Hate Crime?

[tutusue]

Re: Hate Crime?

MidWeek columnist, Rick Hamada, covers the assault in his most recent column.

But this is not so much a story of road rage as the media and some law enforcement officials wish to describe it. What happened was a full-on, uninhibited, blood-lusty, wanton act of pure animalistic violence delivered upon an undeserving, innocent couple who made the near-fatal mistake of crossing two cretins who were waiting for the chance to beat someone’s okole.

[Pomai]

Re: Hate Crime?

Mahalo for the RH story link tutusue.

This is the part that caught my attention...

The irony in the “haole” taunts is that Dawn Dussell is Portuguese.

Why is that an irony? Portugal is part of Europe, the motherland of "haoles" (in the ethnic sense of the term).

There are many Portuguese who look Nordic (blonde/light brown hair and blue/hazel eyes), such as several cousins of mine.

I'm half-Portuguese, plus German, English and Hawaiian, respectively. With that mixture, there seems to be this interesting gray area of identification of being "local" and "haole" all at the same time.

It's kinda' cool actually.

[na alii]

Re: Hate Crime?

Mahalo for the RH story link tutusue.

This is the part that caught my attention...

Why is that an irony? Portugal is part of Europe, the motherland of "haoles" (in the ethnic sense of the term).

There are many Portuguese who look Nordic (blonde/light brown hair and blue/hazel eyes), such as several cousins of mine.

I'm half-Portuguese, plus German, English and Hawaiian, respectively. With that mixture, there seems to be this interesting gray area of identification of being "local" and "haole" all at the same time.

It's kinda' cool actually.

Who knows, Dawn might be a local Portuguese girl. Try ask a Local Portuguese if he/she is haole. They would tell you "No way, I'm Portagee."

[kamuelakea]

Re: Hate Crime?

Why is that an irony? Portugal is part of Europe, the motherland of "haoles" (in the ethnic sense of the term).

This is more of the fascinating Hawaii "racism" that I was alluding to.

People in Hawaii are prouder of their Portuguese heritage more than anywhere in the United States. Why? Not because they are more connected to real Portuguese culture and values. It's simply because Hawaii's history is such that being Portuguese automatically makes you a multigenerational immigrant and therefore "local".

Even though Rick Hamada's main point was that violence is violence, he couldn't help his Hawaii self to perfectly illustrate Hawaii's confusing racism by suggesting that it was too bad that the woman was been beaten as a Haole since she was actually the magical, mystical, miracle Portuguese. So once again, without realizing it, and while he’d probably deny it, Rick Hamada seems to suggest that beating a Portuguese was worse than beating another European Haole. Other wise why bring up the specific race of the woman if his entire thesis was that race didn't matter because vicious violence is vicious violence.

That is exactly what I was talking about with regards to the other plantation races. Hawaii is offended when plantation immigrants are attacked. But non-plantation immigrants, including 8th generation missionary Haoles for example, don't get no pass.

Hawaii is hilarious. A bunch of immigrants trying so hard to be "local" that they become confusing, conflicting and corrupt in many ways.

BTW, Portuguese is Haole. Everywhere except Hawaii that is.

[Pomai]

Re: Hate Crime?

Kakamuelakea, so true!

Not to stereotype. But there are MANY who have that mindset.

[na alii]

Re: Hate Crime?

This is more of the fascinating Hawaii "racism" that I was alluding to.

People in Hawaii are prouder of their Portugese heritage more than anywhere in the United States. Why? Not because they are more connected to real Portugese culture and values. It's simply because Hawaii's histroy is such that being Portugese automatically makes you a multigenerational immigrant and therefore "local".

Even though Rick Hamada's main point was that violence is violence, he couldn't help his Hawaii self to perfectly illustrate Hawaii's confusing racism perfectly by suggesting that it was too bad that the woman was been beaten as a Haole since she was actually the magical, mystical, miracle Portugese . So once again, without realizing it, and while he'ld probably deny it, Rick Hamada seems to suggest that beating a Portugese was worse than beating another European Haole. Other wise why bring up the specific race of the woman if his entire thesis was that race didn't matter because vicious violence is vicious violence.

That is exactly what I was talking about with regards to the other plantation races. Hawaii is offended when plantation immigrants are attacked. But non-plantation immigrants, including 8th generation missionary Haoles for example, don't get no pass.

Hawaii is hilarious. A bunch of immigrants trying so hard to be "local" that they become confusing, conflicting and corrupt in many ways.

BTW, Portugese is Haole. Everywhere except Hawaii that is.

That's why I brought up the part about asking a local Portuguese if he/she is haole. I had that experience many of times. Once I asked my classmate if she was haole cause she had blonde hair. BTW, her last name was Souza and she gives me this look like I'm dumb and tells me "What you think a last name like Souza is?"

[Pomai]

Re: Hate Crime?

That's why I brought up the part about asking a local Portuguese if he/she is haole. I had that experience many of times. Once I asked my classmate if she was haole cause she had blonde hair. BTW, her last name was Souza and she gives me this look like I'm dumb and tells me "What you think a last name like Souza is?"

Probably because she was implying that "Souza" is a "local" name (if that's what she's saying here). Like how we think "Tanioka", "Wong" or "Lindsey" is local because of how common those names are in Hawaii. Yet it's obvious what they are, ethnically.

[joshuatree]

Re: Hate Crime?

BTW, Portuguese is Haole. Everywhere except Hawaii that is.

But everywhere except Hawaii, Haoles don't exist.

And doesn't the traditional meaning of Haole refer to any non-native Hawaiian? Not just Caucasian?

[buzz1941]

Re: Hate Crime?

Try ask a Local Portuguese if he/she is haole. They would tell you "No way, I'm Portagee."

Heh. When one of my daughters was in elementary school, her class celebrated Lei Day by celebrating the ethnic cultures of each kid. But then the teacher told her, "You're white, so you have no ethnic heritage. You can be an honorary Portagee instead."

[kamuelakea]

Re: Hate Crime?

Dummies like this guy "The Amazing Racist" making fun of people of other races. Only on the mainland. Like it was quoted before, They need to clean up their own act on the mainland before calling Hawaiians racist.

http://www.starterupsteve.com/video/...ist-asian.html

This guy is rude, not funny.

But one interesting thing if you watch the Asian one. An Asian couple in LA are sitting at a table in a Japanese restaurant. The "Amazing Racist" asks "what kind of Chinese are you?". Immediately, with a big smile, the lady proudly says "we're Hawaiian", then the obviously Japanese Male, corrects her a bit by saying "Hawaiian Japanese". Pretty Ballsy to proudly pretend you are a Hawaiian when you aren't?

Classic proof of Neo-faux-Hawaiians in action. Talk about stealing someone's kingdom and culture. The Haoles took control of the store but the Plantation Asians are stealing all the goods.

BTW: This is not off topic. The localism issue is what controls Hawaii's majority reaction to violence like this.

[sinjin]

Re: Hate Crime?

The localism issue is what controls Hawaii's majority reaction to violence like this.

I think you make a good argument. In the hate crime report I linked in post #195 you'll notice that the particular case referenced says all the perps were allowed to plea bargain away the hate crime portion and most got probation. Makes one wonder whether the DA figured a jury wouldn't convict or ?

[chriscollado]

Re: Hate Crime?

This whole topic angers me and the majority of the responses. This is wht I e-mailed to the writer of the KHNL report. Have your way with me I dont care but it is how I feel.

lkim@khnl.com <lkim@khnl.com>,

I'm frustrated at the media on the islands. You will all put a positive spin on a murder so the tourists don't get scared away. I came to the island in October 2005 for a promotion. Who wouldn't want to come to Hawaii for a promotion right? Maybe I should have done a little research before I moved. Since I've been here I've been taunted driving late at night home from work. Some fat lady in her truck with her fat long haired teenage son cut in front of me blocking the path of my vehicle to tell me that I was a stupid haole and that I don't belong on this island. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I had done absolutely nothing to this woman and she was threatening me with her family who were apparently ready to respond to a fight in a matter of minutes like some sort of haole stomping minute-men just a cell phone call away. In truth I felt that this woman was on Meth and her reaction to my presence on the same road as her was terribly intolerable and she had to let me know how she felt about me and people my complexion.

This is the worst of the many incidents I've dealt with since moving here. My wife had witnessed many of her own and is scared to go out at night in this "aloha paradise." I'm from Miami, Florida and never witnessed any type of prejudice like that. My wife is from San Antonio, Texas and San Antonio will show anyone their "southern hospitality" ant it will put this so called "aloha spirit" to shame. I've not witnessed ANY "aloha spirit" and from others I've asked at work neither have they. One of my colleagues said that he was pumping gas in Kilihi and a group of "young high school punks" he called them were taunting him in broad daylight telling him "you better no get caught here after dark you stupid haole." My wife constantly gets looks of "stink eye" and bumped mysteriously by ladies purses in the stores when they clearly have enough space to walk. Cashiers at the local shops and eateries are all smiles for the locals in line in front of us and their smiles fade faster than a fart in the wind when we are next and they don't even look at us.

You clearly didn't interview the right people when you conducted your interviews. I live in Ewa Beach maybe that is why. I can't stand to watch any news here because you are all the same pitiful mess that should be ashamed to call yourselves reporters. You don't report the truth and sugar coat everything. You aren't reporting for the people, you are reporting for the tourists. It gives the appearance of living in a communist country where the media is controlled by the state.

The sad thing about all of this is that I'm Hispanic and so is my wife. My family is from the Dominican Republic and my wife's family is from Mexico. We are both very light completed. So you tell me what these people are basing their hate and rude behavior on. I'll tell you it is the color of our skin.

Bye,

[Pomai]

Re: Hate Crime?

Chris, please don't take it personal. You were, like the victims in the crime topic of this thread, simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. As you speculated, they probably WERE high on ice, which explains their irrationally-aggressive behavior. You should have taken their license plate number and called the police. I would have.

Even a quick browse through Hawaii Threads will reveal that Hawaii isn't a a sugar-coated society, but one of residents who live and breath life in the islands and what it's like to work and play here.. and sometimes deal with crime and tragedies.

We're no more insulated than anywhere else in the world.. except that this place still is the best place to live on earth if you make it that.

This whole topic angers me and the majority of the responses. This is wht I e-mailed to the writer of the KHNL report. Have your way with me I dont care but it is how I feel.

[tutusue]

Re: Hate Crime?

[...]The sad thing about all of this is that I'm Hispanic and so is my wife. My family is from the Dominican Republic and my wife's family is from Mexico. We are both very light completed. So you tell me what these people are basing their hate and rude behavior on. I'll tell you it is the color of our skin.[...]

Chris, I'm truly sorry for you and your experiences. I can honestly say that I, a caucasian from Calif., have not experienced anything close to what you describe in the almost 30 years I've lived here. And I live in a very local area...Makaha. I'm not trying to negate or dilute your experiences. I just want to let you know that my light skinned friends and I have not shared the same experiences as you.

IIRC, last year you wrote here on HT about some of your negative experiences. I'm sorry to hear it hasn't gotten any better for you and your wife. I don't have any answers. Wish I did, but I don't. All I know is what you've been going thru is not the norm. And, no, that's not sugar coating anything. It's just another person's experience.

[chriscollado]

Re: Hate Crime?

Chris, please don't take it personal. You were, like the victims in the crime topic of this thread, simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. As you speculated, they probably WERE high on ice, which explains their irrationally-aggressive behavior. You should have taken their license plate number and called the police. I would have.

Even a quick browse through Hawaii Threads will reveal that Hawaii isn't a a sugar-coated society, but one of residents who live and breath life in the islands and what it's like to work and play here.. and sometimes deal with crime and tragedies.

We're no more insulated than anywhere else in the world.. except that this place still is the best place to live on earth if you make it that.

I appreciate your compassionate response but ... How can I not take it personally? I was receiving a treatment based solely on the color of my skin. My wife receives the same type of attention as I do. It really scares her and we are at a loss as to what to do. We love Hawaii and have substantial respect for native Hawaiians and can understand their anger as to what happened all those years ago but I dont want to be held responsible for the actions of people hundreds of years ago who just happen to share my skin color. My parents only came to the US in the 1960's. Well... take care.