So having a Hawaian played by white guy (because “race doesn’t matter”) is evil, but having a Hawaian played by a Maori (because “all those non-whites look the same anyway”) is ok?
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That was a depressing read. Particularity the bit at the end about Grover Cleveland having an investigation in to the coup and coming to the conclusion “Substantial wrong has thus been done which a due regard for our national character as well as the rights of the injured people requires we should endeavor to repair the monarchy.”, only for it to get shot down in Congress.
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And what if one of our interests are criticising you for making poor choices?
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Trying to apply dictionary semantics to imply that indigenous cultures are irrelevant is Not A Good Look.
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Māori and Hawaiians are both Polynesian peoples, with common ancestry, closely related languages, and strong similarities in culture and mythology (e.g. stories about Māui, the demi-god/culture hero portrayed by Dwayne Johnson in Disney’s Moana, show up in both New Zealand and Hawai’i, and also in Tonga, Tahiti and other places in Polynesia). The legendary Māori homeland is even called “Hawaiki”.
So it’s not really a case of “all those non-whites look the same anyway”.
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What you say is true, but when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (Samoan/African) wanted to portray Kamehameha Nui, the first king of all the islands, many Native Hawaiians were considerably less than enthusiastic despite his being a “cousin”.
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Thanks for taking the time to read and for caring! Don’t be depressed — one more person knowing the truth has made the world a better place.
Try asking your friends if they know how Hawai‘i came to be “part of the US”, especially if you are American yourself. Judging by my own experience, it may be something they’ve never thought about.
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When I went to NZ, the Maori I spoke with were pretty much like “yeah, our ancestors are probably Hawaiian. They sailed down here to start a new land. We just assume we’re from a common ancestor.”
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Yeah, but that’s just like, your opinion, man. /s
Sad thing is, as I’m sure you know, most white folks ultimately don’t care what members of minority cultures think about cultural representation. White supremacy has blinded them to the reality of, yeah, white supremacy, and to what it does to them, to the point that they feel that their opinion and perspective are not only just as valid, but also more objective!
Sorry, I think you know that. I’m really writing for others here, and just venting some frustration. Urrrrgh
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When I went to a luau in Maui, it was kind of eye-opening; the first half was what you’d expect – fire dancing, grass skirt hula, lots of mai tais and lau lau – and then they told the whole story about the US just stealing Hawai’i without sugar coating it in any way. They followed it up by dancing the hula again, but in the plain-clothed censored way they had to do it back then, with zero smiles or joy, and then a woman came out and sang “Aloha Oe”, solo, no accompaniment, and explained exactly what the song was originally about. There were a lot of tipsy tourists wearing leis who learned a lot more than they expected.
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And thank you for assuming that I’m Dude-aware!
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Oops, didn’t mean to be presumptuous. Your comments so far have suggested to me that you’d know exactly what I was talking about. My apologies if that isn’t the case.
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Yes, thanks. I was acknowledging it wasn’t a perfect fit, but they are both Polynesian. And Danial Logan is a super nice guy and I’d like to see him get more work. That and I don’t know off hand any Hawaiian actors… does Dog the Bounty Hunter count?
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No, you were not being presumptuous at all! That was a sincere thank you, hence the thumb up and rainbow and giving you a “like”. Having a Big Lebowski reference pop up unexpectedly made me smile… it really tied the post together, like a certain rug. 
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Ah, okay then. We cool!
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More than cool, we ‘ohana!
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At some point white actors are going to tire of playing evil slave plantation owners and suburban mayonnaise dealers and demand more diverse roles.
white male struggle: has to be half as good to be twice as likely to get the job. that and using spices
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Ah I didn’t know he was Hawaiian. To be honest, while I know who I know as far as actors go, there is even more that I don’t know.
