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Anyone that is seemingly concerned about racism should probably be asking why they really want to move here (or anywhere). The whole racism issue in Hawaii is so overblown, it is ridiculous.
People need to stop confusing kids being kids with racism.... That's what kids do, make fun of differences. Not everything is a tragedy.
Bravo, so very true. Kids savage each other for anything, for some it is a part of the maturing process. Race, weight, gender, hair, freckles, parents, athletic prowess...
Your child may sometimes be the perpetrator and sometimes the victim. Teach them how to handle the situation, don't let them go too far.
Can't rep you for that on Winkosmosis, but would if I could.
The anti Military sentiment stems from the treatment we received at the hands of the Military in days gone by. The Whites treated he Native Hawaiians as second class citizens in our own homeland. There was quite a famous incident (which sparked the book and later the movie "Blood & Orchids) called the Massie incident (1932) where a White Officer's 'lady' had been caught in an affair (with another White) but claimed that she had been raped by local boys.
The mother of the 'lady' had a Hawaiian named Joseph Kahahawai kidnapped & ultimately murdered. She was convicted of manslaughter but left the Island and never suffered any consequences for the murder of this INNOCENT local man.
Also, during WWII we were terribly mistreated. My Grandmother went into premature labor on Dec7, but was BARRED from the hospitals because she was not White- it did not matter that my Grandfather was White. No, it was not that ONLY Military personnel was to be treated- White Civilians were treated, but locals were sent away.
It has taken a long time for these feelings to even begin to dissipate. Now, if there is any anti-Military sentiments- it is usually on a very personal level- caused by drunken behavior (on BOTH sides- although it does get tiring on payday weekends!).
I am married to a White man, and I Served in the Army as well as my husband having Retired from the Army after just about 23 years of Service.
I can categorically state that I have run into FAR worse racial treatment on the mainland than my husband has run into here. My sons look very Haole (we were stationed here during their middle school years) and no one had ANY problems with them- in fact the local kids were quite shocked that they were Hawaiian. No, they did not attend school on a Military installation.
Are there some people that will not like your kids? Probably- but based SOLEY on their skin color-on Maui? Hardly.
Hawaii is a complex place- made up of so many racial mixtures- that many new to our Islands have a difficult time 'classifying' us. Why not just be open to new people, customs and experiences?
Regarding the Massie incident -- it's not clear that the murdered man was innocent of the rape (or that the woman was not in fact raped by locals). He was clearly guilty of physically assaulting another white woman that day: Massie Trial - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Regarding your last point: "Why not just be open to new people, customs and experiences?" -- I think this is what the OP is hoping for from the locals.
I met a guy whose wife was almost abducted by two locals in a van in Hawaii. (They were dragging her into the van when he emerged from the store and saw them.) He freed her before they got away, and then followed them to their home, where he slugged one. He got fined, they got nothing. There probably is resentment towards colonial attitudes in the past, and there probably is some systemic favoritism towards locals/majority members in Hawaii, just like everywhere else.
That said, I assume that people who are respectful to locals generally have better experiences than people who aren't (for obvious reasons). That appears to be the general consensus on this board.
one could also argue that you can draw a little bit to the fact that Japanese Americans (ie US citizens of Japanese descent) were wrongfully and illegally imprisoned and forced into "labor" camps for their "own safety" even though the men guarding had the guns pointing into the camps at the occupants. Most of Hawaii is Japanese descent and some had family who were effected by this. Of course this happened on the Mainland where the military was actually able to do so unlike Hawaii which had a greater percentage of Japanese/Americans and so they couldn't keep the economy going etc. if they imprisoned them all
If you're talking about WWI relocation camps (which included Germans and Italians as well as Japanese), those were expressly authorized by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Korematsu case. So not actually illegal. You could certainly argue they were wrongful in nature, but the intent was to ensure that spies and saboteurs could not cause damage during the war. For what it's worth, while there were many innocents inconvenienced, it has also been established that many spies/saboteurs were caught in the process. (It's a lot easier to criticize policies when you're no longer subject to active attack, or engaged in a major war.)
Finally, it is my understanding that while Japanese are a significant minority on Hawaii, they are not a majority. Apparently, Japanese are about 14% of the population, Filipinos are about 16%, native hawaiians/polynesians are about 10%, and whites are about 25%: Hawaii - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. A majority therefore proably have some asian blood (with 24% mixed), but not Japanese blood.
I'm Native Hawaiian, Japanese, and Irish and I live in Hawaii. I'm fine with everyone until they say something really ignorant, hateful, or when white people are all starry-eyed about the *&%$#@! Aloha spirit. Many Native Hawaiians have just as many issues with the Japanese as with Whites. I see their point and I'm part Japanese. My biggest suggestion would be this--be your white self. Don't try to act like a local, don't use Hawaiian words here and there, and don't act like your the authority on local stuff. Just be your mainland, white self and I can respect that.
I will say one more thing. A lot of white people sincerely think they're not racist, but they are or at very least they are ethnocentric. For example, white people think it's positive in general to be assertive, especially for women, and I've literally been yanked aside on the mainland when I wasn't aggressive enough in business. But guess what, that's not many Asians' or Hawaiians' culture. So, just keep it to yourself and you'll probably be fine. No one needs your all-knowing advice.
As you note, this is a cultural difference, not a racial one. If you weren't targeted until you exhibited (or failed to exhibit) certain behaviors, then the issue was not race, but behavior. You can argue cultural arrogance, but that's a different matter.
P.S.: If you're white and born in Hawaii, are you allowed to act like a local? Do you act like a mainland Japanese/Irish person?
Hello, some interesting threads here. How are Black Americans accepted on Oahu in general? I retired military and might be moving there soon. My wife is white and one of our 3 kids is high school age.
Don't know first-hand, but apparently only 2% of the population is black there.
I would suspect that people would probably be more accepting of you because of the smaller black population. E.g., people don't generally have a problem with new/different groups until immigration rates start sharply rising. (See Europe.) Same with whites in the New World in the 1500's / 1600's.
I've lived here for 3 years, my husband is military and I have a 14 yr old and a 10 yr old. I work in Honolulu, and i one of the ohenly 'white' people at my job. I also work with the public (Property Management office) on a daily basis. I deal with hundreds of residents from Oahu AND kauai, maui and the big island on a daily basis. I have never experienced any racism, at all.
It's bogus. It's an old wives tale. it's a story to scare children. Period.
My teenaged daughter is not only white in hawaii, she also attends school in wahiawa, where she is not only a minority, this school is also very poor.
She loves it. Fits right in. Never wants to leave.
The complaints I always hear from military people are usually from people who rarely interact with the community. They sit on post, and stare fearfully at the locals.
I suspect there's a major difference in how men and women are treated in a minority context. Men are inherently more threatening, and therefore more likely to experience resentment, and potentially violent conflict. If you're an attractive woman providing assistance to people, you're not likely to experience much resentment. Ultimately, you can really only speak to your own experience.
I'm caucasian and have lived on Oahu for a few years. At first I liked it and wanted to think the best of people, that it was a friendly place and people didn't care what nationality you were. I'm sorry to say that it hasn't been my experience. I'm noticing almost on a daily basis how I am treated differently. I wouldn't describe it as coming from the people of native hawaiian ancenstry. They may have some resentments but they have not been overtly racist towards me. What I'm noticing is it's coming from asians, especially japanese people, many of whom I doubt are even legal citizens.
I can think of examples too numerous to list where I was looked down upon, treated poorly, given the stink eye, ridiculed within earshot, cut off in my car, etc and it wears on you. It doesn't matter if you are mild mannered or a bit outspoken, it happens no matter how you come across. My feeling is if there is any group of people here who have a legitimate beef it's the small segment of native hawaiians who have seen a radical influx of illegals take over this island. I know and met several illegals here through work and school. They fly under the radar quite easily. One of my friends refers to how they stick together, help one another and shut people outside of their race out call it 'the coconut network.' It's not easy for caucasians to find work when most of the tourist related businesses are looking for people who can speak japanese.
I was a little surprised at first that there were so few white americans living in HI, but now I know why. It's a subject people are too afraid to talk about here, and I doubt that will ever change. AZ pales in comparison to the illegal immigration problem in HI. It's very interesting to observe the politics here as well to see how the votes are won, based on what issues. Very interesting indeed.
Interesting that tourism places prefer japanese speakers, since there must still be more American tourists than Japanese. (Much larger pool, somewhat closer, more disposable income.) But I suspect the Japanese-speakers also speak English fluently.
Everyone seems so torn up about racism, but the fact of the matter is, it exists. It's not a good thing, but it's also not going away. There is no easy way to avoid it, you sometimes become a target you sometimes don't. I think white people in particular are especially sensitive because they have never experienced their own behaviors turned back on them. There are racists, bigots, jerks and people itching to start fights everywhere. There is no hard fast rule on how to avoid these people. You either accept that or you don't.
I think it would be more accurate to say that whites are more sensitive because they're used to being the majority, and have not generally experienced racism. Not all, or even necessarily most, whites in most areas behave in a racist manner.
Sorry for all the replies, just interesting posts in this thread.
It looks like the thing for newcomers to realize is that Hawaii has its own culture, similar to a foreign country, and people need to be aware of that when they move there. They won't be the majority if they're white, and they may be outsiders to some extent, at least for awhile. (Fwiw, Japan is supposedly the most racist place on earth. Spending a few weeks/months there first might be good for breaking in, as Hawaii is probably far more welcoming.)
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