Imagine a place where your neighbors greet your children by name; a place with splendid vistas; a place where you can drive just 20 minutes and put your sailboat on the water. It's a seductive place, isn't it?
Zamislite mjesto gdje vaši susjedi pozdravljaju vašu djecu imenom, mjesto s predivnim vidicima, gdje vam treba samo 20 minuta vožnje do vaše jedrilice na vodi. To je zavodljivo mjesto, zar ne?
I don't live there. (Laughter) But I did journey on a 27,000-mile trip for two years, to the fastest-growing and whitest counties in America.
Ja ne živim tamo. (Smijeh) No bio sam na putu od preko 4 tisuće kilometara u dvije godine, po "najbjeljim" okruzima u Americi koje se i najbrže se razvijaju.
What is a Whitopia? I define Whitopia in three ways: First, a Whitopia has posted at least six percent population growth since 2000. Secondly, the majority of that growth comes from white migrants. And third, the Whitopia has an ineffable charm, a pleasant look and feel, a je Ne sais quoi. (Laughter)
Što je to Bijelotopija? Bijelotopiju definiram na tri načina. Prvo, Bijelotopija ima porast stanovništva od barem šest posto od 2000. godine. Drugo, većini tog porasta pridonose bijeli migranti. I treće, Bijelotopija ima neopisiv šarm, ugodnu atmosferu i izgled, nekakav "Je ne sais quoi". (Smijeh)
To learn how and why Whitopias are ticking, I immersed myself for several months apiece in three of them: first, St. George, Utah; second, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; and third, Forsyth County, Georgia.
Kako bih saznao kako i zašto Bijelotopije rastu, uronio sam na nekoliko mjeseci u tri takve zajednice: prvo u St. George u saveznoj državi Utah; drugo u Coeur d'Alene u državi Idaho; i treće u Forsyth Countyju u saveznoj državi Georgi.
First stop, St. George -- a beautiful town of red rock landscapes. In the 1850s, Brigham Young dispatched families to St. George to grow cotton because of the hot, arid climate. And so they called it Utah's Dixie, and the name sticks to this day. I approached my time in each Whitopia like an anthropologist. I made detailed spreadsheets of all the power brokers in the communities, who I needed to meet, where I needed to be, and I threw myself with gusto in these communities. I went to zoning board meetings, I went to Democratic clubs and Republican clubs. I went to poker nights. In St. George, I rented a home at the Entrada, one of the town's premier gated communities. There were no Motel 6's or Howard Johnsons for me. I lived in Whitopia as a resident, and not like a visitor.
Prva postaja bila je St.George, predivan grad s krajolikom od crvenog kamenja. Pedesetih godina 19. stoljeća, Brigham Young slao je obitelji u St, George da uzgajaju pamuk, zbog vruće i suhe klime. Prozvali su je Utin Dixie, a to ime zadržalo se do danas. U svakoj Bijelotopiji svoje vrijeme sam proveo kao antropolog. Napravio sam detaljne tablice najmoćnijih ljudi u tim zajednicama, koga sam morao upoznati, gdje sam morao biti, i zdušno sam se ubacio u te zajednice. Išao sam na sastanke odbora za zoniranje, išao sam u demokratske klubove i republikanske klubove. Išao sam na igre pokera. U St. Georgeu sam unajmio kuću u Entradi, jednoj od najcjenjenijih zatvorenih zajednica u tom gradu. Nisam birao jeftine motele i hotele. Živio sam Bijelotopiji kao stalan stanovnik, a ne posjetitelj.
I rented myself this home by phone. (Laughter) (Applause)
Unajmio sam taj smještaj preko mobitela. (Smijeh) (Pljesak)
Golf is the perfect seductive symbol of Whitopia. When I went on my journey, I had barely ever held a golf club. By the time I left, I was golfing at least three times a week. (Laughter)
Golf je savršen zavodljiv simbol Bijelotopije. Prije nego što sam krenuo na put jedva da sam ikada primio palicu za golf. Pred kraj svojeg boravka u St. Georgeu, igrao sam golf barem tri puta tjedno. (Smijeh)
Golf helps people bond. Some of the best interviews I ever scored during my trip were on the golf courses. One venture capitalist, for example, invited me to golf in his private club that had no minority members.
Golf pomaže ljudima da se zbliže. Neke od najboljih intervjua na svom putovanju odradio sam na terenima za golf. Jedan kapitalist pozvao me da igram golf u njegovom privatnom klubu u kojem nema članova manjina.
I also went fishing. (Laughter) Because I had never fished, this fellow had to teach me how to cast my line and what bait to use.
Išao sam i na pecanje. (Smijeh) Nikad prije tog nisam pecao, pa me ovaj tip morao podučiti kako baciti udicu i kakav mamac koristiti.
I also played poker every weekend. It was Texas Hold 'em with a $10 buy-in. My poker mates may have been bluffing about the hands that they drew, but they weren't bluffing about their social beliefs. Some of the most raw, salty conversations I ever had during my journey were at the poker table.
Igrao sam i poker svakog vikenda. Texas Hold'em s ulogom od 10 dolara za ulazak u igru. Moji prijatelji s pokera možda su blefirali koje karte imaju, no nisu blefirali svoja društvena uvjerenja. Neki od najsirovijih i najzajedljivijih razgovora tijekom mog putovanja odvili su tijekom pokera.
I'm a gung ho entertainer. I love to cook, I hosted many dinner parties, and in return, people invited me to their dinner parties, and to their barbecues, and to their pool parties, and to their birthday parties.
Ja sam jako entuzijastičan zabavljač. Volim kuhati, organizirao sam mnogo večera, a zauzvrat su me ljudi zvali na svoje večere, na roštilj i zabave uz bazen, i rođendane.
But it wasn't all fun. Immigration turned out to be a big issue in this Whitopia. The St. George's Citizens Council on Illegal Immigration held regular and active protests against immigration, and so what I gleaned from this Whitopia is what a hot debate this would become. It was a real-time preview, and so it has become.
No nije uvijek bilo zabavno. Ispostavilo se da je imigracija veliki problem u toj Bijelotopiji. Gradsko vijeće za ilegalnu imigraciju održavalo je redovite i aktivne proteste protiv imigracije, i u toj zajednici shvatio sam koliko će se žestoka debata razviti oko toga. To je bio stvarni prikaz onoga što će uslijediti, što se kasnije i ostvarilo.
Next stop: Almost Heaven, a cabin I rented for myself in Coeur d'Alene, in the beautiful North Idaho panhandle. I rented this place for myself, also by phone. (Laughter)
Sljedeća postaja: Kao u raju, koliba koju sam unajmio, u Coeur d'Alene, u predivnoj prevlaci Sjevernog Idaha. Unajmio sam si ovaj smještaj, također preko mobitela. (Smijeh)
The book "A Thousand Places To See Before You Die" lists Coeur d'Alene -- it's a gorgeous paradise for huntsmen, boatmen and fishermen.
Knjiga "Tisuću mjesta za posjetiti prije nego što umrete" navodi i Coeur d'Alene, to je predivan raj za lov, plovidbu i ribolov.
My growing golf skills came in handy in Coeur d'Alene. I golfed with retired LAPD cops. In 1993, around 11,000 families and cops fled Los Angeles after the L.A. racial unrest, for North Idaho, and they've built an expatriated community. Given the conservatism of these cops, there's no surprise that North Idaho has a strong gun culture. In fact, it is said, North Idaho has more gun dealers than gas stations. So what's a resident to do to fit in? I hit the gun club. When I rented a gun, the gentleman behind the counter was perfectly pleasant and kind, until I showed him my New York City driver's license. That's when he got nervous. I'm not as bad a shot as I thought I might have been.
Moje novostečene vještine u golfu dobro su došle u Coeur d'Alene. Igrao sam golf s umirovljenim policajcima iz LA-a. Godine 1993. oko jedanaest tisuća obitelji i policajaca pobjeglo je iz Los Angelesa nakon rasnih nemira, u Sjeverni Idaho, gdje su izgradili iseljeničku zajednicu. Uzevši u obzir konzervativnost tih murjaka nije neobično da u Sjevernom Idahu postoji snažna kultura vatrenog oružja. Navodno tamo ima više trgovina oružjem nego benzinskih postaja. Kako se onda uklopiti u tu sredinu? Otišao sam u streljana. Kada sam unajmljivao pištolj, gospodin za pultom bio je vrlo ugodan i ljubazan, sve dok mu nisam pokazao svoju vozačku dozvolu iz New Yorka. Tada je postao nervozan. Nisam tako loš u ciljanju kao što sam mislio.
What I learned from North Idaho is the peculiar brand of paranoia that can permeate a community when so many cops and guns are around.
U Sjevernom Idahu upoznao sam neobičnu vrstu paranoje koja može prožimati neku zajednicu kada je toliko murjaka i oružja na jednome mjestu.
In North Idaho, in my red pickup truck, I kept a notepad. And in that notepad I counted more Confederate flags than black people. In North Idaho, I found Confederate flags on key chains, on cellphone paraphernalia, and on cars.
U Sjeverom Idahu, u svom crvenom kamionetu držao sam blok za zabilješke. U njemu sam nabrojao više konfederacijskih zastava nego crnaca. U Sjevernom Idahu nailazio sam na konfederacijske zastave na privjescima za ključeve, ukrasima za mobitele, i na automobilima.
About a seven-minute drive from my hidden lake cabin was the compound of Aryan Nations, the white supremacist group. America's Promise Ministries, the religious arm of Aryan Nations, happened to have a three-day retreat during my visit. So I decided to crash it. (Laughter) I'm the only non-Aryan journalist I'm aware of ever to have done so. (Laughter) Among the many memorable episodes of that retreat... (Laughter) ...is when Abe, an Aryan, sidled up next to me. He slapped my knee, and he said, "Hey Rich, I just want you to know one thing. We are not white supremacists. We are white separatists. We don't think we're better than you, we just want to be away from you." (Laughter)
Oko sedam minuta vožnje od moje skrivene kolibe na jezeru nalazilo se sjedište Arijevske nacije, grupe koja promovira nadmoć bijele rase. America's Promise Ministries, vjerska organizacija Arijevske nacije, imala je trodnevnu duhovnu obnovu tijekom moje posjete. Odlučio sam upasti tamo nepozvan. (Smijeh) Ja sam jedini nearijevski novinar za kojega znam koji je ikada to napravio. (Smijeh) Jedan od mnogih upečatljivih događaja na toj duhovnoj obnovi - (Smijeh) - bio je kada mi je prišao Abe, Arijevac. Udario me po koljenu i rekao, "Hej Rich, želim da znaš jednu stvar. Mi ne promoviramo nadmoć bijele rase. Mi smo bijeli separatisti. Ne mislimo da smo bolji od tebe, samo želimo biti daleko od tebe." (Smijeh)
Indeed, most white people in Whitopia are neither white supremacists or white separatists; in fact, they're not there for explicitly racial reasons at all. Rather, they emigrate there for friendliness, comfort, security, safety -- reasons that they implicitly associate to whiteness in itself.
Uistinu, većina bijelaca u Bijelotopiji niti ne zagovara nadmoć bijele rase, niti pripada bijelim separatistima. Zapravo, oni uopće nisu tamo zbog izričitih rasnih razloga. Oni zapravo emigriraju tamo radi prijateljstva, udobnosti, zaštite, sigurnosti, razloga koje implicitno povezuju sa samom kategorijom bijelosti.
Next stop was Georgia. In Georgia, I stayed in an exurb north of Atlanta. In Utah, I found poker; in Idaho, I found guns; in Georgia, I found God. (Laughter) The way that I immersed myself in this Whitopia was to become active at First Redeemer Church, a megachurch that's so huge that it has golf carts to escort the congregants around its many parking lots on campus. I was active in the youth ministry. And for me, personally, I was more comfortable in this Whitopia than say, in a Colorado, or an Idaho, or even a suburban Boston. That is because [there], in Georgia, white people and black people are more historically familiar to one another. I was less exotic in this Whitopia. (Laughter)
Sljedeća postaja bila je Georgia. Tamo sam odsjeo u rubnom dijelu grada, sjeverno od Atlante. U Uti sam otkrio poker, u Idahu sam otkrio oružje, a u Georgi sam otkrio Boga. (Smijeh) U tu sam se Bijelotopiju uklopio tako da sam postao aktivan u Crkvi prvih otkupljenika, megacrkvi koja je toliko ogromna da ima golf vozila koja koriste vjernicima na njenim brojnim parkiralištima na kampusu. Ja sam se aktivno uključio u ministriranje za mlade. Osobno mi je bilo ugodnije u toj Bijelotopiji nego u Koloradu ili Idahu, ili čak predgrađu Bostona. Razlog tome je što su u Georgi, bijelci i crnci više povijesno bliski. Nisam bio toliko egzotičan u toj Bijelotopiji. (Smijeh)
But what does it all mean? Whitopian dreaming, Whitopia migration, is a push-pull phenomenon, full of alarming pushes and alluring pulls, and Whitopia operates at the level of conscious and unconscious bias. It's possible for people to be in Whitopia not for racist reasons, though it has racist outcomes. Many Whitopians feel pushed by illegals, social welfare abuse, minorities, density, crowded schools. Many Whitopians feel pulled by merit, freedom, the allure of privatism -- privatized places, privatized people, privatized things. And I learned in Whitopia how a country can have racism without racists.
No što sve to znači? San o Bijelotopiji, takva migracija, sastoji se od efekta guranja i povlačenja punog uznemirujućeg guranja i primamljivog vučenja. Bijelotopija djeluje na razini svjesne i nesvjesne pristranosti. Moguće je da ljudi žive u Bijelotopiji ne iz rasističkih pobuda, iako to može rezultirati rasizmom. Mnogi Bijelotopijci osjećaju se kao da ih guraju ilegalci, zloboraba socijalne skrbi, manjine, gustoća naseljenosti, prepune škole. Mnoge Bijelotopijce privlači vrijednost, sloboda, zavodljivost privatiziranosti - privatiziranih mjesta, ljudi, privatiziranih stvari. U Bijelotopiji sam naučio kako zemlja može sadržavati rasizam, bez rasista.
Many of my smug urban liberal friends couldn't believe I would go on such a venture. The reality is that many white Americans are affable and kind. Interpersonal race relations -- how we treat each other as human beings -- are vastly better than in my parents' generation. Can you imagine me going to Whitopia 40 years ago? What a journey that would have been. (Laughter) And yet, some things haven't changed. America is as residentially and educationally segregated today as it was in 1970.
Mnogi moji samodopadni liberalni prijatelji nisu mogli vjerovati da se upuštam u takav pothvat. U stvarnosti su mnogi bijeli Amerikanci ljubazni i srdačni. Međuljudski rasni odnosi, kako se međusobno ophodimo jedni prema drugima, nadaleko su bolji nego kod generacije mojih roditelja. Možete li me zamisliti kako idem u Bijelotopiju prije četrdeset godina? Kakvo bi to bilo putovanje. (Smijeh) Pa ipak, neke se stvari nisu promijenile. Amerika je i danas stambeno i edukacijski segregirana kao što je bila 1970-ih.
As Americans, we often find ways to cook for each other, to dance with each other, to host with each other, but why can't that translate into how we treat each other as communities? It's a devastating irony, how we have gone forward as individuals, and backwards as communities.
Kao Amerikanci, često nalazimo načine da kuhamo jedni za druge, da zajedno plešemo, da se međusobno ugošćujemo, no zašto to ne možemo primijeniti na način na koji se zajednice međusobno ophode? To je poražavajuća ironija, koliko smo daleko dogurali kao pojedinci, a unazadili se kao zajednice.
One of the Whitopian outlooks that really hit me was a proverbial saying: "One black man is a delightful dinner guest; 50 black men is a ghetto."
Jedno od bijelotopijskih gledišta koje me zaista potreslo bila je poslovična izreka: "Jedan crnac je divan gost na večeru; pedeset crnaca je geto."
One of the big contexts animating my Whitopian journey was the year 2042. By 2042, white people will no longer be the American majority. As such, will there be more Whitopias? In looking at this, the danger of Whitopia is that the more segregation we have, the less we can look at and confront conscious and unconscious bias.
Velika stavka koja je nadahnjivala moj put kroz Bijelotopije je 2042. godina. Do 2042. bijelci više neće biti većinsko stanovništvo u Americi. Shodno tome, hoće li postojati više Bijelotopija? Promatrajući ovo, opasnost Bijelotopije je u tome da što više segregacije postoji, manje možemo proučavati i suočavati se sa svjesnim i nesvjesnim pristranostima.
I ventured on my two-year, 27,000 mile journey to learn where, why, and how white people are fleeing, but I didn't expect to have so much fun on my journey. (Laughter) I didn't expect to learn so much about myself. I don't expect I'll be living in a Whitopia -- or a Blacktopia, for that matter. I do plan to continue golfing every chance I get. (Laughter) And I'll just have to leave the guns and megachurches back in Whitopia.
Uputio sam se na svoje dvogodišnje putovanje od preko 4000 kilometara da saznam gdje, zašto i kako bijelci bježe no nisam očekivao da ću se toliko zabaviti. (Smijeh) Nisam očekivao da ću naučiti toliko mnogo o sebi. Ne vjerujem da ću živjeti u Bijelotopiji, niti, što se toga tiče, u Crnotopiji. Planiram nastaviti igrati golf kad god mi se ukaže prilika. (Smijeh) I morat ću ostaviti oružje i megacrkve u Bijelotopiji.
Thank you.
Hvala.
(Applause)
(Pljesak)