I never thought I had a drop of racism in me but I can remember one time when I got mad at a white guy and I said something like you “dumb haole, so typical” but I didn’t say it out loud. That racial remark meant to me, this white guy was being such a rude and “know it all” idiot and wanted to fight with a local boy actually he was Samoan/Haw’n over a parking stall. I wanted to tell the Haole guy don’t you know not to mess with a local. And sure enough he got his ass kicked. It was a pure misunderstanding I saw the entire thing they both were at the empty stall about the same time but the haole guy felt he deserved it more than the local guy and wanted to dispute it by calling him out. As the local came out of the parked car with his wife and child the haole guy was cussing him out and told him to move his car. The local guy didn’t say a word and as soon as the haole guy put his hand on him the local put him to sleep with one crack. Everyone knew it was coming. In my mind, when people here (the locals) say “dumb haole so typical” it means it is a common characteristic of a haole to act in that manner. They are going to open up there foul mouth showing disrespect and to a big Samoan/Hawaiian that most times automatically results in the haole getting slammed and luckily it was just his fist and not a bat or some other hard object he would have had to use. This is very common to us not to say that it is justified or accepted but it’s kinda what happens every time. This type of haole in my mind are the kind that ruin it for all haole folks. However, I don’t hate haole’s I may not like the kind who think they are greater, better than us because we are the inferior race. Maybe in the mainland they are used to being superior but when they go elsewhere, anywhere they don’t know the culture and should be more aware or cautious of how they carry themselves. Now, I hope this example is a good one to try to understand why we may say dumb haole. So am I truly prejudice maybe cause I did use the word Haole in a derogative way so it is true this word can be used like Nigger as you mentioned Crystallattice. It all depends, when I refer to my white friends I refer to them as Haole but it’s not the same meaning. My black friends I refer to as Popolo’s and nobody is offended. It all depends on how one uses the word. If I said Nigger that would seem offensive cause I wasn’t brought up with that word. Sometimes I say Jap but that can be taken offensively so I will say Japanese. Sometimes we say Portagee or Pocho for Portuguese people but this isn’t offensive either. Hapa Haole is another term used frequently and not offensive it just means half something and half white. So, generally the word Haole used in a derogative way would be when whoever is calling them that is mad or irritated at their behavior.

As far as corruption in government, local police and how the state runs it’s finances all what was said unfortunately is true. But, I can say this it is better, much better than it was before. The mob and all was much more in force and recognized and even respected early in Hawaii and now although gangs are present in Hawaii they are not like before, they call it the new school. Mostly fighting if anything are done with fists as guns are not as commonly used. I’m sure they are used with some gangs but not as much. Drugs will always be a problem here I don’t care what anybody says. Mainly, I believe it is due to costs of living here and jobs not paying enough to support Hawaii’s high cost of living. Residents are working 2 jobs, both parents are working and sometimes if the money coming in is not sufficient people here tend to pick up drugs as a supplemental way to getting by. It’s sad because half the people I know are either doing the drugs, selling it for profit and not doing it, just to get by and have something to eat on their tables, making rent, paying insurance premiums and other necessities not even mentioning extra money for enjoyment. Hawaii is called Paradise but we pay for it. I have only mentioned some of what I have read above in other responses submitted and my opinion on it and my experience with life here in Hawaii and I hope it has helped some of you who have had bad experiences here with some of the bad eggs of all races because Hawaiian’s are the race for Hawaii but I see it more as locals are much more than just Hawaiians, locals here represent Filipino, Japanese, Koreans, Local Haole’s, Pake’s, Local Popolo’s, Samoan’s, Micronesians, Hapa’s since most local’s are mixed breeds. So, listen to the Mr. Sun Cho Lee song and you will see what I mean. I pray for a solution for our island’s problems. The best way to find remedy would be to get involved in group organizations and stick together, doing whatever it takes to bring peace, justice, honor and integrity in the land and those who run it. People standing up against corrupt government and state agencies. I know local churches have been helping the community with outreaches for the children, teens, and young adults to educate them and teach them the love of God and to spread the real meaning of ALOHA to all, Kama’aina (locals) and Maluhini (visitors). The way of living we were taught as young children were to respect our elders, respect the land and go back if we have to living off the land like our ancestors who were very smart and resourceful in their ways and fish for food, eat healthy by farming the kalo, po’i, growing Koa trees cultivating our aina and keeping it clean and uncontaminated with chemicals or whatever just to show respect for where we live. After all Hawaii is the gem, the PEARL of the United States. We are their favorite, most want to come here, so let’s show them what the people here are really all about. Love and Aloha, show them the traditional Aloha Spirit, I have never felt the spirit of Aloha left the people here. Sometimes it may be suppressed cause of the common problems we all have every race and country has but the spirit has never left. I have always and will always love Hawaii and everything it represents. There is good and bad everywhere and in each race. Sometimes one will ruin it for the others and instead of being mad at the entire race just remember we are all of the same universe we all bleed the same and have flaws… Encourage our young to be better leaders and educate them to become those leaders. Smelling the flowers, surfing and swimming in the beautiful oceans we are blessed with and appreciating nature and remembering nobody is perfect, or superior, God created us all equal, He commanded us to love one another. We need to forgive and show others that may not know how to live and respect one another in our walk and talk. I am sorry you experienced a bad taste of our Islands but may you forgive those who were not as fortunate who may have hurt you and gave you a feeling of preconception. Hopefully, things around here will take a radical change because it sure needs it. Mahalo and Aloha from the bottom of my heart. Peace out and God Bless! Sorry, that was a long one just kept thinking of all kinds of stuff and wanted to express my thoughts of Hawaii Nei such a pleasant place to live.

Is there a sense of a “Hawai’i for Hawai’ians” movement — yes? So what? Maybe the fact that I’m part Iroquois makes me more sensitive to that, but I find it perfectly understandable. Hawai’i is part of the US, but unless you’re Hawai’ian you have to realize that when you’re out there you’re basically a guest in someone else’s house … not their landlord … and I’d expect my landlord to behave better than what I’ve seen from some tourists.

The only serious issue I had out there were with some young Japanese tourists who had the attitude that the rest of us were supposed to step out of their way at every turn. To the degree that shopping the Ala Moana Mall could be an ass pain … some young jerk would decide you were the target of the moment and make a point of staring you straight in the face and walking right at you — expecting you to step out of their way, and if you did they’d smirk on the way past … and pick their next target … after that happened a couple of times I started stopping in my tracks and staring them right back in the face, crossing my arms across my chest and not budging … it stopped happening after doing that a few times — almost as if the jerks involved were all in Honolulu together and communicating with each other about who they could get to move, and who they couldn’t — even though that was over a period of several months and several shopping trips.

So my experience in Hawai’i, over 7 1/2 months and 3 Islands — locals, no problems…. Japanese tourists?… SOME of them were serious jerks, but most of them weren’t involved in that.

Other than that the only time I was really uncomfortable out there was getting in an elevator after a really good pedicure and being followed in by someone who CLEARLY had a serious foot fetish and spent the entire ride up in the elevator staring at my feet with his mouth slightly agape and practically drooling…. now THAT was creepy… but I had a shoe salesman in NYC once who clearly was enjoying his job entirely too much… so those guys are EVERYWHERE…. scary enough.