Racial tensions are simmering in Hawaii's melting pot
By Martin Kasindorf
By Martin Kasindorf, USA TODAY
HONOLULU — A violent road-rage altercation between Native Hawaiians and a white couple near Pearl Harbor two weeks ago is provoking questions about whether Hawaii's harmonious "aloha" spirit is real or just a greeting for tourists.
The Feb. 19 attack, in which a Hawaiian father and son were arrested and charged with beating a soldier and his wife unconscious, was unusual here for its brutality. It sparked a public debate over race relations that is filling blogs and newspaper websites with impassioned comments along stark ethnic lines.
To read the whole article, go to: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-06-hawaii-cover_N.html
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You know it really annoys me to see articles like these about Hawaiians assaulting the "white" people. They are always saying the white people take their land and that now the Hawaiians have nothing left. I really think this island of Hawaii would be no where near as modernized now if it weren't for modern technology brought in by foreigners/the white people. If that's what the Hawaiians want,then I'm sorry so many people have taken your land. What is ironic about one of these incidents is that one of the hate crimes, I believe, was on a policeman. So what we have here is the Hawaiians taking out their anger on a policeman...a man who just happens to be trying to create peace in our island. I can't say I understand why Hawaiians are so aggravated in the world today, because I can't. I really don't understand. I don't see how they see a huge flaw in the world of Oahu today.
Secondly, when the article refers to the aloha spirit, I really do not think they know what they are talking about. To me, the aloha spirit is not really what it seems like. To me, it is that many different races can live here without any racism or anyone feeling out of place. Hawaii can almost be seen as a home for everyone....if that makes any sense. It is kind of ridiculous that they blow up these incidents of road rage and beatings when they only give around three examples. No where in the world is everyone living in harmony so how can you judge our "aloha spirit" by just a few incidents. If anyone can think of any other place in the world as culturally diverse and welcoming as Hawaii please let me know because I don't know.
Overall, can someone really explain to me why Hawaiians are so aggravated in the world today and what you think the "true" aloha spirit is.
the aloha spirit is one that is not only physical and mental but out of the realm of our senses. To me with modern technology that true and genuine spirit diminishes. Some Hawaiians may think that modernization is in fact unneccesary or is moving to fast.
However, when you look at Hawaii you do see many races. I was talking with jill today and she had said, "i think Hawaii is a good place to grow up because you learn about different races and cultures at an early age." I am in total agreement with that. So where does that leave the Hawaiians? There is a difference between a dissappearing culture and a culture that doesn't have to dissappear. I belive that there is scarce aloha spirit on Oahu today. The only place i truly can feel and see it is with my tutu or my extended family. Now that is very exclusive of me, but it is the truth.
For me the aloha spirit is getting harder and harder to practice each day. it is a matter of trust. You can't just trust random people on the streets anymore. There are people from all over finding a home in Hawaii. Where do you draw the line of letting people in, bringing them back to a potluck in your yard? Where is the line of picking up a hitch-hiker or hitch hiking yourself?
Although some may say Hawaiians are being selfish with their land, i feel like we shouldn't generalize. Maybe some Hawaiians are, just like some whites or backs or asians are. That in itself is too judgmental and could be in fact racist.
What is true is that the land today is not the same as the land was years ago. This could be a good or bad thing, but how can one really know? We are constantly striving for something better.
I can understand why Hawaiian people don't like haoles-especially marines/immigrants because they feel that their race was wronged in the past by the United States and they deserve some kind of compensation (or at least their islands without all the people who moved here). But in no way does that make it okay to physically (or verbally) abuse someone just because of where they're from and what their race. The couple who hit the Hawaiian father and son probably didn't do it on purpose, but to the father and son the fact that the couple were haole probably justified (cognitive dissonance) their actions, as if because of where they came from made it okay to hurt them. I thought it was interesting in the article how one person said that calling someone a dumb haole is common and totally okay but to any other race it's offensive. I think its okay because the haole people put up with it for so long, but should they have to?
I dunno, even though I didn't personally partake in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom or commit acts of racism towards Hawaiian people, sometimes I feel guilty just for living here. & I would probably feel guilty if I lived in a place were there was a different racial group that had been oppressed by Americans in the past as well. Growing up here has made me so much more tolerant of other races but being tolerant & being comfortable are two completely different things.
I agree with Kathrine that living here has made me/us more tolerable to more races. This is evident when I go to states like North Dakota(Yes, I go to North Dakota, Mr. Mindich) where 98% of the population is white, and even when I see another race I am surprised. Living in Hawaii has made me more well rounded when it comes to knowing other races and cultures.
I also agree with the question Ryan proposed which is why are Hawaiians so mad? I understand that their land was taken, but that was about 100 years ago. I feel they should move on, and realize what advantages and gains that have gotten from being part of the country.
When it comes to the hatred that effects us directly, I do feel their is hatred directed to us(Punahou students) just because we go to Punahou. The other day I was on facebook and found a group called Being Hawaiian Is So Much Better Than Going To Punahou. When I saw this I was kind of surprised. It showed that Hawaiians, even at our age, don't like some other races, especially some people that go to Punahou because we are the hoale school. I am not saying that these people are going to come and beat us up, but the fact that they formed a group like this alarmed me.
Racial tension, in my opinion, is a problem in Hawaii, and, but it's also a problem anywhere else. African-Americans often despise white people because of the wrongs that were done to them in the past, much like the Hawaiian's. I, much like others, wish that people could just forgive and forget, but it will never be that simple, inhabitants of almost any area have caused hardship to the initial people of that place. It seems that there is nothing that can be done to solve racial tension, because just an apology could never repair the damage that has been done to a people by the greedy others.
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