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Maybe that is not the genesis of it - it could be that basically when the first 'foreigner' landowners got their hands on the land, they realized how valuable it was, and didn't want to part with total ownership. But it is still interesting that it jibes with the old Hawaiian system.
The land was definitely tempting to a lot of foreigners. And that was during a time of empire-building all over the planet. One thing many people don't know is that even Russia at one point wanted to colonize Hawaii. Russians in Hawaii The Russian American Company in Hawaii - ExploreNorth
They came in to protect the King of Kauai from King Kamehameha at Kaumaualii's request. We always talk about how King Kamehameha "wen' Unite da Islands..." But he did it by killing the Kings on all the other islands... So - there was a lot of internal warfare going on, too. Not everything came from outside. Not all changes were from the US or Britain. But the islands were in a very tenuous and vulnerable position. It's easy to just look at one event - the overthrow. But it happened after more than a hundred years of influx, change, and unrest.
I know a couple of Hawaiian Historians who think that the fear of Russia or other countries taking the islands over may have played a part in the US taking a more active role, and eventually participating in the overthrow. There were internal factions in Hawaii that wanted to make sure if the islands weren't under a monarchy that they wouldn't be under a foreign power that was a threat to the islands and/or the US. Not making excuses -- just making an observation.
One thing is for certain - if the islands were NOT a Territory of the US during both WWI and WWII, the beautiful people of these islands would have suffered at the hands of the Axis Powers. On December 7, 1941, there was more than one attack. We always think of that as Pearl Harbor's attack. But the Japanese planes "only" strafed and bombed us. They LANDED in Burma and Singapore. Read the Rape of Nanking if you want to know what happened after they landed in those countries. Just sayin', while the overthrow sucks, and a lot of wrongs need to be righted... it isn't ALL bad. Hawaii was protected because she was a Territory.
As I said earlier, none of this can be summed up in a couple of words. It's a complicated story for such a simple paradise. And who knows what the future holds. I just hope we can hold on to our Aloha and wonderful multi-cultural celebration in the face of all the new PC police moving in.
So, dear OP, perhaps you bit off more than you knew you were going to chew. But there are some VERY GOOD REASONS we do what we do, and talk the way we talk. The lesson for you might be to sit back and pay attention before jumping to conclusions. You can't always move to a place and overlay your ideas from somewhere else on the new place. It's kind of like that everywhere.
Why do people say the word as "haoli"? Why not pronounce the word the actual Hawaiian way, "haole"? I was confused when I first heard people say it after reading it and hearing it the right way in my mind
Why do people say the word as "haoli"? Why not pronounce the word the actual Hawaiian way, "haole"? I was confused when I first heard people say it after reading it and hearing it the right way in my mind
Some folks just don't know how to pronounce Hawaiian words correctly. Try saying the following pidgin phrase a few times in quick succession...
Da haole stay hau'oli cause he wen find kala in da ka'a.
In standard English, the above phrase would be...
The foreigner (or "white person") is happy because he found money in the car.
Let's be honest, "haole" is derogatory a LOT of the time. Caucasian people should not feel obligated to identify themselves with as "haole" just because they are in HI. I don't like being called the H word any more than African Americans like being called the N word.
Furthermore, caucasian people (or any race) should not have to feel threatened in our own country. Apparently the racist incidents are bad enough to echo to the mainland "be careful in HI if you're white." I think that this hate is most definitely taught by natives to keep mainlanders away from the 50th state. All US citizens should feel welcome to move to HI.
Good luck with this thread.
White people are not allowed to voice displeasure with racism. If they do... You'll be labeled arrogant., Thin skinned etc.
There are a fww brainwashed white people who say they dont see racism in Hawaii, but then again I have heard black people say the same about there southern home states as well.
Haole is on par with the word n!gg@r.
It should be outlawed as a hate crime.
When I first started reading these forums a few months back I was actually worried about moving to HI because I didnt know how we, my husband and I would be treated, because of all the negative postings about Haole. But then again you truly can never believe what the truth really is until you experience it yourself. My husband moved there about 5 months ago for a job and hopefully I will be there shortly after work is done. He immediately made friends with the locals and he is currently renting a room from a local. They do call him haole and their haole friend but he has not once been offended by his friends calling him this and doesnt think or feel its a racist remark. He absolutely loves his friends of all mixed cultures in HI and he is the only white out of the group. He tells me they are the most giving and nicest people.
On the mainland we say black, white, asian, mexican, etc and it seems to be fine so if in HI they state white people as Haole for their way of saying a white person whats the problem. Would you be offended if someone says you F***ing Caucasian as opposed to you F****ing Haole its the same thing. You dont get offended when someone calls you caucasian because thats what we consider a white person but you get offended when someone calls you Haole. Well I am sure if you go to another country they have a certain word they consider for a white person so dont get your panties all in a bunch. There will always be someone that is going to use words in a racist way no matter what culture it is but that doesnt mean that every local in HI is racist.
Us mainlanders dont like when other cultures come into our country and try to change our ways, beliefs etc. Even though HI is part of the US they have their own cultures and ways of living so why try to change it. If you move to HI you obviously know that the culture is completely different and I feel as if you are willing to go there then you need to accept that change and you will prob actually enjoy yourself!
I think the difference is that while on the mainland, you "might" refer to someone as black or asian, to another white person, you would never refer to a persons skin color or ethnicity to their face. Correct?
I would refer to my friend Sheila as a co-worker, or someone I met at church, but never refer to her as my "mexican' friend. It isn't considered polite or PC to take notice or discuss someones ancestry, unless THEY bring it up.
Thats perhaps one of the biggest issues that mainlanders of all stripes have, coming here.
The discrimination here is not solely directed at whites, its directed at anyone who isn't local. You'll see ad's on craiglist, asking for a photo, which is clearly a means to eliminate certain types of people. Or, jobs that will require a forgien language, but that don't pertain to tourist or importing etc, again its a back door way of making sure only "certain"people meet the job criteria.
If I were to post a job opening that stated I only wanted people who worship at a certain church, thats discrimination. If I only hire people who speak Japanese, when its not a requirement of the job, thats discrimination.
I'm glad your husband is doing well and hope you have an easy transition, but please understand that others may have different experiences that than the ones you have yet to have.
Well, I for one can say I hope I never see the day when we all speak the same language and look the same and have street signs all the same, etc. How amazingly boring would that be? Our country is built upon all the cultures of the world and to delete them all for this one same US vision would be a complete waste!
Culture is the most amazing part of what makes us human, what connects us to our roots and seperates us from animals. It would be a shame to waste such a rainbow of diversity because it makes things "too complicated or difficult" for a few.
I've traveled the world and have found that most countries speak more then one language. *gasp* How can they possibly manage? Diversity OMG!
I was born and raise in Hawaii a HAOLE my whole life, and reffer to myself as such. Its just a word. Yes the majority of the time it is used with hate, but its not a hateful word.... the feeling behind it is sometimes the problem, not the word. Please distinguish between the two, because right now all you are doing is trying to delete a cultural word, not racism.
When I first started reading these forums a few months back I was actually worried about moving to HI because I didnt know how we, my husband and I would be treated, because of all the negative postings about Haole. But then again you truly can never believe what the truth really is until you experience it yourself. My husband moved there about 5 months ago for a job and hopefully I will be there shortly after work is done. He immediately made friends with the locals and he is currently renting a room from a local. They do call him haole and their haole friend but he has not once been offended by his friends calling him this and doesnt think or feel its a racist remark. He absolutely loves his friends of all mixed cultures in HI and he is the only white out of the group. He tells me they are the most giving and nicest people.
On the mainland we say black, white, asian, mexican, etc and it seems to be fine so if in HI they state white people as Haole for their way of saying a white person whats the problem. Would you be offended if someone says you F***ing Caucasian as opposed to you F****ing Haole its the same thing. You dont get offended when someone calls you caucasian because thats what we consider a white person but you get offended when someone calls you Haole. Well I am sure if you go to another country they have a certain word they consider for a white person so dont get your panties all in a bunch. There will always be someone that is going to use words in a racist way no matter what culture it is but that doesnt mean that every local in HI is racist.
Us mainlanders dont like when other cultures come into our country and try to change our ways, beliefs etc. Even though HI is part of the US they have their own cultures and ways of living so why try to change it. If you move to HI you obviously know that the culture is completely different and I feel as if you are willing to go there then you need to accept that change and you will prob actually enjoy yourself!
Sincerly,
Haole from the mainland!
Something tells me this post is fabricated.
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Wow - thanks guys! 
Try saying the following pidgin phrase a few times in quick succession...
