matthew j. krabill

what divides america?

   
So I have become a Pew Research junkie - I read it all the time...in a new report entitled, What Divides America?, most Americans see differences between immigrants and the native born and between rich and poor rather than black/white divisions as the strongest sources of social conflict.  

My guess is that there is historical precedence for this since every group that has migrated to this country since its inception has faced intense hostility, discrimination and racism (and yes, "we" did this to the Irish long before "we" did it to the chinese or japanese or mexican...unfortunately "we" haven't learned from our own history).  But I do wonder whether there is any difference in the potential source of social conflict due to the the increased levels of migration to the US since 1965. 

muslim in america

The Pew Research Center has recently published a report entitled Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream.  In the first-ever nationwide, random sample survey of Muslim Americans finds them to be largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world. 

Interesting and timely since there seems to be a resurgence of Islamic=terrorist fear in the US due to the Ft. Hood incident. 

how not to write about africa

A short by Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina.

the danger of as single story

If you have 18 minutes, watch this clip of Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, called  

    The Danger of a Single Story.  A brief summary:  

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

Mennonite, not Christian?

I wrote an article recently for Mennonite Weekly Review called Mennonite, not Christian?  Would love to hear what you think.