Haole Hate? (Hilo: home, to live in, shop)

[Razzbar]

Originally Posted by Tropical Daydreamer

Thankfully we both have dark hair and eyes, so maybe that will help,.

Why do people persist in their belief that color is the thing that matters? It's a simple, simple way of identifying people, but really has little or nothing to do with how people are perceived "at the end of the day".

"attitude, attitude, attitude"

[Tropical Daydreamer]

Originally Posted by Razzbar

Why do people persist in their belief that color is the thing that matters? It's a simple, simple way of identifying people, but really has little or nothing to do with how people are perceived "at the end of the day".

"attitude, attitude, attitude"

I'm not persisting, and I never said that color is the thing that matters. My comment comes simply as a reaction to the numerous posts from members on this forum as well as other forums, etc. who claim that they have personally been singled out because of their light skin color or blonde hair. Of course I realize that attitude is the most important thing, just like it is with most things in life, and I thought I made it pretty clear that I understand that. If I thought it was all about color, then why would I show so much interest in learning the "island attitude"? Racism is wrong, but it's naive to think it could ever be 100% eliminated. The fact is, part of racism is judging people negatively based on how they look. I was just commenting on the fact that darker hair and eyes would help against those who are truly racist, regardless of how prevalent it may or may not be in Hawaii. But hey...thanx for the concern.

[Sunnysee]

I suspect that the race issue here is a lot better than in the seventies, from what others have said about it. We're now in our eighteenth year of living here and hopefully following our married children to the mainland, soon, but we did raise two sorta fair-skinned daughters here and they sure had friends that were local.

I see much intermarriage of the races here. When in elementary school, one of the friends of our daughters made a haole joke in front of us all and he was part Hawaiian, young and stupid, thinking he was all that, and his own sister said "shuddup, Sean! whadda you think Grandpa is?!" LOL everyone laughed because grandpa was as fair skinned as any haole coulda been.

Locals confirmed for us that back in the sixties and I think seventies, the public schools, amongst the students, not faculty of course, really did have "beat up a hoale day" where the parents let their kids stay home. They said that it wasn't folklore. I dunno. I wasn't here, then.

Also, these same neighbors that became true friends had two kids in highschool at that time and told our daughters the names of one teacher that didn't even hide the fact that she "hated haoles" is what they said. They said she didn't say that, but gave the attitude to them and favored locals, and they said another teacher was sorta like that, etc. etc.

I haven't had any problem, but we did choose to homeschool both of our daughters, and are still very glad that we did. Private schools for two were more than we could afford, and it was on the local, KGMB news years ago that a high percentage of our public school teachers here also have their kids in private schools. The number, though I can't remember it, I believe was well above sixty percent at the time.

People here are human, before race for the most part. I did have a local, native Hawaiian real estate agent tell me, in a very friendly manner, and yet he was serious...that I could live in such and such area, but if I lived in, and he named the area, then "you've gone too far." He told me this when we were house hunting in 2002. THAT-I will never forget.

[Tropical Daydreamer]

Thanx Sunny, that's great feedback!

[PacificFlights]

The way to look at this is racisim is everywher in the world.

On hawaii, racisim is a lot of times not what a person thinks is racism by the people they think are local. Many (and I won;t be political corect is saying this) whites can tell a Hawaiian from a Phillipino from a Samoan, from a japanesse, from a korean. All they know is that person isn;t american white in their eyes. So sometimes they may be the victims of racisim by someone from Tonga but they assume they are hawaiian or local. It would like being someplece aon the mainland, expereince some racisim, and say that the person is Yeman when they are from Iraq, or like that guy in Arizona from india who was killed because some yahoo thought he was Middleeastern. Go to Alabama and see how many 100% pure native American Indians are cursed out because whites think they are Mexican.

I have a very good friend who is near white skinned who is 100% 5th generation Tahitian yet if she spoke and said anything bad, people would assume she's French but she does not identify herself as french but as from Tahiti. people would never in a million years think pacific islander, they would see her as a European. So their lack of diversity makes them jump to conclusion that she is something she is not. that's really what is happening on Hawaii. people with little or no understanding of cultural, national and ethical diversity becomes the racist by lumping people into a group they are not part of because of how they look. When people say they experience racisim by hawaiians, tyuo need to ask how they know they were hawaiian and not some right off the boat Micronesian.

[Tropical Daydreamer]

Good read Pacific...thank you! (And I'm sure you meant "..whites can't tell a Hawaiian from...") which I agree with for the most part, and this haole don't care about political correctness, so it's all good.

[WaikikiBoy]

Dark hair & dark eye's won't make any difference. If you're going to experience it, you're going to experience it. Like everyone has said before, a lot of what you receive is going to be based on what you give. But there are always exceptions.

Personally, as long as it's non-violent, I don't think it's a big deal. I've experienced a little of it but I see it more of a blessing (oddly enough). My one experience I think helped me grow as a person and be more aware of how my actions, even little things that I might do without thinking, could be perceived by others (particularly when I'm on the mainland and in a majority situation). It also made me more aware of what others have experienced far more often than me. I really feel I'm a better person because of it. And I honestly have experienced almost NO discrimination in Hawaii. Mostly you'll just experience good times ! But if you look for the blessing in every experience, you'll have nothing to worry about.

For kids, it might be a different deal all together. I really can't speak to that.

[Tropical Daydreamer]

Waikikiboy: Thanx for the great post! Your advice is awesome, and I plan to live by it as well as other's similar advice.

You said "as long as it's non-violent, I don't think it's a big deal." That's exactly what I think, but I keep forgetting to mention that. I do have a 16 year old son, and my only true concern is for him...

[aqua0]

Originally Posted by Tropical Daydreamer

There was a great thread referring to this topic from back in '07, but it's now closed. It disintegrated at the end, but there was lots of good input from the Hawaiian locals about whether or not there really is a true prejudice against haoles, or if it's just against pretentious mainlanders. My 16 year old son and I are moving to Hilo and I was curious if the current situation is getting better or worse. Thankfully we both have dark hair and eyes, so maybe that will help, but mainly we just want to show lots of respect to the locals and take great interest in their culture. I realize that we will never be accepted as true locals, but we hope our appreciation to the Hawaiians for us being able to live in such a beautiful place with them will show through.

There is. I've seen it. It's hard to tell it is happening sometimes. But not everyone experiences it or knows about it or is willing to admit it. Whether or not it's rampant...I don't know. I was at a baseball game for kids and the local kids were cursing at one white kid at the bat, calling him xxxx haole and stuff like that. They only learn from their parents and their community. When everyone condones it, it persists, just like any racism of any kind. This and many other incidents tell me there is racism.

To deny such things exist means one is not willing to accept white people can be victims of racism, only perpetrators -- which I suspect is due to a lot of the educational and media brainwashing. I'd hate to shatter anyone's Hawaiian Dream but truth is what it is, even if it is unsettling or gets on your nerves.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by aqua0

To deny such things exist means one is not willing to accept white people can be victims of racism, only perpetrators -- which I suspect is due to a lot of the educational and media brainwashing.

That's certainly a problem on some parts of the Mainland.

I've been living over here in 'supposedly' racist Japan and previously in 'supposedly' racist Korea.

While other foreigners I know have had problems with that over here, I've generally personally felt quite free of that, and very comfortable over here in Asia.

However, put me in the Mainland of the U.S., and there are certainly plenty of places I feel that racial tension of being 'white'. Your quote sums up why I've occassionally felt that way.

You get a lot of that 'whites can dish out, but can't take it', with an implication that you're personally guilty and therefore deserve something negative for just having white skin, etc.

If Hawaii is like Japan/Korea, I'd be a happy haole. If it's like mainland US and that kind of thinking, maybe I wouldn't.