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Carol, you are 100% right and I apologize most sincerely. On re-reading my post, it does come across like I am blaming the victims and that was not my intention at all. My own son attended hawaiian immersion schools as a non-hawaiian and has his own tales of bigotry, although fortunately not as extreme as yours. In addition my entire family and almost everybody that has ever known me, accuses me if viewing the world through rosé colored glasses. I did not mean to demean anybody else's experience, only point out that we often invite what we expect. I don't really hold with the whole ' you manifest your own reality' thing, but there are definite correlations. Once again I apologize if my post came across as dismissive. Ps. I am not a troll. I'm not even sure what a troll is but I'm pretty sure that I'm not it
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Sorry, I replied to the longer post.
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birchie , if you dislike america so much why do you stay here. you have taken great advantage of american benefits. grant money , school assistance , and much , much more. it is upsetting to know the benefits you have reaped from good ole USA, and then read your comments. america is a generous country , that has always helped countries in need and opened their doors to people who want to come here seeking a better life.
america is a country that is a free nation, it allows folks to speak openly , it allows people like yourself to take advantage of all the free benefits and then complain and insult the country they benefited from
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Let's dial down the personal criticisms please.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
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Cindy, much as I hate replying to you, please remember that benifits are earned, not free. Student grants and scholarships are earned. They are not free either and whilst I fully accept that all my successes are due to 'fairy dust' most people have to work very hard to maintain a 4. Gpa. Similarly, people on disability pay for their benifits it terms of pain. Those people, like me, spend their lives trying to pretend that they are not disabled or in pain, as opposed to those that use pain as an excuse to avoid taking part in life. I have dual nationality and as much as it gets up your nose, I have a RIGHT to it. I am as proud of my American heritage as I am of my Englishness. Far from 'knocking it' I believe I described it as 'spectacular' and full of kind and hospitable people.
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Hawaii is not the only place where newcomers are not always welcomed with open arms.
Years ago on the mainland, I moved from a college town to a farmhouse three miles outside of a town of 650 people. Not everyone was friendly. Some long time residents treated me at best with suspicion, at worst with hostility. After four or five years when I had established myself in the community with a visible means of support (vegetable farming), the locals relaxed and started to treat me pretty well.
Then one day, as I was driving into town, I saw an unfamiliar truck on Main Street. I thought to myself, "Who's this? It's not someone I've seen before. Wonder what he's up to?" But before I could turn around to drive home and sharpen my pitchfork, then grab my torch out of the coffee tin filled with kerosene, I realized I was thinking about this newcomer the same way people treated me just a few short years ago.
Instead I continued down Main Street, smiled and waved hello to the new guy on the block as I drove by.
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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Hey, not everyone is going to like you and america is not perfect but I was "born here not flown here" thus I have to "be the change I wish to see".As diverse and beautiful as this nation is it was created by murders, rapists, slave owners and slaves, a baptism of fire, we have allot to overcome still, but "we shall overcome, one day". When I say "born here not flown here" that doesn't mean I am superior to any immigrants who may have flown here it means I have always been a part of this place thus this place will always be a part of me. The jacked up history of America is a part of my personal history forever whether I decide to stay or go.
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You left out the ship jumpers... smiles... I read someone on here talking of tyranny. A British sailing ship in the 1600's. That was tyranny. A moment of thanks to my brave ancestor.
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Hear hear. People talk of 'white' people as if they are all privileged. Poverty in Europe, especially during the industrial/ French/ and American revolutions is beyond the imaginings of most of us. Most English were peons kept trapped in poverty in order to satisfy the extravagances of the aristocracy. America was founded on the premise of freedom from that tyranny. The current distribution of wealth now is worse than it ever was. Success and failure all wraped in the same package.
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