Moving to Pahoa - Local Prejudice? (Hilo: how much, home, find a job)

[Whaleyrn]

Hi Folks:

I was born and raised in Massachusetts. After 40 years of bad weather, bad politics, and bad Yankee attitudes, I have finally decided I need to get the heck out of here. I figured if I was willing to trust fate and lay it all on the line, I might as well go for the gold and move to Hawaii.

Pahoa immediately caught my attention for a lot of reasons, but I guess mostly because of its reported laid back, hippie atmosphere.

A friend gave me a book titled So You Want to Move to Hawaii and having read it I am beginning to lose some of my enthusiasm for the islands. One of the points the book hammered home was that if you are a Caucasian moving to Hawaii you can expect a lot of prejudice from the locals. Can anyone confirm or deny this? Since only 8% of the population in Pahoa is white I am now afraid I will arrive and be forced out, made miserable, or be unable to find a job.

Can someone please comment on this? Thanks.

[cynmkolohe]

I've DM'd you with a few thoughts...welcome to the forum!

[leilaniguy]

I've lived in Pahoa over nine years, a Haole, and nobody's ever bounced a brick off my head yet. The statistics can be misleading. Rather than search Pahoa, try zip 96778 That will show the actual population and demographics. I'll repeat the Hawaii Mantra: Come visit first, then move.

[ocdirtyjerz]

Its funny how everyone thinks off running off to Hawaii. There are places much nicer and cheaper.
I would not recommend moving in that area if your an outside white person. Your a huge target. No bricks. Fly over first as already mentioned and go out to a local bar on the Hilo side and see if you get bothered. Usually, like anywhere if your not causing bad attention or acting like an ass, staring at people, or being oan idiot. Your good here. If you are someone who has found troubles before with people, you probably will get your butt kicked,, especially where locals live. They grow up fighting a lot.
Hawaii has this very misleading image. Its not even close to how it used to be. For the reason of everyone who is miserable thinking Hawaii will make them happier. Evertone wants a piece of Hawaii. Too many. Even in the surf lineups. Its crazy! Oahu has the worst traffic in the country. For people like me who have always grown up around the ocean, its awesome. For someone like a cowboy, Big Island would be nice. There are way more hippie towns in the US such as Vermont, Maine, Colorado, Humble County, CA.

[hotzcatz]

It isn't exactly prejudice it is more like being a minority. EVERYONE is a minority in Hawaii, get used to it. Actually, they will be prejudiced against you, but it won't be because of your skin color it will be because of being new here. Finding a job will be very difficult for the same reason. Visit and look the place over before moving.

[armyvet40]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

It isn't exactly prejudice it is more like being a minority. EVERYONE is a minority in Hawaii, get used to it. Actually, they will be prejudiced against you, but it won't be because of your skin color it will be because of being new here. Finding a job will be very difficult for the same reason. Visit and look the place over before moving.

I read this and thought... Are you kidding me? It is about skin color, not because you are new here. We have been here a little over a year. We have learned that skin color can make or break you, and we did put this to a test. I am italian and tan dark, have dark eyes and long dark hair. My husband is german/irish, pale with blue eyes and dark hair. We took our vehicle to get inspected. He took the truck first and he failed inspection...he then took our brand new minivan in and failed the safety inspection. I then took both vehicles in to the same place and the vehicles passed. We did nothing to the vehicles other than switch drivers.

Our kids had a hard time in the schools. Blonde hair, blue eyes, we took them out. We tried a few private school and were told they "Reserve the right to use preferences towards hawaiian students" I have a college degree, 14 years army experiance and cant get a job? Cant be from lack of experiance...

We will bide our time here... not much left to go and then get to go back to the real world....Texas or Bust!

[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.

[kani-lehua]

I read this and thought... Are you kidding me? It is about skin color, not because you are new here. We have been here a little over a year. We have learned that skin color can make or break you, and we did put this to a test. I am italian and tan dark, have dark eyes and long dark hair. My husband is german/irish, pale with blue eyes and dark hair. We took our vehicle to get inspected. He took the truck first and he failed inspection...he then took our brand new minivan in and failed the safety inspection. I then took both vehicles in to the same place and the vehicles passed. We did nothing to the vehicles other than switch drivers.

maybe it's a gender thing?

Our kids had a hard time in the schools. Blonde hair, blue eyes, we took them out. We tried a few private school and were told they "Reserve the right to use preferences towards hawaiian students"

the only private school i know of that practices this is kamehameha. all my education was via private schooling and it had nothing to do with skin color. we had several classmates whose family was military. so did my sister's private school.

I have a college degree, 14 years army experiance and cant get a job? Cant be from lack of experiance...

sorry to say but your situation is not unique. lots of people with a college degree can't find a job. heck, lots of people who don't have a college degree can't find a job. IMO, has nothing to do with experiEnce or skin color.

We will bide our time here... not much left to go and then get to go back to the real world....Texas or Bust!

no comment.

[PacificFlights]

Armyvet, I have traveled all over the world. I have dealt with discrimination issues all over the world. I have seen discrimination all over the world.

let me give you a very important lesson in life that military people seldom understand.

When I travel to a country where the predominate racial make up is White, I am told be careful because:
They don't like you because you’re American.
They don't like you because you’re tall.
They don't like you because you’re short
They don't like you because you're (insert anything here but skin color)

BUT, when I travel to an area where the racial makeup is not white, I am told to be careful because:
They don't like you because you’re white.
(that's it!)

Why is it that "white" people can not accept discrimination against them because they are stupid, arrogant, wear funny cloths, smell like a flower factory, have a bugger coming out their nose, act like they are gods highest form of person on the earth, look like some clown, keep talking about how much better life was on the mainland, or is a plain old dick head. When have you ever heard a white American claim someone is prejudice against them because of any reason but race?

Gee, now you know how Hawaiians feel on the mainland when they are being discriminated against by white people because they are mistaken for Mexicans and those whites see nothing wrong with what they are doing. I read that we are not use to being the target of prejudice so we make it such a big deal when it happens to us. yet we have no problem being prejudice towards others to the point it is part of us and we see nothing wrong with treating others badly.

I know Hawaiians who look down on you and they say it’s not your race; it's those funny floppies you wear. Maybe that's the REAL reason!

[armyvet40]

Originally Posted by PacificFlights

Armyvet, I have traveled all over the world. I have dealt with discrimination issues all over the world. I have seen discrimination all over the world.

let me give you a very important lesson in life that military people seldom understand.

When I travel to a country where the predominate racial make up is White, I am told be careful because:
They don't like you because you’re American.
They don't like you because you’re tall.
They don't like you because you’re short
They don't like you because you're (insert anything here but skin color)

BUT, when I travel to an area where the racial makeup is not white, I am told to be careful because:
They don't like you because you’re white.
(that's it!)

Why is it that "white" people can not accept discrimination against them because they are stupid, arrogant, wear funny cloths, smell like a flower factory, have a bugger coming out their nose, act like they are gods highest form of person on the earth, look like some clown, keep talking about how much better life was on the mainland, or is a plain old dick head. When have you ever heard a white American claim someone is prejudice against them because of any reason but race?

Gee, now you know how Hawaiians feel on the mainland when they are being discriminated against by white people because they are mistaken for Mexicans and those whites see nothing wrong with what they are doing. I read that we are not use to being the target of prejudice so we make it such a big deal when it happens to us. yet we have no problem being prejudice towards others to the point it is part of us and we see nothing wrong with treating others badly.

I know Hawaiians who look down on you and they say it’s not your race; it's those funny floppies you wear. Maybe that's the REAL reason!

Yes it is funny people seem to think that we, in the military don't understand others...

As far as treating others badly... thank goodness I can say I walk away everytime... it is not worth my effort to "match wits" with people like that... I have traveled as well, and this is the worst treatment I have recieved... ever in 40 years....

Demanding respect from others and not giving it? Priceless