The widening political chasm is revealed in real estate data

The widening political chasm¹ is revealed in real estate data

Transcript²

Red zip codes are getting redder and blue zip codes are getting bluer, causing many to rarely interact with folks with whom they disagree. People are purposely moving to places reflecting their views.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Now to a story about so-called political segregation³. The U.S. is becoming more geographically⁴ polarized. Red zip codes are getting redder, and blue zip codes are getting bluer. People are purposely moving to places that reflect their views, and the trend seems to be quickening. But as NPR's John Burnett reports, the growth of red and blue comfort zones has consequences.

JOHN BURNETT, BYLINE⁵: There's a Facebook group with nearly 8,000 members called Conservatives Moving to Texas. Two of them are sitting here at a dinner table, munching⁶ on barbecue weenies and brownies in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Neither are vaxxed. And they love it here.

BRIDGETT MELSON: Bridgett Melson, 52, from Southern California.

LYNN SEEDEN: Lynn Seeden, 59, from Orange County to Texas within the past year.

BURNETT: Lynn Seeden says when the state of California forced her to close her photography studio over COVID restrictions⁷, she and her husband decided⁸ it was time to leave.

SEEDEN: As soon as I drove into Texas, literally⁹ as soon as I came into the state and stopped at my first truck stop for gas, it was like, this is wonderful. People weren't wearing masks. Nobody cared, as far as that went. (Laughter) It's kind of like - heaven-on-Earth type of thing.

BURNETT: In the modern era, Texas has fashioned itself into a sort of breakaway red-meat republic - banning books and abortion¹⁰, blocking mask mandates¹¹ and building its own border fence. This, in spite of the fact that the five largest counties went for Joe Biden. But more and more Trump¹² followers¹³ are flocking here in search of the promised land.

SEEDEN: People are looking for - they're asking, tell me about the most conservative towns. Where should I be moving?

BURNETT: The real estate brokerage Redfin predicts this year people will vote with their feet, moving to places that align¹⁴ with their politics. It's actually been happening for some time. Residents have been fleeing states like California with high taxes, pricey real estate and school mask mandates, and they've been heading to conservative strongholds like Idaho, Tennessee and Texas. We're chatting in the fashionable home of Dr. Bridgett Melson, a family therapist and conservative activist¹⁵ who moved here with her family six years ago.

MELSON: We want our medical freedoms. We want our constitutional rights. We're definitely pro-life.

BURNETT: They settled in a posh subdivision out in the country with its own equestrian¹⁶ center, and she started the Facebook page. Melson says people used to come up and say, don't California my Texas. But now, she says, it's the Republicans migrating from the West Coast who are militant¹⁷ about stopping creeping liberalism.

MELSON: We're the cavalry¹⁸. We're the damn cavalry. We're here to save you because we know what's going to happen. And if we don't run for office, get involved in school boards and pay attention and get out and vote, then you're going to California Texas.

BURNETT: While schools, crime, real estate prices and quality of life are still major consideration for folks who are moving, finding an area with shared political views is key. Consider the landslide¹⁹ counties, those where a presidential candidate won by at least 70%. An analysis by the political website FiveThirtyEight showed, over the last three decades, the share of voters who cast ballots²⁰ in landslide counties jumped 300%. Put another way - Biden was nearly three times as likely to carry counties with Whole Foods than counties with Cracker²¹ Barrels. What are the implications of people clustering in Sean Hannity's America or Rachel Maddow's?

BILL BISHOP²²: Groups of like-minded people tend to become more extreme over time in the way that they're like-minded.

BURNETT: Bill Bishop is a journalist who co-authored an influential²³ book, "The Big Sort," in 2008. It explains how the country is pulling itself apart, how Americans sorted themselves geographically, politically, culturally and economically in the preceding three decades. Sitting in a central Texas cafe, Bishop says that trend continues - more intensely red and blue districts elect more extreme candidates for office.

BISHOP: Then you can see that playing out in Congress. There're fewer people in the middle, and so the politics becomes less about solving our problems anymore; it's about cheering for our side. And so we're stuck.

BURNETT: Yet while social scientists and journalists may fret²⁴ over this political segregation, for the people changing zip codes to be with their own kind, it's a deliverance. Meet the Wootens.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Hello.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOGS BARKING, LAUGHTER)

TIFFANY WOOTEN: John, this is the family.

BURNETT: They moved to Austin last spring from Greenfield, Ind., a suburb of Indianapolis. They're renting an apartment in Central Austin with a view of Lady Bird Lake.

T WOOTEN: Indiana's a red state as it is. But Greenfield - also very red. We, as Democrats²⁵, felt very out of place. If people in public were talking about politics, it was always a Trump view. We heard those damn liberals a lot.

BURNETT: Tiffany Wooten is 43, a stay-at-home mom. She says during the Trump years, it seems like people became more antagonistic²⁶ toward them for being Democrats. She even fell out with some of her own family of conservative Christians²⁷ over their support for the former president. And her 18-year-old son Cole says his politics ran counter to the kids at his high school, who were MAGA fans like their parents.

COLE: Some of them would even have, like, little Trump meetups. So they would all bring, like, their Trump flags and then just preach to each other pretty much about how great he was. It was just a really threatening atmosphere.

BURNETT: One afternoon, they discovered someone had put broken glass in their mailbox. So they were looking for an exit. But to red Texas? Fortunately for them, husband Nate, a construction executive, landed a new job in Austin. The Texas state capital is known for its liberal politics - the blueberry, as they say, in the red cherry pie.

T WOOTEN: We feel good here. We feel safe. We feel among our people in Austin.

BURNETT: In fact, COVID protocols²⁸ that drove some Californians to escape to North Texas are a plus for the Wootens in Austin. Here's Nate.

NATE WOOTEN: It does feel like people take it more seriously here than they did in Greenfield - just being considerate of other people, you know? Even if you're vaccinated²⁹ and you're going somewhere, still wear a mask.

BURNETT: By moving here, the Wootens joined the big sort. They made Greenfield a tad less purple and Austin a smidgen bluer. And Tiffany sometimes wonders if they've done the right thing.

T WOOTEN: I'm not sure that it's super healthy for us to be completely putting ourselves in a box and saying, I'm going to be with the blue people because they think exactly like me. We need to be able to communicate with each other, even if we do not fully³⁰ agree with each other.

BURNETT: The Wootens miss having their ideas challenged and engaging with the other side. On the other hand, they say, it just feels so good to be with their own tribe.

John Burnett, NPR News, Austin.

(SOUNDBITE OF VALANTE'S "ANDLEGUR")

1 chasm   

n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突

参考例句：

• There's a chasm between rich and poor in that society.那社会中存在着贫富差距。
• A huge chasm gaped before them.他们面前有个巨大的裂痕。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 segregation   

n.隔离，种族隔离

参考例句：

• Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
• They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。

4 geographically   

adv.地理学上，在地理上，地理方面

参考例句：

• Geographically, the UK is on the periphery of Europe. 从地理位置上讲，英国处于欧洲边缘。 来自辞典例句
• All these events, however geographically remote, urgently affected Western financial centers. 所有这些事件，无论发生在地理上如何遥远的地方，都对西方金融中心产生紧迫的影响。 来自名作英译部分

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 munching   

v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was munching an apple. 他在津津有味地嚼着苹果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Munching the apple as he was, he had an eye for all her movements. 他虽然啃着苹果，但却很留神地监视着她的每一个动作。 来自辞典例句

7 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

10 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

11 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

12 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

13 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

14 align   

vt.使成一线，结盟，调节；vi.成一线，结盟

参考例句：

• Align the ruler and the middle of the paper.使尺子与纸张的中部成一条直线。
• There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals.有迹象表明首相正在与自由党人结盟。

15 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

16 equestrian   

adj.骑马的；n.马术

参考例句：

• They all showed extraordinary equestrian skills.他们的骑术都很高超。
• I want to book two equestrian tickets.我想订两张马术比赛的票。

17 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

18 cavalry   

n.骑兵；轻装甲部队

参考例句：

• We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
• The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。

19 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

20 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 cracker   

n.（无甜味的）薄脆饼干

参考例句：

• Buy me some peanuts and cracker.给我买一些花生和饼干。
• There was a cracker beside every place at the table.桌上每个位置旁都有彩包爆竹。

22 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

23 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

24 fret   

v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损

参考例句：

• Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。
• She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.

25 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 antagonistic   

adj.敌对的

参考例句：

• He is always antagonistic towards new ideas.他对新思想总是持反对态度。
• They merely stirred in a nervous and wholly antagonistic way.他们只是神经质地，带着完全敌对情绪地骚动了一下。

27 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

28 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网

29 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

30 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。