The Haole Way

I fear that when we eventually leave Hawaii, it will be because of racism. Which is unfortunate. I find it ironic and not just a little sad that a place as truly multicultural as this, a place where there truly is such a mix of peoples and cultures, where interracial couples are pretty much the norm, is seriously the most racist place I've ever encountered. And I lived in the South half my life.

I guess if I were being honest with myself, I would have to acknowledge that there's tons of racism in the South, but I just never really had to deal with it because it wasn't directed at me. Whereas in Hawaii, I'm a haole, a soulless, no-breath-having, culture-stealing invader who plunders the land, steals the natural resources, and then gets the fuck out, leaving the place totally trashed. So I feel the racism because I'm the one they hate.

And if it were just me dealing with it, I wouldn't really care. But I refuse to have Zeke grow up in a place where he can't go to public school because the public schools suck so bad that they make the public schools in most inner cities looks like Exeter or Eton, where even in private schools he'll have to deal with people wanting to beat him up because he's white or because he's smart (God willing) or because he's not a punk (and he won't be). And if you think I'm exaggerating, I'm not. Our neighbors across the street are white, but they were born and raised in Hawaii, and they still dealt with it their whole lives. Their kids and neices and nephews are constantly getting threatened or attacked because of the color of their skin.

It's not OK with me. I will not subject my son, or any future children, to it. So I figure we'll be here for 5 years or so, build some equity in our house, get alot of surfing in, and then get the fuck out. Like true haoles.