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 know there aren't many blacks and Hispanics in the state. But they are there. If whites are referred to as "haoles" and say that most Hawaiians discriminate against them, then how does the average Hawaiian regard blacks and Hispanics?
On the rural Big Island, pretty much everybody is a "hapa" (literally, "half" but connotes mixed race/ethnicity/heritage) or has in-laws or grandkids who are hapa.
Interestingly, the biggest debate around here concerning the President last fall was not concerning his being Black (because as far as most folks were concerned, he was hapa haole, or hapa popolo, either one), but that he'd gone to Punahou. The fiercest arguments I heard were over whether one of those snotty, private school kids should be Presient.
This was not an angle often reported on on the mainland.
But as to your question, the African-American population is very small, as the thread above cites. And while the racial Kingdom has hardly come, there is a casualness to ethnic and racial understandings, descriptors, and attitudes that just isn't the case on the mainland.
An ethnic Mexican of my acquaintance is usually considered to be haole.
There are actually a lot of hispanic persons in Hawaii, at least on the Big Island where I live. Many years ago S. American men were brought over to teach cattle management, thus the Hawaiian Cowboy, or "Paniolo" was born. They have a long and proud history here. There are hispanics in other industries and while those are predominately the service industries, most of them have been here a long time. In fact, at St. Michael's in Kona where I live we almost always have a priest (in addition to our regular pastor/priest) of hispanic background because there are many to be served.
There was a lawsuit about a year or two ago when black guy was being harrassed by his white coworkers and I think it something to do with a noose. He ended up winning that case
dont know hawaii as much as i would like to. only a visitor. however, as to discrimination,
its all about white guys. everybody else is ok.
i know i know that is not what EEOC says but that is how it works.
I know there aren't many blacks and Hispanics in the state. But they are there. If whites are referred to as "haoles" and say that most Hawaiians discriminate against them, then how does the average Hawaiian regard blacks and Hispanics?
Are these people discriminated against as well?
What I am about say here applies to life on the island of Oahu only because that's my only frame of reference on this matter, but I can say what follows here with a degree of confidence, and it applies as far back as the mid-eighties. The racial undercurrent between locals of Polynesian persuasion (i.e., Hawaiians, Samoans, Tongans, etc.) and Mainland transplants is at its zenith with blacks or "popolos".
I have seen this phenomenon firsthand myself in many-many fist fights at public beaches or shopping malls here on Oahu, and I've been told this outright by a number of locals over the years in backyard barbeques and luaus. In part, it stems from the general arrogance and cockiness that often attends younger black males in American society (something that is reviled in Hawaiian culture), but it also relates in some measure (and this next part may seem a bit far-fetched) to the fact that blacks on Oahu are here (nine out of ten times) as "military", which many locals resent. Take it or leave it, but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!
I know there aren't many blacks and Hispanics in the state. But they are there. If whites are referred to as "haoles" and say that most Hawaiians discriminate against them, then how does the average Hawaiian regard blacks and Hispanics?
Are these people discriminated against as well?
Yeah, blacks and hispanics are discriminated againt on Hawaii. Most likely it will be whites doing the discrimination from what I've seen. Even with "locals" discrimination againt minorities, most minorities are use to it (if they lived on the mainland) so unless it's really bad, it just roles off them as they are so use to it already. I also found minorites on Hawaii have a better grasp of racial discrimination versus plain old dissapproval because of something they did. Whites ***** so much about the discrimination against them because they just are not use to it and they can't accept they did something to warrent dissaproval so it has to be because of race.
At the bars on Kauai (and there aren't many...), papolo guys ALWAYS get the girls...
Anyways, its not discrimination really, but in Hawaii theres the filipinos, the hawaiians, the portagees, the japanese, chinese and the haoles for the most part. There are jokes or common stereotypes for all of these groups but its not meant maliciously- its just the way it is.
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.
