Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Is that how you answer when someone tries to point out critical problems about parts of the island??? Looks like people here get upset when people like me speak their minds out.
Having lived in downtown areas in the mainland have never seen such inefficient police department like in Waikiki.
I did do my research before I moved and I didnt know these problems were this big. Im not the type of person that accepts things and do nothing, If you read I talked to a police officer. Im a downtown person, and have lived in bigger cities than Honolulu.
looks on this forum,,If someone complains or say something then the rest comes and makes excuses for it, great ways of dealing with problems.
Yes, people in Hawaii get very upset when folks move over from the mainland and try to tell us how to do things. Just because downtown areas on the mainland have a different type of police departments means nothing to the folks here and I'd betcha dollars to malasadas, folks here don't want to change. Especially change because it's done differently on the mainland.
So, taking into account how sensitive folks in Hawaii are to having mainland people come over and try to tell them how to do things, will knowing this change the way you go about trying to change things? Comparing things in Hawaii to how they are done on the mainland is probably the absolutely least effective method of getting anything changed. Is there a more effective way for you to try to change things?
Another question is, "is there a problem at all?" There must be a reason as to why things are the way they are. Have you tried to find out why things are the way they are? Who benefits from the status quo? Who's toes will you be stepping on trying to change things? Are there kickbacks? Are the enforcement folks busy doing other things? I surely don't know, but at least I know that I don't know.
Just remember, this is a state where the enforcement folks can go to a cockfight that has over over a hundred and fifty people at it and only arrest one or maybe two people.
Prostitution and homeless folks have been on Kuhio street for decades. You've been there for six months. Which do you think is gonna last longer? Seems like someone in charge somewhere must either want or at least not mind prostitutes in Waikiki and homeless everywhere. Or even if they didn't want them, they may not be able to do anything about them.
What can be done about them? I ask this in hopes of an answer which may be of some use, it's been a problem for awhile and so far nobody else has had any helpful ideas.
It is not just the forum, it is a pervasive attitude of the islands in general. I'm not gonna open the can of worms about whether or not that attitude is justified... that is a whole other debate with good points on both sides. I will just say that criticism (even constructive) from outsiders is rarely welcome, appreciated, or accepted.
I think that is true everywhere in the world.
People either 'adjust' or they don't 'adjust'. Cultural criticisms usually fall in deaf ears.
I've certainly seen a TON of people NOT adjust to Japan/Korea in all my years over here. The ones who don't adjust, are the ones who are convinced that what they knew somewhere else, was the 'proper' way to do things.
I was just viewing a Iowa Forum, where a Arkansas woman was complaining about 'hon' and 'dear' being used, where she preferred 'maam' and 'sir' like where she was from. A TYPICAL debate about which cultural norms were right and which were wrong. No one wins, it's just different in different places. Of course the Iowans, as 'constructive' as the Arkansas' woman was trying to state her case, they just weren't buying it or planning to change their norms for her.
For that matter, most of the other Hawaii posters, don't actively live in Honolulu either.
I think if you are ONLY looking for current active members currently living in Honolulu, you might be better off looking at the Honolulu Advertiser and if they have a forum. Personally, I'd love to hear a ton more current Honolulu residents talking about Honolulu, as I absolutely love the city, from the months I've spent there. It's my preferred place in the Islands.
I wish there were a few Honolulu posters to create enough 'talk' to get its own forum. So, anyways, I hope you don't get frustrated with us non-Honolulu posters, and keep posting nontheless. The Honolulu residents on the forum are nearly non-existant or rarely active, that I know of. (Either that, or there is so little Honolulu talk, they have very little to share).
Actually there are many posters in Honolulu. I think many are not identifying Honolulu correctly. Honolulu is the entire island of Oahu both city and county. There is no seperate "city" of Honolulu within Oahu. So when people say Honolulu, are they really talking about D-11, D-13, and D-9 or the entire island? I once confused the heck out of a tourist on the north shore who asked how far was Honolulu from there and I said no distance cause your already in the City of Honolulu. They were confused and I assumed they meant the downtown areas most visitors think and call the "city of Honolulu".
Not to go off topic Pacific, but I've never heard of anyone who thinks of the entire island of Oahu as Honolulu regardless of the technicality of the state and local government.
Actually there are many posters in Honolulu. I think many are not identifying Honolulu correctly. Honolulu is the entire island of Oahu both city and county. There is no seperate "city" of Honolulu within Oahu. So when people say Honolulu, are they really talking about D-11, D-13, and D-9 or the entire island? I once confused the heck out of a tourist on the north shore who asked how far was Honolulu from there and I said no distance cause your already in the City of Honolulu. They were confused and I assumed they meant the downtown areas most visitors think and call the "city of Honolulu".
That is confusing.
Particularly as plenty of places in Oahu have completely different city mailing addresses than Honolulu; such as Pearl City, Waipahu, etc.
Particularly as plenty of places in Oahu have completely different city mailing addresses than Honolulu; such as Pearl City, Waipahu, etc.
There is a census designated area that defines Honolulu, thus they have Honolulu mailing addresses. But, the Oahu's local government is consolidated over the entire island and referred to as the City and County of Honolulu. But, if you live outside of the census designated zip codes you don't say you live in Honolulu.
I think it's also a matter of politics or ideology. Jennypal has hinted that she expects a police solution or at least a legal solution so the police can take action. Let's just say that's a more right-leaning approach to the "problem." Hawaii, being more left-leaning in general, may have different approaches to the problem (shelters, tolerance, containment, etc.). Of course, each issue has it's own problems, and voters in general may be more liberal or conservative on the particular issue or problem.
But if you look around, anywhere in the world, the status quo generally reflects the expectations of the populace. And that's where the issue of outside(r) criticism comes in. You are rocking the boat, especially when you insist on some reply that you agree with. If you want to argue that's fine, but then you have to listen to the other side (or learn why things are the way they are in Hawaii, which can be difficult), and it didn't appear you were doing that.
And that's on top of the personal judgement that prostitution and homelessness need to be illegal, or at least not be visible. As hotzcatz so wisely suggests, there may be other reasons why this behavior persists.
Look, I agree, anyone probably agrees that having some deranged or intoxicated person yelling at passengers just waiting for the bus is not a good thing. Why it happens and what can we do about it is not so easy to agree on.
Thank you very much to everybody that stayed RESPECTFUL with their comments wether you agreed or disagreed with me unlike the person that called me a ''hooker'' and never apologized about it, not everybody in Hawaii is like this person,they are just a small group of people that give this bad reputation to the whole state,clearly a lot of you show with your responses the way to debate and prove a point without getting nasty, so thank you for that, it says a lot of you.
And Im truly sorry If any of my comments made any of you feel inferior or if someone felt attacked by them, I never meant to be rude nor dismiss your comment. Please, I hope you accept my apologies If that was the case.
As far as the problems I mentioned, Im over it now,certainly, there are things that have been one way for decades and might never change here. It clearly works this saying on the island, either you adjust and accept or not, Im clearly not going to do it, I will always stay true to what I believe and fight for changes, reason why I will soon be moving out, I will still interact on the forum as Im free to speak my mind.
People either 'adjust' or they don't 'adjust'. Cultural criticisms usually fall in deaf ears.
I've certainly seen a TON of people NOT adjust to Japan/Korea in all my years over here. The ones who don't adjust, are the ones who are convinced that what they knew somewhere else, was the 'proper' way to do things.
I was just viewing a Iowa Forum, where a Arkansas woman was complaining about 'hon' and 'dear' being used, where she preferred 'maam' and 'sir' like where she was from. A TYPICAL debate about which cultural norms were right and which were wrong. No one wins, it's just different in different places. Of course the Iowans, as 'constructive' as the Arkansas' woman was trying to state her case, they just weren't buying it or planning to change their norms for her.
Haha, typical response #2... it is just as bad (or worse) other places.
Joking aside, I think most would agree that this is a universal trait however, as with many things, a great number of residents in the Hawaiian islands have a special brand of provincialism when comparing themselves to the fictitiously homogeneous "mainland". More specifically, all good things about Hawaii are unique to Hawaii while all bad things have a counterpart on the "mainland" that is as bad (or worse) than Hawaii. Therefore, Hawaii is always better overall so quit complaining.
I think it is genius actually... the "mainland" makes a great straw man in arguments when people levy legitimate criticisms about places in Hawaii. If one wants to argue that the "mainland" weather sucks they can bring up the snowstorm in Minneapolis or Des Moines. When one wants to argue that the "mainland" is unsafe they can bring up the murder rate in Detroit or Memphis. When one want to argue that the "mainland" is just as expensive as Hawaii they can bring up the cost of living in NYC or San Jose. When one wants to argue that the "mainland" is racist they can bring up racial tensions in Birmingham or Tucson. When one wants to argue that the "mainland attitude" is sarcastic, impatient, and callous they can bring up some ******* they met from a northeast "type A" infested city like Trenton or Hartford. That is the beauty of comparing 300 million people to 1 million people, you have a lot more diversity in which to find your proof for whatever point you want to make.
I mean come on, the OP was just saying that the police seem to turn a blind eye to rampant prostitution (which is not legal IIRC) and harassment. I don't think it is an unreasonable complaint. Saying that the homeless in Oregon are more aggressive doesn't stop her from feeling uncomfortable when a drunk person is making lewd comments at her, invading her personal space, or yelling at her because she "stole their land" (that was the one I got a lot in Waikiki if I didn't give them a dollar) . This is a relocation forum, nothing wrong with letting folks know about the negatives along with the positives from time to time. My parents were surprised by some of the same stuff when they came to visit.
I suppose there is some merit to the idea of giving the homeless a one way plane ticket back to the mainland. Since theyre broke they surely wont be able to return any time soon. But do you think the tax payers of Hawaii should foot that bill? It's a long swim from Honolulu to Santa Monica. So unless the OP wants to contribute to the plane fare,she may be stuck with the homeless for awhile. No easy solutions given the location of Hawaii. As to the hookers. There has been a thriving prostitution business in Hawaii since the first US Navy ship anchored there. There will continue to be one as long as tourists fly in and cruise ships anchor there. Seems the OP would be better off finding a compromise and not be so offended. The shady ladies arent going anywhere any time soon. While I realize that the homeless and the working girls are apparently beneath the OP's level of sophistication and breeding, I implore her to remember that Jesus said "what you do unto the least of these, you do unto me." Or as my grandfather told me, "there but for the grace of God go I."
Last edited by Capt. Dan; 11-10-2011 at 07:52 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
