On Being Haole in Hawaii

[kalakoa]

We're still doing this?

[Southernmost]

I'm just wondering how many people read the whole article and how many just reacted to seeing the word haole in the link? The story was written by a born and raised Caucasian. About our kuleana. Simple, not bad or racist in anyway. There are plenty good local people who do not use the word haole in a bad way or tone. There are also ones that do. Funny thing is you gotta remember a lot of them are related to,or are part haole. :/

[punafish]

Sorry to beat this dead horse, just one more comment, I promise! lol

Most of the time I've been called "haole" it was being used to debunk and make fun of the stereotype. My kids, who are "hapa haole", have said it to me many times in fun. Does that make them racist? Locals have said it in jest while handing me a beer. Does that make them racist too?

Humor is a powerful way to connect people. It's a much more realistic and effective approach than simply wishing everyone in the world would suddenly forget about their racial myths, purge all their cultural biases, perceptions of history, unconscious assumptions, values, gaps in thinking, etc., and start with a fresh colorblind slate. One can wish, but it doesn't mean it's going to happen.

If "race" is indeed a false human construct (and it is), then we can agree it's not real. What IS real is the need for humans to categorize the world around us. It served us well in surviving and thriving as a species. The dark side of this human tendency is that it also extends to categorizing people based on visual cues like skin color, ethnic features, etc. Whether we want to admit it to ourselves or not, lots of studies have shown that none of us is immune to stereotyping, even if it's just at the subconscious level. That alone is a great reason to continue discussing the ramifications of stereotyping, and exploring our own tendencies and prejudices, preferably with compassion and humor.

As always, just my opinion.

An interesting article on the science of prejudice: http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2014/1...-prejudice