1. 1 Keola Adonis 3 February 2010 @ 2:21 am

   I have to say that I was really upset when I read all those comments about whites having a hard time in hawaii and being called haole. I am asian, but my husband is half white and half asian. He does not look asian at all. He looks more white. We were thinking about living there in a couple of years. I was really unsettled about hearing about the racism from locals. I don’t know if that is the best place for our whole family. My children do look more asian but I fear that them being a non local will also cause them to be ridiculed and bullied. It’s already scary to move to a whole new environment considering we have lived in maryland our whole lives and to read this is really upsetting. I can see that u have been able to make this a good environment for yourself, but there is just so much overwhleming negativity for my family. Thanks for ur post.

2. 2 lisa 3 February 2010 @ 12:47 pm

   Hi Keola. My post was supposed to be on the reassuring side of this issue It should be totally fine, really. I’m as white as they come and I worked a county job and everything and had no problems. I am certain that you will love Hawaii if you give it a chance.

3. 3 Cheri 14 February 2010 @ 11:11 am

   My husband and I are thinking of travel nursing to Hawaii and I have been reading alot about this issue. I am white and he is Latino. Do you feel there are areas with more racial discrimination than others. Our dream has always been to go to Hawaii. We are so disappointed to hear about this issue. It is 2010. The riches lady in America is black and we now have a black president. “from Hawaii” Time to get over it and move on. We are all children of God and when we insult each other we insult him.

4. 4 lisa 14 February 2010 @ 12:54 pm

   Hi Cheri, there are supposed to be areas with more racial discrimination, but again I will refute this, because I lived in one of those for many years: Puna on the Big Island. It was a very local place, people referred to it as the wild, wild, west … and yet I had no problems.

   As for the rest of your comment. This is not a blacks vs white issue. In fact, in my opinion and my experience, blacks are discriminated against maybe as much as whites.

   This is a Hawaiian or Hawaiian-supporter versus whites issue. If you don’t know why Hawaiians would have any reason to feel anger or prejudice towards white, then look around here: http://hawaii-nation.org/ .

   I’m not saying I agree or disagree with the views on that website, I point them out because they catalogue the central issue that I have heard many times as the reason why some Hawaiians push against whites in Hawaii.

   Something else I want to offer here is that whites may be generally unwelcome or ‘looked down upon’ or ‘talked about in a derogatory way’ by many races in Hawaii in the same kind of way that ‘Americans’ are ‘talked about in a derogatory way’ in many other countries of the world.

5. 5 searider76 16 February 2010 @ 10:27 pm

   Wow….have been annoyed with the one sided view of Hawaii and am pleasantly surprised to find this site. If you don’t know the real history of an area then you bring the view of foreign eyes. Live/see it through the eyes of the oppressed…then look for justice and seek peace….

6. 6 kona1224 20 February 2010 @ 10:41 pm

   in Kauai there’s big problem with the racism like that, being i grew up there 50 percent of my childhood,, i got into a lot of fights over being a white ranch kid from California, now where I’m at its not so much, but there’s still bits of it, such as with the county, and trying to get kids ukulele lessons and such…..that’s why always keep my head down, don’t pay nobody no mind

7. 7 Courtney 1 March 2010 @ 3:27 pm

   I have live on Oahu for a year now. I am white, married to a white man, and working as a journalist while finishing graduate school. My husband and I have both been victims of hate crimes here. Once I had a van of three local guys literally try to run me off the road as they screamed racial obscenities at me. I have had my car engraved with racial obscenities…I could go on and on. I was not allowed to enroll in certain classes at UH because I was not of Hawaiian or Japanese ancestry…at a STATE University. I have been passed up for jobs because of my name. For those of you who will criticize me…let me say that I am glad to know what it feels like…to be the minority, to be discriminated, to be hated and treated less than human. I will take this lesson, learn from it, and look at Hawaii with a much different lens. For those of you who think this is false, please read the news articles on how many white kids commit suicide in hawaii alone, due to hate crimes.

8. 8 Clara 9 March 2010 @ 2:55 pm

   You guys may think that a litle bit of teasing is bad. there’s worse. Much worse.
   I am a white teenager in hawaii and I am in High School. I have been a target for the Kill Haole Day. Yeah i know. crazy right?

9. 9 lisa 10 March 2010 @ 1:47 am

   Hi Clara, you are right. That is much worse. and it is deplorable. If I were your mother, you would not be in school, but not because in Hawaii whites are discriminated against, but rather, because school is an institution that fosters these kinds of fear tactics.

   I went to a high school where EVERYONE was white. and I was targeted ocassionally … and I was white.

10. 10 Janey 14 April 2010 @ 1:02 am

    Aloha e,

    First off, I wanted to respond to Courtney who published her message on March 1, 2010 and wrote two statements that I wanted to address: “Once I had a van of three local guys literally try to run me off the road as they screamed racial obscenities at me.”

    Did this van of local guys just come out of the blue and attempt to run you off the road? Were you driving in a safe manner at an appropriate speed? The reason why I ask is because, regardless of race/ethnicity, we have some stupid drivers in Hawai’i. Like the U.S. mainland, we have a minority of people that are prone to overreacting and may attempt to show their anger/irritation by resorting to dangerous tactics.

    Also, just because they scream racial obscenities at you does not deem this as a “hate crime.” In Hawai’i, a large emphasis on identity is placed on what ethnic background you are, and unfortunately, this does get brought up during fits of anger/rage. I can’t tell you how many times you’ll hear, “F*cken Jap!” or “F*cken haole!” coming out of people’s mouths when they’re pissed. Admittedly, I’ve been the cusser and the one being cussed at. “Hate crime” is a lofty title to give to this; if you’re thinking of “hate crime,” think more in terms of KKK killings or the beating of Rodney King where a person’s race/ethnic background looms largely as motivation for the crime to be committed.

    2nd statement: “For those of you who think this is false, please read the news articles on how many white kids commit suicide in hawaii alone, due to hate crimes.” – If you can’t find the proper citation or source for your “fact,” please don’t mention it. You only serve to create false and inaccurate statements! I

    Here is a part of an article I found in the November 18, 2008 edition of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin that might pertain to your grossly misinformed statement:

    (http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20081118_Fatal_injuries_in_isles_mostly_from_suicides.html)

    “Caucasians had the highest suicide rates from 2003 to 2007 with 271 cases.

    Caucasians make up the majority of residents in Hawai’i – over 25% of the state’s population. If you place this in perspective, the more people of a certain ethnicity that make up the majority of the state’s population are more likely to be largely represented in a sample such as this one. Replace Caucasians with Japanese or Hawaiians, and I’m sure those two ethnicities would be the ones having the highest suicide rates as well.

    The article didn’t mention about “how many white kids commit suicide in hawaii alone, due to hate crimes,” nor did a Google search come up with any reference to such. Mahalo for inviting mainlanders and other non-Hawai’i residents to form biased and ill-conceived notions of how Hawai’i treats Caucasian people.

    3rd statement: “I was not allowed to enroll in certain classes at UH because I was not of Hawaiian or Japanese ancestry…at a STATE University.”

    This is the MOST preposterous statement I’ve ever read about! Can you provide evidence of this? I attended Hawai’i Community College, Kapi’olani Community College and the University of Hawai’i at Manoa over a period of 6 years (the latter of which I graduated with a BA in Psychology and Fine Arts). Not once, was I or anyone else I’ve known, not allowed to register into a class because they weren’t of a certain ethnicity. I’m an avid reader of the two current dailies & haven’t come across anything of that sort, either. This would be front page news here & something I’d be very concerned about (no one should be restricted from a class based on their race).

    I am highly offended over the things you’ve written since they are very inaccurate, aren’t backed up with credible sources and only serve to instill fear in people that don’t reside here. Lisa presents a very clear and realistic picture about how Caucasians here are treated — just because this place is considered “paradise” doesn’t mean we don’t have problems like the rest of the country (i.e, prejudice & racism).

    As for myself, I am a kama’aina (born and raised on the Big Island, have lived on the island of O’ahu for the last 10 years). I am Japanese-Korean (great grandparents came from Japan to work in the sugar plantation and my mother is from South Korea). Two of my paternal aunts married mainland Caucasians, my half-sister had a child with a Caucasian man from Chicago & my neice is half-Caucasian, half-Japanese. My longtime partner is Hawaiian, Filipino, Chinese, Spanish AND Caucasian (English). My travels have taken me across China, Japan, South Korea and Lima, Peru and across the U.S. mainland.

11. 11 lisa 14 April 2010 @ 9:29 pm

    Hi Janey, I felt a lot like I imagine you felt when I read courtney’s comment. I almost didn’t approve it here because I also thought it ‘preposterous’ to imagine that she would have been denied admission to any university class based on race.

    I don’t want to presume that I know everything that ever has happened though, and I don’t want to censor either so I let it through.

    I agree with many of your statements.

12. 12 Kent 19 April 2010 @ 4:58 pm

    My head is spinning after reading this! My girlfriend and I plan on moving to Hawaii in the summer of 2011 and our main fears are 1)finding work and 2)experiencing extreme racism. I say “extreme racism” because I can deal with a few comments here and there but as a 40 year old man, I don’t really feel like getting into fist fights and I don’t want my race to prevent me from working.

    I work in graphic design and generally (on the mainland) this is a job where you get work based on your talent, ability and experience. Unlike many professions, employers don’t even care where or if you went to design school, the portfolio is king. I’m hoping this might prevent some of the work-related racism issues I hear about, but if I meet with a potential client about doing a website for their business will I not get the business because I am white and, more importantly, new to the Island?

    My girlfriend will be looking for work as a personal chef and would even be willing to do a little nanny/house managing work along with cooking duties. Again, I’m hoping this field is somewhat race blind.

    When I travel in America or internationally I am always respectful and do my best to blend in. I avoid the “ugly American” cliche at all costs!!! Sounds like this is the best defense against racism in Hawaii.

    The one thing that scares the hell out of me is the notion of having kids in Hawaii and sending them off to public school.

    So, you can probably see from my rambling that I don’t know what to think about this desire we have to live in Hawaii. It is our dream because we love and respect the Islands but in the real world that’s not enough to survive on.

    One minute I’m giddy about the dream of living in Hawaii and the next I think it’s a huge mistake.

13. 13 lisa 19 April 2010 @ 6:22 pm

    Hi Kent. I never had a problem. I think you guys will be fine. .. but don’t do it until you can sustain the giddiness and play down the huge mistake-ness. the giddiness can sustain you through any incidences, imo.

    I can honestly say that you won’t get into fist fights. I promise.

14. 14 Kent 20 April 2010 @ 12:11 am

    Thanks Lisa. We will press on with the dream

15. 15 Bruddah 29 April 2010 @ 6:03 am

    There is definitely racism in Hawaii against non locals people and I was personally a victim today. I live in a neighborhood of mostly retired people but the neighborhood is changing. I had the misfortune of buying a home here across the street from a local family. They seemed okay at first and while we were looking at our home, but I found out later that the previous owner of our home had been paying this family to keep a low profile while he was trying to sell.

    We move in and shortly after that all hell breaks loose. Fighting roosters in their front yard along with pitbulls. Barking and crowing 24/7. Junker cars being worked on with no tags on the street for days and sometimes weeks.

    I started calling friends on the force I knew to get patrols to come around and that’s when the f’ing haole remarks started. Today I had an incident where someone in a tinted car was honking and honking outside of the local family’s house instead of ringing the door bell. I went outside to see what was up, as did the my retiree neighbor. I motioned to the driver to roll down the car window and immediately had the door fly into me and a 20 year old get in my face asking me what my problem was and calling me f’ing haole etcetera.

    I kept my cool and the neighbor came over which helped defuse the situation as she is a little old lady. It could have been bad though and gone beyond words easily.

    I would move but will have a hell of a time selling my house with neighbors such as these.

    Racism is tolerated here and people defend the use of the word haole all the time. It is true that in many instances its use is harmless but the fact that it is also common as a racial epithet, makes its everyday use more suspect.

    Be careful of where you live and if a house looks sketchy and as though local “redneck” types live there, avoid that area like the plague.

    Hawaii is a beautiful place though and most of the people are awesome. I just got a bit unlucky myself in where I live and have the somewhat dangerous tendency of sticking up for myself.

16. 16 lisa 29 April 2010 @ 11:55 am

    Hi Bruddah,

    Thanks for the comment. After reading your post, I thought to myself, “he’s right, haole is a racial epithet” … which is very interesting – because there is NO stigma against using it like there can be with other racial epithet. It’s totally allowed – probably even in the schools (maybe – I can’t be sure).

    One thing I can say, is it never bothered me to be called a haole. Even when other people thoguht I should be bothered, I wasn’t. I’m white – so what.

    I think the lack of sting behind it has something to do with the power roles that races have or have had in the past.

    For example, the reason why black people get so up in arms about racial epithets being used against them is because of the extreme power that whites have used over them in the past – so now blacks have their power back but they still hurt and sting from what was done to them, so they make sure nobody ever even starts down that road again with them, even with words.

    Hawaiians have never had any power like that over whites, so there isn’t any emotional undercurrent behind the word, in my opinion.

    The rest of your post probably belongs on a ‘complain about local lifestyles’ forum, rather than here on a discussion about racism against whites post.

    They didn’t do any of this stuff because you are white. That’s just who they are and how they live – and the 20 year old probably would have called you f**ing a*hole if you hadn’t been white.

    I don’t see it being a race issue – I see it being a simple respect for other people issue (which it does not sound like your neighbors have – I can understand that). It’s unfortunate, but has little to do with race, in my opinion.

17. 17 Bruddah 29 April 2010 @ 9:55 pm

    Hi Lisa,

    That is a good point and I think my using the term “redneck” shows that this applies virtually anywhere you might find the redneck mentality. My wife is local by the way, not that it makes much difference.

    You are right, my situation is less racial than it is about some peoples lack of common decency. Although the fact is that for whatever reason the kid did use a racial epithet and that to some people is the first step towards dehumanization and it can be a very slippery slope to walk.

    Calling me an a$$hole would be one thing, calling me a racial epithet takes it to a somewhat different level. The fact that it is the first place some people here go to, shows you that it is okay in some minds as I said.

    In every war in history soldiers on both sides make up stereotypes and names for the enemy in order to see them as something other than human. Racism is just a slightly different twist on the same phenomenon in my opinion.

    Anyway. Oh as for whether “Haole” is used in the schools or not, read “The Haole Substitute” by Walt Novak. He is a North Shore surfer turned English teacher, who wrote a best selling book on the subject back in the 1990′s.

    ~Editorial Reviews

    From Scientific American:
    Novak’s The Haole Substitute combines autobiography with fiction and satire to describe the experiences of a surfer flung into the public school system as a greenhorn substitute teacher…The problems that Novak’s novel so vividly depicts are not restricted to Hawaiian schools, change the settings and characters, and the same incidents have occurred in Baton Rouge Schools.

    From The New Yorker:
    There’s no substitute for a sense of humor. Teacher-surfer-author Walt Novak hopes folks who read his book can laugh at themselves…Novak blows the lid off Hawaii’s racial harmony. And he really hopes nobody’s mad about it.”

18. 18 lisa 29 April 2010 @ 10:39 pm

    Hi Bruddah,

    I think it is OK in people’s minds. I do agree with you. I don’t think I ever knew anyone in hawaii who had a problem with calling someone a haole. My husband used to be a police officer. You woulda thought f’in haole was his name

19. 19 Mike 2 May 2010 @ 7:28 pm

    Bruddah, I have experienced the same thing in Canada with my neighbours. I don’t think your experience is in anyway related to Hawaii or being Caucasian. All over the internet people seem to be freaking out about racism in Hawaii. Have they been living in a box? Is this their first exposure to multi-culturalism? I’m not sure where you lived prior to Hawaii, but I can tell you from my own experience, you sure as h=ll wouldn’t be going up to someone and motioning them to roll the window down in the big city either. The kid was obviously stressed out about something and up comes the older neighbour to tell him to keep it down. I would probably have done the same thing at his age.

20. 20 Rose West 6 May 2010 @ 3:19 pm

    This comment thread is very interesting – I appreciate both sides of the story. I’m a caucasian living in Hawaii, and I have never experienced any discrimination because of my race. The only time I was ever sworn at by a local was because I had ignorantly walked on land that was kapu. I didn’t realize where I was until a someone drove by and threw f-bombs at me. I don’t commend his reaction, but I understand what he was upset about. To understand the racial issues in Hawaii, you have to look at the historical background. The US government stole land from the Hawaiian kingdom. I don’t know if it’s possible to return to the way it used to be, but let’s try to understand what people are really upset about.

21. 21 jmo 10 May 2010 @ 9:00 pm

    I have to Defend Courtney’s statement concerning eligibility for classes,and on the same token enlighten the statement a bit. You can decide for yourself if it’s discrimination or not. Nursing programs at Kapiolani will not take military folk, they said it exactly like this to me at the nursing info session.”Our programs are Hawaii state funded, We will accept Locals or residents before a military person who leaves the island after recieving education.” They are wanting to keep it in Hawaii.Is that fair? to some yes to others like me who want an education where I am living at? DON’T Think so. But I love Hawaii and have Hawaiian friends. I feel safe here,but in order for me to do what I want such as nursing I either have to go to outrageously priced HPU or back to the mainland. Maybe I should Pick another major

22. 22 Chris 26 May 2010 @ 10:27 am

    I find these posts very interesting. I grew up in Hawai’i, from 1969 – 1981, 2nd grade when I got there and graduated in `79 at Campbell High School in Ewa Beach, lived in Iroquois Point the whole time. There were plenty of times I was called a Haole and there were plenty of times I had local friends speak up when I was. Never once did I get in a fist fight with anyone other than the other military kids. I loved Hawai’i then and I love Hawai’i now! Granted, I haven’t been back in 10 years but when I did go back in `99, I had ZERO problems with anyone, including the locals (unless you count someone asking if I wanted any Pakalolo every half hour or so while walking around downtown). You need to keep in mind, the meaning of Haole is foreign or foreigner, not white. That’s why you may hear other races being called the same thing as you are. I had an idea about racism while I was there, but in my opinion, it was nothing like it is in Alabama where I moved to from there. I currently live in VA. and it’s not too bad here.

23. 23 lisa 26 May 2010 @ 11:34 am

    Thanks for the comment Chris. I agree. For those of you who don’t know, pakalolo is marijuana. Nobody ever asked me that while I walked around downtown, but then I probably didn’t look like the type.

24. 24 Chris 26 May 2010 @ 2:04 pm

    Alright Lisa, you got me there! : )

25. 25 lisa 26 May 2010 @ 2:31 pm

    LOL, you’re funny.

26. 26 Pam 28 May 2010 @ 8:42 pm

    Lisa,we are retiring in a couple of years and my spouse wanted to attend college in Oahu, since he was to busy until now to go. Would being white, or a foreigner or a mainlander, or 60 cause problems for him trying to attend college? Here on the mainland, it is accepted at schools. I wouldn’t want him to be rejected or ridiculed so your comments and others from Hawaii will help.

27. 27 lisa 28 May 2010 @ 10:16 pm

    Hi Pam, No, he will be 100% fine. I went to college at University of Hawaii at Hilo from age 30 to age 33. Zero problems ever. Besides, many people come from all over the world to go to college in Hawaii.

28. 28 Jake 1 June 2010 @ 6:38 pm

    Just came from a visit to Oahu last week and the people there couldn’t have been kinder, with the exception of a couple of Korean BBQ’s that had some attitude issues with customers ordering food. I think it comes down to respect. We were not loud, opened doors for people and stepped aside when needed and didn’t give dirty looks to others. There is plenty of trouble to find in Hawaii like anywhere else if you are looking, but for the most part we were just another group of tourists looking to see the beach, sample the restaurants and shop in the stores. I never felt safer walking down the streets at night. We received more help from locals than the other way around. Good folks and always welcome to the mainland should they come.

29. 29 Sarah 3 June 2010 @ 5:57 am

    Just wanted to comment on JMOs experience in applying to nursing school.
    I am a nurse and a military officer. I received my education at the Univ of Michigan. Although preference for admission was not based on residency, many scholarships from the state came with the stipulation that you had to agree to work in the state for a specific amount of time following graduation.

    There is a nationwide shortage of nurses and therefor a shortage of nursing instructors which is limiting spaces at nursing schools. It only makes sense that state run schools may want to offer incentives (scholarships) or limit enrollment to residents in order to avoid “bleeding” new nurses to other states. Being a military spouse is a clear indication that you will receive this valuable education (possibly taking a spot from a resident) and then move away and the local community receives nothing in return.

    It may not seem fair to you, but I honestly understand the position.

30. 30 Sarai 10 June 2010 @ 3:48 pm

    I would like to say that I was not discriminated against here, but I just left a job interview where the first question was-”what is your ethnicity- what kind of a name is this?” When I said English- they all recoiled and then said straight english-heh? They were all south Asian- my first name sounds ethnic that is why i got an interview in the first place.
    The second question was if I was getting married-
    Geez were they wondering if he was white too?
    I saw the next lady to be interviewed- an asian woman
    then they wouldn’t even let me turn in the form that has me fill in background info. on who they had interviewed-
    they just told me to bring it back if they were interested in me.
    the woman was from India who interviewed me-
    I took all these Asian studies and studies particularly on India in college and studied with Indian professors-
    I dazzled her with a bit of my knowledge on India before I left and tried not to sneer.
    Perpetuating racism is awful.
    I donf’t care if your grandparents worked on a plantation- they were probably run by people other than whites anyways-
    Granted- colonization is usually never a good thing, there is always death- unfair treatment, etc. but many people I have talked to said that they are glad to live in America. There are so many civil wars and so much destitution in places like small islands like Sri Lanka or Africa. One frind from Nigeria- who was prejuiced somewhat- said that it was terrible after the English left. That the infrastructure just fell apart. Now, I’m not saying that people should be thankful that they are colonized. I’m just saying what would the alternatives be? Things can always get better, be better- but would be a better place here if it was a soveriegn nation? I don’t know- maybe maybe not.
    I worked with almost all Hawaiian people at my last job and they would say things like I don’t know how many local friends you have- My boss said that people kept their jobs just because they were Hawaiian even though they screwed things up royally.
    My neighbors called us stupid haloes when we moved in and haven’t talked to us since.
    I’ve been refused to buy items from local shops
    Ive been screamed at and almost run off the road.
    But, on the other hand- a neighbor gave us an orchid, another neighbor gave us tuna he just caught-
    I mean it;s just like anywhere else- some people are good and some people are racist pigs

31. 31 Sarai 10 June 2010 @ 4:13 pm

    Also, on the nursing issue. Isn’t nursing supposed to be about helping people? Isn’t that a huge reason who wanting to be anurse and to teach nursing to people who want to help the sick and injured- ANYWHERE- discrimination like that sucks. If you’d make a good nurse you should’ve got in.

32. 32 Kaitlynn 11 June 2010 @ 6:39 am

    Hi Lisa, First off I want to say thank you very much, you have reassured me that Hawaii will be safe for me even though I am white. I am 14 years old and my family is moving there. It will be just my parents and me. My dad is a carpenter, and I was just wondering, do you know if the construction there is high in employment or not? Also people must understand, in schools, there is always going to be racism from somebody. I live in a town where mexicans are dominate, and a few say gibberish racist things here and there. I also know kids that are white and they start stuff with the mexicans and racism kicks in. But for the most part, im bestfriends friends with many of the mexicans, and they do make racist jokes, so people need to realize that it may be a littleee worse in Hawaii, but for the most part, its going to be a lot like this situation. It happens everywhere. I have also heard a lot of racism from some whites, and none from others. Has anybody took in consideration that bullying is a factor, with or without racism. I don’t want to be offensive at all, but for example, you have your geeks, regulars, and “populars” in school. Lets say theres a geek that goes to a school in hawaii and gets bullied and called a haole because their white, but an average kid goes to school and gets along with people, and lets throw in a few jokes about them being a haole. Its normal. It happens everywhere. Also keep in mind, if you’re called a haole, a lot of times, unless somebody’s mad and their calling you it, their probaly not meaning it offensively. Haole is just another way of saying white. Its like us saying Hawaiian and them taking it offensive, or Mexican or any of them names. Correct me if i’m wrong about this all Lisa.

33. 33 lisa 13 June 2010 @ 11:19 am

    Hi Sarai,

    Your comment about what your boss said sounds like your boss may have been racist. It’s hard for me to believe that every person of a certain race ‘screwed things up royally’ and nobody of any other race had anything else to do with it.

34. 34 lisa 13 June 2010 @ 11:20 am

    Hi Kaitlynn,

    I think you are right on. And you are gonna love Hawaii. You have a great attitude, in my opinion Your job should be fine – carpenters are needed everywhere. have fun!

35. 35 thomas 21 June 2010 @ 10:13 am

    I visited Hawaii…the only place that I has a white person felt welcomed was on the Island of Molokai…but that was past mile marker 12 maybe 13… on state highway 450…its a very narrow road…I was on my way to see the falls on the north East end of the island… on the way back it was oh late afternoon, so there were beach goers and surfers out and about…but if the natives were in the road they did not move very quickly to get out of my way…and stare you down just a very cold reception….

    Other than that I had a wonderful visit to 4 islands….

36. 36 lisa 24 June 2010 @ 6:47 pm

    Hi Thomas, thanks for the comment Did you mean UNwelcomed? Lisa

37. 37 Travis 27 June 2010 @ 10:39 pm

    I’m Filipino. My ex-girlfriend is English. When visiting with her in Georgia and Northern Florida, I got some pretty strange. I was even called “Brownie” by some skinheads kids.

    My current girlfriend is also white, of French ethnicity. While waiting to be seated at a hotel restaurant in Waikiki, a caucasion woman was staring at me and my girlfriend’s held hands. Staring a LOT with a rude look on her face, to the point where her significant other had to tell her to “stop staring.”

    One of my first memories in life was being picked on by a pair of siblings, a blonde hair blue eyed brother and sister, in preschool. But I never grew up blaming an entire race of people for that.

    Even then, I think I just understood that there are ignorant people in this world and that we as a human race had a lot of issues to still get over.

    I guess my point is that all levels of discrimination, from name calling to rotten looks to worse, happen everywhere. Even to “locals” in Hawaii. You should hear how the different “plantation races” of Hawaii refer to the other races behind closed doors. I’ve been called rotten things in regards to being Filipino by a lot of different kind of people when growing up.

    At the end of the day, you, whatever your racial background and wherever you live, have to have a tolerance for ignorance (not to simply submit to someone else’s ignorance, but to not let it take hold of your understanding of people), or else you yourself become the one who’s ignorant by associating an entire race or group of people to a single, a few, or even a heaping ton of bad experiences.

38. 38 lisa 27 June 2010 @ 10:57 pm

    Absolutely Travis. Right on. When I was in Hawaii, the way some people treated haoles didn’t bother me. I was haole, raised on the mainland, I hadn’t been discriminated against growing up. I didn’t have any issues with it. If someone wanted to be that way it didn’t bother me.

    BUT, what did bother me was the way that blacks were still openly discriminated against and what they were called, AND how the general atmosphere of discrimination was ‘ok’ and not discouraged. that bothered me sometimes.

39. 39 Darby 27 June 2010 @ 11:13 pm

    I’m a 30 year old white woman who moved here on my own. I live in Honolulu and life here is great. I dated one local guy, who, upon telling him that it was over and leave me alone, of course said to me, f*cking haole, go back to the mainland.” Which of course makes me more determined to stay and love my life. The other time was another part-white person and she was off her rocker. The west side of Oahu can be tough for some, but if you smile, be courteous and mind your own, no one anywhere will bother you. I’ve also traveled to all the other major islands, except for Lanai or Niihau and never had a problem. They act like I’m not there, or are very nice. I’ve traveled alone on 4 islands, including the one I live on.

    This place is the melting ultimate pot for the whole world, yet the most isolated place. People flock here for the spice of life, diversity and the endless gorgeous days and nights. Don’t be afraid to move here. I came on my own and lived in one of the most local towns on the Windward side of Oahu (Waimanalo) to start. I heard stories but never felt afraid. Fearing fear only does the job of drawing it into your life. After-all one of the biggest lessons of Huna, the ancient practice studied by Kahunas, is “energy flows where attention goes.” Put your attention on love, acceptance, and happiness, even in the face of discrimination. I’ve made so many friends local or otherwise, I can’t keep up!

    As far as mainlanders moving with kids: buy them a boogie board, get them surf lessons, have them learn things that will help them relate to local kids, make them play at the beach with them. Then maybe at some point one of those kids will be there to help if he/she’s ever being picked on by a bully. Because it doesn’t matter the color. Bullies are everywhere!

    Some neighborhoods in the city to avoid living in (mostly cuz of crime): Kalihi and Palolo Valley. Some of Punchbowl is seedy, so always view a place before agreeing to live there.

    Aloha and be well, all!

40. 40 lisa 28 June 2010 @ 11:16 am

    Hi Darby, thanks for relating your experience

41. 41 PaiaGirl 6 July 2010 @ 12:01 am

    This article is right on. Thank you for publishing it. It is all about attitude and respect.

    Like my husband who is Hawaiian says, “You can be haole but that doesn’t necessarily mean you are ha’ole…and vice versa)

    Translation: You can be a foreigner (haole) but not necessarily lacking in the breathe of Hawaiian culture (ha=breath ‘ole=without)

42. 42 lisa 6 July 2010 @ 12:56 am

    Thank you and I agree. Although I never quite fit in with the local culture or the Hawaiian culture, and Hawaii was never quite home, I totally respect and admire the Hawaiian culture and the local culture. Hawaii is wonderful.

43. 43 kia 7 July 2010 @ 6:18 pm

    I am of native hawaiian ancestry, 28 yrs old, and I was born and live on the Big Island. I would love to give my personal insight of this issue (if it is one to some people)

    I believe that what people are experiencing has to be seen from a ‘locals’ perspective also. I believe that local people dont get angry with white people just because they are white. They get angry because of what the white person is doing. I have found myself to say f’n haole a time or two, but i also say f’n jap, f’n moke, f’n dumbass, f’n stupid driver…..catch my drift??? its not because their white, but because they did something that aggravated me. Growing up we had the preconceived notion that white people are trying to take over. Not until adulthood did I realize what this meant. My brother in law for example came for a visit and was grumbling the entire time of how ‘behind the times’ we were and that “California has this, and has that, and faster internet, and we can get internet anywhere, why cant some people get DSL?” and all of these other questions of why was it that Hawaii is so “behind the times” Its those kind of remarks that locals would say “if you dont like how things are operating here, then move back to California” and thats basically what made me realize why, at times, locals can be mean to tourists/white people (basically non-locals) I just read in today’s paper that someone is mad that they cant get DSL high speed internet at their home from the local phone company…..did he do research on his homes location? When I bought a house I made sure it had all the utilities that i needed. Its those kind of people that make locals irritated. And yes I agree, there is nothing more irritating than a non local trying to talk hawaiian, choose a hawaiian name the minute they get off the plane, and especially attempting to talk pidgin english like thats the only language we understand. Let’s get back to choosing a hawaiian name…….names here are sacred, usually dreamt by ancestor’s and passed down through geneaological lines. For instance, my hawaiian name (which I will not type here) was dreamt by my great grandmother. Its usually a very spiritual name and just choosing a name has no significance unless there is meaning behind it. Now back to speaking pidtgin just to fit in. it doesnt sound right when a non local tries to do it. As an example try imagining someone who is from the south (that has a southern twang) trying to speak with a boston accent…..sounds funny right…..same thing here. Dont do it!!!! The bottom line is, instead of trying to find everything that needs to change here, or needs to improve, or was like “back home”, blend in, accept Hawaii’s beauty and its people. Most of the non local people here who dont have problems is because they just accept Hawaii for what it is, and they dont try to change everything. They accept that people drive a little slower, let people go on the roadways even though they have the right-of-way, have 100 roosters crowing at all times of the night, let their babies bathe naked at the beach after a swim, walk around walmart with only surf shorts, kiss everyone on the cheek that they know, call everyone older and that they respect even though they are not related aunty or uncle. Basically, come here with an open mind, try not to change everything and just accept that this is how Hawaii is, and if you dont like it thatn maybe shouldnt be called home to you. Anyway I cant think of anymore examples right now, but when I do, I’ll post them. Hope this helps and gives you a little more understanding of our point of view.

44. 44 lisa 7 July 2010 @ 9:02 pm

    Hi Kia. I appreciate your viewpoint. Thank you for sharing it here.

45. 45 Janey 13 July 2010 @ 9:15 am

    Small kine late, but …

    Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much) for not censoring Courtney’s post because it allowed the opportunity to provide further clarification on (what I believe) is misconstrued details. Honestly, though, if ANY of the universities or colleges within Hawai’i used race/ethnic origin as a prerequisite for entrance into any course, that would be grounds for dismissal of the professor, cancellation of the course, etc.

    I.e., c’mon, you don’t see courses on the mainland using race as a predetermining factor, and if you did, we’d all hear about it in the news. Ditto with Hawai’i.

    As for the origin of the word “haole,” someone correctly pointed out that it refers to “foreigner” or any non-Hawaiian.

    Lastly, labeling is something Hawai’i locals are fond of doing. When we describe people, race is something that gets thrown into the pot: “I went talk to da Chinese guy dat work at KTA and blah, blah, blah.” When locals are swearing at people, same thing. I’ve yelled, “F**ken Jap!” at the FOB drivers on O’ahu who don’t know where they’re going, don’t signal, etc.

    Guess what? I’m half-Japanese.

    Hawai’i isn’t all beaches and paradise just because we have a dozen ethnic races that have lived together for over a hundred years. We have our own fair share of racism and prejudice.

    Lisa, mahalo (thank you) for providing a forum to address many of these preconceived notions about race relations on the Big Island. Outstanding job, I must say. You’re providing accurate and up-to-date information about this topic. Mahalo nui loa and sorry my response is so late — I haven’t visited this website ever since my last response a few months back.

46. 46 lisa 13 July 2010 @ 10:47 am

    Hi Janey, thank you. I agree with you that the University of Hawaii is not discrinating based on race and there is probably more to that story.

    Thank you for your posting and your appreciation

47. 47 Brian 16 July 2010 @ 12:19 am

    Hi guys,

    Thank you all for the info. I am about to take a one month vacation to Hawaii starting in Maui. My purpose is largely to make sure that i really want to move there. I am largely from a small island in Alaska and love living on the water and fishing.
    I work at home on the computer and do need good high speed internet. I am considering moving to Lahaina. Can anyone tell me in general if i will be able to get a good high speed internet connection there or in Maui? I know i can just call the phone company there but thought i would try this. Been informative reading this and thanks again for all you contributors.

48. 48 lisa 16 July 2010 @ 1:20 pm

    You can get DSL or cable, but I think these may be your only choices.

49. 49 jeanne 25 July 2010 @ 7:17 pm

    hi,

    I think you are being either terrible nice or you just found a “good place” within yourself to deal with the racial issues here. I have been here on and off for 20 years and I love Hawaii, but racism against Haoles is by no way mild. Employers will throw away your resume if you name in not Asian or local, even more if your only work experience is from the mainland. Hawaii is the most xenophobic place on earth, outside of Japan! I think that mainlanders need to be aware of what is going to happen if they move here..HONESTLY!..because it cost a lot of money to relocate to “Paradise”. Unless you move to the rich, white enclaves of Maui, the North Shore or Kawaii your livelihood as a mainlander will be a grim one. Moreover if you need to work to pay for your mortgage please do not come here, unless you are a proffessional working for the Federal Government. I think you owe it to all those “dreamers” to really get a honest picture! If your kids happen to be white skin they will be bullied to the point of suicide. We had to relocate back to the mainland when the kids started High School. Every parent of a white child here will tell you that abuse is a sure thing. I am glad we did it because my son will never come to Hawaii even for vacation after what he had to endure, but he did blosom in the mainland and just graduated from College. Sorry I cannot be as nice as you are.

50. 50 lisa 26 July 2010 @ 2:04 am

    Hi Jeanne, I’m not doubting that this was your experience, but this was never my experience. Never. I got a county job without hardly trying. My husband got a county job without problems. We weren’t discriminated against in the job for the most part.

    The bullying issue could be a problem … but kids don’t have to go to school. And if they do go to school they don’t have to go to public school. And if they do go to public school it could be completely online. …. bullying happens for all sorts of reasons, and white kids in white schools are bullied to the point of suicide by other white kids all the time.

    my son won’t ever go to school unless he wants to be there.

51. 51 stupid haole 26 July 2010 @ 6:51 am

    hi. i just wanted some of you guys to kid a white kids view on this issue. first im seventeen years old, from the midwest and recently move to oahu about 6 months ago. I will be very honest and its been very difficult adjusting here. I have been made fun of, in fights, and riddiculed nearly daily for being white. im not a hard person to get along with or disrespectful. Where im from i had many friends and did things all the time and never had any problems. I have tried being friendly with people and have been told to go back home many times. I live near downtown and have no desire to stay here when i turn eighteen. I hope this might help some looking for awnsers since this is from a kids perspective

52. 52 lisa 26 July 2010 @ 12:24 pm

    Hi haole I don’t doubt it at all. I just want you to know that school is a a surreal parody of real life. It won’t be like that once you are out of school. 95% of that teasing and crap stops once you are out of high school age and 98% stops once you are 20 or so. people grow out of it once htye aren’t forced to be dcoing what they don’t want to do anymore.

    Lisa

53. 53 matera21 27 July 2010 @ 3:29 pm

    Hey there! My husband and I are thinking about moving to the Big Island so that I can major in Hawaiian studies. From a young age I’ve been fascinated with the language, culture and history. My ultimate desire is to teach. I was just curious how well received caucasian teachers are over there. ( not that it would hinder my decision) Any feedback would be great!

54. 54 lisa 27 July 2010 @ 3:57 pm

    Hi, I don’t know. Maybe someone will post. I had a friend whose husband wasn’t able to get a job as a teacher in Hilo and he was convinced it was because he was white. I’m not sure if that was the case or not.

55. 55 jenn 3 August 2010 @ 11:47 am

    Hi I grew up in Hawaii, red hair and freckles. I was mobbed many times on my way to school or work by “locals”. Any white teacher I ever had was ridiculed, made fun of and not listened to. I moved there with a 5th grade education and am afraid that’s what I graduated with (mathmatics and english wise). My dad always paid more to live in the nicer condos with secuirity but we were surrounded by the meth infested section 8 buildings (can’t really escape it on an island). I say Hawaii is a beautiful place to visit, couples w/o kids will find fun night life, but even the military (black or white) have a hard time conforming to the proud racist society that I refer to as the Aloha Spirit. Watch Dog the bounty hunter, those are not the scum of Hawaii, they are the culture of generations of drug abuse, welfare and racism. The only reason they are nice to the Dog is because he fakes a pigeon accent and offers them a cigarette before taking them to jail for the 20th time. My advise, is to stay in waikiki, have a maitai and go back to your room before the mahu’s come out rob you!

56. 56 lisa 3 August 2010 @ 11:58 am

    Hi jenn, I almost didn’t let your comment go through because it is extremely inflammatory, and exactly what I don’t want on this post, but I decided to because I think it is a perfect example of what I am saying NOT to do: Don’t be racist yourself. And your post is so clearly racist and ‘against’ locals that I wanted to let it through for that reason.

    I lived in Hawaii for 14 years and was never surrounded by meth houses, and I am not rich at all. I lived in Puna, in volcano; mountain view; and paradise park; for goodness sake, and I never even saw a meth house in my neighborhood.

    So, I can understand that growing up with it and being mobbed because you were a haole can give you a huge bias about it. I totally get that. But your reality is not everyone’s reality.

    Thanks for the comment, I truly appreciate it. Lisa

57. 57 f’n haole born in Hawaii 3 August 2010 @ 7:56 pm

    What a trip, finding this thread! I was researching an old, long ago thought-up title to my life story, which I’d like to start on soon (I turn 56 in a few days.) It was going to be “F’n Haole – Growing Up White in Hawaii” but after reading this thread I think I’ll definitely take another tack. I must have been in an angry place when I thought *that* one up.

    Every single post here has it’s shred of truth. Every one.

    I was born on Oahu in 1954, when Hawaii was the “Territory of Hawaii.” I went through the public school system, graduated from High School, and went on to University of Hawaii for a couple of years. I want to just hit some points here.

    It was pretty scary, enduring “Kill Haole Day” and random ugliness that I did nothing to provoke. (Kept MY head down, believe me.) I survived by banding up with other misfits, and actually wound up having a great time. And I’m not talking about haoles, I’m talking about part whites or pure Chinese or Blacks, any kid having trouble fitting in. I remember that the Japanese kids were the biggest group, and very exclusive. The Hawaiians, Phillipinos, Portuguese, etc were just as out at the white kids, for the most part. But somehow the haoles bore the brunt of any anger that was out there. What it boils down to is this: schools ARE a pressure cooker, for sure. Also, certain age groups are worse than other (9th and 10th grade were my worst, and I witnessed that in my own kids lives, here on the mainland.) Bored and angry teenagers cause trouble wherever you go. Bullies are bullies wherever you are. There was definitely job discrimination rampant in my and my sister’s day (60′s and 70′s), nice for you that you didn’t run into it, though! I left in 1974 and never came back, except to visit once. I’d love to go back, just can’t afford it. I’d go swimming and surfing and hiking, and eat all the ono local food, and take in the sunsets, and have a great time. But I wouldn’t want to live there again, and not because of any racial problems, just that it’s too isolated!!

    I learned first hand what it means to be a minority, and part of it was understanding and rising above, and not being angry anymore. It’s an Island Community, with limited space and jobs, so competition is fierce, and of course the locals are pissed off at newcomers!! Makes sense, no? And as was mentioned earlier, please – no condecension to the locals; it’s insulting.

    One more thing, meth is everywhere. Everyone I talk to thinks their area is the worst meth area, Ha! And it is ruining lives, and turning people into animals. We’ve got to end this. Thanks for listening, and I wouldn’t trade my life in Hawaii for anything in the world.

58. 58 lisa 4 August 2010 @ 12:26 am

    Hi f’n h thank you for your comment. I love it.

59. 59 jenn 4 August 2010 @ 7:24 am

    Lisa I’ve been to the Big Island and it’s not as populated as Oahu, maybe that’s why you’ve not encountered the problems that I have. The silly thing is that my only two friends growing up there were Hawaiian girls. The people that gave me problems were foreigners to Hawaii and America. I was not being racist by reffering to them as “local”, the racist thing is that people are accepted as local just because they have brown skin. How does that make them local? I’ve asked my Hawaiian friends if they take offense to the many foreigners that own homes and businesses there while so many Hawaiian families live on the beach, but they are more offendes by the military bases on that island that are actually protecting this country. It’s not just a melting pot, the place has so many outside (foreign) cultures that hate eachother, it’s just easier to blame the “haole”.

60. 60 lisa 4 August 2010 @ 1:06 pm

    Hi Jenn, I lived on Oahu, granted for a short while. I also visited Oahu a LOT. Our best friends lived on Ewa Beach and we stayed with them often.

    What I thought was racist about your post was your use of the term ‘mahu’ and the tone of your post.

    Yes, I agree, Hawaii is not the melting pot that many make it out to be, and it does seem unfair that someone who has darker skin, even if they moved there yesterday, are considered ‘local’ when a haole who has been there for 20 years would never be.

    But whatever. My big thing was it never bothered me and it never phased me or caused problems for me personally – probably partly because by the time I moved there I was an adult, out of school. Plus, by the time I went to college there I was 30 year old mother – mostly ignored by everyone

61. 61 onMaui 9 August 2010 @ 1:24 am

    Hi, I wanted to share my experiences on the couple of years of living in Lahaina. Yes, there is a great deal of racism. I have been jumped by a group of 8 locals while COMPLETELY minding my own business (no stink eye). Called me f*ing haole and tried to make me fight them. I’m by no means a big guy. I told them I wanted no trouple and had no problem and tried to walk away when I was punched from behind (false cracked). I know several white guys in their 20′s who have been false cracked for no reason, never even saw it coming. Everytime we were called f*ing haoles. I have never disrespected any locals but countless times have been harassed by locals. It is totally raced based aggression. Being a white guy in Lahaina at night can be bad for your health.

62. 62 lisa 10 August 2010 @ 3:47 pm

    Sorry onMaui – I believe it, and I’m sure it sucked.

63. 63 f’n haole, born in Hawaii 12 August 2010 @ 11:07 pm

    OK, it is time to talk about the pink elephant in the room. What we have all avoided talking about is, “WHITE MAN TAKE OUR LAND.” That is the basis of the resentment. OK? Can we talk about this? Big subject, best left to anthropologists…

    MY take? I am from a missionary family – yup, the original “bad guys.” I’ve carried this guilt forever, have to go now, will be back. Let’s have some discussion.

64. 64 lisa 13 August 2010 @ 10:08 am

    Hmmm, I don’t see any reason why you should carry that guilt. It has nothing to do with you, unless you personally, as an adult have acted as a missionary and have done somethings that have bothered you. And if you have, all you have to do is stop doing it, and make amends in whatever way comes to you to make amends.

65. 65 lisa 15 August 2010 @ 8:58 pm

    do you happen to know if it is better/worse in Maui or Oahu, as far as any racism issues are concerned?

    we were considering moving our family down to Hawai’i in the fall of next year. our job hunt and apartment searching has begun, and i have just started reading about all of this ‘haole’ business and violent experiences that some have had in this regard. i live in connecticut and am well aware of racial slurs/incidents, though personally do not partake in any such slander. in high school there was a lot of caucasian/african american tension, and african american/latino tension…so i am trying to not let it deter me. i believe no matter where you live/go in life, you should be respectful and kind. however, i am also not naieve to the fact that there are unkind folks EVERYWHERE in life. i guess what i am struggling with is the question of is there really a racism problem in Hawai’i, or is it a here and there kind of thing? i can deal with name calling, but violence because of what we look like is deplorable to me, anyway.

    my add’l concerns would be more about what kind of examples my children would be learning from and what kind of personal experiences they would have. i want school to be a learning environment that is positive and of course, friendly. my 5 year old has a heart of gold and the idea of anyone being hurtful on a regular basis towards her is very disheartening, albeit scary. in addition to your blog, i have been reading several other comment forums. it would seem a lot of “caucasian” people have had issues. my little blonde haired blue eyed babies CLEARLY don’t resemble local natives of this state, but is that REALLLLY going to be a problem for them? i would hope not, but truly would love additional and RATIONAL feedback.

    we are respectful people, and peaceful at that. i would think our move would be decent because of this, am i wrong?

66. 66 lisa 16 August 2010 @ 1:47 pm

    Hi Lisa,

    It’s going to be better for you anywhere that there is a high concentration of whites – basically anywhere that you aren’t the minority. You can find pockets of that in certain communities and churches and schools.

    My friends that live on Oahu in Ewa beach don’t have any issues really, because she stays home and homeschools the kids and he works at Tripler Army hospital. They aren’t immersed in the local culture, if you know what I mean.

    Yes, it probably will be a problem for your children, especially in public school. If your children are the exceptional type that can let stuff roll of their back and truly befriend everyone, maybe it doesn’t have to be a big problem … but most kids get hardened and nasty or scared, and then all the trouble in the world comes their way.

    Personally, I’m already biased because I was a white kid in a white school and I still had big problems with people picking on me, fights etc., so school is not a place I would send my child.

67. 67 Justin 18 August 2010 @ 12:06 am

    I find this blog very interesting. I actually really enjoyed reading everyones posts/concerns.

    I am actually moving to Oahu Jan 2011 with my dog. I am a 26 yr old, single, white, male. I wont know a soul in Hawaii and it does make me nervous/scared. I plan on going to KCC until I can become a resident and transfer to UHM. I dont know which area to move to, I just assume around that area since its so close to school and all the touristy areas so I can get a job. I plan going into this entire life change with an open mind and do everything the Hawaii way and not compare any of it when I lived in AZ and CO.

    I am very excited to surf, snorkel, scuba dive, hike, learn about hawaii and the culture, and everything else there is to do. I was in Maui for 2 weeks back in April and loved everything about it. Point is I am going into all this with an open mind. I figure I would meet people from work (like a serving job) and school.

    If you have any pointers/additional information that would help it would be greatly appreciated, like a good area to move to. Thanks!!!

68. 68 yikes 18 August 2010 @ 10:39 pm

    so your advice is what exactly? don’t go to school and you’ll be ok? r u kidding? are whites exempt from property taxes that pay for these schools? keep your head down? why don’t you give that advice to Mexicans in California. Whites should leave HI and let the locals stew in their meth. We’ll see how this paradise looks in 50 years.

69. 69 lisa 19 August 2010 @ 1:59 am

    I’m not giving advice.

    yikes, your comment is quite inflammatory and more comments with this tone will not be approved. That’s not what this conversation is about.

    All locals are not on meth. Hawaii will be just fine and as beautiful as ever in 50 years.

70. 70 lisa 19 August 2010 @ 4:40 pm

    Hi Justin, Sounds to me like you are going to do great and have a wonderful time. I’m not really sure where you should move to – do you have to make that decision before you get there? Is there on-campus housing? that might be best for you at first – hang out with a bunch of other people in your same boat and probably from all over the world.

71. 71 K.Malheiro 22 August 2010 @ 9:43 am

    I lived in Hawaii for over four years and NEVER had any problems. I am white Portuguese and I have found that it’s white people that assume because they are victims of anything involving a darker skinned person-they are racists. I live in a predominantly black area and I hate to tell you. Race is an issue almost every single day. Blacks constantly think whites are racists. Stop being so sensitive and learn to get along white-black-hawaiian- chinese. Whatever! I never had problems in Hawaii and I loved every minute of life there. I hate when people talk trash about Hawaii. Good luck finding anywhere as cool as Hawaii and nice people who will actually give you the time of day.ALOHA I loved Hawaii and always wil !

72. 72 lisa 22 August 2010 @ 4:46 pm

    Thanks K, I agree with you.

73. 73 slim 28 August 2010 @ 4:30 pm

    Racism in Hawaii is very bad only if your white, i’ve experienced an witnessed many attacks on whites only because of race and when they attack whites it’s always 4 to 10 on 1 or 2 never seen it fair.
    Racism towards whites is tolerated here maybe because the overthrow of hawaii?
    There is also allot of love here and the racist are maybe 20 percent that where passed this race hate towards what they call haoles, which means without breath. Simply because when we greeted hawaiian’s for the first time we shook hands and they blow there breath in your face which we didn’t do!
    I have quite a few local friend’s that are great and i fit in here cause it’s all about respect.
    But it really doesn’t get talked about in the news much all the attacks on whites for bad publicity to tourism
    Lisa your a girl so you can’t really talk!

    Lisa your a girl so you can’t really talk!

74. 74 slim 28 August 2010 @ 4:42 pm

    It’s so true that being a white guy after dark in Hawaii is bad for your health.

75. 75 lisa 28 August 2010 @ 5:00 pm

    Hi Slim, thanks for your insight.

    You are not the first person to tell me that because of my gender I don’t see the full story. Also maybe because of my age, and because when I first got to Hawaii I was in the military.

    However, my husband also did not have any major issues, although he was also in the military and he also is older. I think he was 30 when he first got to Hawaii.

76. 76 slim 29 August 2010 @ 6:28 pm

    The good here i think outwieghs the bad.
    I think the criminal elemant is everywhere nowdays.
    There just are certain people and situations to avoid at all cost at here.

77. 77 Kathryn 30 August 2010 @ 5:04 am

    Aloha from Virginia. The anti-haole racism problem is so sad to read about, when I think of what a wonderful “melting pot” society Hawai’i used to be when I was a kid growing up there in the 1960′s.

    In 5th and 6th grade at Pearl Harbor Elementary, my clique I hung out with consisted of myself and two other haole girls, two black girls, a girl of Portuguese / Hawai’ian ancestry, a Korean girl, a Filipina, and a Chinese / Hawai’ian girl. We were best friends and did everything together, despite our varied backgrounds.

    This was back in the era of the Civil Rights movement, My multicultural group of buddies and I would watch the TV coverage about the violence and strife on the Mainland and consider ourselves blessed that we lived in the “Aloha State” where such awful things couldn’t happen.

    There WERE some racial tensions during that time, but it hadn’t gotten that serious.

    There was some racism exhibited by a minority of Japanese (not the majority, I hasten to add), who acted like they thought they were superior to the rest of us, but we just shrugged our shoulders and lived with it.

    The main racial issue of that era was prejudice against the most recent arrivals, the Samoans, who had migrated in droves after Statehood, basically economic refugees hoping for a better life in Hawai’i. They were mostly poor, uneducated, and unsophisticated rural folk. Many of the Samoan kids covered up their insecurities by being belligerent to everyone else – including the Hawai’ian kids. (Four decades have passed since then, and I’ve heard that the Samoans have now assimilated just fine and the anti-Samoan prejudice has gone away. Whew.)

    Back in the 60′s, most of the people I knew in Hawai’i — of all races — were passionately interested in Hawai’ian culture. The REAL stuff, not just hapa-haole tourist stuff. We read Hawai’ian history and folklore, I learned quite a bit of Hawai’ian language, and even had the immense good luck of taking slack key guitar lessons from this amazing old kupuna who was 85 at the time (born in 1880) and was 100% pure Hawai’ian.

    If there was any prejudice regarding Hawai’ians, it was “good prejudice” because we all believe that to be of Hawai’ian ancestry was just about the coolest thing on earth — and we treasured knowing people who were pure Hawai’ian or almost pure-blooded as that was rare and special, even way back then.

    I was in a privileged position in that my grandfather was a senior Naval officer and had to do a lot of official entertaining. My grandparents also got very deeply into Hawai’ian culture (they’d also lived there in 1939-40) and out of their own pockets employed some of the legendary greats to entertain at these official parties — including the great Gabby Pahinui, who at that stage wasn’t famous yet and was still working road crew with the department of transportation as his “day job”. I got to meet some amazing people. Duke Kahanamoku came to my grandfather’s change of command, and I got to meet him too, which was a real thrill.

    All of us – Haole, Japanese, Portuguese, whatever — knew some basic facts — like you didn’t take pork over the pali, you didn’t violate kapu at heiau sites, and regardless of whether we were Catholic, Protestant or Jewish, we still fervently believed that Pele was for real!

    While we all “categorized” each other by our ethnicity, there wasn’t a stigma attached. “Haole” referred to both black kids and white kids and just meant non-Hawai’ian and non-Asian. It wasn’t used in its original meaning of “soul-less one”.

    We’d joke about tourists – God bless ‘em, please spend money here, but they could be such dorks – SO lolo!! However, these were all anti-malihini jokes, not anti-haole jokes. Back then, haole kama’aina were considered pretty ok.

    When I went back to Hawai’i for a visit with my family back in 1994, things had changed quite a lot and the culture had become more racially polarized. My grandparents, mother and I all noticed and were sorry to see the change.

    My grandparents elderly haole friends who were long-time Oahu residents all seemed to have had an attitude change towards native Hawai’ian people and Hawai’ian culture. Not as much use of Hawai’ian words in casual conversation as before. The sovereignty movement – which we’d all always sympathized with (let’s face it, Queen Liliokulani got shafted!) was now feared and hated as a source of anti-white racism.

    At a party we gave for my grandparent’s friends, I gave a toast to my grandfather and his retired Navy colleagues as the “Napoleona o ka pakipika” (a line from “Na Alii”) and got weird looks for speaking Hawai’ian. I got even weirder looks when I performed a mele inoa I’d written in my grandparents’ honor — whereas this was common practice back in the good old days. A couple of “Locals” at the party came up to me afterwards and quietly thanked me

    Another thing I noticed in 1994. Haoles didn’t wear “aloha wear” anymore – (muu muus, aloha shirts, etc) whereas these had been the norm in the 60′s. Now they were just for tourists.

    Suddenly it seemed as if “Aloha” was just for tourists too.

    At some point between the late 1960s and 1994, the tide started to turn away from the happy melting pot culture and towards the racial strife that is apparently becoming a real problem now, escalating into hate crimes.

    When did this happen and why? Was it when the agricultural & manufacturing base of pineapples and sugar cane collapsed and tourism became the only real industry? Was it during the property boom when housing became unaffordable for many, inevitably creating an “us and them” mentality?

    For a brief, shining couple of decades — between the white racism of the Thalia Massey rape trial case of the 1930′s and the anti-white racism of nowadays — a magical, wonderful place called Hawai’i existed where everybody seemed to get along. I’d love to go back there, but it sounds like it doesn’t exist anymore.

    “Ua pau, ua hala lako… A koe no na pua.” (It is gone – it has passed, but its flowers survive — here I am quoting “Na Al’ii” again..).

    Mahalo for reading this – I know it’s very long but it comes from the heart.

    Kathryn

    PS – not all the changes were bad. At least you can now get poke at Foodland…!

78. 78 lisa 30 August 2010 @ 12:54 pm

    Hi Slim, I agree, thank you

79. 79 lisa 30 August 2010 @ 12:57 pm

    Hi Kathryn, your comment is fascinating. Thank you for coming and sharing it. I can say that my husband and I wore aloha wear a bit. My husband especially. Other than that, there is not much that I can dispute or discuss.

    I do still think of Hawaii as a melting pot. I know there are issues, but Hawaii was lovely to me, and most of my friends were not white. And nobody ever gave me a hard time – ever. I’m sure there are many others quietly enjoying my same experience.

    Lisa

80. 80 Kathryn 30 August 2010 @ 3:18 pm

    I don’t know how bad things really are nowadays because I haven’t been back since 1994 — would really love to go back again, especially now that Facebook has put me in touch with a bunch of old school friends.

    I’m just trying to probe how bad the problem really is, and what’s caused it. And if there’s any way to fix it, because Hawai’i had – and hopefully still has — something special
    Kathryn

81. 81 SDmama 31 August 2010 @ 8:36 pm

    I am considering a move with my 8-year-old daughter to Hawaii, maybe Kauai. I am concerned with the school bullying situation since my daughter is shy and very sensitive. Does anyone have any personal experience with Kauai elementary schools? I wish I could homeschool but I have to work since I’m a single mom.

82. 82 lisa 31 August 2010 @ 9:03 pm

    Hi SDmama, I don’t, but hopefully someone will weigh in here

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