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The Hawaiian Nationals must swing public opinion and it wont happen by allowing their agenda to be interpreted as beheading those responsible for their plight. Just the notion of execution can be spun into beheading (I say this in reference to the Queens interview and how it was spun in the papers on the mainland). Every single move the nationals make must be painstakingly crafted without possible misinterpretation towards negativity and spun to bolster positive public opinion and when the movement realizes that it's the exact same tactic that the U.S. Government used against the Queen to take Hawaii in the first place then the nationals will have learned OF the first trick in the trade of politicking within such a complex culture as that of the USA.
Good luck to you all.
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Okay Dakine... you have it all figured out then. Good luck with that approach, it certainly didn't work when the South formed the confederacy. But you know better than me.
"millions of Americans rising up in protest did" and you just reinforced what I said to a tee.
When you start a war here, we can all say. "The South has RISEN again!" YEE HAW! See how far that gets you.
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I don't see the movement as having gained ground. It has gained more awareness and not necessarily positive awareness.
The telescope is a far cry from an island being used as target practice by the U.S. military and such a protest could have been a success no matter who decided to engage the issue. It wasn't as much a Hawaiian issue as it was a common sense environmental issue and thus had a great deal of support all around. The telescope issue isn't going to garner positive support all around, infact it will do just the opposite.
"People could all agree how outrageous it was that the bombing was still going on. It wasn't a divisive issue. It was a new issue that provided a symbolic focal point," said Lind
People agreeing is what its about.
I doubt you'll find but maybe a troll here on PW who would back the bombing of that island and the majority here I could just about bet my butt would support to stop the bombing of the island here today. It was not at all a divisive issue. On the other hand we can clearly see very much the opposite when it come to the telescope. IMO as a Westerner, the telescope protest are doing the movement far more harm than good in public opinion and it's reflected here on PW. Here's your opinion sample, look around at it. It's a flop, sorry. No disrespect just pointing out the obvious.
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Wao nahele kane could not have put it better. One only has to look at world history to see. If you win the hearts and the minds then and only then will they be receptive to the message.
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Originally posted by opihikao
Welcome back, ironyak. Missed your opinion in this thread. Trust all is well.
Thanks opihikao - just catching up from several very busy days in the real world. To show all is well and back to normal, I have to ask you one of those difficult questions
There is a strong push back on the equating of Native Hawaiians to a Native American tribe. Why do you think that is? What are the differences that make the DOI suggestion of recognition in these terms so unagreeable, although there often appears to be solidarity with other indigenous rights and causes? (Mount Graham, #IdleNoMore, etc). Your insights are always appreciated.
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quote:
Originally posted by Wao nahele kane
the telescope protest are doing the movement far more harm than good in public opinion
Right. Choose your battles wisely. Us haoles have a hard time getting worked up about a telescope. Try to find something truly EVIL. If you protest everything, people will just wind up tuning you out.
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Aloha kakahiaka, ironyak, and all.
As to your question, in short, Hawaiians would have to relinquish the claim we are "occupied" by the USA, there was no Annexation, etc. Becoming a "Tribe", under the USA conditions, would be the end of the 100+ year argument.
Several Native American Indian Tribes have submitted testimony to the DOI, to OHA, and other Hawaiian entities (ie. Civic Clubs, Daughters of Hawaii, Royal Order of Kamehameha, Hawaiian Kingdom, etc.) NOT to support the USA offer for Tribe status. Their position is "not working as we had hoped" (not verbatim, in short).
Of note, the DOI only held their meetings shortly after CEO of OHA wrote his letter requesting clarification (Does the Kingdom still exist?). No response to date.
Much to be decided upon before going any further, but I gather all is negotiable in the USA.
JMO.
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The biggest hurtle that will need to be overcome is the sympathy card. White westerners are fairly fed up with it. To be blamed for your what ones ancestral race has done (especially so when some peoples families didn't even arrive in the USA till after 1900's) becomes a certain trigger to be a guaranteed disregard for any further sympathy.
White and even many non white Westerners see a people who have lived in and enjoyed all the perks and pains of living in the USA has to offer yet somehow these people who have never lived under any other nation seem to think they have a special right based on their heritage that they alone should be given special privileges and considerations. Believe you me, we personally did not do anything to these people and for them to ask for preferential treatment when we're all exposed to the same pain in the ass problems most often produces disgust and contempt in the Westerners mind. We know that in this nation you are free to speak what ever language you like and practice what ever beliefs you have freely within the simple guidelines of equal respect to others rights. in this measure we typically don't sympathize with allowing personal beliefs to run roughshod over others lives in a capacity as to damage or harm their lives.
What happened 100 years ago is not the here and now and every year that goes by this nation has become more perfect with respect to observing other rights and religious freedoms. Then again that is the one part of this nation that does appear to have worked properly.
Anyhow... another insight to the Westerners mind and I'm sure some here can expound upon that.
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Recording historical culture vs. restoring or clinging to historical culture. Today we live in a far more dynamic world where isolation has for the most part been dissolved. In this sense our former cultural systems aren't well suited for a non isolated time in human evolution. Even we Westerners have retired many aspects of our former cultures in an attempt to meet the demands of this new evolving global climate and without doing this we are assured to engage in disputes based on those cultural opinions.
So we retire those aspects of our heritage that would so induce us to hate others or find conflict with them. This another aspect that will be a tough sell to Westerners, we ourselves on average know little about our cultures except that which is in books and for the most part we don't put such deep stock into culture and can't understand why others cannot do the same to get along in this new world that belongs to all of us.
Some aspects of culture can be practices today, others have no place in a modern world. Sorting out what aspects need to be retired and what can be retained is something we all have to focus on in order to move forward because stagnancy will not get us over tomorrows adversities that we will all have to face together. Keeping our heads buried in the sand is not an option, sooner or later all life will be extinguished on this planet and we humans are the only hope for all those other life forms to be protected during such a cataclysmic global event. It will happen and when it does and we weren't ready, everything we were will be for not. Some of us (globally) realize this, the majority don't or are to entwined with their own selves to be bothered by anything else.
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FYI: (*If interested; part of this is a good explanation from Prof. W. Chang. FWIW)
Kauai Soap Box April 28, 2015 show with Felicia Alongi Cowden hearing mana`o from University of Hawaii law professor Williamson Chang as he reads his testimony to the UH Board of Regents on supporting the Protectors of Mauna Kea.
He also explains the political history of Hawaii from the 1890's for the beginner to place Mauna Kea in context. The discussion begins around a minute and a half in.
http://www.kkcr.org/archive/ksb042815.mp3
