Will my son be welcome in Oahu? (Honolulu, Hilo: fit in, home)

[freespirit2611]

My husband and I live in a small cold town in the midwest. As children both of us dreamed of being somewhere else. We are interest in moving to Oahu. My concerns are of a "hatred" towards whites people. I don't know if this is all true I would hope that it was fabricated by a few ingnorant white people but need to know that I'm making a good choice for my son. I old enough to take some jabs but I don't want my son to grow up feeling that he does not fit in. I am looking for some honest advice. Thanks

[HankDfrmSD]

Read this thread:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/hawai...d-husband.html

[NVplumber]

this exact topic has been beaten to death on many different threads in here...do follow hanks advice. Aloha

[Sundance325]

We now live in Texas but both my wife and I were born and raised in Hawaii. I was in the military and worked for a National Company so have traveled extensively in the US. I am of Asian descent and my wife is Caucasian. We have seen and experienced more racism in the mainland US than in Hawaii. You do not have to worry about being a white person in Hawaii any more than you have to worry about being a white person in the mainland US. Feel free to be yourselves and not be afraid. As with ANY city, there are places you would want to avoid. The only thing I would caution you about is the cost of living, especially housing costs.

[icmc]

Oahu has great aloha. Lots of friendly people here and lovely weather.

[dmoon808]

I live in Waianae. I am white. VERY white. I have lived here for about a year. And I have experienced absolutely NO racism. I read these threads and laugh. My first week here I got a old beat up truck for $150 it broke down on the way home from were I got it. Steam coming from under the hood I had multiple people stop and ask me if I needed help. At least 10 in about a half hour period. One guy pulled over.. Jumped out of his truck grabbed a tool box from the rear and said “aye bruadda… u think its broke? I got some tools u like try use em?” aloha spirit lives out here more then any other city I have traveled to. Waianae has such a bad reputation. But it’s the best place on Oahu.

the main thing u have to know... is you get out what you put out.. if u walk around with a chip on you shoulder.. ur going to get negative feed back. u walk around possitive.. and respectful of a culture that is not your own but do what u can to embrace it. you will be fine. envolope ur self in the spirit of aloha

mahalo for ready guys


lataz

[butterflieslovlilacs]

The people that say there is no racism in Hawaii are either local and do not see it. Or two have there head in the sand. I have 3 boys that have gone too school here in hawaii. The two older one's never experinced it as they look alot like there grandma who is American Indian and blended in very well.
The youngest who is also the most out going and friendlest of them all Is blond fair and blue eyes. The first time he went too the movies and went too the bathroom a Local woman was awful too him. I wont say the choice words she said too him but he was 10 at the time. I have raised my kids too be very loving and not too judge people on color, religion or anything except what kind of person they are on the inside. My son has went too several schools here on the Island and I have too say that Royal Elementry was the friendliest where the kids are concerned. But His Middle school was very hard for him. The kids were horribly racist. He tried too deal with it as best he could and try too ignore the children but it's really hard when you are like 2% of the student population. I also have dealt with some sorts of Ignorance but I just turn the other cheek because I know that these people are not the norm. But it is not the Hawaiian people that are like that I will tell you now. It is all the people moving too the Island from other Islands that are the most racist. IE Samoens and other's. I for one have Samoen friends I am not saying they are all like that. But alot of the young one's are. They try too pick fights on the bus with whites, in clubs, at schools etc.
Just be carefull when you turn the other cheek you might get slapped.

[dejasol]

I grew up in Daytona Beach, FL and when I was in school there would be surfers that wanted to fight the skaters, jocks that wanted to fight with the stoner kids but more often than not it was easy targets that got the most of the senseless abuse. So your kid getting messed with on the school bus would have happened just as much if he were in Florida as he would in Hawaii but just for a different reason. It is not that the hawaiian kids are racist but that topic is what gets the most reactions and attention. Later on in life, I ended up in the Army and got stationed at Schofield Barracks, HI. I am a loner kind of a person and I would always take off on the weekends by myself and check out different parts of the island, I would always end up meeting cool local people and end up getting invited to hang out at bbq's and drink some beers or something like that. Another thing you have to know about Samoans is they are a very traditional culture, if you go to Upolu or any Samoan island, when you walk by the elders you have to bow/lower your head to show respect, it is not just Samoa many other polynesian islands are like that. Another thing, there is every branch of the military on Oahu which seriously changes the stereo type of white people because there are a lot of immature kids that just got out of high school with no cultural awareness at all, join the military and end up in Oahu, more often than not they end up disrespecting people, getting drunk in Waikiki, running their mouth because they think they are HOOORAH or whatever. So if you are a Samoan and you come home and find out some military guy cut off your grandma and almost made her get into and accident... It just adds more to the stereo type. Over all if you are a kid anywhere, you will get picked on. If you go anywhere and just show respect and be open to their culture especially in Hawaii, you may very well come to be considered like family.

[desaevio]

Unless you want your son terrorized at school while the teachers sit back and laugh I wouldnt move to Oahu. Maybe one of the other islands, i dont know. I lived on Oahu for three and half years. It is not ok to be white there.

[RangerDuke08]

My father and I both worked for the military and were at one point of our careers stationed in Hawaii. Interestingly we never faced any sort of racism though we were the minority there, sure there is racism to be found everywhere, but for the most part, Hawaii being such a diverse state, it seems that diversity may be accepted in the mainland, but diversity is the norm in Hawaii, whether your White, Islander, Asian or Hispanic.

After finishing PhD school I'm actually looking forward to moving back to Hawaii for a teaching position and running for office several years down the road. I know I'll be looking for a more lively college town sort to live in, besides Honolulu, if anyone can suggest me a few places I'll keep that in mind. I am from Colorado originally and enjoy the beach but also like hiking and climbing and mountains, would Hilo be the place for me?