A Decent Meal

Building Empathy in a Divided America

Redwood Press, 2021

15 min read

10 take-aways

Audio & text

What's inside?

Learn what food reveals about US sociopolitical polarization, and how it can help bridge the empathy gap.

1×

Editorial Rating

Qualities

Eye Opening
Hot Topic
Engaging

Recommendation

Sociologist Michael Carolan offers an intriguing account of what he has learned about empathy from his research on the US food system. His studies of food-stamp recipients, low-wage agricultural laborers, commercial farmers and game hunters reveal how people can come to understand those who hold diametrically opposed views and beliefs. This timely book is a quick read, even perhaps too quick; it contains fascinating points you wish Carolan had spent a little more time explaining. Still, any American concerned about the present state of US sociopolitical discourse will appreciate this thought-provoking text.

Summary

Empathy isn’t just about finding commonalities; it’s also about recognizing differences.

The traditional definition of empathy involves understanding the “other.” It is a concept that traces back to ancient times. Today, empathy is often positioned as a way for privileged people to understand the less fortunate. However, empathy is not a form of tourism into other people’s experiences; nor is it about “mastering” the other or erasing differences in favor of finding commonalities. In fact, because their own experiences affect people so deeply, many social scientists believe it is impossible to ever fully “walk in another person’s shoes.” Empathy is also more than “bothsidesism,” which, at best, is naive and at worst, an argument some deliberately invoke to obscure truly unacceptable behavior.

Empathy is about truly appreciating differences and understanding them in their context, which includes structures and relationships at the cultural, political, historical and geographical levels. To be empathetic, you must not fear differences but rather recognize that they are valuable and productive...

About the Author

Michael Carolan is a professor of sociology at Colorado State University, where he co-founded the Food Systems Institute for Research, Engagement and Learning. He is the author of several books, including The Real Cost of Cheap Food.

Comment on this summary

More on this topic

In our Journal

1 year ago

Journal Article

getAbstract International Book Award 2022: The Winners

This year, getAbstract honors five outstanding books in three categories and two languages. Here are the best titles of the year. The getAbstract International Book Awards 2022 at a Glance(English Language Category) A Decent Meal by Michael CarolanRedwood Press / Stanford UP, 2021 The Business of Building A Better World by Audrey Selian & David […]

2 years ago

Journal Article

“People Are Angry Because They Feel Their World Views and Values Are at Stake.”

How can people find each other in an increasingly fragmented society? Sociologist Michael Carolan says: through experiences. Terry couldn’t believe it. The U.S. citizen was sure that SNAP recipients were living in luxury at the expense of honest taxpayers like himself. So before he tried to live on it for two weeks, he declared that […]

3 years ago

Journal Article

The Business Case for Compassion

Empathetic understanding of others isn’t just a natural human quality that warms up interpersonal interactions: It’s essential to meeting people where they are and leading them. As the world enters the Fourth Industrial Age, characterized by increasing automatization and the Internet of Things, maintaining grounded interpersonal connections at work is vital to keeping human well-being […]