Ethics of having fun in Dubai

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Funny that you mentiined Hawaii because Hawaii is another special interest of mine. I actually have Hawaiian ancestry on my Dad's side, but he divorced my Mom (who is white) when I was a baby so sadly I never got to exoerience anything about that culture.

My sister has promised to take me to Hawaii someday if she ever gets the opportunity to go though just like she took me to Japan. I would love nothing more than to cross that off my bucket list too.

And yeah I've often heard the same about Hawaiian locals. They're friendly to mainlanders and tourists who are willing to spend a lot of money, but there is also a resentment they feel towards outsiders that I don't really blame them for. I mean Hawaiians were done really dirty by the Americans who stole their islands and exploited their people and resources. Just as we've done to all the lands belonging to people who were here long before the colonists arrived.

Oh that's so interesting! my wife is Malaysian and my daughter is part Indian.
How do you self-identify? I guess it depends on what other people think you resemble right.

Honestly I mostly pass for white so that's pretty much what I self-identify as. My Mom and my sibilings (who have a different dad) are all white and because Ive never been to Hawaii nor was I raised around Polynesian culture I guess it would only make sense that I would grow to self-identify as white guy.

Now that said I've had my share of experiencing some racism aswell as white privege (which these days I admit is real now that I understand how it actually works and has little to do with a white person's poverty level).

Two instances in my life I can recall where people said really offensive things to me knowing that I had HawIian ancestry was when a white girl I went to high school with was ranting at me on the school bus claiming that Hawaiians didnt deserve the right to vote or be regarded as US citizens (this was back when Obama was running for president so the "birther" conspiracy was really popular).

I also once overheard a relative of mine referr to me as being a "white island n*****" because of who my father was.


Now that said I also admit I do experience white privilege too, and it took me a long time to understand thar which is why i no longer get so upset when people bring the subject up...

My family is as impoverished as you get but it's not really a phenomenon measured by having wealth alone.

For example my mom has explained to me that had I been born with a darker complexion like my dad I most likely would not have been treated as nicely by the police all those times I was picked up and brought to mental facilities for showing out while experiencing my manic episodes.

They could have beaten or shot me and probably would have too.



I guess that's the weird thing about being racially mixed? You can be both the victim of bigotry and one who benefits from systematic racism too.

Makes perfect sense. my daughter looks Indian (although she is taller > average Indian female) but identifies as Aussie.

Yeah I myself am built rather plump and square-shaped like the average Hawaiian build plus I have the dark hair and my eyes are slightly slanted (some people have even asked if I was part-Asian).

But coloring wise I look very white rather than having the dark tan Polynesians are known for. I also have green colored eyes rather than dark brown eyes.

So yeah, I mostly identify as a white American. But that said I find my own Hawaiian ancestry to be really fascinating.

Oh and I have some great news. My sister and my Mom said they want to plan a trip to Hawaii for my 40th birthday in a few years.

I will finally get the chance to cross that off my bucket list too.

Yeah I think people know you well for a long time they only see you as a "homie" or "one of the boys" and not an interloper from Hawaii. I worked with an American back in the 1990s and he told me he first moved to Australia he rented an apartment with another American who happened to also be black. Navigating life in a new country he and his room mate became close friends and he never saw him as anything other than a fellow American.

That makes a lot of sense. When you're in a new country or any environment finding someone you share a common bond with can make building a friendship and overcoming each other's differences easier. As was the case with the two Americans you knew living in Australia who didnt care about each other's race because they shared the fact that they were both Americans.