Hawaii doesn't like you.

I came across a Reddit post where someone put a sticker on a stop sign making it say, "STOP...moving to Maui"

tinyurl.com/2tyj744u

Not only did around 95% of the over 300 people agree with it, but also didn't want visitors as well. That's some pretty big bigoted balls from the state that is the biggest recipient of welfare in the US and relies on tourism as its main source of income.

And let's not mention the huge percentage of Hawaiians in the airline industry who do it to get flight benefits to get OFF and AWAY from the islands.

@ZombieVirolina: This is a common trend among "native" peoples on island cultures that rely heavily on tourism. You see it in Haiti, Jamaica, Hawaii, and so forth. Not sure if that's politically correct or not the way I phrased it, but whatever.

I think you can make a valid argument for both. Things arguably might have been better in simpler times, and modernization brings a large income gap between those that are well off and those that are not; at the same time, modernization brings opportunity and wealth.

In either case, you found this on Reddit? I wouldn't take it serious. The worst part of the internet is taking stupid things one person says and then blowing it out of proportion. People will casually agree with it and then move on, and then folks like yourself will see it and get outraged or make it into a big deal.

TLDR: don't take everything you see on Reddit as fact.

Most of Maui has been having a drought. So that could be partly why they don't want anymore people?

https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/article/hawaii-overtourism-maui-water-restrictions-crisis-16380333.php

Then there is the Navy fiasco where the main source of drinking water was contaminated by terrible management of fuel waste above the water source, no less. That is another reason people aren't happy atm.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/03/07/navy-fuel-tank-hawaii-water-pentagon/9418867002/

Speaking as a former resident of Maui who grew up and lived there for about 25+ years up until I moved away in ‘18, from my experience, many locals are averse to outsiders because they would come to the islands in disrespect and arrogance.

The truth is, many tourists and visitors are disrespectful, oblivious dipshits. They go there with their brains turned off, thinking it’s THEIR vacation, driving aggressively, pulling on the fins of sea turtles, walking on the reefs, swimming up to whales and their calfs (highly illegal), trashing the beaches, etc. Not sharing the aloha spirit, but tossing mainland attitude and acting uptight and entitled. People live there, and they don’t tolerate that, nor should they. And until you’ve lived there, it’s difficult to understand how closely many feel tied to the land. The Hawaiian people are generally very warm, accepting and generous, but if you act like an ass, there is very little tolerance to be found. It can be intolerant, but in a good way. Local life…..everyone knows each other, it’s a small place. It keeps people in check, and if you step out of line, you will get checked. I’ve called out tourists before. If that makes me a bigot, I’m okay being one towards protecting what is worth keeping.

There are also very real local residual resentments festering against outsiders stemming from the relatively recent overthrow of the monarchy. As a haole myself, I’ve received my fair share of local aggressions about this (even though I’ve Hawaiian blood), but find it relatively rare. Or at least more as an adult, in grade and high school, man did I get attitude due to it. I was not at all popular with the “local” (I.e dark skinned) kids.

But I find Hawaii generally chill……if you are. If you’re acting the ass, you’re going to get grief sent your way and told, in no kind form, to go back to where you came from. But come to the islands with warmth in your heart, humbleness, respect and awareness for where you are and what the people value…..and you’ll be treated kindly. Hawaii isn’t a bigoted place….it’s actually quite welcoming….it’s just highly protective of what it has.

Malama ka ‘Aina, Aloha nui loa, Hawaii No Ka Oi! 🤙🏼

Well folks, let's ask Mr. @hallenbeck77 what he has to say about this subject. Getting someone's opinion who happens to live in Hawaii could give you insight.

@MirkoS77: thanks for that insight! That's more or less how I've always sort of seen it as well. I think when travelling people forget that they are a guest and they are not entitled to act however they want. If you were invited into someone's home, you wouldn't just do whatever you wanted to do, walk all over their furniture, go into the bedroom. You'd be respectful, or at least I hope you would.

Anthony Bourdain said it well: don't be a tourist, be a traveler.

My sister lived there for three years while going to school (Go Rainbow Warriors!) and as a white girl who was only there for a short time, she had some interesting things to say. Most of it echoed what you said. Some of it she was a little critical off, like for example I think in their educational system they give preference to native Hawaiians in some things, which can be a good or bad thing.

No kidding? How long?

Nice. What island was your sister on? Yeah, some schools are only open to natives. My sister taught at Kamehameha on Maui, but she first had to prove her heritage tracing back to the old days. It’s nice that Hawaiians get some perks though, generally they sit on the short end of the stick.

It’s always a bit amusing to see these claims of bigotry slung at the Hawaiian people with, literally, not an inkling of awareness as to why. Many tourists are cool, and they are welcome, but many are not, and they are unwelcome. You’d be amazed at the sense of entitlement…..I wouldn’t actually even qualify it as entitlement, it’s just how it rubs. Having been on the east coast (PA) for a few years now so I can contrast, it’s just a fundamental difference of lifestyle attitude and priorities that chaffs each other. Hawaii is incredibly laid back, casual, warm, people on the roads are for the most part friendly (O’ahu a bit less so), they actually care….the whole atmosphere is an embrace. It’s ohana (a feeling of kinship). While not to take a crap on easterners, they are INSANELY protective of their space. They’re business like in their interactions. They’re uptight; paranoid about ulterior motives and always think that you want something from them. Friendliness for its own sake is a foreign concept, and I’ve found is oftentimes met with annoyance and impatience. As if it’s somehow insulting to the intelligence and a waste of time.

So when tourists come to Hawaii, the attitudes of different lifestyles conflict. It’s slamming 5th gear into 1st gear without slowing the car down first. That’s why there’s the bumper sticker, “Relax, this ain’t the mainland”. I just got back from the Big Island visiting a friend in May, and stepping off the plane in Kona was like taking a bag off of my head, I could breathe again. It was so pleasant to see people smiling, and has incentivized me to work on moving back.

But all that said, again, as long as you’re generally friendly, respectful and follow the advice you noted, cultural differences can be overcome.

I’m with @MirkoS77. A lot of people come to the island and annoy the locals by being disrespectful.

Been living out here since 2004 due to my wife's job, been here ever since.

MirkoS77 has hit the major bullet points. Some tourists are decent people, but there are a lot who are ignorant of the culture (thanks to a tourism industry that sells the stereotypes of hula skirts, mai tais, luaus while giving no agency to the islands' history, it's people or the problems they face--both in the past and today), or put their sense of entitlement ahead of everything outside of themselves.

There were people who were flocking to the islands during the pandemic who refused to quarantine themselves or follow procedures--despite its citizens begging them to stay home due to the lockdows they themselves were observing. A lot of infected people broke quarantine and gave no concern about getting anyone else sick.

And it's not just tourists who are causing some of the problems here. There are people who are shipping their homeless/mentally ill people out here, buying them one-way tickets to the islands and saying "it's their problem now!". We got real estate companies buying property up to rent out to businesses and the rich, pricing out the citizens who are trying to make ends meet. Not to mention a federal government whose fuel storage facility has contaminated the drinking water; it needs to be repaired before it can be drained, but the process may not begin for AT LEAST another two years, IF things pan out the way they should. And this is during a drought, on top of it.

I'm damn lucky to be here, and even luckier to live and work with people who actually care about my wife and I. If being out here has taught me nothing else, it's to show concern, compassion, and support to those outside your own world that needs it. It saddens me that not everyone does so.

@ZombieVirolina:

I've always wanted to visit that place. Even with such a strong narrative against visitors, it doesn't matter to me. It's pretty common for people to hate outsiders, anyway. So to that, I say: "Tough shit."

Heck yea you are.

It's nice to hear from a fellow islander (even though I'm currently not one, lol) but am looking to return. The islands really do manifest and encourage genuine caring towards each other, but I do find they can also be pretty harsh in the reflections they can give. I find it, in a way, a very karmic perspective and exercise.

But aloha!

I don’t blame them for not wanting more people invading their space, I’ve seen the amount of damage and pollution most tourists do whether it’s traveling to Hawaii or any other destination and it is obscene. A lot of people go there and show zero respect to the environment or culture.

@MirkoS77: loved this, thanks for the info. Makes perfect sense. My gf and I want to go too Hawaii next year!

Sure, hope you and her have a blast! Hawaii's a magical place man, really no other like it on Earth.