Posted by Kaapuikinaea on October 16, 2009 at 7:00pm
I've been thinking a lot on the constant, nagging things that bother me, usually surrounding ethnicity and/or nationality and how people perceive you/us. But I realized, as I've said this before, it's not so much how ignorant they are, but rather how they continue to do what they do and most importantly how they justify why they say what they say or do what they do.So as I thought about it more, and have believed that how plenny Haoles just like to be right and that they can never be wrong, that that is only a part of the problem. I've mentioned people's different perspective before and how we have grown up differently than these outsiders.But now I started thinking more about how they are always right or believe it to be so. It seems that a lot of it has to do with how they perceive natives in general as just plain stupid. If you think about it, they like to dictate to us how we should do things. For example they may say that they are for our causes, blah, blah, blah, and at times invite themselves to help us, but will quickly turn around and dictate to us how we should do things.These people just see us as incapable of deciding what is best for us and that we cannot learn from our own mistakes. I'm certain that this is done subconsciously, meaning that it has been passed on generation after generation and is taught these subtle things in school, just by the way they portray indigenous people as being primitive or barbaric, which in their eyes mean technologically less advanced which they equate with as being uneducated or unable to decide what is best for ourselves.And so why do they insist on helping us for our causes? Sure they love to appear to be the champion of good will and seem like the hero, but that's part of it. The other part is that they feel we are too stupid to figure things out. My case in point would be the recent incident with a co-worker named Gordon who asked, with an assuming statement that should Hawaiians end tourism, how would they survive and how will the economy survive? Never mind of how these topics have come up time and time again for over a decade (at least as I know it) but who is he to say that we never really planned things out? And since we have discussed it and others certainly have, as I told him, how would it affect him? He said it wouldn't. Of course it wouldn't. It's just that he, like many others, feel that they are the only ones who would know best. They are the only ones who would be right, we're wrong. They are the only ones who are intelligent.So what happens when they do encounter an edcuated Hawaiian? The conversation usually is not as, do I dare say it, PASSIVE or Hawaiian-like as some people may allude to. As in "no mo aloha" kinda crap! Educated Hawaiians are labeled as trouble makers, stupid (yes, that too) or the common term - ACTIVIST!"Activist" is the best one because people have equated that negatively. A Hawaiian cannot be intelligent, but they can be an activist. That's their mentality. A Hawaiian usually speaks via emotions and not rationally therefore can't think clearly, something that they're incapable of doing. So they believe it to be.Oh but only they think rationally, only they have the answers, only they would know what's best for us and only they can be right, never wrong. These are all the reasons why they continue to do what they do. They just feel that we are incapable of these things.I've mentioned the technology and knowledge of our ancestors to someone while they looked at indigenous culture as primitive but they claim that that was fascinating and something to marvel at. Marvel at? Why, because they automatically assume we're stupid? On the contrary, our ancestors had knowledge of the stars, winds, the earth & its elements for centuries. It may have not been taught in schools like what people would expect, but our ancestors carried that knowledge with them. They didn't have a writing system, which says a lot considering how much information has been passed down for generations and kept accurately I might add.So now who is stupid?
oh, and I just read the post by you and Tane with the Lehua. It always amuses me when I see the responses you've gotten over the years. Well, it amuses me cause I don't even have to read the replies by you and the anticipated response by the person, I just know how it's gonna go down, and sure enough, goes down that way. lol.
I posted a picture of my gr-gr grandmother in pa'u outfit from 1906 at livejournal and got this response:
"Interesting that there is so much European (or was it American) dress back then, but when I think about it and recall the movie "Hawaii", I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised."
I think there's still that misconception that modernization didn't happen until after statehood.
I doubt that she is though you-know-who would say that about Hilo-ans and the Hawaiian language. It is where I learned Hawaiian and they were the kindest most caring people ever.
I know that some O'ahuans and Hilo-ans have battles over the language but Hilo does have its place when it comes to the language and props to Hilo-ans. That is why I chose Aha Punana Leo in Hilo as one place that I donate to... because they are kind and that is where my piko comes from besides Kaupo, Paia, and Hana LOL
Hilo people are cool! Though there are some deviations from that... obviously LOL
Seriously I think there is some reading comprehension issues going on... not a language barrier. Kaohi wrote about this issue before. Rage can sometimes take over resulting in making any kine instead of reading and comprehending.
Comments
But isn't it funny the type of responses I get? LOL Still, I post my thoughts and only those select few will ack lidat.
"Interesting that there is so much European (or was it American) dress back then, but when I think about it and recall the movie "Hawaii", I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised."
I think there's still that misconception that modernization didn't happen until after statehood.
Yeah... Ho'okena, Miloli'i... Ka'u too. Of course some people base it on how we look or on our name instead of on the iwi. Sound familiar? LOL
I know that some O'ahuans and Hilo-ans have battles over the language but Hilo does have its place when it comes to the language and props to Hilo-ans. That is why I chose Aha Punana Leo in Hilo as one place that I donate to... because they are kind and that is where my piko comes from besides Kaupo, Paia, and Hana LOL
Hilo people are cool! Though there are some deviations from that... obviously LOL
Seriously I think there is some reading comprehension issues going on... not a language barrier. Kaohi wrote about this issue before. Rage can sometimes take over resulting in making any kine instead of reading and comprehending.
And no it is not solely a Haole trait LOL....
Well, I hope the last line isn't interpreted as a PERSONAL assault. Nazis...I swear. lol