Politics Puts A New Spin On White Flight and Outsourcing For The Self-Employed

Portions of this story were originally reported in the Los Angeles Times (http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jul/26/entertainment/et-self26) The daily newspaper provides information on local news, business, sports, politics, science, environment, entertainment and lifestyle.


Scanning the crowd at the Republican Convention earlier this month, bestselling author Steven Carter experienced an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. “This was not a picture of the United States I grew up in, and it wasn’t a picture of the United States I live in. It was a sea of white faces with just a tiny ‘sprinkling’ of color. It wasn’t normal. To me, it wasn’t American.”

Like most Americans, Carter is watching the presidential election very carefully. But he is one of a small group of self-employed Americans who has the means and the ability to outsource himself if he isn’t comfortable with the election results. Last year, Carter burst onto the book scene in Brazil, with two bestsellers that have been in Brazil’s top ten for over 100 weeks. In Brazil he is a rock star, often outselling authors like J.K. Rowling.

“From my vantage point, the future is taking shape in countries like China, India and Brazil. And multiculturalism is a necessary ingredient for success.” Carter was born in New York City, the American city most famous for its multi-cultural beginnings. Currently, he lives with his wife in Los Angeles, the American city most celebrated for cultural diversity on a grand scale. Carter is white, but he is currently considering taking flight from the new white right.

Last month, Carter was in Brazil completing a second media tour of the country. “I felt more at home 5000 miles away from home than I did watching that convention on tv in my own bedroom,” said Carter. “Brazil is a multicultural masterpiece. That will give the country a tremendous economic advantage in the future. And it also has great prospects for emotional growth and health.”

“I always assumed I would live out my life in the United States, but now I see opportunity everywhere but here, Carter explains, “Of course, Brazil is particularly tempting.” Asked if he is concerned that he doesn’t speak Portuguese, Carter smiled. “I write about issues that transcend language. I’ve already sold hundreds of thousands of books without speaking more than a few words of Portuguese; a little bit of studying will only help those numbers.”

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