Ethnic politics?

[timkona]

Re: Ethnic politics?

I had no idea that Hawaiians were supposedly at a "disadvantage" in business or economically. Would you mind providing some examples or proof ?? Would you also elaborate on the reasons?

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Ethnic politics?

Puai, I must admit that seeing so many Hawaiian names on the ballot was a little bit nervewracking to me. It seems they are learning how to flex muscle for real.

The futility of the sovereignty movement is laughable. But the awakening of Hawaiians to the notion of getting their way from "within the system" is a powerful reality check.

Imagine the progress Hawaiians would have made in the last 15 years by abandonding crybaby sovereignty, and embracing political reality, with candidates, ideas, actions, and VOTES. Kawananakoa lost by a hair. I betcha more Hawaiians vote next goround.

I sense this awakening is happening with this newest generation of politically active Hawaiians. My hat's off to them. Salute!

You know that Hawaiians have always participated in government here, right? In the last 15 yrs, Akaka has been in the Senate, we had Waihe'e as governor for two terms (86-94), we have Aiona now, and a smattering across the isles on the county and state levels.

That said, it was still quite fabulous to have kanaka choices throughout the ballot. But we won't empower ourselves through the system until we regain an advantage in business ownership throughout the isles.**


**and I am not even talking about sovereignty, just the status quo model.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Ethnic politics?

I'm not one of those "good immigrants" "bad immigrant" people. I guess I'm more simple minded. Hawaiian is Hawaiian. Immigrant is immigrant. The plantation immigrants brought their "world view, baggage" etc to Hawaii and look around. How many people have I heard (celebrities, visitors etc) who say they like Hawaii because it's so "Asian". Most outsiders don't know the difference between a Japanese and a Hawaiian. Just the way the "locals" want it.

Yeah the Haoles will bring their baggage just like every other immigrant has. Is it going to be worse? I don't know. Got rich republican haoles and hippie live in a tent haoles and everything in between coming to Hawaii. Plus there is still a flow of samoans, micronesians, vietnamese, chinese, guamanians, etc etc all bringing their own "baggage".

All I ask is that they be themselves and quit trying to reinvent Hawaiian.

I agree with this. But the article (which I didn't commit all details to memory, although I recall the jist of it) pertained more to land and business ownership. And my eye is always on the economy.

What do you mean about "trying to reinvent Hawaiian"? My fear/ire is about those trying to "do away" with Hawaiian, instead of "reinvent".

[timkona]

Re: Ethnic politics?

Puai, I must admit that seeing so many Hawaiian names on the ballot was a little bit nervewracking to me. It seems they are learning how to flex muscle for real.

The futility of the sovereignty movement is laughable. But the awakening of Hawaiians to the notion of getting their way from "within the system" is a powerful reality check.

Imagine the progress Hawaiians would have made in the last 15 years by abandonding crybaby sovereignty, and embracing political reality, with candidates, ideas, actions, and VOTES. Kawananakoa lost by a hair. I betcha more Hawaiians vote next goround.

I sense this awakening is happening with this newest generation of politically active Hawaiians. My hat's off to them. Salute!

Re: Ethnic politics?

Kamuela, these trends are changing and will continue to over the next 15 years (mahalo to Hawaii Business magazine when they put that article out this past year).

-Hawaii is getting "whiter".
-Island-born is becoming outnumbered by conus-born. And they bring here their politics, their worldview, their baggage.

I'm not one of those "good immigrants" "bad immigrant" people. I guess I'm more simple minded. Hawaiian is Hawaiian. Immigrant is immigrant. The plantation immigrants brought their "world view, baggage" etc to Hawaii and look around. How many people have I heard (celebrities, visitors etc) who say they like Hawaii because it's so "Asian". Most outsiders don't know the difference between a Japanese and a Hawaiian. Just the way the "locals" want it.

Yeah the Haoles will bring their baggage just like every other immigrant has. Is it going to be worse? I don't know. Got rich republican haoles and hippie live in a tent haoles and everything in between coming to Hawaii. Plus there is still a flow of samoans, micronesians, vietnamese, chinese, guamanians, etc etc all bringing their own "baggage".

All I ask is that they be themselves and quit trying to reinvent Hawaiian.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: Ethnic politics?

Kamuela, these trends are changing and will continue to over the next 15 years (mahalo to Hawaii Business magazine when they put that article out this past year).

-Hawaii is getting "whiter".
-Island-born is becoming outnumbered by conus-born. And they bring here their politics, their worldview, their baggage.

Plantation Asian is going to be the stuff of legend soon enough.

On another tangent, it was pretty empowering to see a Hawaiian in every race on my ballot. And my voting precinct is a mix of Hawaiian homesteaders, old Japanese and mega-church Christians (but we vote their Repub contenders down with at least 51% of the vote).

Re: Ethnic politics?

If you are suggesting that the electon process be replaced by the cenus demographics to determine the outcome of the various races, I don't think it's pracitical.

I was being facetious to make a point about Hawaii's election outcomes for the past 50 years.

One definition insanity is to continue to repeat the same action but expect a different result.

I think most of Hawaii's people are not happy with the way Hawaii has turned out after 50 years of TOTAL plantation asian domination. But a majority of Hawaii's voters are still happy (HGEA, Unions, AJA voting block, Plantation Asian voters in general).

So you get the leaders you select and you deserve them.

Aloha

[helen]

Re: Ethnic politics?

We could have skipped all the vote counts and just gone on demographics once again.

If you are suggesting that the electon process be replaced by the cenus demographics to determine the outcome of the various races, I don't think it's pracitical.

It way more cost effective to have the people come to the polls to vote then to send people door to door to find out their ethnicicy and even then such data maybe out of date by the time to choose the candiates.

If you want to predict political races based on ethnicicy or demographics that's fine with you, but there are only predicitions. What truely matters is the actual vote counts.

Re: Ethnic politics?

There are a few examples in Hawaiis history where ethnic bloc voting demographics were not predictive of the actual election outcome, but they are rare.

I knew Case would lose cuz he was a "republican" haole running in the historically plantation asian district. Can't win.

Don't act surprised Glen Miyashiro. Hawaii is one of the least RACIST places in the world but also one the most RACIAL places in the world. Race rules nearly every thought that flows through our minds whether we realize it or admit it or not.

[Glen Miyashiro]

In the Primary Election thread, Kamuelakea said:

We could have skipped all the vote counts and just gone on demographics once again. Political party means nothing, political philosophy means nothing. Its all about ethnicity. Oh, and don't forget the time honored tradition of Hawaiis plantation Asian Democrats last minute smear whisper campaigns. Wouldn't be a Hawaii election without one of those.

Okay, everybody back to what you've been doing the past 50 years. Nothing's changed.

How do you explain, then, that John Mizuno beat Terry Visperas in District 30, which is Kalihi Valley, the heart of Filipino Honolulu? Seems to me that all those Democratic voters liked their departing incumbent, Dennis Arakaki, and they decided that since Mizuno was Arakaki's right-hand man, he'd be a good replacement. It wasn't their ethnicity that got Arakaki elected and re-elected so many times, and Mizuno elected to replace him -- it was their politics.