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# "Dignity," with Chris Arnade - Mere Orthodoxy | Christianity, Politics, and Culture
- URL: https://mereorthodoxy.com/dignity-chris-arnade/
- Published: 2019-06-27T05:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-18T16:05:04.000Z
- Description: Chris Arnade joins Andrew, Derek, and Alastair to talk about his new book, “Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America,” where he tells the stories of how America’s poor find dignity and identity in their forgotten communities. Timestamps: Intro + […]
- Author: Mere Orthodoxy
- Tags: Caleb Wait

Chris Arnade joins Andrew, Derek, and Alastair to talk about his new book, “[*Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America*](https://www.amazon.com/Dignity-Seeking-Respect-Back-America/dp/0525534733?ref=mereorthodoxy.com),” where he tells the stories of how America’s poor find dignity and identity in their forgotten communities.

**Timestamps:**

Intro + the story behind the book, “Dignity” \[0:00 – 6:12\]

Divisions of society and the heuristic device of “back row” and “front row” \[6:12 – 9:05\]

Arnade’s understanding of the most fundamental divides in society \[9:05 – 11:50\]

The differences between the generations of people in the “back row” \[11:50 – 16:55\]

The way the church figures into the stories of those in the “back row” and “front row” \[16:55 – 30:00\]

How the “back row” finds ways to bring dignity to their life \[30:00 – 37:05\]

Arnade’s hopes for those who read “Dignity” + Conclusion \[37:05 – 42:30\]

**Resources mentioned:**

[*Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America*](https://www.amazon.com/Dignity-Seeking-Respect-Back-America/dp/0525534733?ref=mereorthodoxy.com)

[*Down and Out in Paris and London* by George Orwell](https://www.amazon.com/Down-Paris-London-George-Orwell/dp/015626224X?ref=mereorthodoxy.com)

If you’re interested in supporting the show financially, you can check out our Patreon [here](https://www.patreon.com/merefidelity?ty=h&ref=mereorthodoxy.com).

Finally, as always, follow [Derek](https://twitter.com/dzrishmawy?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), [Andrew](https://twitter.com/ajwtheology?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), and [Alastair](https://twitter.com/zugzwanged?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to [Timothy Motte](https://twitter.com/biotrom?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) for his sound editing work. [And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.](http://www.noisetrade.com/thejoyeternal/a-sweet-and-bitter-providence-single?ref=mereorthodoxy.com)