Culture in Hawaii

Throughout my entire childhood of growing up here in Hawaii, I have never doubted the unique culture of Hawaii and the indelible sense that we are the best, a mixture of many different cultures including Asian and European. We have always promoted ourselves as the pioneers of purloining the best from each culture and enveloping them within our own. And I whole heartedly agree.

Who would I be, or what would I have become without knowing the joys of spam for breakfast, katsu and kimchee on the same plate, or walking down to Maunkea Marketplace for Filipino and Thai food for brunch. The seafood here is outstanding and the birthplace of surfing is something I constantly brag about to my friends from the mainland. What other place could give birth to someone with a world view like Barack Obama. But often times what I wonder is how a culture so diverse and so unique be so xenophobic? We hate everything foreign, we have adapted the Japanese mentality, to quote the Last Samurai, "the nail that sticks out gets hammered."

This sort of mentality frustrates me. When I speak to people, I get the same answers - the ones that people think they are supposed to give. It is rare that I will ever get an honest opinion from someone, especially when I need it. This exclusivity can only hurt us. Have always been a firm believer in the marketplace of ideas, and I believe that this is key to keep Hawaii diverse and preserve our culture.

This statement needs a caveat. I don't believe that our culture is a stagnant one, such as Chinese, Japanese or Italian. We are not a separate country, nor do we have a thousand years of traditional practices and solidarity. Ours is based on an ever changing, ever evolving amalgamation of cultures...always incorporating those influences which permeate through all our different ethnic identities. The minute was stop infusing other cultures into our own, is the minute we lose our coolness factor. imagine if we were still sporting handlebar mustaches and calling our boardshorts baggies? I would be heartbroken if there wasn't myriad of pho restaurants to quench my craving for that tasty basil laden broth.

Point is we must continue to push the boundaries of what is considered part of local culture. To laid down our predisposed biases and open our minds to debate and exploration. Maybe if everyone pushed themselves a little further, we all might have something more to bring to the table. We'd all be a little smarter, a little more cultured and maybe just a little more understanding of everyone else's differences.