Questions about the culture

[KaraBenNemsi]

Be aware that what many folks call 'culture' here in Hawai'i are mostly recent habits.

[Cryptic]

Originally Posted by MauiPartTimer

Interesting, my wife is black (I'm white) and hasn't sensed the slightest bit of hostility from anyone on Maui.

Is Maui like some of the resort towns on the mainland where there are in effect "two" Mauis? For example, one Maui might consist of transplants or second home type residents The other Maui might consist of the more "local" areas.

My male friend (In the deep south, I have noticed that racists tend to be more tolerant of say, black females, especially those escorted by somebody they knew) had his troubles on the island that has the army base. Being a soldier might have contributed to his problems, but he maintained he had far more problems than white soldiers. Likewise, an enlisted soldiers income might bring him into more frequent contact with the perhaps, less tolerant locals. In fairness to both Hawaii and my friend, I should probably add that I dont think my friend is lying about the racial hostility displayed by some local Hawians, but he was there 20 years ago.

[prospectheightsresident]

I have to say that the few interactions I've had with Hawaiians (I'm referring to Native Hawaiians vs. natives of Hawaii as I don't necessarily know when I'm interacting with natives of Hawaii, generally, when out and about) have been very pleasant. In fact, I've been treated very, very warmly (not trying to be controversial, but I've found that, as an African American, I get along well with with many other "minority" groups (I really get along with everybody, though), though there have been some exceptions. In fact, when visiting Sydney, I had many Aboriginal Australians affectionately call me their fellow "black brother" (they called themselves "black," too), and try to relate with me on very personal levels. I think a lot of that has to do with common histories of racial discrimination, etc., where certain groups feel a closer connection with others, etc. But, then again, these are my experiences, and I can't say whether others have experienced the same.

Moving on: as I've written elsewhere, even if the opposite were true, I wouldn't really care; and trust when I write that I've had my fair share of unfriendly/unwelcoming encounters. If you're not paying my salary, I could care less what you think about me