Johnfromberkeley on Hawaii

Pomai over at The Tasty Island has been helping me a little bit with my “Made in Hawaii” project.

I am going to be in Hana for 5 days. I plan on shopping when I arrive in Kahului and in Paia at Mana Foods. My goal is to buy only products made in Hawaii. I want to do this for 2 reasons:

1. I want to honor hardworking Hawaiian businesses by purchasing their products.
2. I want to sample the best of the Islands and purchase things that I couldn’t easily find on the mainland.

I have started a shopping list on Google Docs. I’ve decided to try something crazy , and share it with the public so anyone can edit it. I thought it would be fun to see what other people recommend.

I would love to have suggestions and recommendations. If you have some ideas of things I should try, please check out my shopping list and feel free to add anything you like, or make any suggestions! All you have to do is type right into the document! Don’t worry about messing it up, Google keeps the whole history, so I can always get back to an older version.

I plan on taking pictures and blogging about the experience when I get back

If you’re interested, mahalo for your help! You can find the doc here:

johnfromberkeley’s “made in hawaii” hana maui shopping list

Mahalo, I really appreciate it!

This t-shirt “Fake State” includes an image from an actual petition against Hawaiian annexation from 1897.

Fake State – Free Hawai’i by johnfromberkeley
Browse other Hawaii T-Shirts

Here is my second t-shirt design, “Hawaii is an Altered State”

Hawaii is an Altered State by johnfromberkeley
Design a custom t shirt with zazzle.com

I went looking online for some Hawaiian Independence T-shirts to wear when I’m in Hawaii, and I couldn’t find any, so I decided to make my own. Here’s the first one:

End the Occupation by johnfromberkeley
Design a custom t shirt on Zazzle

I just read a post about racism in Hawaii over at iLind.net. Ian points to a report called “Predjudice in Paradise” from the Southern Poverty Law Center that details the story of a white family being accosted by a group of angry native Hawaiians. My reflection on this story is framed by the learning I have been doing on the Hawaiian Independence movement, facilitated by resources like the Hawaiian Independence Blog.

I’m bothered that the notoriously conservative Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds, reframed the report as “Does Hawaii Have a Racism Problem?,” alluding to a primary “reverse racism” and chronic white victimhood. He sensationalizes an isolated incident of violence and the fading tradition of “Kill Haole Day“, and conveniently ignores the following passage from the report:

Other white residents, however, wrote that they had had no such experiences. And many people maintained that arrogant mainlanders are the most likely to incur natives’ wrath. It’s their “cultural inability to be humble [that] is a huge contributing factor in a lot of violence against them,” one person wrote. “There is a high degree of arrogance and lack of respect that mainlanders exhibit,” added another.

Being from Berkeley, I’m pretty sensitive to issues of civil rights, and how they cut both ways. By birth and class, I am a privileged white male. And as one who self-identifies as politically liberal, I experience my share of classic white male guilt. Berkeley is urban, and shares its own racial issues. My daughter goes to a school that is 25% black. There is certainly racial tension, and black families are still ghettoized to this day. But the community is working hard towards cultural integration.

In contrast, many white families in the San Francisco Bay Area practice “white flight,” and avoid Berkeley and Oakland so that they can avoid black people. Just this weekend, we visited my cousin only 5 miles away in Walnut Creek and we didn’t see nary an asian, let alone any black people. The citizens of these suburbs are the equivalent of Hawaii’s “mainlanders”. They venture fearfully through urban areas with doors locked and visions of black bogeymen who are highly exaggerated. For us, we are proud that our daughter attends Berkeley public schools, as they work hard at integration and fostering cultural and racial respect.

My experience is that cries of reverse racism perpetuate a false fear that clouds reality and has the effect of perpetuating greater systemic oppression. Racism, and the response to racism are the products of oppression and an imbalance of power.

“Just as … all exploited peoples are justified in feeling hostile and resentful toward those who exploit them, so we Hawaiians are justified in such feelings toward the haole. This is the legacy of racism, of colonialism.”

The SPLC report confirms this view with a quote from Jon Matsuoka, dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Hawaii:

“Racial violence directed at whites in Hawaii, while deplorable, is minor compared to the larger issues underlying it.”

When I reflect on these occasional expressions of anger and violence from native Hawaiians, I don’t see it as racism. Instead, I view it as a righteous response to a racism that is systemic of the ongoing oppression of Hawaiians resulting from the imposition of Western imperialism on their culture.

I would be lying if I did not confess that this report gave me pause. The very beach of this assault is one I plan on visiting next month. Since I am traveling alone, will I be safe there? Will I be considered an oppressor, simply because I happen to be the same race as the oppressors? To what extent is this media hype?

My strategy for self-preservation? To travel with sensitivity and humility, and as a guest on foreign land. Because that is exactly what I will be.

Recently, I chatted with some representatives of the Hawaiian Airlines pilots. They have been trying to negotiate a new contract for over 2 1/2 years. I got so riled up about it, that I made a YouTube video about the issue:

Here’s the text of the video:

Aloha, I’m John, and I’m a Hawaiian Airlines customer. Recently, you may have heard that Hawaiian Airlines pilots have been working without a contract for 2 1/2 years, and their last contract negotiation was way back in 2005. As a passenger who trusts my very life in the hands of these fine men and women, I find this totally unacceptable. Here’s some background:

Nearly four years ago, hawaiian airlines was going bankrupt, and management asked their pilots to take a salary reduction to help save the company. The pilots agreed, giving up $8 million to help keep Hawaiian out of bankruptcy. But management still couldn’t make it work, and Hawaiian went bankrupt anyway, causing the pilots to have their pension plans frozen, and even make further concessions.

The company emerged from chapter 11, and has since achieved profitability. But even though Hawaiian Airlines has earned nearly $80 million over the last 18 month, Hawaiian’s loyal pilots still haven’t seen a raise in nearly 4 years, let alone having their original salaries restored to pre-bankruptcy levels. nonetheless, it hasn’t kept management from rewarding themselves with record bonuses.

I find this especially disturbing because every day, these servants of the air take on the ultimate responsibility as stewards of the lives of thousands of passengers, passengers who trust Hawaiian airlines to keep them safe in the air. Who can forget when Sully Sullenberger landed US Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River this year, it’s fair to argue he is worth whatever US Airways pays him.

Sadly, after all their good faith, hawaiian Arline pilots have seen their options reduced to voting to authorize a strike as a last resort. Who can blame them? how would you feel if ~you~ took a paycut to save the company, and your loyalty went unrewarded, while all the fat cats skimmed the cream off the top.

I support the good pilots of Hawaiian airlines, and I urge mangement to reciprocate the sacrifice and commitment these pilots have already made for the company. and if you’re a Hawaiian Airlines passenger who values your pilot, I urge you to contact CEO Mark Dunkerley at (808) 835-3700, and express your respect and admiration for these pilots with whom you entrust your lives. Considering that he gets paid $3.2 million a year, I think he can take a moment to listen to his customers.

I’d like to close by adressing the pilots directly: I’m sorry to hear you’re undervalued by management, and I think you deserve everything you’re asking for. I sure hope you don’t have to strike, but if you do, I support you 100% in any action you deem necessary. Mahalo for your loyalty to Hawaiian airlines, and for your dedicated service to your passengers. I wish you the best of luck, and I look forward to flying with you out of Oakland on September 13th, and on my return flight September 17th! Aloha!

At the Aloha Festival in San Francisco, I had the good fortune of getting to hear Wayne Moniz read from his new book Under Maui Skies. It’s unique because he tells seven short stories about Maui in seven different genres: love, detective, adventure, war, science fiction, and ghost stories, and a Western.

I got to hear him read a story about Tandy MacKenzie, a Hawaiian opera star from the early 2oth century. I especially enjoyed this story, because Tandy was from Hana, my favorite Hawaiian location. He also read a bit from his Western, which was quite hilarious. In addition to being a writer, Wayne also is a playwright, and he is very expressive and theatrical in his reading. You can catch a video of him reading here:

You can download a PDF of the Western short story. If you’d like to order the book, you can get it from Amazon:

Welcome to my Hawaii blog. Though I’ve spent less than 1% of my life in Hawaii, it is one of my two favorite places in the world, the other one being my hometown of Berkeley. I’ve been fortunate enough to see more of the world than most people. Yet, each time I visit Hawaii, I bring home special memories and new friendships, as well as meaningful lessons and deep concerns.

How can a mainland haole blog about Hawaii with any credibility? With my limited exposure and experience to the islands, how can I contribute to the already awesome online community? These are good questions considering that I am at a profound disadvantage in at least three ways.

1. I’m geographically removed from Hawaii. Berkeley is 2406 miles from Honolulu. Google says it would take me 49 days to walk to Hawaii (though, oddly, it routes me through Seattle.)
2. I’ve experienced Hawaii mostly as a tourist. That’s like sitting in the nosebleed seats at a sporting event, instead of being out on the playing field.
3. I’m culturally removed from Hawaii. I live my life in the dotcom culture of the San Francisco Bay Area. My lifestyle and concerns have virtually nothing in common with everyday island life.

In spite of these disadvantages, I hear a siren call that compels me to blog about this special place. Time and time again, I’ve tapped into a generous, vibrant online community in my attempt to grok Hawaii. In the past, I’ve made friends from QuadMag, Nancy Emerson, and Anya Rutiz, and they have been the best parts of my Hawaiian experience. Now, in my decision to blog about Hawaii, I’ve made new contacts who will hopefully become friends: Ryan from Hawaii Blog, Pomai from The Tasty Island, and Liza from A Maul Blog.

Most people treat Hawaii like a tropical playground, and that bothers me. Each time I’ve visited Hawaii, I’ve made a special effort to acculturate as deeply as possible. I’ve tried to understand what Hawaii means for ancestors, current residents, and ecologically. I’ve made an effort to eat local food, explore Hawaiian culture, make local friends, and appreciate Hawaii’s unique ecosystem.

I plan to focus on the following subjects as I blog about Hawaii:

• Unique features of Hawaii
• Environmental issues
• Economic development and sustainability
• Political issues around statehood and independence
• Food, glorious food – awesome Hawaiian grindz!

My hope is that if I listen more than I speak, that when I do speak, it will be a valuable contribution to the Hawaiian community online. I will attempt to be mindful of my status as an outsider, and respectful of those who are fortunate enough to call Hawaii “home.”

The Honolulu Advertiser has an article on how tourists are being more frugal while vacationing in Hawaii. The two primary ways they are saving are 1. Buying groceries instead of eating out, and 2. Limiting their retail purchases.

I have a few opinions on this. First, I believe that Hawaii offers such unique culinary opportunities, that it’s worth budgeting for eating out. Still, you don’t have to eat at Alan wong’s every night. There are plenty of ways to find low cost options that are still authentic. For example, Puka Dog offers a Hawaiian twist on the classic weiner, and it has locations on Oahu and Kaui. If you want to find more great places like this, check out The Tasty Island blog. And of course, you can get classic plate lunches all over the islands.

If you’re going to shop for groceries, you can shop locally. One of my favorite stores is Mana Foods in Paia, Maui. You can find all kinds of Hawaiian made products that will help keep your trip authentic.