ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Rich Benjamin - Social observer
The 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.

More profile about the speaker
Rich Benjamin | Speaker | TED.com
TEDWomen 2015

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

Filmed:
2,671,409 views

As America becomes more and more multicultural, Rich Benjamin noticed a phenomenon: Some communities were actually getting less diverse. So he got out a map, found the whitest towns in the USA -- and moved in. In this funny, honest, human talk, he shares what he learned as a black man in Whitopia.
- Social observer
The author of "Whitopia," Rich Benjamin sharply observes modern society and politics. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
Imagine a place where your neighbors
greet your children by name;
0
1658
5946
00:19
a place with splendid vistas;
1
7628
3303
00:22
a place where you can drive
just 20 minutes
2
10955
3111
00:26
and put your sailboat on the water.
3
14090
2062
00:28
It's a seductive place, isn't it?
4
16680
2579
00:32
I don't live there.
5
20261
1596
00:33
(Laughter)
6
21881
2549
00:36
But I did journey on a 27,000-mile trip
7
24454
6019
00:42
for two years, to the fastest-growing
and whitest counties in America.
8
30497
6362
00:50
What is a Whitopia?
9
38732
1469
00:52
I define Whitopia in three ways:
10
40820
3155
00:55
First, a Whitopia has posted at least
six percent population growth since 2000.
11
43999
6659
01:03
Secondly, the majority of that growth
comes from white migrants.
12
51451
4473
01:08
And third, the Whitopia
has an ineffable charm,
13
56415
3800
01:12
a pleasant look and feel,
14
60239
2555
01:14
a je Ne sais quoi.
15
62818
1508
01:16
(Laughter)
16
64350
3209
01:19
To learn how and why
Whitopias are ticking,
17
67583
4392
01:23
I immersed myself for several months
apiece in three of them:
18
71999
5423
01:29
first, St. George, Utah;
19
77446
2650
01:32
second, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho;
20
80120
2437
01:34
and third, Forsyth County, Georgia.
21
82581
2603
01:38
First stop, St. George --
a beautiful town of red rock landscapes.
22
86883
5526
01:44
In the 1850s, Brigham Young
dispatched families to St. George
23
92433
5353
01:49
to grow cotton because
of the hot, arid climate.
24
97810
3284
01:53
And so they called it Utah's Dixie,
and the name sticks to this day.
25
101118
4428
02:00
I approached my time in each Whitopia
like an anthropologist.
26
108368
4962
02:05
I made detailed spreadsheets of all
the power brokers in the communities,
27
113354
4621
02:09
who I needed to meet,
where I needed to be,
28
117999
3434
02:13
and I threw myself with gusto
in these communities.
29
121457
3218
02:16
I went to zoning board meetings,
30
124699
2276
02:18
I went to Democratic clubs
and Republican clubs.
31
126999
3763
02:22
I went to poker nights.
32
130786
1912
02:27
In St. George, I rented
a home at the Entrada,
33
135206
4912
02:32
one of the town's
premier gated communities.
34
140142
3112
02:35
There were no Motel 6's
or Howard Johnsons for me.
35
143278
4318
02:39
I lived in Whitopia as a resident,
and not like a visitor.
36
147620
4334
02:44
I rented myself this home by phone.
37
152883
4502
02:49
(Laughter)
38
157409
2539
02:51
(Applause)
39
159972
1365
02:53
Golf is the perfect seductive
symbol of Whitopia.
40
161361
5960
02:59
When I went on my journey,
41
167750
1810
03:01
I had barely ever held a golf club.
42
169584
3115
03:04
By the time I left, I was golfing
at least three times a week.
43
172723
4675
03:09
(Laughter)
44
177422
2687
03:12
Golf helps people bond.
45
180133
2936
03:15
Some of the best interviews I ever scored
during my trip were on the golf courses.
46
183093
6243
03:21
One venture capitalist, for example,
invited me to golf in his private club
47
189716
5459
03:27
that had no minority members.
48
195199
2055
03:30
I also went fishing.
49
198933
1475
03:32
(Laughter)
50
200432
2001
03:34
Because I had never fished,
this fellow had to teach me
51
202457
3016
03:37
how to cast my line and what bait to use.
52
205497
2776
03:42
I also played poker every weekend.
53
210550
3271
03:45
It was Texas Hold 'em with a $10 buy-in.
54
213845
2832
03:50
My poker mates may have been bluffing
about the hands that they drew,
55
218058
4259
03:54
but they weren't bluffing
about their social beliefs.
56
222341
3182
03:57
Some of the most raw,
salty conversations I ever had
57
225547
3603
04:01
during my journey were at the poker table.
58
229174
2705
04:04
I'm a gung ho entertainer.
59
232951
2006
04:08
I love to cook, I hosted
many dinner parties, and in return,
60
236140
3976
04:12
people invited me to their dinner parties,
61
240140
3148
04:15
and to their barbecues,
and to their pool parties,
62
243312
2658
04:17
and to their birthday parties.
63
245994
1795
04:21
But it wasn't all fun.
64
249385
1467
04:23
Immigration turned out to be
a big issue in this Whitopia.
65
251781
4362
04:28
The St. George's Citizens Council
on Illegal Immigration
66
256167
3414
04:31
held regular and active protests
against immigration,
67
259605
4094
04:35
and so what I gleaned from this Whitopia
is what a hot debate this would become.
68
263723
5901
04:41
It was a real-time preview,
and so it has become.
69
269648
3985
04:47
Next stop: Almost Heaven,
a cabin I rented for myself
70
275084
5343
04:52
in Coeur d'Alene, in the beautiful
North Idaho panhandle.
71
280451
3667
04:57
I rented this place
for myself, also by phone.
72
285048
3023
05:00
(Laughter)
73
288095
1380
05:02
The book "A Thousand Places To See
Before You Die" lists Coeur d'Alene --
74
290530
4820
05:07
it's a gorgeous paradise for huntsmen,
boatmen and fishermen.
75
295374
4094
05:13
My growing golf skills
came in handy in Coeur d'Alene.
76
301031
3033
05:16
I golfed with retired LAPD cops.
77
304088
2944
05:19
In 1993, around 11,000 families and cops
78
307714
5510
05:25
fled Los Angeles
after the L.A. racial unrest,
79
313248
6110
05:31
for North Idaho, and they've built
an expatriated community.
80
319382
4022
05:36
Given the conservatism of these cops,
81
324809
3013
05:39
there's no surprise that North Idaho
has a strong gun culture.
82
327846
5342
05:45
In fact, it is said, North Idaho
has more gun dealers than gas stations.
83
333212
5782
05:53
So what's a resident to do to fit in?
84
341677
3136
05:56
I hit the gun club.
85
344837
1366
05:58
When I rented a gun,
the gentleman behind the counter
86
346942
3395
06:02
was perfectly pleasant and kind,
87
350361
2614
06:04
until I showed him
my New York City driver's license.
88
352999
2941
06:08
That's when he got nervous.
89
356999
1498
06:11
I'm not as bad a shot
as I thought I might have been.
90
359767
3269
06:16
What I learned from North Idaho
is the peculiar brand of paranoia
91
364448
6456
06:22
that can permeate a community
when so many cops and guns are around.
92
370928
5115
06:30
In North Idaho, in my red pickup truck,
93
378070
4707
06:34
I kept a notepad.
94
382801
1357
06:36
And in that notepad I counted
more Confederate flags than black people.
95
384700
4238
06:41
In North Idaho, I found Confederate flags
96
389589
3263
06:44
on key chains, on cellphone paraphernalia,
97
392876
4225
06:49
and on cars.
98
397125
1297
06:51
About a seven-minute drive
from my hidden lake cabin
99
399780
3445
06:55
was the compound of Aryan Nations,
100
403249
2817
06:58
the white supremacist group.
101
406090
1992
07:02
America's Promise Ministries,
the religious arm of Aryan Nations,
102
410384
5072
07:07
happened to have a three-day
retreat during my visit.
103
415480
4488
07:12
So I decided to crash it.
104
420913
1635
07:14
(Laughter)
105
422572
2612
07:17
I'm the only non-Aryan journalist
I'm aware of ever to have done so.
106
425208
4835
07:22
(Laughter)
107
430067
1062
07:23
Among the many memorable
episodes of that retreat...
108
431153
4613
07:27
(Laughter)
109
435790
1269
07:29
...is when Abe, an Aryan,
sidled up next to me.
110
437083
3892
07:32
He slapped my knee, and he said, "Hey
Rich, I just want you to know one thing.
111
440999
5420
07:38
We are not white supremacists.
We are white separatists.
112
446443
4500
07:42
We don't think we're better than you,
113
450967
1874
07:44
we just want to be away from you."
114
452865
1689
07:46
(Laughter)
115
454578
4414
07:51
Indeed, most white people in Whitopia
are neither white supremacists
116
459016
6995
07:58
or white separatists;
117
466035
1815
07:59
in fact, they're not there
for explicitly racial reasons at all.
118
467874
3925
08:04
Rather, they emigrate there
119
472140
3056
08:07
for friendliness, comfort,
security, safety --
120
475220
3708
08:10
reasons that they implicitly associate
to whiteness in itself.
121
478952
4993
08:17
Next stop was Georgia.
122
485064
1874
08:20
In Georgia, I stayed in an exurb
north of Atlanta.
123
488224
4112
08:25
In Utah, I found poker;
124
493027
1795
08:26
in Idaho, I found guns;
125
494846
1691
08:28
in Georgia, I found God.
126
496561
1554
08:30
(Laughter)
127
498139
1239
08:31
The way that I immersed myself
in this Whitopia
128
499402
3573
08:34
was to become active
at First Redeemer Church,
129
502999
3391
08:38
a megachurch that's so huge
that it has golf carts
130
506414
3504
08:41
to escort the congregants around
its many parking lots on campus.
131
509942
5165
08:47
I was active in the youth ministry.
132
515758
2709
08:50
And for me, personally,
I was more comfortable in this Whitopia
133
518491
4932
08:55
than say, in a Colorado, or an Idaho,
or even a suburban Boston.
134
523447
4633
09:00
That is because [there], in Georgia,
135
528999
3090
09:04
white people and black people are more
historically familiar to one another.
136
532113
4519
09:09
I was less exotic in this Whitopia.
137
537092
2796
09:11
(Laughter)
138
539912
2000
09:14
But what does it all mean?
139
542684
1587
09:17
Whitopian dreaming, Whitopia migration,
is a push-pull phenomenon,
140
545042
5381
09:22
full of alarming pushes
and alluring pulls,
141
550447
4141
09:26
and Whitopia operates at the level
of conscious and unconscious bias.
142
554612
6613
09:33
It's possible for people to be in Whitopia
not for racist reasons,
143
561860
5403
09:39
though it has racist outcomes.
144
567287
2290
09:43
Many Whitopians feel pushed by illegals,
145
571704
3844
09:47
social welfare abuse, minorities,
density, crowded schools.
146
575572
5517
09:53
Many Whitopians feel pulled by merit,
147
581113
5179
09:58
freedom, the allure of privatism --
privatized places, privatized people,
148
586316
5764
10:04
privatized things.
149
592104
1317
10:07
And I learned in Whitopia
how a country can have racism
150
595524
5588
10:13
without racists.
151
601136
1335
10:15
Many of my smug urban liberal friends
152
603241
2787
10:18
couldn't believe I would go
on such a venture.
153
606052
2737
10:21
The reality is that many white Americans
are affable and kind.
154
609447
5522
10:27
Interpersonal race relations --
how we treat each other as human beings --
155
615643
4769
10:32
are vastly better than in
my parents' generation.
156
620436
3607
10:37
Can you imagine me going
to Whitopia 40 years ago?
157
625162
3623
10:41
What a journey that would have been.
158
629596
1888
10:43
(Laughter)
159
631508
1758
10:45
And yet, some things haven't changed.
160
633290
1869
10:47
America is as residentially
and educationally segregated today
161
635572
6711
10:54
as it was in 1970.
162
642307
2567
10:59
As Americans, we often find ways
to cook for each other,
163
647523
4631
11:04
to dance with each other,
164
652178
1620
11:05
to host with each other,
165
653822
1873
11:07
but why can't that translate into how we
treat each other as communities?
166
655719
5048
11:13
It's a devastating irony,
167
661235
2120
11:15
how we have gone forward as individuals,
168
663379
3312
11:18
and backwards as communities.
169
666715
2610
11:23
One of the Whitopian outlooks
that really hit me
170
671766
4293
11:28
was a proverbial saying:
171
676083
2172
11:30
"One black man is
a delightful dinner guest;
172
678279
3476
11:33
50 black men is a ghetto."
173
681779
2042
11:40
One of the big contexts animating
my Whitopian journey was the year 2042.
174
688879
6876
11:48
By 2042, white people will no longer be
the American majority.
175
696668
6108
11:55
As such, will there be more Whitopias?
176
703450
3301
12:00
In looking at this,
177
708926
1687
12:02
the danger of Whitopia is
that the more segregation we have,
178
710637
6707
12:09
the less we can look at and confront
conscious and unconscious bias.
179
717368
5801
12:18
I ventured on my two-year,
27,000 mile journey
180
726304
4361
12:22
to learn where, why, and how
white people are fleeing,
181
730689
5087
12:27
but I didn't expect to have
so much fun on my journey.
182
735800
2742
12:30
(Laughter)
183
738566
1007
12:31
I didn't expect to learn
so much about myself.
184
739597
2890
12:35
I don't expect I'll be living
in a Whitopia --
185
743408
3448
12:38
or a Blacktopia, for that matter.
186
746880
2111
12:41
I do plan to continue golfing
every chance I get.
187
749792
3409
12:45
(Laughter)
188
753225
1562
12:46
And I'll just have to leave the guns
and megachurches back in Whitopia.
189
754811
4625
12:52
Thank you.
190
760714
1152
12:53
(Applause)
191
761890
6086

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Rich Benjamin - Social observer
The 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.

More profile about the speaker
Rich Benjamin | Speaker | TED.com