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

Prevodilac: Milica Radenkovic Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

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

Zamislite mesto u kome komšije pozdravljaju vašu decu imenom;

a place with splendid vistas;

mesto sa predivnim pejzažima;

a place where you can drive just 20 minutes

mesto u kome možete voziti samo 20 minuta

and put your sailboat on the water.

i staviti svoj jedrenjak na vodu.

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

To je privlačno mesto, zar ne?

I don't live there.

Ja ne živim tamo.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

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

Ali sam putovao 43 500 kilometara

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

dve godine do zemalja u Americi

koje se najbrže razvijaju i imaju najviše belaca.

What is a Whitopia?

Šta je Belotopija?

I define Whitopia in three ways:

Ja definišem Belotopiju na tri načina:

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

prvo, Belotopija je zabeležila rast broja stanovnika od najmanje 6 odsto od 2000.

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

Drugo, veći deo tog rasta čine migranti belci

And third, the Whitopia has an ineffable charm,

I treće, Belotopija ima neopisivi šarm,

a pleasant look and feel,

prijatan izgled i osećaj,

a je Ne sais quoi.

ne znam šta sve ne.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

To learn how and why Whitopias are ticking,

Da bih saznao kako i zašto se Belotopijci ponašaju,

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

stopio sam se sa svakim od ovih gradova ponaosob nekoliko meseci:

first, St. George, Utah;

prvi, Sent Džordž, Juta;

second, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho;

drugi, Koer D'Alen, Ajdaho;

and third, Forsyth County, Georgia.

i treći, Forsajt Kaunti, Džordžija.

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

Prva stanica, Sent Džordž - prelepi grad sa pejzažima crvenih stena.

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

1850-ih Brigam Jang poslao je porodice u Sent Džordž

to grow cotton because of the hot, arid climate.

da uzgajaju pamuk, zbog tople, suve klime.

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

I tako su ga nazvali Jutin Diksi, i ime se zadržalo do danas.

I approached my time in each Whitopia like an anthropologist.

Pristupio sam boravku u svakoj Belotopiji kao antropolog.

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

Napravio sam detaljne tabele svih moćnika u zajednicama,

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

koga je trebalo da upoznam, gde je trebalo da budem,

and I threw myself with gusto in these communities.

i ubacio sam se sa zadovoljstvom u ove zajednice.

I went to zoning board meetings,

Išao sam na sastanke odbora za izgradnju,

I went to Democratic clubs and Republican clubs.

išao sam u klubove demokrata i klubove republikanaca.

I went to poker nights.

Išao sam na pokeraške večeri.

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

U Sent Džordžu iznajmio sam kuću na Entradi,

one of the town's premier gated communities.

jednom od elitnih delova grada.

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

Nisam želeo da odsednem u Motelu 6 ili Hauard Džonsonu.

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

Živeo sam u Belotopiji kao stanovnik, ne kao posetilac.

I rented myself this home by phone.

Iznajmio sam ovu kuću telefonom.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

Golf is the perfect seductive symbol of Whitopia.

Golf je savršeno primamljiv simbol Belotopije.

When I went on my journey,

Kada sam krenuo na putovanje,

I had barely ever held a golf club.

jedva da sam ikada pre držao štap za golf.

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

Kada sam odlazio, igrao sam golf najmanje tri puta nedeljno.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

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.

Neki od najboljih intervjua koje sam ubo tokom puta bili su na terenima za golf.

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

Jedan mešetar, na primer, pozvao me je da igram golf u njegovom privatnom klubu

that had no minority members.

u kome nije bilo pripadnika manjina.

I also went fishing.

Takođe sam išao da pecam.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

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

Zato što nikada nisam pecao, ovaj tip je morao da me nauči

how to cast my line and what bait to use.

kako da bacim udicu i koji mamac da koristim.

I also played poker every weekend.

Takođe sam igrao poker svakog vikenda.

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

Bio je to Teksas Holdem sa ulogom od 10 dolara.

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

Možda su moji pokeraški drugari blefirali koje su karte izvlačili,

but they weren't bluffing about their social beliefs.

ali nisu blefirali o svojim društvenim uverenjima.

Some of the most raw, salty conversations I ever had

Neki od najvulgarnijih, najžučnijih razgovora koje sam ikada vodio

during my journey were at the poker table.

tokom mog putovanja bili su za pokeraškim stolom.

I'm a gung ho entertainer.

Ja sam entuzijastični zabavljač.

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

Volim da kuvam, organizovao sam mnogo večera, i zauzvrat,

people invited me to their dinner parties,

ljudi su me pozivali na svoje večere,

and to their barbecues, and to their pool parties,

i svoje roštilje, i svoje žurke pored bazena,

and to their birthday parties.

i svoje rođendanske žurke.

But it wasn't all fun.

Ali nije sve bilo zabava.

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

Ispostavilo se da je imigracija važno pitanje u ovoj Belotopiji.

The St. George's Citizens Council on Illegal Immigration

Gradsko veće Sent Džordža za ilegalne imigracije

held regular and active protests against immigration,

održavalo je redovne i aktivne proteste protiv imigracije,

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

i ono što sam zapazio u ovoj Belotopiji jeste koliko će goruća debata ovo postati.

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

Bio je to direktan prenos, i to je i postao.

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

Sledeća stanica: Skoro raj, brvnara koju sam iznajmio za sebe

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

u Koer D'Alen, u prelepoj prevlaci u Severnom Ajdahu.

I rented this place for myself, also by phone.

Iznajmio sam ovo mesto za sebe takođe telefonom.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

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

Knjiga „Hiljadu mesta koje treba videti pre nego što umrete” navodi Koer D'Alen -

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

kao prelepi raj za lovce, čamdžije i ribolovce.

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

Moje sve bolje golferske veštine dobrodošle su u Koer D'Alenu.

I golfed with retired LAPD cops.

Igrao sam golf sa policajcima Los Anđelesa u penziji.

In 1993, around 11,000 families and cops

Godine 1993, oko 11 000 porodica i policajaca

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

pobeglo je iz Los Anđelesa nakon rasnih nemira u LA,

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

u Severni Ajdaho, i formirali su izbegličku zajednicu.

Given the conservatism of these cops,

S obzirom na konzervativnost ovih policajaca,

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

nije čudo da je u Severnom Ajdahu oružje veoma prisutno.

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

Zapravo, priča se da Severni Ajdaho ima više dilera oružjem nego pumpi.

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

Pa šta stanovnik da radi da bi se uklopio?

I hit the gun club.

Posetio sam klub oružja.

When I rented a gun, the gentleman behind the counter

Kada sam iznajmio pištolj, gospodin na šalteru

was perfectly pleasant and kind,

bio je izuzetno prijatan i ljubazan

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

dok mu nisam pokazao svoju vozačku dozvolu iz Njujorka.

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 toliko loš strelac koliko sam mislio da jesam.

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

Ono što sam razumeo u Severnom Ajdahu jeste poseban brend paranoje

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

koji može da se raširi zajednicom

kada je toliko policajaca i oružja prisutno.

In North Idaho, in my red pickup truck,

U Severnom Ajdahu, u svom crvenom pikap vozilu,

I kept a notepad.

držao sam beležnicu.

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

I u toj beležnici izbrojao sam više zastava Konfederacije nego crnaca.

In North Idaho, I found Confederate flags

U Severnom Ajdahu našao sam zastave Konfederacije

on key chains, on cellphone paraphernalia,

na privescima za ključeve, dodacima za mobilne telefone,

and on cars.

i na kolima.

About a seven-minute drive from my hidden lake cabin

Na oko sedam minuta vožnje od moje skrivene brvnare na jezeru

was the compound of Aryan Nations,

bio je kompleks Ariijevskih nacija,

the white supremacist group.

belačke rasističe grupe.

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

Američko sveštenstvo obećanja, religiozni ogranak Arijevskih nacija,

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

bilo je slučajno na trodnevnom odmoru tokom moje posete.

So I decided to crash it.

Pa sam odlučio da upadnem.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

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

Ja sam jedini novinar nearijevac koji je ikada to učino, koliko znam.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Among the many memorable episodes of that retreat...

Među mnogim upečatljivim epizodama tokom tog odmora....

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

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

jeste i kada mi se Ejb, Arijevac, prišunjao.

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

Udario me po kolenu i rekao: „Hej, Rič, želim samo da znaš jednu stvar.

We are not white supremacists. We are white separatists.

Mi nismo belački rasisti. Mi smo belački separatisti.

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

Mi ne mislimo da smo bolji od tebe,

we just want to be away from you."

mi samo želimo da budemo daleko od tebe.”

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Indeed, most white people in Whitopia are neither white supremacists

Zaista, većina belaca u Belotopiji nisu ni belački rasisti

or white separatists;

ni belački separatisti;

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

zapravo, oni uopšte nisu tu zbog otvoreno rasističkih razloga.

Rather, they emigrate there

Oni emigriraju tamo

for friendliness, comfort, security, safety --

zbog prijateljskog okruženja, komfora, sigurnosti, bezbednosti -

reasons that they implicitly associate to whiteness in itself.

razloga koji su implicitno povezani sa belom kožom samom po sebi.

Next stop was Georgia.

Sledeća stanica bila je Džordžija.

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

U Džordžiji sam odseo u bogatom predgrađu severno od Atlante.

In Utah, I found poker;

U Juti sam pronašao poker;

in Idaho, I found guns;

u Ajdahu sam našao oružje;

in Georgia, I found God.

u Džordžiji sam našao boga.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

The way that I immersed myself in this Whitopia

Način na koji sam se utopio u ovu Belotopiju

was to become active at First Redeemer Church,

bio je tako što sam postao aktivan u Prvoj spasiočevoj crkvi,

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

megacrkvi koja je toliko velika da ima golf vozila

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

kojima se razvoze vernici po brojnim parkinzima na kampusu.

I was active in the youth ministry.

Bio sam aktivan u propovedima za omladinu.

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

I bilo mi je prijatnije u ovoj Belotopiji

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

nego, recimo, u Koloradu, ili Ajdahu, ili čak u predgrađu Bostona.

That is because [there], in Georgia,

To je zato što tu, u Džordžiji,

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

belci i crnci istorijski bolje poznaju jedni druge.

I was less exotic in this Whitopia.

Bio sam manje egzotičan u ovoj Belotopiji.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

But what does it all mean?

Ali šta sve to znači?

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

Belotopijsko maštarenje, belotopijska migracija

je fenomen toplo-hladno pun zabrinjavajućih stvari koje odbijaju

full of alarming pushes and alluring pulls,

i zavodljivih stvari koje privlače,

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

i Belotopija deluje na nivou svesnih i nesvesnih predrasuda.

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

Ljudi mogu da ne budu u Belotopiji iz rasističkih razloga,

though it has racist outcomes.

ali da to ima rasističke ishode.

Many Whitopians feel pushed by illegals,

Mnogi Belotopijci osećaju da ih odbijaju ilegalci,

social welfare abuse, minorities, density, crowded schools.

zloupotreba društvenih povlastica, manjine, gustina stanovništva,

prenatrpane škole.

Many Whitopians feel pulled by merit,

Mnoge Belotopijce privlače povlastice,

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

sloboda, privlačnost privatizma - privatizovana mesta, privatizovani ljudi

privatized things.

privatizovane stvari.

And I learned in Whitopia how a country can have racism

I u Belotopiji sam naučio kako zemlja može imati rasizam

without racists.

bez rasista.

Many of my smug urban liberal friends

Mnogi od mojih samozadovoljnih urbanih liberalnih drugova

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

nisu mogli da veruju da ću ići na tako rizično putovanje.

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

Realnost je da su mnogi beli Amerikanci predusretljivi i ljubazni.

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

Lični međurasni odnosi - kako tretiraju jedni druge kao ljude

are vastly better than in my parents' generation.

mnogo su bolji nego u vreme generacije mojih roditelja.

Can you imagine me going to Whitopia 40 years ago?

Možete li zamisliti mene kako idem u Belotopiju pre 40 godina?

What a journey that would have been.

Kakvo bi to putovanje bilo.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

And yet, some things haven't changed.

Pa ipak, neke stvari se nisu promenile.

America is as residentially and educationally segregated today

Amerika je po mestu stanovanja i obrazovanju podeljena danas

as it was in 1970.

kao što je bila 1970.

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

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

to dance with each other,

da plešemo jedni sa drugima,

to host with each other,

da budemo domaćini jedni drugima,

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

ali zašto to ne može da se prenese

na način na koji tretiramo jedni druge kao zajednice?

It's a devastating irony,

Poražavajuća je ironija

how we have gone forward as individuals,

da smo napredovali kao pojedinci

and backwards as communities.

a nazadovali kao zajednice.

One of the Whitopian outlooks that really hit me

Jedno od belotopijskih stanovišta koje me je stvarno pogodilo

was a proverbial saying:

bila je izreka:

"One black man is a delightful dinner guest;

„Jedan crnac je veoma prijatan gost na večeri;

50 black men is a ghetto."

50 crnaca je geto.”

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

Jedan od velikih konteksta

koji je motivisao moj belotopijski put je 2042. godina.

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

Do 2042. godine, belci neće više biti većina u Americi.

As such, will there be more Whitopias?

Da li će biti više Belotopija?

In looking at this,

Posmatrajući ovo,

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

opasnost Belotopije je u tome da, što više podeljenosti imamo,

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

manje možemo da posmatramo i da se suočimo sa svesnim i nesvesnim predrasudama.

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

Otišao sam na rizični dvogodišnji put od 43 500 kilometara

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

da bih shvatio gde, zašto i kako belci beže,

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

ali nisam očekivao da ću se toliko zabavljati tokom puta.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

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

Nisam očekivao da ću naučiti toliko o sebi.

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

Ne očekujem da ću živeti u Belotopiji -

or a Blacktopia, for that matter.

niti Crnotopiji, zapravo.

I do plan to continue golfing every chance I get.

Planiram da igram golf svaki put kad dobijem priliku.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

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

I moraću da ostavim oružje i megacrkve u Belotopiji.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)