Click here to read the article “How to Avoid a Thanksgiving Food Fight” by Michelle Cottle, writer for The Daily Beast, on Robert E. Hall’s new book This Land of Strangers.

Excerpt:

In terms of our substantive beliefs, the nation has not become radically more divided, clarifies relationship specialist Robert E. Hall, author of the book This Land of Strangers. The big shift, he says, is that “we have exaggerated our differences and joined tribes that celebrate and exaggerate those differences and do battle over them.” As the battle intensifies, notes Hall, so do people’s sense of being wounded.

This bruising tribalism is facilitated by the general fragmentation of our society, fueled by the breakdown of unifying institutions such as churches, civic groups, and big-tent political parties (remember Bowling Alone?), as well as the increasingly niche nature of media. We have less and less interaction with people who don’t think like us.

“All of that shows up at the turkey table,” says Hall with a sad laugh. And against that backdrop “it has become harder than ever to have a civil conversation. Because we feel so wounded, our ability to handle a perceived attack is decreased. And that’s part of what everybody fears at Thanksgiving: that someone will ‘go off.’”