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If I take a vacation to Maui, is it likely I will receive offensive comments on my race?
By the way, I’m white.
I’ve heard that alot of white people living in Hawaii are labeled as Haoles and I’m wondering if that will happen when I am vacationing there.
No, you are on vacation. I doubt you will feel any labeling in a derogatory manner. They may call you Haole meaning that white person there. It is suppose to mean "auslander".
For instance, you ask for directions to a local guy.
"Hey, I don't know, but I will ask that guy."
He asks a local guy near you. The other guy asks who wants to know the answer. The guy who you asked the question says, "oh, the haole chick over there."
So is this . . .
I have Haole friends in Kailua who are honored to be haole.
You many not always be special if you get called a haole one way or the other.
It is definitely not like calling a black person a "ni*g*** word".
Enjoy your vacation . . .
Now if you do stupid stuff, somebody may be mad at you no matter where you are in the world and may call you something in a derogatory manner.
You are on vacation. It is not like you living there. There are a lot of Haoles on maui anyway. Blend in.
12 Responses to “If I take a vacation to Maui, is it likely I will receive offensive comments on my race?”
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April 7th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
does it matter?
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April 7th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Um no. Hawaii thrives off of the tourists money, they will not insult you.
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I’m a white bitch and I’ve been to Hawaii.
April 7th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
You might be called Haole, but remember it just means white tourist, or foreigner. I doubt you will get teased any while on vacation.
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April 7th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
No you wouldn’t be called that (at least not to your face)..
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April 8th, 2009 at 12:39 am
Not likely.
The people who are likely to make offensive comments like that are the equivalent of “rednecks” on the mainland…small in number, and tend to be concentrated in certain areas.
Even then, it’s usually just frustration with inconveniences caused by inconsiderate tourists…which can happen anywhere in the world. Simple courtesy and a friendly smile will take you very far in Hawaii.
Anyway, the population is so diverse, and there are so many tourists and vacationers around that you probably won’t even be noticed.
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April 8th, 2009 at 12:55 am
Who cares? I get called a Gringo and I don’t really care.
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April 8th, 2009 at 1:01 am
Well, depends what part of Maui you travel to. If you stay in the tourist areas the chances are slim. But, if you travel outside those areas than you’re most likely going to get “stink eye” which are dirty looks. Or, even get insulted. The fact that you are Haole coming to Hawai’i will get a lot of people to have distaste towards you. Just a warning.
And, to the person that says we thrive off of tourism… yes, unfortunately we do…but we don’t want to be that way—so don’t believe that we have gratitude towards tourist. I mean, yes, we are thankful that you all are supplying our economy but, don’t believe you are superior because of it. So, just because we smile at you, don’t mean we like you. We are just friendly people, don’t take advantage of it. I hate when tourist come into our home and think that we owe them something. This is our home please realize that. It angers me when tourist come and act like jerks to us because they think we are there to “serve them”.
All in all, if you are friendly and nice to us, we will be nice to you (there will be exceptions, where it won’t matter if you are nice or not, they won’t like you). The Aloha spirit can extend out past the locals. Be modest and don’t believe our culture is coconut trees and grass hula skirts, because we are a beautiful place with such a rich culture, it’s a shame that we are viewed from the Hollywood angle.
I’m sorry if I appear rude, but my opinion will be like many others here.
Oh yea, Haole in local terms means White person, it is many times you in a negative connotation but, in Hawaiian the real translation is Foreigner, which is how I meant it above.
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I am a Maui girl.
April 8th, 2009 at 1:18 am
It’s unlikely. You ARE a haole, but guess what? So am I and I live in Hawaii!
As a tourist, you will probably spend most of your time in touristy areas where the locals depend upon tourist money to make their living. It’s unlikely that you will be called names by any of them. I’ve heard that once in a while a random car full of teenagers will drive by and shout “Go home, haole!” but it has never happened to me. You don’t have to worry about race relations any more here than you do where you live. Probably less so, in fact. Hawaii’s people are made up of many, many different cultures and ethnicities and though it exists, racism isn’t prevalent here.
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Don’t worry! Just enjoy your vacation.
April 8th, 2009 at 1:38 am
The question has been well answered already, but I just have to add that there must be a lot of talking stink about Hawaii that is going on in the mainland, because questions like this come up with such great regularity. Is it possible that you will cross paths with someone who will make a rude comment based on race? Yes, I guess it could happen. But unless you are a flaming jerk (and I’m thinking you are not), it is highly unlikely that you will have any unpleasant interactions with locals.
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local haole
April 8th, 2009 at 2:28 am
No, you are on vacation. I doubt you will feel any labeling in a derogatory manner. They may call you Haole meaning that white person there. It is suppose to mean "auslander".
For instance, you ask for directions to a local guy.
"Hey, I don't know, but I will ask that guy."
He asks a local guy near you. The other guy asks who wants to know the answer. The guy who you asked the question says, "oh, the haole chick over there."
So is this . . .
I have Haole friends in Kailua who are honored to be haole.
You many not always be special if you get called a haole one way or the other.
It is definitely not like calling a black person a "ni*g*** word".
Enjoy your vacation . . .
Now if you do stupid stuff, somebody may be mad at you no matter where you are in the world and may call you something in a derogatory manner.
You are on vacation. It is not like you living there. There are a lot of Haoles on maui anyway. Blend in.
References :
April 8th, 2009 at 2:53 am
I live in Hawaii on Oahu and am caucasian. I was on Maui a few months ago for a week and never once had any trouble. The key is to be respectful of all people. We are a very multi-cultural place and we try to respect and learn from everyone. There will be some people with chips on their shoulders but you can find that attitude where ever you go.
Just be polite, say please and thank you, or mahalo if you feel like it. Give a shaka sign when someone lets you change lanes while driving. Smile, nod your head in greeting – just be friendly. You’ll be fine.
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April 8th, 2009 at 3:22 am
well, when i went there, there was basically 10 people max. that i saw on the entire island. it is very barren there, so dont expect ANY people near you. your lucky if you find the shopping center filled with 16 people i did and the awsome restaurant i ate at one night (the name had something to do with dragon)
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