Bullying in Hawaii: A State of Denial

By
Sydney Ross Singer
-
183
61188
article top

BY SYDNEY ROSS SINGER – Does the Aloha State actually have a bullying problem? If you are Caucasian and from the Mainland, you will certainly think so.

It doesn’t matter how long you live here, or if you were even born here. If you are white, locals will still call you a “haole”, a derogatory term that is Hawaii’s equivalent of using the “N-word”.

And the prejudice goes beyond name calling. White people are often treated with scorn. “Go back to where you came from”, seems to be the message. “You don’t belong here.” Sometimes it results in violence.

White children in our schools are harassed, intimidated, and physically abused. The last school day of the year in Hawaii, for example, is traditionally called “kill a haole day”.

Racism is as ugly in Hawaii as anywhere else, and is the cause of much of the bullying of school children and adults alike. Unless this underlying racist cause of bullying is addressed, efforts to stop bullying are doomed to fail.

To overcome racism we must be inclusive and tolerant of differences. The diversity of cultures and peoples must be embrace and celebrated to find synergy in our differences. We must realize that we are all “one”, with no group more important than any other.

Achieving this “melting pot” in Hawaii will be difficult. Language and cultural barriers are keeping people apart, making Hawaii more a patchwork of different cultures than an integrated whole.

If these different cultures were living together, say, in New York, then they would all be called New Yorkers. They would share an identity despite their differences. But you can’t do that in Hawaii, since no matter how long you live here you will never be a “Hawaiian”. That term is reserved for native Hawaiian people. Everyone else is just a “resident”.

Being native or not is an issue in Hawaii, and is a racial issue by definition. And while many native Hawaiians live with aloha, there are some who are resentful of what they see as foreign occupation of their islands.

If Hawaiians have first claim to these islands, then locals with Hawaiian blood have second claim, and immigrants, or aliens, have little or no claim. The stage is thus set for prejudice, racism, and bullying.

Of course, when alien people and cultures move in, they bring along alien plants and animals, too. Hawaii’s diversity of species from all around the world is a direct product of human immigration.

It is no surprise, then, that prejudice against immigrant cultures will result in prejudice against immigrant species.

The Hawaii government’s environmental policy gives preference to “native” species and has the agenda of “restoring native ecosystems”. While this native species supremacism is a national agenda, it has a powerful impact in Hawaii where it parallels political nativism and encourages racial prejudice.

According to this policy, species introduced to Hawaii after western contact are “alien”, and “don’t belong here”. Species introduced to Hawaii by native Hawaiians are “native”, and do belong here. The current focus of environmental management is to get rid of immigrant species to return the islands to their pre-contact “native” condition.

To those who desire and appreciate these immigrant species, this feels like environmental bullying.

Of course, this reinforces the racism problem. The more the government institutionalizes native supremacism in political and environmental agendas, the more it justifies and encourages a “we belong here and you don’t” attitude.

This is the recipe for hate, intolerance, and bullying.

For Hawaii to live up to its Aloha Spirit rhetoric, racial bullying must stop being tolerated.  The school anti-bullying program must address racial prejudice.  And there needs to be sensitivity classes to teach compassion and respect for others.

We must realize that what counts most about people is not where they are from, but what they have to offer.  Remember, “Aloha” means compassion, love, peace, affection, and mercy.

Comments

comments

183 COMMENTS

  5. Weight Loss That Works Guilt-Free Desserts™: Your Guide to Better Baking, Featuring 50 All-Natural, Fail-Proof, Gluten Free & Low-Glycemic Desserts! Guilt free desserts recipe bookJust imagine biting into a luxuriously rich, sweet chocolate cake that (serving for serving) provides more fiber than whole grain cereal, more protein than chicken, less sugar than an apple and fewer calories than a serving of yogurt. Or how would you like to promote lean, sexy muscle growth… as you snack on a Lemon-Ricotta Soufflé (with 10 grams protein and only 1 gram of sugar!) Well, now you can… Inside Guilt-Free Desserts,you will find 50 of the most sumptuous dessert recipes that won’t pack on the pounds or spike your blood sugar! You’ll learn how to make everything from spicy Gingerbread Cookies to moist Carrot Cake Cupcakes… classic Chocolate Soufflé… Cherry Almond Tarts… and even Crème Brûlée. You’ll also find all the traditional favorites like Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust, Fall-Spiced Custard. Please click here site https://deb4fcnhqvxr3n8elzujtasf2e.hop.clickbank.n… …

  6. best pain relief for peripheral neuropathy Neuropathy Miracle: Peter Barnsby Reveals His Weirdly Effective Nerve Pain Treatment For Naturally And Permanently Curing Neuropathy In As Little As 7 Days… Written for consumers by a consumer, this fan site includes a fun and informative Neuropathy Miracle review, ebook FAQ, and PDF download guide that provides an insider's look at the program and answers frequently asked questions about Peter Barnsby's unique and highly popular neuropathy treatment guide. Please click my site https://www.rebelmouse.com/neuropathymiraclerevie… …

  8. truffa rebelmouse Diabetes Miracle Cure: Dr. Robert Evans And Paul Carlyle Reveal A Weirdly Effective, Science-Backed "BAT Activation Technique" For Curing Diabetes Naturally In As Little As 3 Weeks… Written for consumers by a consumer, this fan site includes a fun and informative Diabetes Miracle review, ebook FAQ, and PDF download guide that provides an insider's look at the program and answers frequently asked questions about Dr. Robert Evans and Paul Carlyle's unique and highly popular diabetes treatment guide. Please click here our website https://www.rebelmouse.com/diabetesmiraclecurerev… …

  9. He paid with a government debit card? Really? That seems a bit unrealistic.. Also, the name John Smith isn't very trustworthy either. I call bullshit on this story ….twitter marketing

« Older Comments Newer Comments »

Comments are closed.