Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just as a side note--I was raised in South America so when I fill out papers asking my race, I don't fall under the "white "category
The fastest growing category in the last census was "Mixed." And increasingly that's the way young people describe themselves. One day I believe this will all just be a historical footnote.
Yet another "haole" question! You must be sick and tired of those...but I hope you will still help me out here!
My husband and I are looking to move to either CA or HI...I like HI better because it's less materialist, more laid back, and of course, nicer people, nicer scenery.
My husband is Indian (South Asian), and I am of Portuguese/Italian decent. I have light olive skin, dark eyes and hair, and most people think I look persian--some think hispanic,. I do not look anglo at all, but I am very light skinned--think Salma Hayek.
I have heard of some racism there and I understand that's mostly directed towards whites. I am trying hard to escape racism as where I live right now is very racist. I do not want to move to another horribly racist city. My husband is concerned I will be encountering a lot of racism and so will our children, who look more like me than dad. I understand racism is everywhere, but some places more than others and some cities have particular racism against a particular group. I don't want to be targeted as a white person and am quite fearful of that (it's kind of funny I'm saying this as where I live right now I'm discriminated against because I'm not considered white..lol!).
I have 2 questions:
1-Would people there consider me or my children white? Would we suffer discrimination because of that?
2-Would my husband face any discrimination as a South Asian? I know there are many Asians there but mainly Japanese and Filipino.
Thanks a bunch!
Honolulu gets race better than about 90% of the country, it should not be a primary concern for you unless you are gonna take your children to a rough part of the island. As far as you are concerned, If you really look like Salma Hayek, I don't think anyone will give you a problem .
It is by no means a horrible racist city. It is a vibrant city that is safe and diverse. There are issues, there are ethnic stereotypes, there are people that mess with other people because of their race, and there is some anti-haole resentment in some communities. But 95% of the people are nice, community oriented people that will assume you are the same unless you prove them wrong.
My advice. Don't tell people how it was better where you came from, don't be pushy, don't drive aggressively, don't be loud and draw attention to yourself, don't be rude, and don't speak up about Hawaiian issues until you have been there a long time. LOL. Follow that advice and you will probably be fine. The adults that have issues, for the most part, are cultural ones more than racial ones. Yes, there are sterotypes... but if you don't reinforce them then it won't be a big problem. That is good advice anywhere, but especially in Hawaii.
If it were me, moving a family there, I would be more concerned with adapting to the culture, getting a decent job, and getting my children a good education than I would with race. Just please, don't plop your kids down at Farrington or something... that would a tough place to start their new life.
I love, LOVE learning about new cultures. I have friends of all ethnicities and religions and I really enjoy going to different cultural events like Chinese new year, Bhangra blowout (Indian), I've even broken fast with my muslim friends although I'm not muslim. I hope this helps me (and my family) fit in. Anyway, I really want to learn more about Hawaiian culture. What's a really good source? Anything I can do to immerse myself in the culture and learn some more about it when I visit next time? I have been to Oahu and Maui, any recommendations?
Thanks
Yet another "haole" question! You must be sick and tired of those...but I hope you will still help me out here!
My husband and I are looking to move to either CA or HI...I like HI better because it's less materialist, more laid back, and of course, nicer people, nicer scenery.
My husband is Indian (South Asian), and I am of Portuguese/Italian decent. I have light olive skin, dark eyes and hair, and most people think I look persian--some think hispanic,. I do not look anglo at all, but I am very light skinned--think Salma Hayek.
I have heard of some racism there and I understand that's mostly directed towards whites. I am trying hard to escape racism as where I live right now is very racist. I do not want to move to another horribly racist city. My husband is concerned I will be encountering a lot of racism and so will our children, who look more like me than dad. I understand racism is everywhere, but some places more than others and some cities have particular racism against a particular group. I don't want to be targeted as a white person and am quite fearful of that (it's kind of funny I'm saying this as where I live right now I'm discriminated against because I'm not considered white..lol!).
I have 2 questions:
1-Would people there consider me or my children white? Would we suffer discrimination because of that?
2-Would my husband face any discrimination as a South Asian? I know there are many Asians there but mainly Japanese and Filipino.
Thanks a bunch!
First off, I agree with the others, that you seem like a very nice person.
Second thought though. My personal feeling is that if you live in a 'horribly racist city' right now, and you're living in California....than I imagine you'll probably experience 'racism' wherever you go.
Certain types of people are just more tuned into it more than others, experience it more than others. Don't know why.
I live over here in supposedly 'racist' Japan. Many foreigners come over here and experience racism all the time, others never do, and absolutely love living their life over here, despite not being Japanese.
The ones experiencing racism all the time, you can never get them to see that they aren't. The ones who almost never experience it, it's almost impossible to convince them that they are.
Usually, the best recommendation for people who see racism everywhere, is for them to go somewhere where they are the majority. Being that you're a Portuguese and South Asian couple....there isn't anywhere like that, but I'd imagine California would be the best place for someone like that, with the most other people in similar situations who could most easily relate.
I love, LOVE learning about new cultures. I have friends of all ethnicities and religions and I really enjoy going to different cultural events like Chinese new year, Bhangra blowout (Indian), I've even broken fast with my muslim friends although I'm not muslim. I hope this helps me (and my family) fit in. Anyway, I really want to learn more about Hawaiian culture. What's a really good source? Anything I can do to immerse myself in the culture and learn some more about it when I visit next time? I have been to Oahu and Maui, any recommendations?
Thanks
I suppose that you could start by perusing "People and Cultures of Hawaiʻi: The Evolution of Culture and Ethnicity." It's a fifteen chapter anthology that delves into the history and cultures of most of the folks that reside in Hawaiʻi today. Hawaiians have had over 234 years of contact with non-Hawaiians, and Hawaiians of various strata and their descendants were impacted differently.
Here's my point... it's 2012, and we now know there is no such thing as race.
Race is a fiction, a misconception, a deliberate fraud invented to justify colonialism and slavery. Science does not support the concept at all. Modern science proves there is only one race, the human race, and the various differences people point to, like skin and hair and eye color, etc., are quite superficial in nature compared to our enormous similarities.
DNA analysis has shown we are all related, every single human being alive today, all originally from South Africa, all descendants of a small group of approximately 2,000 individuals who were themselves survivors of a larger group of perhaps 200,000 which experienced some kind of disaster. Maybe they survived the Great Flood, which is part of every folklore tradition on the planet? In any case, we are actually all one people.
Yes, racism is real, even if race is not. But the way to stop racism is to stop giving it credence, stop believing in it, stop talking about it, stop giving it power in our lives. It certainly should not be part of anyone's calculations about whether to move to Hawai'i or not.
Lead with an open heart and a big smile and you'll be fine.
This is a nice sentiment, and probably worth following. However, it's technically questionable.
The first question is what we mean by "Race." If you mean difference species, then no, there are no races, because we can all successfully interbreed. But that's not what the term means, or has ever meant.
According to wiki, "In biology, races are distinct genetically divergent populations within the same species with relatively small morphological and genetic differences." Which would appear to be an accurate description of human ethnicities/nationalities.
Has race been used to justify slavery, oppression, discrimination? Sadly, yes. But that doesn't make it fictional, or a fraud. Are our similarities greater than our differences? Yes, but that doesn't make race non-existent.
Are we all related? Yes. But if you believe in evolution, then we are also all related to every other monkey and ape that exists. And to every other form of life, for that matter. (I'm not sure your 200K to 2K population hypotheses is generally accepted, although it's interesting.)
Personally, I find the terms "'race" (along with "black" and "white") unnecessarily deliniative and divisive, and prefer the term "ethnicity", as there are in fact many ethnic/national divisions, both within and between races. And they are all significant and interesting in their own way. But the modern trend to pretend there are no racial/ethnic/national differences is, I think, the real fraud/fiction today, pushed for political reasons. And I think it's largely unnecessary. There's no reason we can't love and respect each other despite our differences. Because we are in fact part of the same species, the same greater race, and the same human family.
It's just that we often take pride/comfort in our own particular clan within that broader family. And that can sometimes lead to friction towards outsiders. Which is apparently something to consider when choosing a move to Hawaii, where there is a local, somewhat insular population.
I think the OP needs to visit Hawaii, and get a sense of it for herself. As another poster noted, if she's sensitive to such tensions, she may find it unwelcoming. However, I also agree that people are overly trained to look for racism these days, and thereby become unnecessarily oversensitive to it.
I think we should just accept that some people in all groups are generally unhappy with people outside of their group, and that many people in most groups may be a little uncertain about people outside of their group -- but that most of the latter group will eventually warm up with a little familiarity. And that the people in the first group aren't really worth worrying about.
Heck, if there were really nothing whatsoever to the idea of ethnic differences, Hawaii would be a lot less interesting.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
Well, in that case, CA would be good too!
