Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was thinking about this more last night and I think I wanted to add one more thing. One of hardest things that "mainland haole" transplants have to keep an open mind to in Hawaii is the way people talk and joke about race and ethnicity. And I think it is really hard because American white people are taught to be scared to death of anything that might make them look racist these days. Most of it is done in good fun and not mean spirited at all so I just learned to enjoy it but it made me really uncomfortable at first because I didn't know how to react. Potagee (Portuguese) jokes about being empty headed, Pake (Chinese) jokes about being cheap etc... fly around a lot... kind of in the same light as Polish or Jewish jokes might be told on the east coast but with less vitriol and more light-hearted humor. Navigating multiculturalism is actually one of the things I think Hawaii does really well compared to other places but it takes a little getting used to if you've been conditioned to stay away from those topics.
My rule of thumb is always assume the best of intentions. People who walk around looking to be offended will have no problem finding reasons to be, but if you assume it is not mean spirited unless proven otherwise you will enjoy yourself a lot more.
One of hardest things that "mainland haole" transplants have to keep an open mind to in Hawaii is the way people talk and joke about race and ethnicity. And I think it is really hard because American white people are taught to be scared to death of anything that might make them look racist these days.
Alternatively, one can decide to not be around those crowds that find racial jokes acceptable whether you are in Hawaii or not.
The vast majority of my friends are Asian degreed professionals born in Hawaii and they definitely don't tolerate racial jokes. Quite frankly, they don't find racial jokes to be - funny, and find it to be what it is, racist.
Alternatively, one can decide to not be around those crowds that find racial jokes acceptable whether you are in Hawaii or not.
The vast majority of my friends are Asian degreed professionals born in Hawaii and they definitely don't tolerate racial jokes. Quite frankly, they don't find racial jokes to be - funny, and find it to be what it is, racist.
Yeah, that is an option also. Some people feel it is best to avoid those subjects altogether, some choose to embrace differences in a humorous way as long as it isn't mean spirited. I'm not picking a horse in that race, I can see both sides of the argument... but it definitely seems to be part of the culture.
Alternatively, one can decide to not be around those crowds that find racial jokes acceptable whether you are in Hawaii or not.
The vast majority of my friends are Asian degreed professionals born in Hawaii and they definitely don't tolerate racial jokes. Quite frankly, they don't find racial jokes to be - funny, and find it to be what it is, racist.
While many "degreed professionals" profess not to tolerate "racial jokes in mixed company, those same folks would probably laugh at performances by local comedians, such as Frank De Lima and Augie T. "Political correctness" took a bit of a detour on the way to Hawaiʻi.
"The Cab" commercial guy who always dresses as a woman? Not really.
Have you seen his stand up or songs? This guy is pretty much one of the most beloved comedians in the islands from what I can tell and most of his stuff is racial/ethnic humor. Macadangdang solut billy goat LOL.
Have you seen his stand up or songs? This guy is pretty much one of the most beloved comedians in the islands from what I can tell and most of his stuff is racial/ethnic humor.
I haven't - just "The Cab" commercials.
Although - I personally find jokes by a professional comedian - whether that be Richard Pryor, Sarah Silverman, etc - to be very different than everyday people making clearly racial statements pretending to be "jokes".
Your quote: To the OP, this does remind me of one other thing you need to be aware of in Hawaii though. There is a general belief from a lot of locals that local people are nicer than outsiders, particularly mainland transplants. If it is a good attitude it is "local style" regardless of whether or not most cultures do the same thing (like respecting your elders), if it is a bad attitude it is "mainland style" or something similar. I hesitate to call it arrogance, because people do it lots of places (talking about "Southern Hospitality" or "good Christian values" for example) but it can get annoying sometimes because it may feel like a backhanded dig at you sometimes." End quote:
Im sorry this is what I was saying about being openminded and willing to embrace differences. Is what UHgrad saying about locals for them a stereotype of others or something that is learned by experience thru generations of people and history? Mind ya local in hawaii history was a class thing not based on race.
Further, I disagree western culture respects youth over elders or age(think about how we treat our elders).
This concept of total equility is also a western culture ideal and is an ideal that most mainland people trip over(its an illusion). Good or bad, right or wrong, there is a social hierarchy in Hawaii. Instead of accepting it and earning your pono or respect, some try to change others. We see this on this forum with a few individuals agendas. Sure im all for equility, lets wave the wand tomorrow and make everything socially equal in Hawaii. But then after there will still be no real equility. Remember the class warfare still is going strong in Hawaii Nai. But thats another topic and thread.
Location: not sure, but there's a hell of a lot of water around here!
2,682 posts, read 7,571,651 times
Reputation: 3882
Quote:
Originally Posted by whtviper1
The vast majority of my friends are Asian degreed professionals born in Hawaii and they definitely don't tolerate racial jokes.
Eh,, bruddah, you know why dat is? Dose guys all da kine wanna be katonks, an da po'o stay soff inside, no can handle buss up kine jokes
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
