11-28-2016, 10:00 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Eric1600
The problem is for the Big Island, astronomy, a green industry, contributes about $91 million a year to the economy. Chasing it out for unrelated emotional reasons is very short sighted. Can the industry be improved, sure. Can the protestors find better economic substitutions, no. Will they compromise, no. Will we all lose in the long run, yes.
You should understand, though, that that is their intended objective - that all who might benefit from the construction and operation of the telescopes be denied that opportunity. I'm sure that it's been cited here before, but it's the a'ama crab syndrome (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHJ6In_iTvY) that exists within the local culture. If any group or business is particularly successful, that individual or group needs to be taken down. Astronomy jobs are well paid, gratifying jobs - most of the protestors have no likelihood of acquiring such jobs in Hawaii and so they feel entitled to undermine anyone who has aspirations to those jobs.
That attitude permeates Hawaii - we try to attract new businesses to Hawaii but, as soon as they try to develop here, there are obstructionists lined up to try to take them down.