Don’t Expect This on Your Hawaii Vacation
April 21st, 2009
We get e-mails and sometimes phone calls from clients who have returned home after vacationing in Hawaii. Most, of course, are to thank us for our services and rave about the things they did while they were in the islands.
We’ve had a couple of e-mails recently that we find disturbing. They refer to unpleasant encounters with “locals” the writers had while they were here.
A little background:
Tourism began in Hawaii at a time when there was a steady U.S. military buildup and the creation of the pineapple canning industry. Tourism was spurred in 1936 by the inauguration of commercial air service. The tourist industry in the islands began to flourish, but people in Hawaii were uncomfortable with the presence of U.S military people, most of whom were Caucasian.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor pretty-much killed tourism, but after World War II, the U.S. rediscovered Hawaii and American tourists began arriving by the boatload. This was a little troublesome to some to the local people, who already were not happy with the military personnel population explosion. Fights were common outside the military bases, especially in the bars where military personnel would spend their weekend passes and furloughs.
Soon, tourism became the major industry in Hawaii. That meant plenty of jobs, but those jobs were menial and poorly paid. The resentment grew through the 1950s, then began subsiding in the ‘60s. As generation followed generation and the Caucasian population was blending in, visitors became more than welcome and “the people” became the first thing returning vacationers would say they liked best.
That good will is pervasive, but there still are a few young people who inherited their grandparents’ attitudes. While these people are harmless, they can be intimidating by hanging around your spot on the beach and purposely annoying you, and elsewhere by calling you names – notably “friggin’ haole.”
These instances are disappearing and are rare now. The state and local tourism officials are striving to eradicate the problem altogether, but perhaps that’s a generation away.
You certainly should be aware that you are very unlikely to run into such an encounter while you vacation here. Vacationers are grandly welcomed and treated as the special guests they are. If you do experience one, please report it to your hotel management or to the police – and to us at Hawaii-Aloha (1-800-843-8771).
Posted by Jim Winpenny
Entry Filed under: Uncategorized
12 Comments Add your own
1. Joe Philipson | April 21st, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Because americans that go anywhere on vacation tend to be rude, prideful, and insensitive to other people and cultures… I’ve never had problems with “locals” and that’s because I have half a brain and I lived in Ewa Beach and taught kids from Wainae. I’ve been in France when some fat american tourist criticized a crepe vendor because he didn’t understand english and then mocked him… it’s not just hawaii but anywhere these people go.
2. Sheila | April 22nd, 2009 at 2:32 am
Every place has their jerks and Hawaii is NOT immune.
I’d like to think that I’m pretty savvy with Hawaii vacation etiquette. I always go out of my way to be respectful to the people, the culture and the land. Even I’ve been the recipient of a very unkind haole statement. It happens.
3. Andy Bumatai | April 22nd, 2009 at 9:20 am
There are “Locals” that don’t even want other locals near their tuff. Case in point: The video of local SupperFerry protesters screaming “go home” at other locals as they where driving of off the boat on neighbor islands.
My favorite part was when a local in one of the cars said “Go home? I live here.”
4. kalei javellana | April 22nd, 2009 at 10:10 am
Born & raised here on Oahu, with Hawaiian ancestory, these racist slurs have been around since i can remember. In fact, going back 40 years, the last day of school was beat up haole day…and the haole’s to be beat up were caucasian kids that live here. Its just something that exists and is best to just ignore and not take any of this personally….Hawaii is paradise, but as is with everywhere on God’s green earth, no place is completely perfect.
5. Tara | April 22nd, 2009 at 10:21 am
Sure, we’ve all heard tales of the boorish American tourist, but to lump all Americans in this category is disingenuous at best. Is America bashing in vogue now? A recent travel survey found that the French, Indian and Chinese tourists ranked even more obnoxious than Americans, while Japanese were considered the best tourists.
On the flip side, every city or town in America has it’s share of rude “locals. Hawaii is no exception.
6. Angelica | April 22nd, 2009 at 11:18 am
As a native islander whose family has been in Hawaii four generations back – I felt like I had to comment from the perspective of a Hawaiian and go a little deeper into the historical roots of this topic.
Yes, tourism and the military presence have a role in the history – but it goes further back than that…almost 200 years back to when the first white missionaries came to Hawaii. Yes, that was a long time ago – but to understand the present you need discover the past & in this case you cannot stop with the rise of tourism or the presence of the military – you need to go further back to the Hawaiian culture pre, during, and since the first white missionaries arrived.
The first wave of Polynesian settlers in Hawaii were a collectivist culture, highly supportive of each other and overwhelmingly focused on the broader, long-term social and survival considerations of living on a Pacific island.
When the first white missionaries came to Hawaii, around 1820, their new religion created a polarization between the existing social classes. It was at this time that colonization began and led to the eventual domination of the ancient Hawaiian culture by this new foreign (haole) culture.
Remember – the Hawaiians traditionally regarded the land as being everyone’s responsibility to care for and maintain it, whereas the western concept of private land ownership was completely incomprehensible to most Hawaiians. As a direct result of this circumstance, by 1848 the Hawaiians had lost almost the entirety of their homeland to foreigners and commercial interests, and many Hawaiians were homeless and landless.
It’s key to remember that the Hawaiian collectivist culture (as it was described prior to the arrival of the missionaries) – is still expressed today in the ‘Aloha Spirit’, which consists of giving open-endedly to share wealth, food, and communal support. This traditional spirit of collective giving contrasts rather severely with the spirit of imported western entrepreneurial commercialism (which also still exists). While there are and have been benefits from both ‘cultures’ – there are also times when they clash.
Greater effort needs to be made for all people to understand how other nations and other people view life and maintain the beliefs that make their lives personally, spiritually and culturally meaningful. The interest and study of cultural ways, social norms, and the attainment of a basic understanding – is the only way real progress can be made towards resolving tensions between radically differing racial and ethnic groups. This is as true in Hawaii as it would be anywhere in the world that Americans find themselves. I believe it is the younger people who are more often doing the antagonizing – but perhaps even that is a ‘normal’ part of the immature growth phase.
It’s not our responsibility in the present to figure out the details of the past or the reasons behind the why’s. What’s done is done and we cannot hold the past in the present. Nothing will ever entirely erase lingering local resentment over having lost homelands to what they view as culturally naive, economically overbearing, self-centered, and profit obsessed outsiders who think that America’s worship of rugged, entrepreneurial individualism is the only legitimate socio-political philosophy in the entire world.
Furthermore, little can be done to reduce haole paranoia about being singled out for rude, perhaps hostile treatment by locals.
The only thing we can do on an individual level is to renew our efforts each day to acheieve a more loving and generous understanding of each other’s lives and cultures.
I apologize for the long comment but I felt it was necessary. I also want to thank my friend Kaliki Kalei who has been a great kumu (teacher) of ancient Hawaiian culture.
Aloha & Malama,
Angelica
7. Tara | April 22nd, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Wow! Excellent post Angelica. Thank you for such an in depth explanation. You’re awesome!!!!
8. Notes From Our Recent Mau&hellip | April 24th, 2009 at 6:43 am
[...] hostile locals who decided that the sound of their horn and shooting out curse words to “haoles” was better than the sweet sounds of the rainforest and waterfalls. Just like them, we were stuck [...]
9. Hawaii | April 24th, 2009 at 7:48 am
Granted there are some ignorant people, but if you treat people with respect they will usually treat you with respect back. I think locals just don’t like the mainland tourists who are loud, obnoxious, and think they can come to our islands without showing any respect.
10. A Maui blog | April 28th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
I am thinking of writing to Maui News about this concern. Thank you for posting this and for the discussion that went on in the comment section.
11. kat | October 14th, 2009 at 1:32 am
We are concerned with the increase of bad behavior experienced on Oahu, and how it leads to acts of violence.
Monday Oct. 12, 2009 in the parking lot of Bangkok Chef Manoa at 12:15pm we waited for a car backing out so that we could pull into their parking space. A tall haole guy with brown hair walks in the middle of the stall and refuses to move, shaking his finger at us, saving the space for his friend with blonde hair in pony tail in the white truck behind us. I am local hawaiian, asian female raised on oahu, and that behavior to me is rude. Could it be because I was asian, female or local, that this haole guy thought he could abuse us? Rude people come in all types of colors and sex. It’s pitiful when you gotta explain to someone that rude behavior such as coming out from no where to save a parking space for a car who is not next in line, is unacceptable. Only girls were in the car, the haole was lucky, cuz he may have been hurt if the guys in our family were with us. His action was completely avoidable. If this is a cultural difference such as he’s not from oahu, I hope this story helps save his life, and the life of his driver one day so they don’t get their okoles beat down.
Next time haole, don’t be fooled, cuz local girls will kick your okoles too, you lucky that day. So haole boys, no be jerks, be respectful and learn to think of others before your own selfish needs. If you want to live or visit oahu do what the locals do.
12. Susan (haole from Virginia) | October 23rd, 2009 at 7:23 am
Unfortunately, most Americans have no idea how the United States “acquired” the Hawai’ian Islands. Much the same way the rest of the country was “acquired” from the native Americans, but without bloodshed. Even the President of the U.S. at the time of the overthrow questioned the events happening in Hawai’i. You can read his letter to Congress at:
http://www.hawaii-nation.org/cleveland.html
A bill is currently in committee to give some sovereignty to native Hawai’ians (similar to native American rights). Info on that bill can be found here:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-1011
It’s not perfect, but it’s a start. Perhaps our Hawai’ian-raised president can push it through?
Mahalo for your concern.
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