Rich Benjamin: My road trip through the whitest towns in America
李其.班哲明: 長征美國白人城鎮之旅
The author of "Whitopia," Rich Benjamin sharply observes modern society and politics. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
greet your children by name;
你的鄰居叫得出你孩子的名字;
just 20 minutes
近四萬四千公里的旅程,
and whitest counties in America.
且居民很白的幾個縣走走。
six percent population growth since 2000.
至少有 6% 的人口成長。
comes from white migrants.
主要是因為白種人移入。
has an ineffable charm,
有著難以言喻的魅力,
Whitopias are ticking,
又為何會發展起來,
apiece in three of them:
讓自己深入其中三個地方:
a beautiful town of red rock landscapes.
是個有著紅岩景色的美麗小鎮,
dispatched families to St. George
差派數個家庭到聖喬治種植棉花,
of the hot, arid climate.
and the name sticks to this day.
而且這個名字延用至今。
like an anthropologist.
前進每一座白色烏托邦。
the power brokers in the communities,
所有的權力掮客,
where I needed to be,
需要出現在什麼地方,
in these communities.
去參與社區活動。
and Republican clubs.
a home at the Entrada,
「怡家」社區租了一棟房子,
premier gated communities.
有警衛管理的豪宅區。
or Howard Johnsons for me.
汽車旅館或連鎖飯店。
and not like a visitor.
而不是觀光客。
(譯注:不用顯示自己是黑人)
symbol of Whitopia.
完美誘惑代表。
at least three times a week.
我每星期至少要打三次。
during my trip were on the golf courses.
都是在高爾夫球場上聊來的。
invited me to golf in his private club
邀我去他私人的高爾夫俱樂部,
this fellow had to teach me
這傢伙還得教我
about the hands that they drew,
都虛張聲勢說自己有一手好牌,
about their social beliefs.
社會信念可一點都不假。
salty conversations I ever had
many dinner parties, and in return,
and to their pool parties,
a big issue in this Whitopia.
白色烏托邦是個大議題。
on Illegal Immigration
against immigration,
積極反對外來移民,
is what a hot debate this would become.
白色烏托邦搜集到的情報,
非常激烈的辯論。
and so it has become.
而現在的確也變成如此。
a cabin I rented for myself
是我給我自己租的小木屋,
North Idaho panhandle.
狹長的那一塊。
for myself, also by phone.
也是用電話。
Before You Die" lists Coeur d'Alene --
柯達倫名列其一。
boatmen and fishermen.
及漁友的美麗天堂。
came in handy in Coeur d'Alene.
在柯達倫派上用場。
一起打高爾夫。
一萬一千個家庭及警察,
after the L.A. racial unrest,
an expatriated community.
在此建造了一個流放社區。
has a strong gun culture.
擁槍文化一點也不意外。
has more gun dealers than gas stations.
北愛達荷的槍枝業者比加油站還多。
the gentleman behind the counter
my New York City driver's license.
as I thought I might have been.
但是其實還好。
is the peculiar brand of paranoia
有這麼多警察及槍枝在四周,
when so many cops and guns are around.
奇特的妄想深植社區之中。
我在我的小紅載卡多內
more Confederate flags than black people.
南軍聯盟國旗比黑人還多。
我發現南軍聯盟國旗
from my hidden lake cabin
七分鐘就會到的地方,
the religious arm of Aryan Nations,
為亞利安國的宗教部門,
retreat during my visit.
舉行三天的退修會。
I'm aware of ever to have done so.
非亞利安(白人)記者,
episodes of that retreat...
許多難以忘懷的情節,
sidled up next to me.
悄悄的走到我身邊。
Rich, I just want you to know one thing.
「嘿,李其,我想讓你瞭解一件事。
We are white separatists.
我們是白人分離主義者。
are neither white supremacists
並非白人至上主義者,
for explicitly racial reasons at all.
種族原因而聚集在那裡。
security, safety --
有安全感而且也很安全。
to whiteness in itself.
與白人本身連結在一起。
north of Atlanta.
我住在北亞特蘭大遠郊區。
in this Whitopia
這座白色烏托邦的方法,
at First Redeemer Church,
that it has golf carts
大到甚至有高爾夫球車
its many parking lots on campus.
眾多的停車場間。
I was more comfortable in this Whitopia
我在這座白色烏托邦感覺更自在,
or even a suburban Boston.
或波士頓近郊都還自在。
historically familiar to one another.
沒有那麼奇特。
is a push-pull phenomenon,
白色烏托邦遷徙,
and alluring pulls,
及誘人的拉力。
of conscious and unconscious bias.
及無意識的偏見運作著。
not for racist reasons,
很可能不是因為種族主義,
覺得被非法移民、
density, crowded schools.
稠密人口,及擁擠的學校推出去。
privatized places, privatized people,
私有化的地方、私有化的人民、
how a country can have racism
一個國家如何有種族主義,
都會自由派朋友,
on such a venture.
我會踏上這趟冒險之旅。
are affable and kind.
白種美國人都很和藹善良。
how we treat each other as human beings --
我們以人類的身分如何對待他人──
my parents' generation.
to Whitopia 40 years ago?
我去白色烏托邦會是什麼樣子嗎?
and educationally segregated today
居住及教育方面的隔離
to cook for each other,
我們常找方法給彼此做點菜,
treat each other as communities?
以族群的身分這樣對待彼此?
that really hit me
對我產生極大震撼,
a delightful dinner guest;
my Whitopian journey was the year 2042.
一項大環境背景是 2042 年。
the American majority.
白人不再佔美國的多數。
白色烏托邦出現嗎?
that the more segregation we have,
我們愈隔離,
conscious and unconscious bias.
有意識及無意識的偏見。
27,000 mile journey
踏上四萬四千公里的旅程,
white people are fleeing,
為什麼要逃,又怎麼逃,
so much fun on my journey.
so much about myself.
in a Whitopia --
every chance I get.
就要繼續打高爾夫。
and megachurches back in Whitopia.
留在白色烏托邦。
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Rich Benjamin - Social observerThe author of "Whitopia," Rich Benjamin sharply observes modern society and politics.
Why you should listen
In his essays, book reviews and other writing, Rich Benjamin gives thoughtful commentary on the changing nature of politics and culture. For his 2009 book Whitopia, he took a 26,909-mile journey through the heart of America's whitest locales, small towns and exurbs where white populations are concentrating as America, meanwhile, becomes ever more diverse. His book asks America to imagine itself in 2042, when whites are no longer the majority. What form will diversity take?
Benjamin is a senior fellow at Demos, a multi-issue think tank, and is just completing a novel on money, loss and heterosexual melancholy.
Rich Benjamin | Speaker | TED.com