Searching for Whitopia: America's Whitest Communities

[tooblue]

http://www.time.com/time/video/playe...942613,00.html

Rich Benjamin, the author of Searching for Whitopia, talks to TIME about his journey to the most segregated neighborhoods in America

[JohnnyLingo]

Ha... "This is the whitest part of Manhatten.... whiter than Utah!"

[UtahDan]

http://www.time.com/time/video/playe...942613,00.html

Diversity isn't the same as integration.

That is the toughest nut to crack, it seems to me.

He makes an interesting point that segregation is a contrivance because of zoning and lack of public transportation. I would like to hear that idea more fully developed because it didn't make a ton of sense based on those examples.

But in any event, while we seem to, most of us, like diversity, it also seems to be true (or at least it seems to me) that most people want to live around and socialize with those who are most like them. I would be curious to know, however, how this looks in suburbia as opposed to small towns and large metropolises. I can see how you can have neighborhoods in NY that are mostly one race, and it is certainly true that there are small towns all over the country that blacks who find little attraction in. Still, my experiences in suburbia don't include many, maybe not any, examples of a "white" neighborhood or a "black" neighborhood. These seem pretty well integrated.

But then, how many people live in suburbs as opposed to small towns and big cities. Of those three my guess is that the fewest live in suburbs. It is thought provoking.

[JohnnyLingo]

The author also makes it seem like this is a white phenomenon, while non-whites also tend to self-segregate. People like to live around people who are like them. It is entirely natural, despite what the author is arguing.

[woot]

Yeah I'm not sure how important this guy's findings are. Black people tend to befriend other black people just as people of any other background to befriend people similar to themselves. Greater integration would be good, but it does seem like he's pointing fingers at white people here.

Also, some of his examples are very silly. The building in Manhatten is interesting, but St George, Utah? Couer d'alene, Idaho? Black people have never lived in those places. Why would they? We need to remember that something less than 13% of Americans are black, so shouldn't expect to find them in large percentages all over the place, particularly when they tend to be concentrated in the South and in big cities, for obvious reasons. Should people in Vermont feel bad that black folks don't feel like moving there?

[dabrockster]

Interesting..

I have been working in the disability community for some time now. They have been preaching integration for decades now. They no longer want to be put into that segregated building that is full of people with disabilities, but integrated into all communities. In whatever apartment they want, or house they want.

One thing that makes this difficult is the cost.. Most of these individuals are on SSI and cannot afford their "White-Picket fence" home. They are then forced into communities they do not want to live in or are not safe.


I understand what he is saying, but I also do not think all of our communities are like this.. Nor do I think we are so stuck in the past. I think it has more to do with social status then if you are black or white...

[Green Lantern]

I bet this place ranks pretty high: http://www.whitevillenc.com/

[KillerDog]

I don't believe diversity, for its own sake, is valuable and should be sought after. My experiences are pretty consistent that homogenaeity reduces conflict within a community and diversity does nothing to counteract the increased conflict it causes.

[woot]

I don't believe diversity, for its own sake, is valuable and should be sought after. My experiences are pretty consistent that homogenaeity reduces conflict within a community and diversity does nothing to counteract the increased conflict it causes.

What about the differing perspectives and education that comes with living among diversity? While I mostly agree that attempts to artificially effect integration are not helpful, let's not get carried away here.

[KillerDog]

What about the differing perspectives and education that comes with living among diversity? While I mostly agree that attempts to artificially effect integration are not helpful, let's not get carried away here.

In my experience, the differing perspectives cause the conflict that concerns me. The only cognizable benefit that I have seen to diverse environments (religiously, racially, culturally, financially etc.) is that sometimes, the environments make the differences seem smaller. Mostly though, living in close proximity makes the differences between groups seem greater and no good comes of the interaction.