My road trip through the whitest towns in America | Rich Benjamin

Prevoditelj: Maja Covic Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

Imagine a place where your neighbors greet your children by name;

Zamislite mjesto gdje vaši susjedi pozdravljaju vašu djecu imenom,

a place with splendid vistas;

mjesto s predivnim vidicima,

a place where you can drive just 20 minutes

gdje vam treba samo 20 minuta vožnje

and put your sailboat on the water.

do vaše jedrilice na vodi.

It's a seductive place, isn't it?

To je zavodljivo mjesto, zar ne?

I don't live there.

Ja ne živim tamo.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

But I did journey on a 27,000-mile trip

No bio sam na putu od preko 4 tisuće kilometara

for two years, to the fastest-growing and whitest counties in America.

u dvije godine, po "najbjeljim" okruzima u Americi koje se i najbrže se razvijaju.

What is a Whitopia?

Što je to Bijelotopija?

I define Whitopia in three ways:

Bijelotopiju definiram na tri načina.

First, a Whitopia has posted at least six percent population growth since 2000.

Prvo, Bijelotopija ima porast stanovništva od barem šest posto od 2000. godine.

Secondly, the majority of that growth comes from white migrants.

Drugo, većini tog porasta pridonose bijeli migranti.

And third, the Whitopia has an ineffable charm,

I treće, Bijelotopija ima neopisiv šarm,

a pleasant look and feel,

ugodnu atmosferu i izgled,

a je Ne sais quoi.

nekakav "Je ne sais quoi".

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

To learn how and why Whitopias are ticking,

Kako bih saznao kako i zašto Bijelotopije rastu,

I immersed myself for several months apiece in three of them:

uronio sam na nekoliko mjeseci u tri takve zajednice:

first, St. George, Utah;

prvo u St. George u saveznoj državi Utah;

second, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho;

drugo u Coeur d'Alene u državi Idaho;

and third, Forsyth County, Georgia.

i treće u Forsyth Countyju u saveznoj državi Georgi.

First stop, St. George -- a beautiful town of red rock landscapes.

Prva postaja bila je St.George, predivan grad s krajolikom od crvenog kamenja.

In the 1850s, Brigham Young dispatched families to St. George

Pedesetih godina 19. stoljeća, Brigham Young slao je obitelji u St, George

to grow cotton because of the hot, arid climate.

da uzgajaju pamuk, zbog vruće i suhe klime.

And so they called it Utah's Dixie, and the name sticks to this day.

Prozvali su je Utin Dixie, a to ime zadržalo se do danas.

I approached my time in each Whitopia like an anthropologist.

U svakoj Bijelotopiji svoje vrijeme sam proveo kao antropolog.

I made detailed spreadsheets of all the power brokers in the communities,

Napravio sam detaljne tablice najmoćnijih ljudi u tim zajednicama,

who I needed to meet, where I needed to be,

koga sam morao upoznati, gdje sam morao biti,

and I threw myself with gusto in these communities.

i zdušno sam se ubacio u te zajednice.

I went to zoning board meetings,

Išao sam na sastanke odbora za zoniranje,

I went to Democratic clubs and Republican clubs.

išao sam u demokratske klubove i republikanske klubove.

I went to poker nights.

Išao sam na igre pokera.

In St. George, I rented a home at the Entrada,

U St. Georgeu sam unajmio kuću u Entradi,

one of the town's premier gated communities.

jednoj od najcjenjenijih zatvorenih zajednica u tom gradu.

There were no Motel 6's or Howard Johnsons for me.

Nisam birao jeftine motele i hotele.

I lived in Whitopia as a resident, and not like a visitor.

Živio sam Bijelotopiji kao stalan stanovnik, a ne posjetitelj.

I rented myself this home by phone.

Unajmio sam taj smještaj preko mobitela.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

Golf is the perfect seductive symbol of Whitopia.

Golf je savršen zavodljiv simbol Bijelotopije.

When I went on my journey,

Prije nego što sam krenuo na put

I had barely ever held a golf club.

jedva da sam ikada primio palicu za golf.

By the time I left, I was golfing at least three times a week.

Pred kraj svojeg boravka u St. Georgeu, igrao sam golf barem tri puta tjedno.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Golf helps people bond.

Golf pomaže ljudima da se zbliže.

Some of the best interviews I ever scored during my trip were on the golf courses.

Neke od najboljih intervjua na svom putovanju odradio sam na terenima za golf.

One venture capitalist, for example, invited me to golf in his private club

Jedan kapitalist pozvao me da igram golf u njegovom privatnom klubu

that had no minority members.

u kojem nema članova manjina.

I also went fishing.

Išao sam i na pecanje.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Because I had never fished, this fellow had to teach me

Nikad prije tog nisam pecao, pa me ovaj tip morao podučiti

how to cast my line and what bait to use.

kako baciti udicu i kakav mamac koristiti.

I also played poker every weekend.

Igrao sam i poker svakog vikenda.

It was Texas Hold 'em with a $10 buy-in.

Texas Hold'em s ulogom od 10 dolara za ulazak u igru.

My poker mates may have been bluffing about the hands that they drew,

Moji prijatelji s pokera možda su blefirali koje karte imaju,

but they weren't bluffing about their social beliefs.

no nisu blefirali svoja društvena uvjerenja.

Some of the most raw, salty conversations I ever had

Neki od najsirovijih i najzajedljivijih razgovora

during my journey were at the poker table.

tijekom mog putovanja odvili su tijekom pokera.

I'm a gung ho entertainer.

Ja sam jako entuzijastičan zabavljač.

I love to cook, I hosted many dinner parties, and in return,

Volim kuhati, organizirao sam mnogo večera, a zauzvrat su me

people invited me to their dinner parties,

ljudi zvali na svoje večere,

and to their barbecues, and to their pool parties,

na roštilj i zabave uz bazen,

and to their birthday parties.

i rođendane.

But it wasn't all fun.

No nije uvijek bilo zabavno.

Immigration turned out to be a big issue in this Whitopia.

Ispostavilo se da je imigracija veliki problem u toj Bijelotopiji.

The St. George's Citizens Council on Illegal Immigration

Gradsko vijeće za ilegalnu imigraciju

held regular and active protests against immigration,

održavalo je redovite i aktivne proteste protiv imigracije,

and so what I gleaned from this Whitopia is what a hot debate this would become.

i u toj zajednici shvatio sam koliko će se žestoka debata razviti oko toga.

It was a real-time preview, and so it has become.

To je bio stvarni prikaz onoga što će uslijediti, što se kasnije i ostvarilo.

Next stop: Almost Heaven, a cabin I rented for myself

Sljedeća postaja: Kao u raju, koliba koju sam unajmio,

in Coeur d'Alene, in the beautiful North Idaho panhandle.

u Coeur d'Alene, u predivnoj prevlaci Sjevernog Idaha.

I rented this place for myself, also by phone.

Unajmio sam si ovaj smještaj, također preko mobitela.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

The book "A Thousand Places To See Before You Die" lists Coeur d'Alene --

Knjiga "Tisuću mjesta za posjetiti prije nego što umrete" navodi i Coeur d'Alene,

it's a gorgeous paradise for huntsmen, boatmen and fishermen.

to je predivan raj za lov, plovidbu i ribolov.

My growing golf skills came in handy in Coeur d'Alene.

Moje novostečene vještine u golfu dobro su došle u Coeur d'Alene.

I golfed with retired LAPD cops.

Igrao sam golf s umirovljenim policajcima iz LA-a.

In 1993, around 11,000 families and cops

Godine 1993. oko jedanaest tisuća obitelji i policajaca

fled Los Angeles after the L.A. racial unrest,

pobjeglo je iz Los Angelesa nakon rasnih nemira,

for North Idaho, and they've built an expatriated community.

u Sjeverni Idaho, gdje su izgradili iseljeničku zajednicu.

Given the conservatism of these cops,

Uzevši u obzir konzervativnost tih murjaka

there's no surprise that North Idaho has a strong gun culture.

nije neobično da u Sjevernom Idahu postoji snažna kultura vatrenog oružja.

In fact, it is said, North Idaho has more gun dealers than gas stations.

Navodno tamo ima više trgovina oružjem nego benzinskih postaja.

So what's a resident to do to fit in?

Kako se onda uklopiti u tu sredinu?

I hit the gun club.

Otišao sam u streljana.

When I rented a gun, the gentleman behind the counter

Kada sam unajmljivao pištolj, gospodin za pultom

was perfectly pleasant and kind,

bio je vrlo ugodan i ljubazan,

until I showed him my New York City driver's license.

sve dok mu nisam pokazao svoju vozačku dozvolu iz New Yorka.

That's when he got nervous.

Tada je postao nervozan.

I'm not as bad a shot as I thought I might have been.

Nisam tako loš u ciljanju kao što sam mislio.

What I learned from North Idaho is the peculiar brand of paranoia

U Sjevernom Idahu upoznao sam neobičnu vrstu paranoje

that can permeate a community when so many cops and guns are around.

koja može prožimati neku zajednicu kada je toliko murjaka i oružja na jednome mjestu.

In North Idaho, in my red pickup truck,

U Sjeverom Idahu, u svom crvenom kamionetu

I kept a notepad.

držao sam blok za zabilješke.

And in that notepad I counted more Confederate flags than black people.

U njemu sam nabrojao više konfederacijskih zastava nego crnaca.

In North Idaho, I found Confederate flags

U Sjevernom Idahu nailazio sam na konfederacijske zastave

on key chains, on cellphone paraphernalia,

na privjescima za ključeve, ukrasima za mobitele,

and on cars.

i na automobilima.

About a seven-minute drive from my hidden lake cabin

Oko sedam minuta vožnje od moje skrivene kolibe na jezeru

was the compound of Aryan Nations,

nalazilo se sjedište Arijevske nacije,

the white supremacist group.

grupe koja promovira nadmoć bijele rase.

America's Promise Ministries, the religious arm of Aryan Nations,

America's Promise Ministries, vjerska organizacija Arijevske nacije,

happened to have a three-day retreat during my visit.

imala je trodnevnu duhovnu obnovu tijekom moje posjete.

So I decided to crash it.

Odlučio sam upasti tamo nepozvan.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

I'm the only non-Aryan journalist I'm aware of ever to have done so.

Ja sam jedini nearijevski novinar za kojega znam koji je ikada to napravio.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Among the many memorable episodes of that retreat...

Jedan od mnogih upečatljivih događaja na toj duhovnoj obnovi -

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

...is when Abe, an Aryan, sidled up next to me.

- bio je kada mi je prišao Abe, Arijevac.

He slapped my knee, and he said, "Hey Rich, I just want you to know one thing.

Udario me po koljenu i rekao, "Hej Rich, želim da znaš jednu stvar.

We are not white supremacists. We are white separatists.

Mi ne promoviramo nadmoć bijele rase. Mi smo bijeli separatisti.

We don't think we're better than you,

Ne mislimo da smo bolji od tebe,

we just want to be away from you."

samo želimo biti daleko od tebe."

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Indeed, most white people in Whitopia are neither white supremacists

Uistinu, većina bijelaca u Bijelotopiji niti ne zagovara nadmoć bijele rase,

or white separatists;

niti pripada bijelim separatistima.

in fact, they're not there for explicitly racial reasons at all.

Zapravo, oni uopće nisu tamo zbog izričitih rasnih razloga.

Rather, they emigrate there

Oni zapravo emigriraju tamo

for friendliness, comfort, security, safety --

radi prijateljstva, udobnosti, zaštite, sigurnosti,

reasons that they implicitly associate to whiteness in itself.

razloga koje implicitno povezuju sa samom kategorijom bijelosti.

Next stop was Georgia.

Sljedeća postaja bila je Georgia.

In Georgia, I stayed in an exurb north of Atlanta.

Tamo sam odsjeo u rubnom dijelu grada, sjeverno od Atlante.

In Utah, I found poker;

U Uti sam otkrio poker,

in Idaho, I found guns;

u Idahu sam otkrio oružje,

in Georgia, I found God.

a u Georgi sam otkrio Boga.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

The way that I immersed myself in this Whitopia

U tu sam se Bijelotopiju uklopio tako

was to become active at First Redeemer Church,

da sam postao aktivan u Crkvi prvih otkupljenika,

a megachurch that's so huge that it has golf carts

megacrkvi koja je toliko ogromna da ima golf vozila

to escort the congregants around its many parking lots on campus.

koja koriste vjernicima na njenim brojnim parkiralištima na kampusu.

I was active in the youth ministry.

Ja sam se aktivno uključio u ministriranje za mlade.

And for me, personally, I was more comfortable in this Whitopia

Osobno mi je bilo ugodnije u toj Bijelotopiji

than say, in a Colorado, or an Idaho, or even a suburban Boston.

nego u Koloradu ili Idahu, ili čak predgrađu Bostona.

That is because [there], in Georgia,

Razlog tome je što su u Georgi,

white people and black people are more historically familiar to one another.

bijelci i crnci više povijesno bliski.

I was less exotic in this Whitopia.

Nisam bio toliko egzotičan u toj Bijelotopiji.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

But what does it all mean?

No što sve to znači?

Whitopian dreaming, Whitopia migration, is a push-pull phenomenon,

San o Bijelotopiji, takva migracija, sastoji se od efekta guranja i povlačenja

full of alarming pushes and alluring pulls,

punog uznemirujućeg guranja i primamljivog vučenja.

and Whitopia operates at the level of conscious and unconscious bias.

Bijelotopija djeluje na razini svjesne i nesvjesne pristranosti.

It's possible for people to be in Whitopia not for racist reasons,

Moguće je da ljudi žive u Bijelotopiji ne iz rasističkih pobuda,

though it has racist outcomes.

iako to može rezultirati rasizmom.

Many Whitopians feel pushed by illegals,

Mnogi Bijelotopijci osjećaju se kao da ih guraju ilegalci,

social welfare abuse, minorities, density, crowded schools.

zloboraba socijalne skrbi, manjine, gustoća naseljenosti, prepune škole.

Many Whitopians feel pulled by merit,

Mnoge Bijelotopijce privlači vrijednost,

freedom, the allure of privatism -- privatized places, privatized people,

sloboda, zavodljivost privatiziranosti - privatiziranih mjesta, ljudi,

privatized things.

privatiziranih stvari.

And I learned in Whitopia how a country can have racism

U Bijelotopiji sam naučio kako zemlja može sadržavati rasizam,

without racists.

bez rasista.

Many of my smug urban liberal friends

Mnogi moji samodopadni liberalni prijatelji

couldn't believe I would go on such a venture.

nisu mogli vjerovati da se upuštam u takav pothvat.

The reality is that many white Americans are affable and kind.

U stvarnosti su mnogi bijeli Amerikanci ljubazni i srdačni.

Interpersonal race relations -- how we treat each other as human beings --

Međuljudski rasni odnosi, kako se međusobno ophodimo jedni prema drugima,

are vastly better than in my parents' generation.

nadaleko su bolji nego kod generacije mojih roditelja.

Can you imagine me going to Whitopia 40 years ago?

Možete li me zamisliti kako idem u Bijelotopiju prije četrdeset godina?

What a journey that would have been.

Kakvo bi to bilo putovanje.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

And yet, some things haven't changed.

Pa ipak, neke se stvari nisu promijenile.

America is as residentially and educationally segregated today

Amerika je i danas stambeno i edukacijski segregirana

as it was in 1970.

kao što je bila 1970-ih.

As Americans, we often find ways to cook for each other,

Kao Amerikanci, često nalazimo načine da kuhamo jedni za druge,

to dance with each other,

da zajedno plešemo,

to host with each other,

da se međusobno ugošćujemo,

but why can't that translate into how we treat each other as communities?

no zašto to ne možemo primijeniti na način na koji se zajednice međusobno ophode?

It's a devastating irony,

To je poražavajuća ironija,

how we have gone forward as individuals,

koliko smo daleko dogurali kao pojedinci,

and backwards as communities.

a unazadili se kao zajednice.

One of the Whitopian outlooks that really hit me

Jedno od bijelotopijskih gledišta koje me zaista potreslo

was a proverbial saying:

bila je poslovična izreka:

"One black man is a delightful dinner guest;

"Jedan crnac je divan gost na večeru;

50 black men is a ghetto."

pedeset crnaca je geto."

One of the big contexts animating my Whitopian journey was the year 2042.

Velika stavka koja je nadahnjivala moj put kroz Bijelotopije je 2042. godina.

By 2042, white people will no longer be the American majority.

Do 2042. bijelci više neće biti većinsko stanovništvo u Americi.

As such, will there be more Whitopias?

Shodno tome, hoće li postojati više Bijelotopija?

In looking at this,

Promatrajući ovo,

the danger of Whitopia is that the more segregation we have,

opasnost Bijelotopije je u tome da što više segregacije postoji,

the less we can look at and confront conscious and unconscious bias.

manje možemo proučavati i suočavati se sa svjesnim i nesvjesnim pristranostima.

I ventured on my two-year, 27,000 mile journey

Uputio sam se na svoje dvogodišnje putovanje od preko 4000 kilometara

to learn where, why, and how white people are fleeing,

da saznam gdje, zašto i kako bijelci bježe

but I didn't expect to have so much fun on my journey.

no nisam očekivao da ću se toliko zabaviti.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

I didn't expect to learn so much about myself.

Nisam očekivao da ću naučiti toliko mnogo o sebi.

I don't expect I'll be living in a Whitopia --

Ne vjerujem da ću živjeti u Bijelotopiji,

or a Blacktopia, for that matter.

niti, što se toga tiče, u Crnotopiji.

I do plan to continue golfing every chance I get.

Planiram nastaviti igrati golf kad god mi se ukaže prilika.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

And I'll just have to leave the guns and megachurches back in Whitopia.

I morat ću ostaviti oružje i megacrkve u Bijelotopiji.

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)