Hawaii: Duel Perspectives

This blog post was recently brought to my attention. "What's the deal with Hawaii?" it says and really not much more than that. Besides noticing that Hawaii is most often known for tourism, pineapples, and pidgin English, rather than being an economic powerhouse, what's the deal with that blog? Is it suggesting that Hawaii should be something different since it's not living up to its economic potential? That nothing important, intellectual, or educated stems from the unique perspective that Hawaii provides? The only comment worth reading that I think maybe even starts to address a real issue of why Hawaii might not be an economic powerhouse is this:

With regard to Hawaii's relatively poor economic performance, could the psychological effects of isolation factor be a major cause? A close friend of mine just moved back to the mainland after 6 years in Honolulu. She and her husband loved the climate and relaxed pace of life (the latter being a product of the non-ambitious economy, right?), but they got sick of traveling hours and hours by air to visit family members, sick of being so geographically confined on one island, sick of the general lack of standard US amenities (apparently, there's no Target, which is frankly astonishing), and basically just sick of the feeling of being cut off from the mainstream of American life.

That "cut off" feeling can be seductive and appealing if you're not ambitious (or have already enjoyed a successful career and are ready to retire), but in the long run it will turn off those who seek high achievement.

When you combine the isolation with a climate that encourages recreation - who wants to stay inside and slog over the books when you can be playing outside in gorgeous weather EVERY DAY? - it's not surprising that Hawaii is not a hotbed of entrepreneurialism. And that means, in the modern economy, that it will not be likely to enjoy significant material success.

This quote (with the disclaimer that the anonymous author has never lived in Hawaii) may be the only thing on there that captures something without a racist, classist, or completely asinine motivation.


Compare that with this article also speaking of the economics of Hawaii. This admittedly concentrating on the social injustice of my highschool's annual Carnival. Here's a prize-winning quote

Rich people only get rich one way: exploiting other people – the people who have no choice but to send their kids to Washington Intermediate, or the people who take out student loans to go to college, or the people who work 12-hour swing shifts at Cheesecake Factory.

When you consider going to that carnival again this year, consider this: the fun you get out of the Punahou Carnival is just a side effect of them making money. This carnival, no matter what the local establishment and the local news media want you to believe, is not put on just for your enjoyment. Like every other construct of the ruling class, the Punahou Carnival is there to take your money and keep you locked into servitude and insolvency.

I don't want to pick on this author too much, considering the 100+ comments he's already collected, most of which are cruel (though accurate), but please, my goodness, it's a carnival, it's fun and games, it supplies money for scholarships so students can afford to go to Punahou; it's also staffed by the students and parents of Punahou. Punahou Carnival is an amazing event that brings families, friends, and strangers together. I have fond memories of working the booths, eating the food, and participating in variety show. Don't make me feel like a cog in a vicious scheme to victimize those who are less fortunate when that couldn't be further from the truth.

EDIT: I strongly suggest reading the comments to The Ka Leo article, we've (and I say we've, because it does feel like an attack on the Punahou community) gotten support from Iolani and a whole host of others who respectfully, and not so respectfully, disagree with everything said in the "article".