Comments on Steve Sailer's iSteve Blog: So, what's the deal with Hawaii?

You would love it! People openly talk about race a...

2008-08-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

You would love it! People openly talk about race and ethnicity as a central social driving force in society.
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simmons
Hawaii Alcohol Addiction Treatment

Regarding Jenioroso's comment:How can u say that o...

2008-08-07T22:56:00.000-07:00

Regarding Jenioroso's comment:

How can u say that our comments are "unfounded and unjustified" and that we think that racism is "overblown" in Hawaii when we've lived here most if not all of our lives? You said that u've lived here for ONE YEAR. Do u live in Hawaii Kai? Kahala? Manoa Valley? I don't want to be rude but I think u must be living in some kind of socio-economic "bubble". Either that or ur people skills are so mesmerizing u transcend all race/cultural issues here. Perhaps "YOU" are our answer to these issues here...sorry I'm not making fun...I'm being quite serious actually. What's ur secret? Or was my first assumption correct?

Steve-To comment on the subject of racism in Hawai...

2008-08-07T22:30:00.000-07:00

Steve-
To comment on the subject of racism in Hawaii I'd have to add that it both does AND doesn't exist. I've been a Hawaii resident for 16 years now, I am an Ethnic Studies major, and I've lived amongst Hawaii's upper, middle & lower classes. When my family first moved here in 92 we lived in a nice high-rise overlooking Honolulu...very removed from the most of the "real" Hawaii. Since they've moved away I've spent years in Hawaii's working class and am now a student residing in a somehwat poor and very "Local" neighborhood.

I bring up the class distinction because the more "haolified" upper and middle classes here are definitely more open and accepting of "haoles" (white people). But the further you go down to the working and non-working classes, that is where a lot of the bitter sentiment lies. First of all, there are not even a lot of haoles in Hawaii's underclass. Most come here from the mainland as transplants and already have a lot of money (if you know anything of Hawaii's history u should know the long dark history of this). There is a lot of distrust and anger towards Haoles here. Again it is further away from Downtown and more prevalent in poor areas such as Waianae, Waimanalo, Ewa Beach, Kalihi, Palolo, etc.

This is not to say that they HATE ALL HAOLES. But haoles definitely have to prove themselves here to be respected or accepted. How do Haoles here eventually get accepted? That leads to my next point.

A lot of the anger, hatred, and tension is not always racial as it is cultural. If you can't speak pidgin and you go into a "Local" bar full of braddahs, mokes, titas, blalas, and soles don't expect to be treated well or even acknowledged. They're not gonna beat u up for speaking "mainland English" but there not gonna go outta their way to be polite either. Haoles can earn respect by spending time here and learning the "Local" culture. That means the language, customs, history, traditions, foods, and sense of humor. Most Haoles are unwilling and just complain about the "dumb locals" or the "backward culture" or that there's "too many asians". I've met MANY people that came here for 1-4 years that called it quits and moved back to CA, NY, SD, MD...wherever. That's definietly not enough time to get accustomed or FEEL like a "Local".

But again if u are able to and chooose to remain amongst the middle and upper class it is way less of an issue. Somebody's gotta pump your gas and sell u your stick-of-gum though. I think "cocky" mainlanders are the most looked down upon honestly. If u're gonna move here, be humble and aware of the "Local" politics and way of life.

Even if u do come into the middle/upper class here u may still get some snubbing from "Locals" that fought there way up here in HI but thats normal anywhere that there is a sense of "local" pride in your area that you grew up in. Remember, HI is isolated by about 3000 miles of ocean. We are the most isolated piece of land anywhere in the world. Our culture is different and yes it can be a bit racist and unaccepting of outsiders. Did u know that 98% of Hawaiians protested the annexation of Hawaii as a state? Did u know that the Hawaiian Monarchy was overthrown illegally according to both US and UN laws? Did you know that the ballots to annex Hawaii as a state did not include the choice of self-government as required by the UN? Most people don't and there's even some who don't care...

Three more things...I'm half-"Japanee" and half-haole. I had a hard ass time when I moved here at 15. Maybe it was cuz I was a teenager but not everyone was willing to show me the ropes- it took me years to learn pidgin. Also the "aloha" spirit is alive and special here but sometimes we have to reserve it for ourselves. And finally, every weekend I go sing karaoke with some haoles, local Japanese, Hawaiians, Koreans, Pakes, Filipinos, "Portagee", etc. Everyone's been here long time though...everyone knows "how fo' ack".

BTW, most of those who would agree with me and support and understand what I'm saying DON'T BLOG or READ BLOGS!!! I'm writing a final on race relations in Hawaii so please feel free to comment...

So my opinion of Maui is very different than the a...

2008-07-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

So my opinion of Maui is very different than the anonymous commenter who claims every one in Lahaina was beat up because they were white. I'm not offended by what they say- but I myself am a 4.0 honors high school student, top of my class, going to college- and guess what? I've lived on Maui my entire life- not everyone is an uneducated stoner like you say. The racism is not something I like, but I condone it because that's the way it is here. Variety in race is a good thing, but it's literally everything here, and there are bound to be problems. Nowhere is perfect, and this is just a very big imperfection in so-called 'paradise.'

I'm of mixed ancestry myself- half white/half-Japanese, so no, I'm not exactly bullied because of how I look even if I am a bit white. But here, race is always first. You're identified sometimes as 'Jap,' 'Flip,' haole, whatever- before anything else. I have full-caucasian friends who have never been touched, and have seen 'local' kids who get constantly bullied.

Not everything has to work one way. It's laid back here- so if you act like an idiot, you pay. That's it, when it comes down to the attitude.

Wow. I can NOT believe some of the ignorant commen...

2008-06-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

Wow. I can NOT believe some of the ignorant comments made here about Hawaii and how overblown some of you think racism is here. How is this part of the states any different than any other state? I am 100% haole and proud of it. I have tons of friends who are: Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Phillipine, Irish, Australian and just about any other race there is out there. I have lived here for a year and have had nothing but the best experience of my life. Bad people with bad attitudes are any and everywhere you want to find them--- and so are the good ones.
And that crap about lack of ambition? Hawaii has had a 73% growth in their entrepreneurships in the last 3 years alone. Yes a lot of business people move to the mainland, but it's not because of lack of ambition in Hawaii, they move because of the cost of transporting goods across the ocean is sky-rocketing.
Come live in Hawaii and see the true way of life before you make such unfounded and unjustified comments!! Live with a little aloha in your life.

I was in lahaina for the summer in 2007. it was gr...

2008-05-14T17:44:00.000-07:00

I was in lahaina for the summer in 2007. it was great fun. But Racism was unbelievable bad there!! philipinos would gang up on white guys, and tongan thugs would hit white guys just for them being white!. It was unbelievably bad!!! I mean there was one club in lahaina called "paradise" and if you were white and went in there you got beaten up!!! i was there with a group of girls and even the girls got hit!!! oh and as for their education, lets just say it was non existent!!! they are horrendous a maths and english!!! all they give a damn about is "surfin, smokin weed and mayonaise!!" they love mayonaise!!!! but man i gotta tell ya it shows!!! they have to be some of the fattest people in the world!! i mean the REAL hawaiians and tongans are HUGE!!! anyway, maui is a hate filled place. They think that the white man stole their lands etc!! SMALL PLACES BREAD SMALL MINDS!

Hawaii is a very racist state, and racism has beco...

2008-01-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Hawaii is a very racist state, and racism has become ingrained in the hawaiian culture. Whites are deemed deserving of racism due to history. Most haoli's ignore it, not really caring what the local opinion of them is.
If government institutions in the lower 48 were as blatantly racist as they are here all, Al Sharpton would never be off of the air.
This might be a good state for Bill O'Rielly.

Racism is real in Hawaii. But its not something a...

2007-12-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

Racism is real in Hawaii. But its not something as concrete as racism in the mainland. I think the thing is that you don't have defined persecutors and victims like the one quarter Hawaiian woman was talking about. You have people that have tan skin and live in Nalo with their grandparents and therefore aren't reprimanded by their fellow peers for calling someone a f'ing hoale. Even if they themselves are part white. Can you imagine the cops arresting someone who was part Japanese, part Hawaiian, part Filipino and part white for a racist crime against a light skinned Caucasian? Of course not, it wouldn't happen. If it did it could never be classified as a hate crime. Yet racism continues to be prevalent in Hawaii still today.
There are many variables that go towards getting singled out. Such as; not being born in Hawaii, having light skin, being of Caucasian ancestry and the lack of a family support system. On the other side if you have those things you are more likely not to be picked on and rather you more of a right to be racist against others. Kill haole day is not a mith even though no one ever gets killed, but it is a perfect excuse to get into trouble and beat up some kid without repercussions. Bullies can thrive in this setting. I remember when i was in a private high school and there was a fight. The teachers came out to see what was going on and were told by the students that it wasn't their business. The teachers turned around and walked off. That was mind-blowing. Hazing was also very popular and if you were white, you were a much bigger target than anyone else. Birthday hazings are very popular and guess what, if you are white you better not let anyone know its your birthday.
I’m done raving and ranting for now. Of course this is all in my opinion and all based on my experience. It saddens me to see Hawaii dip in and out of economic slumps and see people of all races and cultures struggle in a some time backward society. There are great things about Hawaii and I want to return after I get my degree. But there are many factors that promote hate in Hawaii; poverty, high cost of living, a melting pot of cultures and races and over population.

When my boss lived there it wasn't called "kill ha...

2007-08-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

When my boss lived there it wasn't called "kill haole" simply, beat up haole day. And it is not a myth, all white kids would run from school when the bell rang, and the natives would beat them if they could catch them. I've been to hawaii twice, and the racism is quite prevalent. Not just hawaiians hating whites, but the japanese aren't too fond of the round eyes either.

I forgot about "kill Haole Day"... dudes it was to...

2007-05-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

I forgot about "kill Haole Day"... dudes it was tough, last day of school at Radford. Thank God that I tann well, my name is Antonio and that since I lived there before Julio Iglesias got famous no one knew what I spaniard was... so I was a portagee and the mokes left me alone.

I do miss Oahu though. Given the chance, I'll sell my house in OC and move there.

Of course, my wife is Okinawan and my kids happas... so we'll just join an Okinawan Club and eat lots of Spam. ;-)

Racism is prevalent in Hawaii, not just to the peo...

2007-05-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

Racism is prevalent in Hawaii, not just to the people who are hypersensitive. Yet, it's not normally going to amount to violent attacks. And not everyone is racist, but the ones who are voice their opinions loudly, and often. Yes, there have been some widely publicized incidents of violence -- and that's a real shame. Most of the time, however, you'll get an ignorant comment -- "f-ing haole." Or maybe a "stink eye." Whites and blacks get it the worst, but it's not unusual for a NATIVE HAWAIIAN to be called "f-ing haole." I know. I am a quarter Native Hawaiian -- which is a whole hell of a lot today. Yet, I have very fair skin, and I can speak proper English due to my private school education. It's really ironic when I hear those words said to me by someone who has a much lower blood quantum of Native Hawaiian, but darker skin. And it's even more of a biyatch to know that some of my family does not like me, simply because my mother is white; and that my brother was not allowed to receive his full Hawaiian name, which is his birthright -- just because his mother was white. That happened thirty something years ago, when my brother was born. No lie. Stupid racist bullcrap.

Ah, da braddah is homesick for Hawaii. So sad. Luc...

2007-03-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

Ah, da braddah is homesick for Hawaii. So sad. Lucky I live Hawaii.
But what Mike says is true. I've heard that from lots of people who went to school here.
Of course most whites send their kids to fancy private schools like the one Obama went to.
It is a shock to experience anti-white racism, but of course racism is what non-whites experience every day of their lives, so the one time someone made a racist remark to me, I wasn't really upset.
The key is not to come across as a big shot. Work in the community. Be friendly. Then you have no problems. Guaranteed.
Hawaii is like anywhere else: complex, good stuff, bad stuff. So what? That's life.
Thassal.
--Old Hauli Lady

To the person who said that every place other than...

2007-02-22T16:27:00.000-08:00

To the person who said that every place other than the tourist spots in Hawaii looks like a "dump", congratulations for getting your information and basing your opinions on "Dog: The Bounty Hunter". Hawaii is just like any other place with a higher socioeconomic class, and a lower socioeconomic class. I am a woman of mixed (Hawaiian-White-Latina-Asian-Native American) descent who was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. I grew up in an upper-middle class household, attended private school, etc., all in a place where a decent home will run you at least $1,000,000 in Honolulu. In actuality, the "tourist" spots,in my opinion, are some of the most unattractive areas of Hawaii. Also, if you can understand Standard American English, I trust that you would be able to understand my speech. I'm aware of the fact that many people in Hawaii may not speak English "properly", and that many of us are from poor backgrounds, but it's ridiculous to stereotype, especially if your stereotypes are based on a show that's basically a better developed "Cops".

Mike,No local ever punched me or asked me for a qu...

2007-02-07T05:21:00.000-08:00

Mike,

No local ever punched me or asked me for a quarter in a threatening way and I went to school near Waimonalo.

Maybe you were just a victim of bullying not racism.

Kill Haole day is just an urban legend people tell new transplants to scare them.

Hawaii is far away from the rest of the U.S. That...

2007-02-05T19:48:00.000-08:00

Hawaii is far away from the rest of the U.S. That would explain why it doesn't have much high tech or high finance. It's a long flight away from financial markets and high tech areas.

In order to have high tech, you need a large enough pool of highly trained workers, and you need to be near suppliers and customers. Hawaii's remoteness dooms it as a high tech hub.

-John

Watch Dog the Bounty Hunter and listen to how the ...

2007-02-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

Watch Dog the Bounty Hunter and listen to how the local speak. I can't understand some of them a lot of the time. As far as I'm concerned, everything other than the tourists spots look like dumps. And listen closely at night in Hawaii. In the background you can hear coquis, which are these really loud tiny frogs that somehow transplanted themselves to the islands.

Seems to me someone is remembering the past a litt...

2007-02-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

Seems to me someone is remembering the past a little too rosy. I went to high school as a white kid in Hawaii. Wasn't fun at all. This notion that Haole is non offensive is rubbish, I heard "Hey Haole boy you got quarter?" so many times usually accompanied by a punch that I have not forgotten it. Course the Teachers were racist too. I'll never forget a favorite social studies teacher lobbying to keep the military dependent kids from being eligible for homecoming king/queen. Oh lest we forget what was the last day of school called? Kill a Haole day. Hmm no not offensive at all O

anon 1:03 - you are dead accurate about the isolat...

2007-02-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

anon 1:03 -

you are dead accurate about the isolation (at least for transplants from the mainland).

The time and expense of travelling to the mainland is a large hurdle for visiting - or even being visited by - friends and family.

One other wrinkle of the isolation is the 5 or 6 hour time difference with the east coast. If you want to call a relative after work during the week, you can try calling at exactly 5pm in Hawaii, and maybe catch them at 10pm or 11pm right before they go to bed. The crazy logistics make spur of the moment calling practically impossible.

And forget being a football fan in hawaii - Monday night football might be time delayed, but the results are already plastered on the internet late monday afternoon. And weekend games? Get used to getting up at 7am to catch those afternoon games live.

With regard to Hawaii's relatively poor economic p...

2007-02-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

With regard to Hawaii's relatively poor economic performance, could the psychological effects of isolation factor be a major cause? A close friend of mine just moved back to the mainland after 6 years in Honolulu. She and her husband loved the climate and relaxed pace of life (the latter being a product of the non-ambitious economy, right?), but they got sick of traveling hours and hours by air to visit family members, sick of being so geographically confined on one island, sick of the general lack of standard US amenities (apparently, there's no Target, which is frankly astonishing), and basically just sick of the feeling of being cut off from the mainstream of American life.

That "cut off" feeling can be seductive and appealing if you're not ambitious (or have already enjoyed a successful career and are ready to retire), but in the long run it will turn off those who seek high achievement.

When you combine the isolation with a climate that encourages recreation - who wants to stay inside and slog over the books when you can be playing outside in gorgeous weather EVERY DAY? - it's not surprising that Hawaii is not a hotbed of entrepreneurialism. And that means, in the modern economy, that it will not be likely to enjoy significant material success.

Full disclosure: I've never lived in HA. To those who've lived there - am I misinterpreting the reality of life in paradise?

White racism (actually anti-nonlocal) bigotry expr...

2007-02-04T12:06:00.000-08:00

White racism (actually anti-nonlocal) bigotry expresses itself in employment. In Hawaii certain industries or fields are limited to a certain ethnic group such as masons are always Tongan.

Whites from the mainland take a long time to realize this. However, if jobs dealing with mainland tourist, whites can get jobs and sometimes the better jobs.

Grew up in Hawaii again.Anti-white racism is "bare...

2007-02-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

Grew up in Hawaii again.

Anti-white racism is "barely noticeable unless your hypersensitive."

Virtually everyone has a white relative and if anyone makes a comment regarding being "Haole"(non-derogatory term for whites) it's usually in reference to their mainland value system, ex: racial hypersensitivity.

Question from a mainlander:How bad is anti-white r...

2007-02-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

Question from a mainlander:
How bad is anti-white racism in Hawaii?
I hear conflicting reports. Some say it's barely noticeable unless your hypersensitive, and I've heard other people say it's virulent. Is it a major barrier to whites seeking good jobs, or a barrier to white upward mobility? Or is it mainly the province of surfer thugs?

I found that blacks in the military were the least...

2007-02-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

I found that blacks in the military were the least likely military people to like Hawaii. Blacks are a small minorities in an island of minorities. There are fewer black owned business and virtually no business caters to Hawaii. Blacks from the mainland are not exactly the core of the surfing, wind surfing, scuba diving, big game fishing industry.

There is also no support mechanisms for blacks in Hawaii and is said before, playing the race cardjust does not work.

The one exception for blacks not likely Hawaii are those in mixed marriages. Hawaii has to be the most accepting of "mixed" marriages.

Steve: I'm one of a hell of a lot of people who ha...

2007-02-04T09:27:00.000-08:00

Steve: I'm one of a hell of a lot of people who have found Hawaii and Hawaiians racist jerk offs and their racism spreads to most conversations because they don't bother to hide it. And if any of your readers are good surfers and go over to Hawaii to ride some waves, they better be able to fight because if you are white and alone those guys will gang up on you big time. I now go to Pacific Mexico rather than Hawaii: better surf (believe it ot not on a day to day basis, with Costa Rica numero uno in the world), much nicer people, and one hell of a lot cheaper.

Peter,The one drop of Hawaiian blood isn't taken t...

2007-02-04T08:17:00.000-08:00

Peter,

The one drop of Hawaiian blood isn't taken that seriously. It entitles you to some advantages set aside strictly for Native Hawaiians, but people certainly don't label you a "Hawaiian" just because your great great grandmother enjoyed the company of a missionary. Hawaiians with an actually significant quantum of Hawaiian blood even have a term for these one-droppers, "immitation crab Hawaiians".

No group makes up the majority of Hawaii. Japanese-Americans used to be the largest ethnic group but migration out of and into the islands makes whites the largest group now (Hardly a majority, though).

Politics in Hawaii become very interesting because candidates make a big effort to name drop all their ethnicities to appeal to as many people as possible. I remember one guy who ran for mayor of Honolulu, Arnold Morgado, who looked anything but asian and he appeared in commercials in karate pajamas talking about his Japanese grandpa.