Moving to Pahoa - Local Prejudice?

[armyvet40]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

He probably had a military haircut, too. Military is usually classed in the "new" category and they will get discriminated against because they are military not because of their color.

Hawaii has a huge bias towards "community" and that is usually defined in terms of families and is generational in scope. Military folks come in for two to four years and then leave. They barely have time to get to know folks and then they leave again. It is really hard for folks who don't leave to get to know all these new folks all the time and then just when the friendship is solid to have them leave. A lot of the bias against newcomers is that if you make friends with them, you will be heartbroken when they leave and you never see them again. I can't even list all the friends I've had that have gone back to the mainland never to be heard from again. Now that there is the internet and inexpensive cell phones that is changing but we still have the bias towards not getting too friendly with folks that are going to leave.

I will take the blame for putting High expectations on this adventure to Hawaii.... to have it quickly dashed out in a matter of days... maybe if they lived the lifestyle we do and be a bit more understanding there would not be a need to be nasty.... I dont normally get angry, but when it is done to my children I get fierce...that incident at the beach was a family... as there was women and children there with their spouses... there was no excuses for that behavior...it was 2 weeks before christmas and a hard enough time without that stuff... they need to realize as well, alot of us do not ask to come here....

[Kapalua]

I lived on the island of Maui for 21 years, no prejudice there. But now days the hotel occupancy is like 40% and with the economy people are leaving Maui, because Jobs are being cut. Maui relies on the tourist industry and it just aint happening anymore. Most of the Hawaiians which are mixed with other races had to leave the ISLANDS years ago, most of the mixed Hawaiians ( be rare to find full blood Hawaiians. Have gone to LAS VEGAS, California and Oregon and some in Texas, and maybe Florida. RENTALS ARE TOO HIGH, they have tripled and FOOD PRICES are too EXPENSIVE. Move to FLORIDA. CHeaper and maybe you might find a job there. Wages were always Higher in Hawaii, compared to the mainland states. My last job paid me $8 an hour but when it got slow I was working part time and that hurt badly back in 1992, I left in Nov. 1999. and well here in the states they have never got the min wage UP TO $8 an hour. GO TO FLORIDA you be better off.

[Kapalua]

Oh, I forgot to tell you, when people look at LOCALS they think the LOCALS are HAWAIIAN, they are not. On Maui, there are it seems more PHILLIPINOES that came over from the Phillipines and they think the toursit think they are Hawaiians. And the State of Hawaii, is a melting pot of all nationalities. Over there, when I was there, no one descriminated against no one. That people were FRIENDLY there, and I met mostly caucasian people in work and as friends, few were Phillipinos and Tongans. Tongans are from the south pacific islands of Tonga. People hought they are Hawaiians, No, they are Polynesians who GREW up the OLD FASHIONED way more so than the Part race of Hawaiian People. I had some friends who were with Hawaiian blood but never full blood. I loved it there, because we all , all my friends and friends at work, displayed the ALOHA SPIRIT.

[Kapalua]

A someone emailed me but I do not know how to contact you since you didnt leave a message.

[Kneeshaw]

I'm a little late for this party, but I will add that my experience is so different. I'm white and started visiting the island in the early 1980's and found that not only was I accepted by the island people, I was treated with much aloha - more than I had ever known on the mainland. On every visit, somehow whether in a store or whatnot, I would be making friends so easily and felt a warmth and kindness unknown in California. I finally moved to the Big Island last year and the love feast continues. BTW, I am blonde and blue eyed. Here's what I think: Whatever face you give out that is what you will get back. I was once in a tourist shop on Maui and watched a Haole couple come in the store and the Hawaiian sales person mirrored them completely. She had been very nice to me, but was not so nice to the tourist - but they were not so nice to her. After they left, I asked her if she did that on purpose and she laughed and said that she always did. The job situation is different in that there are not enough and people, rightly, feel that those who have been here should have first shot at them. Nothing wrong with that.

[melaniej65]

ArmyVet40-
Amazing! My husband was in the Army almost 23 years and we were stationed in Hawaii twice. He is an Alabama White boy through and through and remarkably he has NEVER run into the situations that your husband has (neither did my sons -one looks very white while the other looks Italian).

My boys made it through Leileihua unscathed and intact (they had many more issues on Post from the thuggish children then they EVER had from the local kids off Post).

I am Hawaiian- although I rarely went with my husband when he ran errands. BTW- I was (and still am) asked where I am from since I do not 'sound local'.

We are currently visiting his family in Texas and it is absolutely MISERASBLE! My Mother In Law has taken to introducing me as her "Hawaiian daughter in law" everywhere we go (even in Wal Mart) because apparently it makes a huge difference that I am not Mexican. Forget that I am far better educated and well spoken than the majority of the yahoos around here (and I have ALL of my teeth!!!!)- but if I do not have to buy my tan (tons of leathery White people who are far darker than myself) then I am looked down upon.

See how very easy it is to denigrate an entire State with just a few experiences? All that is needed is to 'forget' to mention the truly wonderful people that I have met while here and allow the attitudes of the loudest and most ignorant to color my view of Texas.

Hawaii may not be for you but it IS for a great many. If my very White Alabama boy were treated as you claim White people are treated then he would never have chosen to retire here. We could have purchased a mansion with at least 50 acres elsewhere (especially in this part of Texas!) but he felt that Hawaii was the place that he has felt the most at home since joining the Army at the age of eighteen.

Every person/family has a different experience- but rarely is that entire experience negative.

[sevenofsix]

come on now this post is from 2008