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Plus, it refers to people who came out of the Caucasus Mountains. If my ancestors came from there, it was in such ancient times as to be irrelevant at this point. I am way, WAY more haole than I am Caucasian.
The irony is that the majory of locals in Hawaii that refer to Mainlanders/Caucasians as Haoles aren't even of Hawaiian decent but came from Japan, China, Korea and the especially the Phillipines.
Hmmm, whether to weigh in on this..."Danger Will Robinson, Danger!"
Montoya, I understand your objections to the word "haole"; I'm not comfortable with it, either, because it's been misused too often, and too casually. What I've done is to not use the word in conversation, but not to make a huge deal of it. If I'm in conversation with someone who uses the word "haole", I don't correct them, but I don't use it myself, either. Over time, I've noticed that friends and family also use it less, and even occasionally switch.
For what it's worth, I disagree that haole is analogous to the "n" word. I would equate it more to "negro" from the 50's. Most used it simply as a description (just saw an old Walter Cronkite interview with Martin Luther King, Jr. where it was used a lot), but some did not, and some even slightly mispronounced it so you weren't sure what they were saying. The black community came to feel "negro" was too much of a loaded word with too much baggage, so they moved themselves, and the country, away from the use of the word "negro." First it went to "black", then to "African-American." The second switch was led by Thurgood Marshall.
Last edited by DBM; 08-24-2010 at 06:59 PM..
Reason: typo
For what it's worth, I disagree that haole is analogous to the "n" word. I would equate it more to "negro" from the 50's. Most used it simply as a description (just saw an old Walter Cronkite interview with Martin Luther King, Jr. where it was used a lot), but some did not, and some even slightly mispronounced it so you weren't sure what they were saying. The black community came to feel "negro" was too much of a loaded word with too much baggage, so they moved themselves, and the country, away from the use of the word "negro." First it went to "black", then to "African-American." The second switch was led by Thurgood Marshall.
Before reaching conclusions about the use of the term "haole", it might be beneficial to read Judy L. Rohrer's Ph.D. dissertation, entitled "Haole Matters: An Interrogation of Whiteness in Hawai'i." Here's a link...
Her premise is false from the get-go. She states Caucasians are the largest group in Hawaii. Not True. Asians are. Hawaii QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau Additionally, there are a great many assumptions and biases that show up in that paper. Better book - "Land and Power in Hawaii." Also "Broken Trust." Yes, there is Missionary Power and influence, Influence of the Big 5. But can't lay it all at the feet of the Caucasians.
You have to understand that the racism some people claim when they talk about Hawaii is three-fold:
The most prevalent racism comes from the beholder. If someone is mean to me, I don't look at the color of their skin or think they are looking at the color of mine. I just assume they either don't feel good, or they are an idiot. If you grew up in an area with raging racism, you may see it where none exists. (and several posters here are correct -- there actually is no such thing as "race" per say. It's a social construct. Everything is cultural. As in: a Japanese person from Japan, a Japanese person from Hawaii, a Japanese person from South Africa, and a Japanese person from the Mainland -- all operate differently and are very different. It's culture. Not race. Always has been.)
We had horrific race problems in the 1930's. Hawaii nearly destroyed itself with a racial situation. There was a movie about it - Blood and Orchids. (In order to keep the post short enough, I'll generalize) The people of these islands realized we MUST get along. A new way of dealing with race was developed. EVERY race in Hawaii has a nickname that evolved through the years. Unlike the "N" word, these nicknames are more affectionate (depending obviously on context) and have developed as a way to acknowledge the very different and distinct cultures that co-exist more or less peacefully in the islands.
We all celebrate Chinese New Years, we go to Bon Dances, we dance to Salsa, we go to the Merrie Monarch Festival, and most of our kids take Hula. I have children and relatives who are Hawaiian, Tahitian, Filipino, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Samoan, Black, and Puerto Rican -- all in Hawaii. We are ALL RELATED. We make jokes about each other because it helps us understand each others' cultures. And really, we are talking about our Relatives! THIS IS NOT RACISM. This is acknowledging in a non-threatening way that we do see the world a little differently based on our different cultures. Have I run into some people using "Haole" with special words in front? Sure. So what? Some people are just angry. Not my Kuleana.
The whole Political Correctness mantra on the mainland that was supposed to CURE racism in the US has actually made it worse. Witness our Gen X and Gen Y people coming out and telling us how and what we must call ourselves. Witness my two daughters their first week at USC calling and asking me why it was "bad to admit we are Japanese? Why do we HAVE to call ourselves Asian-American?" What a bunch of nonsense. To me Political Correctness, and even the OP's post is MORE Racist than using any of the nicknames we came up for each other. Why go around and tell people who are doing just fine that they must be UPSET because YOU are upset? How is that helping?
The Third issue, as shown in the PDF file posted earlier, is there are sovereignty issues in the islands that have gained momentum in the past 20 or so years. Sometimes new people to the islands run into activists and hear all sorts of things about hating other races or the interlopers. That is their thing, not the opinion of the general population. This is always mildly amusing to me, as many of the most vociferous activists are themselves 1/2 Haole.
As the mother of 4 Hawaiian girls, I have heard it all. There are 17 different factions in the Hawaiian movement. Many Caucasians from the mainland, especially from the Eastern Seaboard, and even a few militant groups from other countries have joined in to instruct us how we should deal with our islands. The 17 factions cannot agree.
I don't want to get into a catfight here about this issue. It is huge and it is complex and there are many good arguments on many sides, and many silly arguments as well. It is an open wound, and it needs to be addressed. There were wrongs that need to be righted. There are some fantasies that can't be fulfilled. There are some solutions that are just never going to work. There are some that will.
I have tried to raise my children with the idea that the first definition of sovereignty in the dictionary is "control over one's life". I raised them that they should make healthy choices for their lives first. Land is important, but means nothing if you are a slave to others' ideas.
My children were named by some very powerful local Kahuna. My connections, even though I'm Haole, go very deep. The Kahuna and the Kanaka Maoli in my circle respect me and have taught me much. I've done work with many Hawaiians and I deeply respect their aina and their rights. That being said, the deeply spiritual Hawaiians are not haters. "Alo Ha" -- that breath or spirit you carry with you - your HA, your Mana, and your Mana'o are more important than your skin color or origins. They are not being disrespectful of me when they use Haole. It is simply a reference point.
There is another language in Hawaii that you will hear often - it's Pidgin - a creole type language made up of words from all the races in Hawaii. It is constantly evolving and it's really fun to learn. Although you may not want to try it unless you have a really good ear. You can pick up 'Pidgin to da Max' to get a flavor of it.
The point of many of the posts on this issue is this: Don't judge until you've been here awhile. By "awhile" I mean 4 or 5 years. Don't be too thin-skinned about this. I've seen people really blow it because they dragged all their mainland baggage along with them and dumped it all over people who were just being friendly. And yeah, if you have a chip on your shoulder, you are telegraphing that to everyone you meet and they are reacting to you.
If this really is uncomfortable... if you have lived here a long time and really can't stand it... if it just isn't working for you and you can't deal... then, hate to say this, but - move. That's not "love it or leave it..." it's just, brah, life is too short to walk around upset all the time. Some places work for some people and some don't ... so what? Find where you feel at home. But let's not try and change something you don't understand because it makes YOU uncomfortable.
There is NO PLACE in the world like Hawaii. I've traveled close to 3 million miles in the past 25 years. And I can tell you, this little archipelago in the middle of the ocean is something else. It is the farthest land mass from any other land mass on the planet. It has evolved ways to deal with the influx of peoples. It is full of some of the kindest, sweetest, and warmest people I have met in all my travels. And it has idiots too. So does everywhere. Hawaii has its problems. Everything isn't rosy. But please don't come here and start lecturing about how we need to change ONE word and that will somehow fix things for you. Hang loose, braddah. Breathe. Will do you some good. (and remember the wise words of Jerold Jampolsky in his book, "Love is Letting Go of Fear," "You are never upset for the reasons you think." Maybe ask yourself what this is REALLY about...
I suspect a lot of the "racism" folks hear when they are here is more from the use of race as an identifier. Here we use someone's race as a descriptive term and it's not racist since it is to describe that particular person and not their group. "Oh, when you get your paint at the hardware store be sure to ask for the old Portuguese guy instead of the Japanese guy since he knows the old recipe for this color" or "oh, the Japanese dental technician is my favorite, she's my neighbor's daughter", etc. They aren't using the race as a generic pigeon hole or to describe some sort of derogatory trait.
Sometimes, though, race is used to describe the entire group, but usually it isn't for anything derogatory. Japanese are known for having a very clean and tidy yard, Filipinos frequently have decorative concrete fences, haoles sunburn easily and usually speak louder than other groups of folks, Portuguese bake nice bread and make great soup, Chinese folks are great at saving money and working in a hui, etc. Most of these are true for the race as a group although they may not be true for the specific individual. Is this racist? Yes it is. Is it hurtful and derogatory? No, it's not. It's Hawaii, it's how we do things here and no, we don't care how they do it on the mainland and we don't want to change.
Hey Hotcatz, have I told you today that I love you? Great. I should have read yours before I went all wala'au ... Good response.
Personally, I think it is MORE racist to pretend that everyone is all the same race/color.
Love it when white people try to describe a black person as that tall guy, that guy with dark hair, etc...avoiding the skin color description!
Plus, what is the difference...if someone says HAOLE or CAUCASIAN or WHITE...I think the same white person who is offended by haole, will also be offended to being referred to as white or causasian. Dont you think? (As a white person very familiar with white people - and Ive lived outside of the US for a very long time, that is certainly my experience).
R_Cowgirl, I would SO like to 'rep' that post, it was wonderful, but I gotta 'spread it around'. Still, REP to you!!!! I think we should 'sticky' that post and make it required reading before anyone can post here.
Oh, and milk is now up to $4.49/gal. at Safeway; a few cents less at WalMart.
Hey Hotcatz, have I told you today that I love you? Great. I should have read yours before I went all wala'au ... Good response.
Hey, it's great wala'au! I was just reading it all amazed at the conciseness and clarity of your post! Aloha nui!
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