Okay. I get your point about not wanting to move to small town Wisconsin. That is what "they" want - segregation by self-selection - but it isn't up to you to desegregate hicktown, WI. It is up to me and people like me.

The people who are visible racists/anti-semites/anti-trans etc are self-appointed gatekeepers. They are "protecting" their communities by making them unwelcoming places. And if they can't keep people out, they can at least keep them marginalized. It is messed up.

What are they "protecting"?

In the 1950s and 60s white neighborhoods were kept white through racist covenants. Once those were illegal, folks who were not white had access to neighborhoods that were safer, the schools were better, and where the home prices were likely to rise and create generational wealth. Those white folks in the 1950s and 60s enacted terror campaigns to try to keep their neighborhoods white. And this was in Northern cities. But people fought and won (in many cases) the desegregation of those neighborhoods. It was worth it for access to schools, safety, and wealth.

Obviously that is an oversimpliflied version of desegregation and I ignore the fact that white folks have continued to resegregate until it is just as bad or worse in many cases. But my point is that segregation (formal or defacto) is usually a net bad for people being excluded. Access denied can mean shorter lifespans, more expenses, more stress and more. Heather McGhee writes about how segregation also hurts the segregators.

When access to America's rural spaces is denied by defacto segregation, it is a loss for everyone. Rural life is a good life. Fresh air, quiet, nature. Connection to the sources of food is good for the soul and also a practical good. If the shit hits the fan, many rural folks have a cushion. Also rural communities are interconnected in a good way. Cities can be anonymous and isolating.

All people should have access to rural life. And I know from personal experience, my life is enriched by having friends from many backgrounds.

So this is the issue. Desegregation of America's urban and rural spaces would be good for everyone. But we are moving in the opposite direction. And the more we move in the opposite direction, the less welcoming those spaces are.

It is up to me to fight segregation. I need to see it. Then I need to stand up to it and recruit other white people to stand up to it. We can't let the trump flag people define the space.