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I love living here, in spite of the frogs, fire ants, plant invasives, corruption, lack of services, on & on. Recently, I started spending 6 months here & 6 months in San Francisco Bay area. When I leave "America" & it's noise, pollution, rude people, TRAFFIC and horn blowing, it's wonderful to come back home to mostly relaxed polite people. To the consternation of mainland friends, I describe politeness here as: "When coming to a 4 way stop, no one will go, they all want the other to go first." Lately, it's sounding more like the mainland (or Honolulu) here. Years ago the only time you heard a horn was when it was safety checked. Maybe the newcomers don't know the island way, so this is a PSA. "Welcome to the East Side of the Big Island, we don't blow our horns here, unless someone is going to hit us. It's considered extremely rude."
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Interesting perspective.
My anecdotal experiences have led me to notice most transplants tend to be extra kind and polite. In stark contrast I observe much bigotry, arrogance, hatred and racism from locals.
I've noticed the above comments seem to hold regardless of the race / color / etc of the transplants or locals.
Just my experience of course I'm sure your mileage may vary depending on your ethnocultural background and social status.
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I must agree with Jim.
I also think that as Puna Mauka gets more and more crowded, the shear tension of overcrowding the inadequate road system will take it's toll on the Island vibe.
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Rental jeeps headed to Volcano and monster trucks are usually the only aggressive drivers I see. And only a few of them. Most folks are patient and kind.
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After living in HPP for 40 years and never setting foot off this Island in 30 years I have watched Puna's overpopulation dilute the Aloha Spirit to near zero...I now call Hilo, Hilo'lulu and Kona, Car'na.
Highway 11 will be a never ending bumper to bumper under construction traffic jam to Hilolulu.
Also Big Island is now the "small Island" thanks to DNLR fencing and gating off huge tracts of land...we had to cancel the 39th annual Mauna Kea 200 mile extreme endurance off road Motorcycle race because DNLR's never ending rules & reg's forced it into a small sand box area turning it into a wossie ride, the State lost $200,000 of taxable income because of this.
I am selling my property and hope to be off the Island by the first of the year for a RV life time on the road adventure boondocking throughout the USA with a Dual Sport motorcycle on the back and a Dog up front for a traveling companion.
Aloha Hawaii, Mahalo for the good times, but them the good old days are now long gone.
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Punarain, Check out the Mighty Five in Utah. Awesome. Taos has some great Mexican food too. Try La Cueva on the patio. Great relleno.
Aloha to you.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
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quote:
Originally posted by rainyjim
Interesting perspective.
My anecdotal experiences have led me to notice most transplants tend to be extra kind and polite. In stark contrast I observe much bigotry, arrogance, hatred and racism from locals.
I've noticed the above comments seem to hold regardless of the race / color / etc of the transplants or locals.
Just my experience of course I'm sure your mileage may vary depending on your ethnocultural background and social status.
As an eight year transplant from CA I hear this opinion a lot yet haven't experienced much of it. I could probably count on one hand the number of racist experiences I've had here and only a couple overt--and probably alcohol driven.
As most can observe, there is self-segregation between locals and transplants, less so between locals and kamaaina haoles. (If you're local, how many of your friends/acquaintances are local; if you're transplant, how many of them are transplants? Point made?) I think most of this stems from discomfort with socially awkward circumstances, which everyone is prone to, but in particular local culture places a premium on easy social interaction. If you have one uneasy/nervous interaction with a local, that person will avoid you. I've experienced it personally.
Nobody makes the effort because nobody needs to, so cross-cultural interaction remains a little "on edge".
But looks what happens when local and transplant are forced into proximity, through marriage or whatever. They realize people are people. Most racial and cultural xenophobia is driven by laziness, our unwillingness to make the effort.
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Also, I have to say that I haven't heard many horns, but I agree wholeheartedly that social tensions are sure to rise with increasing population, packed infrastructure and traffic, etc.
That seems to be the legacy left to the BI by previous generations.
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Hilolulu ,Pahoalulu fitting if you understand the context. Life is to short to stay in one place to long..
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quote:
Originally posted by Punarain
Aloha Hawaii, Mahalo for the good times, but them the good old days are now long gone.
Sad to see you go, I hope your next adventure is fulfilling. Truth be told, I'm probably right behind you. Too many people always ruins the vibe! There are some amazing real estate deals in the Caribbean right now thanks to the last hurricanes...
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