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 mesto u kome komšije pozdravljaju vašu decu imenom; mesto sa predivnim pejzažima; mesto u kome možete voziti samo 20 minuta i staviti svoj jedrenjak na vodu. To je privlačno mesto, 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. (Smeh) Ali sam putovao 43 500 kilometara dve godine do zemalja u Americi koje se najbrže razvijaju i imaju najviše belaca.
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)
Šta je Belotopija? Ja definišem Belotopiju na tri načina: prvo, Belotopija je zabeležila rast broja stanovnika od najmanje 6 odsto od 2000. Drugo, veći deo tog rasta čine migranti belci I treće, Belotopija ima neopisivi šarm, prijatan izgled i osećaj, ne znam šta sve ne. (Smeh)
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.
Da bih saznao kako i zašto se Belotopijci ponašaju, stopio sam se sa svakim od ovih gradova ponaosob nekoliko meseci: prvi, Sent Džordž, Juta; drugi, Koer D'Alen, Ajdaho; i treći, Forsajt Kaunti, Džordžija.
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 stanica, Sent Džordž - prelepi grad sa pejzažima crvenih stena. 1850-ih Brigam Jang poslao je porodice u Sent Džordž da uzgajaju pamuk, zbog tople, suve klime. I tako su ga nazvali Jutin Diksi, i ime se zadržalo do danas. Pristupio sam boravku u svakoj Belotopiji kao antropolog. Napravio sam detaljne tabele svih moćnika u zajednicama, koga je trebalo da upoznam, gde je trebalo da budem, i ubacio sam se sa zadovoljstvom u ove zajednice. Išao sam na sastanke odbora za izgradnju, išao sam u klubove demokrata i klubove republikanaca. Išao sam na pokeraške večeri. U Sent Džordžu iznajmio sam kuću na Entradi, jednom od elitnih delova grada. Nisam želeo da odsednem u Motelu 6 ili Hauard Džonsonu. Živeo sam u Belotopiji kao stanovnik, ne kao posetilac.
I rented myself this home by phone. (Laughter) (Applause)
Iznajmio sam ovu kuću telefonom. (Smeh) (Aplauz)
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 savršeno primamljiv simbol Belotopije. Kada sam krenuo na putovanje, jedva da sam ikada pre držao štap za golf. Kada sam odlazio, igrao sam golf najmanje tri puta nedeljno. (Smeh)
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. Neki od najboljih intervjua koje sam ubo tokom puta bili su na terenima za golf. Jedan mešetar, na primer, pozvao me je da igram golf u njegovom privatnom klubu u kome nije bilo pripadnika 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.
Takođe sam išao da pecam. (Smeh) Zato što nikada nisam pecao, ovaj tip je morao da me nauči kako da bacim udicu i koji mamac da koristim.
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.
Takođe sam igrao poker svakog vikenda. Bio je to Teksas Holdem sa ulogom od 10 dolara. Možda su moji pokeraški drugari blefirali koje su karte izvlačili, ali nisu blefirali o svojim društvenim uverenjima. Neki od najvulgarnijih, najžučnijih razgovora koje sam ikada vodio tokom mog putovanja bili su za pokeraškim stolom.
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 entuzijastični zabavljač. Volim da kuvam, organizovao sam mnogo večera, i zauzvrat, ljudi su me pozivali na svoje večere, i svoje roštilje, i svoje žurke pored bazena, i svoje rođendanske žurke.
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.
Ali nije sve bilo zabava. Ispostavilo se da je imigracija važno pitanje u ovoj Belotopiji. Gradsko veće Sent Džordža za ilegalne imigracije održavalo je redovne i aktivne proteste protiv imigracije, i ono što sam zapazio u ovoj Belotopiji jeste koliko će goruća debata ovo postati. Bio je to direktan prenos, i to je i postao.
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)
Sledeća stanica: Skoro raj, brvnara koju sam iznajmio za sebe u Koer D'Alen, u prelepoj prevlaci u Severnom Ajdahu. Iznajmio sam ovo mesto za sebe takođe telefonom. (Smeh)
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 „Hiljadu mesta koje treba videti pre nego što umrete” navodi Koer D'Alen - kao prelepi raj za lovce, čamdžije i ribolovce.
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 sve bolje golferske veštine dobrodošle su u Koer D'Alenu. Igrao sam golf sa policajcima Los Anđelesa u penziji. Godine 1993, oko 11 000 porodica i policajaca pobeglo je iz Los Anđelesa nakon rasnih nemira u LA, u Severni Ajdaho, i formirali su izbegličku zajednicu. S obzirom na konzervativnost ovih policajaca, nije čudo da je u Severnom Ajdahu oružje veoma prisutno. Zapravo, priča se da Severni Ajdaho ima više dilera oružjem nego pumpi. Pa šta stanovnik da radi da bi se uklopio? Posetio sam klub oružja. Kada sam iznajmio pištolj, gospodin na šalteru bio je izuzetno prijatan i ljubazan dok mu nisam pokazao svoju vozačku dozvolu iz Njujorka. Tada je postao nervozan. Nisam toliko loš strelac koliko sam mislio da jesam.
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.
Ono što sam razumeo u Severnom Ajdahu jeste poseban brend paranoje koji može da se raširi zajednicom kada je toliko policajaca i oružja prisutno.
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 Severnom Ajdahu, u svom crvenom pikap vozilu, držao sam beležnicu. I u toj beležnici izbrojao sam više zastava Konfederacije nego crnaca. U Severnom Ajdahu našao sam zastave Konfederacije na privescima za ključeve, dodacima za mobilne telefone, i na kolima.
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)
Na oko sedam minuta vožnje od moje skrivene brvnare na jezeru bio je kompleks Ariijevskih nacija, belačke rasističe grupe. Američko sveštenstvo obećanja, religiozni ogranak Arijevskih nacija, bilo je slučajno na trodnevnom odmoru tokom moje posete. Pa sam odlučio da upadnem. (Smeh) Ja sam jedini novinar nearijevac koji je ikada to učino, koliko znam. (Smeh) Među mnogim upečatljivim epizodama tokom tog odmora.... (Smeh) jeste i kada mi se Ejb, Arijevac, prišunjao. Udario me po kolenu i rekao: „Hej, Rič, želim samo da znaš jednu stvar. Mi nismo belački rasisti. Mi smo belački separatisti. Mi ne mislimo da smo bolji od tebe, mi samo želimo da budemo daleko od tebe.” (Smeh)
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.
Zaista, većina belaca u Belotopiji nisu ni belački rasisti ni belački separatisti; zapravo, oni uopšte nisu tu zbog otvoreno rasističkih razloga. Oni emigriraju tamo zbog prijateljskog okruženja, komfora, sigurnosti, bezbednosti - razloga koji su implicitno povezani sa belom kožom samom po sebi.
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)
Sledeća stanica bila je Džordžija. U Džordžiji sam odseo u bogatom predgrađu severno od Atlante. U Juti sam pronašao poker; u Ajdahu sam našao oružje; u Džordžiji sam našao boga. (Smeh) Način na koji sam se utopio u ovu Belotopiju bio je tako što sam postao aktivan u Prvoj spasiočevoj crkvi, megacrkvi koja je toliko velika da ima golf vozila kojima se razvoze vernici po brojnim parkinzima na kampusu. Bio sam aktivan u propovedima za omladinu. I bilo mi je prijatnije u ovoj Belotopiji nego, recimo, u Koloradu, ili Ajdahu, ili čak u predgrađu Bostona. To je zato što tu, u Džordžiji, belci i crnci istorijski bolje poznaju jedni druge. Bio sam manje egzotičan u ovoj Belotopiji. (Smeh)
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.
Ali šta sve to znači? Belotopijsko maštarenje, belotopijska migracija je fenomen toplo-hladno pun zabrinjavajućih stvari koje odbijaju i zavodljivih stvari koje privlače, i Belotopija deluje na nivou svesnih i nesvesnih predrasuda. Ljudi mogu da ne budu u Belotopiji iz rasističkih razloga, ali da to ima rasističke ishode. Mnogi Belotopijci osećaju da ih odbijaju ilegalci, zloupotreba društvenih povlastica, manjine, gustina stanovništva, prenatrpane škole. Mnoge Belotopijce privlače povlastice, sloboda, privlačnost privatizma - privatizovana mesta, privatizovani ljudi privatizovane stvari. I u Belotopiji sam naučio kako zemlja može imati 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 od mojih samozadovoljnih urbanih liberalnih drugova nisu mogli da veruju da ću ići na tako rizično putovanje. Realnost je da su mnogi beli Amerikanci predusretljivi i ljubazni. Lični međurasni odnosi - kako tretiraju jedni druge kao ljude mnogo su bolji nego u vreme generacije mojih roditelja. Možete li zamisliti mene kako idem u Belotopiju pre 40 godina? Kakvo bi to putovanje bilo. (Smeh) Pa ipak, neke stvari se nisu promenile. Amerika je po mestu stanovanja i obrazovanju podeljena danas kao što je bila 1970.
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 kuvamo jedni za druge, da plešemo jedni sa drugima, da budemo domaćini jedni drugima, ali zašto to ne može da se prenese na način na koji tretiramo jedni druge kao zajednice? Poražavajuća je ironija da smo napredovali kao pojedinci a nazadovali 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 belotopijskih stanovišta koje me je stvarno pogodilo bila je izreka: „Jedan crnac je veoma prijatan gost na večeri; 50 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.
Jedan od velikih konteksta koji je motivisao moj belotopijski put je 2042. godina. Do 2042. godine, belci neće više biti većina u Americi. Da li će biti više Belotopija? Posmatrajući ovo, opasnost Belotopije je u tome da, što više podeljenosti imamo, manje možemo da posmatramo i da se suočimo sa svesnim i nesvesnim predrasudama.
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.
Otišao sam na rizični dvogodišnji put od 43 500 kilometara da bih shvatio gde, zašto i kako belci beže, ali nisam očekivao da ću se toliko zabavljati tokom puta. (Smeh) Nisam očekivao da ću naučiti toliko o sebi. Ne očekujem da ću živeti u Belotopiji - niti Crnotopiji, zapravo. Planiram da igram golf svaki put kad dobijem priliku. (Smeh) I moraću da ostavim oružje i megacrkve u Belotopiji.
Thank you.
Hvala vam.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)