PDHblog
This is a place for members of Progressive Democrats of Hawai‘i to express their thoughts
and exasperations about political happenings. The opinions and views are not necessarily
those of PDH's steering committee or membership as a whole.

I think the recent exchange between Senator Hooser and Larry Price (HA, SB) brings to light something most of us know, but don’t usually say out loud. No matter how long a white person has lived in Hawai‘i he/she will never be considered “local” by a large segment of the population here. I think that is relatively unique to Hawai‘i… are there other places where that is the case as well? What does it mean to be “local”? Most places it simply means that you live in the area on a permanent basis. In Hawai‘i that is a loaded term. White people simply will never understand what it is like. Right?

My family moved to Hawai‘i Island when I was 18mos old. I have lived here my entire life but was not born here (my sister and brothers were). I went to an elementary school dominated by children whose parents worked for the Hamakua sugar plantation. I have been called a F**kin’ Haole more times than I can remember. I normally brush off any disparaging haole references or even joke about them myself. In conversations with people from the mainland, I often have to remind them that I am not “Hawaiian” since there is an indigenous people here and the term does not apply as it does for other states where one may be referred to as “Californian,” “Texan,” etc. I even cringe when referred to as “local” and often joke that if you call me that loud enough in the wrong company, I may get beat up.

When trying to explain the unique culture in Hawai‘i to others, I often refer to the plantation culture that separated whites from all others. I relate how although I felt discrimination as a child, it was character building and largely dissipates as you move into the adult world where we become more aware that Hawai‘i is a part of America where whites are still a majority. More aware that (some) whites still hold advantages here that were gained with the overthrow of Queen Lili‘uokalani. Does it matter that I realize these things? Does it matter that my Korean friend who grew up in Minnesota is treated as “local” but I will never be? Is this just another price of living in paradise?

Local-haole people like myself are usually given the benefit of the doubt as long as we know our place and are careful not to ever presume we might understand what it might be like to be kama‘aina. Apparently Gary Hooser over-stepped that line by presuming he could speak on behalf of his constituents on Kaua‘i. I think that the conversations (e.g., gary hooser blog, ilind, poinography1, poinography2, volcanic ash) that have been stimulated by this incident are healthy. Perhaps we should be talking about this sort of thing more often.