St. George, vortex of vanilla
October 2nd, 2009
blogs.sltrib.com
St. George in Washington County (Utah) is one of the capitals of Whitopia, according to a new book. In Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America, due out next week, Rich Benjamin tries to figure out why some of the fastest-growing areas in America are are almost entirely Caucasian. St. George, Utah's retirement zone, ranks as a top whitopia with Forsyth County, Ga., and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
"There are forces that push people out [of cities and inner suburbs], like diversity and crumbling infrastructure and high home prices. And there are pull factors, like more home for your dollar [in the whitopias], beautiful natural amenities and safety, and the perceived comfort that comes with homogeneity."
But Benjamin argues such segregation, even when voluntary, is bad for America.
"There's a long-term harm when Americans accept balkanization as a way of life. Segregation can appear to allay social tensions, but it worsens them in the long run. Optimal democracies require more than voting; they require social integration and involvement."
Such vanilla pockets develop "racism without racists," he says.
"I very much believe we do have structural racism in our communities, yet we don't have racists. The good news is we don't have interpersonal racism. But structural racism is harder to attack." |
