How derogatory is haole (how-li, -le)? A quick search on google has sites that say it’s “non-derogatory”, “somewhat derogatory” and “clearly derogatory”.
So what is it? Is it analogous to “African-American”; that is, is it simply a label used by Hawai’ian natives to refer to caucasian-humans? Or is it analogous to “N-----”, a word of hate?
Websters defines it as “one who is not a member of the native race of Hawaii; esp: WHITE”, but I get the impression that it is often used in a disparaging context.
The one guy I knew from Hawaii (this was about 15 years ago) said it was about like calling somebody a townie or a jock.
Informed by personal experience (junior high and high school as a haole in Pahoa), anywhere from almost totally neutral to very hostile, depending on tone of voice. But it isn’t a naughty word per se-- you can say it in polite company and it isn’t inherently offensive. Ranges from a simple description of color (“the haole kid over there,” or “is he haole or local?” (like “the black guy over there”)) to something more along the lines of the N- word, something that communicates the idea that there is going to be trouble. So like color designations on the mainland it can either be neurally descriptive or hold more meaning (“hey, haole-girl,” while simply directed to get my attention, sounds to me like the southern use of “boy” for black guys). It’s all in the intent, like the word ‘gay’. Does this answer the question, more or less?
Interesting sidenote-- portuguese families from way back aren’t haole, although they might be blond/ blue eyed. They’re local too-- this is where accent becomes an identifier; if you look haole but talk total pidgin, then you’re 'pot-a-gie".
That’s “neutrally descriptive”, of course. . .
By Webster’s definition, anyone who isn’t of Native Hawaiian ancestry is a haole. That definition isn’t really wrong, as “haole” means “foreigner”, but it is kind of misleading. I could be considered haole by that definition. But in Hawaii, when someone uses the term “haole”, they almost always mean Caucasian.
I’ve heard the oxymoronic phrase “local haole”. It means a Caucasian who was either born and raised in Hawaii, or a Caucasian who’s been here so long he might as well have been born and raised here.
capy, it’s Potagee, not pot-a-gie. 