Racism in Hawaii

[Waianaegirl]

Originally Posted by CountryGal05

I have been reading this and my friend when she was younger went to school there and lived there with her father, and her brother and she told me about "Haole" and what it meant, but why do the Hawaiians not like white people. Me being white i dont understand what we have done to them. But also i dont know much about Hawaiian culture either, i would love to learn about it tho. So if I was to go to Hawaii i would get the cold shoulder?

If you go as a tourist and stay in the tourist areas, then you will not experience a cold shoulder. You might not get it if you live there, but your chances go up..

[JuliaHuff]

Guys, we are moving to Maui from new york for work. we are russian, so we are not local in NY, so we KNOW what it means to be excluded, to be a stranger. it is not easy. So I am really worried that in Hawaii it may be even harder for us--we are white, and we are not even american. I dont even know if we should go after I've read this thread. It is hard enough to be in NY, which is the most tolerating city with a huge russian community

[JuliaHuff]

mauigirl808 I am from Russia, Siberia, it is very similar to Hawaii in terms of being far from everything, unique culture and generations of families. But things are changing, we are in the 21st century. You have to realise that the world is changing, it is more open now. even though you are in the middle of the pacific ocean, you are not isolated from the world. People WILL come, your life WILL change, it is the global world now. You have to learn how to live with this. Agression and racism will not help. You have to accept the changes. Siberia is getting flooded with Chinese right now, our world is changing, but thats how it is--we have to live with it.
the problem with Hawaiians is you guys want to live in your isolated world--but it cant be like this anymore, not with the mordern travel and lifestyle. You are not the first ones to go through this--other countries and places went through the same process before you guys-I dont think could shoulder and racism toward newcomers is the smart way to go. It may stop people like my husband, who is a DOCTOR and wants to come to Hawaii to help you guys, but is worried because of the racism issues. How are we supposed to come and help you guys? and raise our children? Maui is in need of good doctors, but with this kind of unwelcoming attitude it is really scary to go! After reading 10 pages about how much you guys you cant stand newcomers who disturb your life?
We wanted to go to Hawaii to get away from the racism, materialism and discrimination of the mainland, but it looks like Hawaii is even less accepting.
I read that teachers find it difficult in Hawaii, dont you want your kids to have good education? the schools are not good, but good teachers from mainland dont feel welcomed. It makes no sence to me.

[blue7ven]

to julia huff,

just ignore about what other people says...hawaii is not exactly what they say!
i think it's totally bull**** that they don't welcome newcomers...just be proud of who u are and where u come from..but be perceptive to all the different cultures, food and community..

i believe if u are a nice person, other people will like u!
there are over a million people in hawaii...it's impossible if every1 of them is rascist!
it just doesnt make any sense...
and only fools and losers who judge people from their color or race!

i think u just have to be confident!! and stop reading this thread!
by the way i think this thread is so ridiculous!
this is 2008 and people still discuss rascism??!!
i'm so disappointed!

i think u'll do just fine in hawaii!!
just go to hawaii, enjoy it, set up a positive attitude, ignore people who have bad attitude towards u...and ignore this topic!
this just drives me insane!

i'm chinese indonesian and i've been discriminated my whole life!
1st time being discriminated was in Australia when i was in primary grade 5, a boy in my class said "shut up u f***in' chinese!"
well..it's hard! but i stand up for myself!
i have positive attitude, i'm very confident and i wont let any1 let me down!
so i fought him back! then after 2 weeks we were good friends! hang out everywhere together..

i also get so many discrimination in the mainland! so many!
most people stare at me (mostly white) on the streets...it's very hard for me but i always keep my head high!
but now i dont even recognized that i'm discriminated coz i cant be bothered to pay attention to fools!
i won't let the people who discriminate me win!

i dont want to go back home to indonesia coz i want to overcome my fear of discrimination in US...
and i give respect to people who respect me!
so far..my positive attitude gets me going!
it really works...and ignore all this kind of bull**** on the internet!

just face it, every1 have different opinions...and i think all the people on this thread have been discriminated or unwelcoming..but do u imagine about other foreign white people who live happily in hawaii without rascism??
they are very content of where they live, that's why they can't even be bothered to read this kind of thread!

so thing is...dont worry! i think u worry too much eh?!
good luck for u and ur husband! and dont let this thread stop u from goin to hawaii..or else u will make the bad people in this thread happy!

Best wishes 4 u!

[blue7ven]

HOpe this helps!!

[JuliaHuff]

Blue7even
I live in New York now, I’ve been here for 8 years, and I love it, because it is VERY accepting, you can be whoever you want, and you will fit in, you will be accepted. Nobody judges you. It looks like Hawaii is full of judgment. I talked to some locals-and I hear resentment, when they tell me—oh, don’t live in that area, there are TOURISTS there! Like tourists are some kind of parasites! Tourists bring money, give you jobs, but yet you hate them. What’s wrong with tourists? They are human beings, just like you. We don’t resent tourists in New York, we have tons of them, and we don’t need them to maintain our economy, but we are nice to them, and I am happy to see them here, it means I live in a great place that everyone wants to visit.
People here do not judge. Everyone keeps saying-just be nice, be respectful, etc. I am a little disgusted by the attitude-it seems you have to bend over backwards to please the locals and to fit in! I just want to be myself and live my life, I don’t want to TRY. I don’t know if I am nice enough person for Hawaii, I don’t know what you mean by that. I don’t see how Hawaians are nice people, if they are not capable of accepting differences and change. To me it means they are very narrow minded. Kind of like when I lived in Texas-very nice people, but you have to be just like them to fit in, not any different. I am not sure I can survive in this kid of environment. I don’t want to be positive all the time—sometimes you are in the bad mood, sometimes in a good mood, I just want to be myself, I don’t want to try to please anyone! New York is great because I don’t have to do it—I am accepted just the way I am. I thought I would be fine in Hawaii, but now I am freaked, we talked all night, and my husband will go on his own first, to see if we can live there. I cried the whole night
Blue7even, if you have been discriminated, you would understand why I don’t want to leave New York, I’ve been here 8 years-and NEVER felt discriminated, not even once! I have an accent, work for a bank, my coworkers are from all over the world, and we hang out together, everybody tried to learn about other people’s cultures, not to change them. It is beautiful, I don’t think I can get used to living in Hawaii after this. It seems like Hawaii is completely opposite. Right now I am at work, we have an Indian guy, Hispanic, muslim, greek, black, jewish, asian. All on the same floor-jewish guys pray in the separate room, the muslim guy prays in his room, Indians are vegetarians, muslims don’t eat pork, we all maintain our traditional lifestyles. My life is exactly like in Russia, I don’t have to change, but I am accepted, and I accept other cultures. The greek guy is listening to the greek music all day long, and I don’t find it disrespectful, I find it beautiful that he is maintaining his culture and identity. I don’t want to grow tough skin and be super nice and volunteer just to be accepted and at the same time read all the signs about white people go home.

[7th generation]

This thread has gone on for quite some time and I think everyone agrees that at one time or another, we all experience racism in one form or another.
With that, this thread is now closed.
7th