumstances."

"We didn't know we were poor" - something Hochschild heard frequently of people on the right speaking about their parents