Re: Micronesian in Hawaii
this is my take. micronesians in hawaii suffer the fate of being the last ethnic/political group of a certain number to arrive to these shores. being the newest kids on the block, they're subject to distrust, discrimination and disgust by those who have already established their communities here. some variation of the negative remarks being said about "micros" has been said about "flips," "yobbos," "changs," and "japs" before them.
on the mainland, italians, irish and polish (among others) have, in the past, suffered similar treatment and perception.
sometime down the line, another ethnic group will become the new kid on the block and micronesians will be seen with more respectful eyes, as the filipinos, koreans, chinese and japanese before them.
i'm not saying it's right (bcs it's not). i'm saying this is what's happening now, it's happened before, and it will happen again. people often hate change unless it directly benefits them and therefore spew their hate upon those who are the catalyst for that change.
one other thing i'll add on behalf of my part-palauan partner in crime, eric: the honolulu weekly article, at certain times, may lead readers to believe that palauans are micronesians. while both participate in the compact of free association, palau and micronesia are different nations. additionally, ethnically, they are different people, as palauans are melanesian.
this is my take. micronesians in hawaii suffer the fate of being the last ethnic/political group of a certain number to arrive to these shores. being the newest kids on the block, they're subject to distrust, discrimination and disgust by those who have already established their communities here. some variation of the negative remarks being said about "micros" has been said about "flips," "yobbos," "changs," and "japs" before them.
on the mainland, italians, irish and polish (among others) have, in the past, suffered similar treatment and perception.
sometime down the line, another ethnic group will become the new kid on the block and micronesians will be seen with more respectful eyes, as the filipinos, koreans, chinese and japanese before them.
i'm not saying it's right (bcs it's not). i'm saying this is what's happening now, it's happened before, and it will happen again. people often hate change unless it directly benefits them and therefore spew their hate upon those who are the catalyst for that change.
one other thing i'll add on behalf of my part-palauan partner in crime, eric: the honolulu weekly article, at certain times, may lead readers to believe that palauans are micronesians. while both participate in the compact of free association, palau and micronesia are different nations. additionally, ethnically, they are different people, as palauans are melanesian.
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