Obama’s Hawaiian state of mind

[Whisp]

http://odewire.com/50875/obamas-hawaiian-state-of-mind.html

But Obama came to the White House infused with the spirit of a place very different from the rest of America. Hawaii, where he was born and attended school from the fifth grade to high school graduation, still celebrates a cultural heritage radically foreign to that of the rest of the U.S. And it has shaped the 44th president just as it does everyone of whatever ethnicity who grew up on the most remote, diverse and exotic state in the Union.

The West has already accommodated multiculturalism into music, culinary tastes and cinema. But to have a figure to which so much “foreignness” adheres as U.S. president marks a singular moment in American political history. The rest of the world registers it, too. Like it or not, America’s president is also to some extent president of the world. In Obama, the world has a leader who is not only open to other cultural influences and other points of view but has direct experience of them. The world is watching to see how much difference that will make.

In Hawaii, Obama was imbued with an islander’s sense of shared purpose. He grew up in a place less given to an “us versus them” mentality and more attuned to “we,” a place defined less by America’s frontier ethic than by the enormity of the Pacific Ocean. If Obama manages to keep that legacy alive, he could recalibrate America’s role in the world—and the world’s attitude toward America.

most excellent read.

[sheshe2]

1. Oh Whisp~

Thank you for such a beautiful thread. It's healing.

a state law explicitly obliges government officials to hew to the aloha spirit, which it defines as “the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence.”

See more at: http://odewire.com/50875/obamas-hawaiian-state-of-mind.html#sthash.CBArbYzI.dpuf

This is what Obama has given us. Each person is important to every other person. It is our collective spirit.

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Thank you Whisp, I needed that~

BOG

[Whisp]

5. It explains so much, doesn't it?

What a wonderful place to have been raised and taught in - the world needs what he has so much...

[Cha]

2. And, Pres Obama has kept that

"legacy" alive, Whisp..


From your link~


Obama, Hawaiian style

Key Phrase..

"Obama said as much during his campaign. “I do think that the multicultural nature of Hawaii helped teach me how to appreciate different cultures and navigate different cultures, out of necessity,” he told U.S. News and World Report, adding that the place also has “a cultural bias toward courtesy and trying to work through problems in a way that makes everybody feel like they’re being listened to. And I think that reflects itself in my personality as well as my political style.”

Another one..

"Writing in The New Republic, veteran Washington journalist E.J. Dionne, Jr. cited that stance as evidence, as a senior Obama advisor told him, that Obama is a “devout non-ideologue.” That’s one way of putting it, surely. But Sally-Jo Bowman, the Hawaiian-born author of The Heart of Being Hawaiian, believes it reflects something else: ho`oponopono, a traditional Hawaiian family counseling technique whereupon participants seek to solve problems not by apportioning blame, but by “making right” relations that have gone awry. For Bowman, it’s one of many examples of how the culture of the Hawaiian Islands informs Obama’s approach to politics. “Hawaiians are affiliative; we really want to bond with people,” says Bowman. “Every time I see Obama, he’s touching people, connecting. That’s island all the way.”

Mahalo for "Obama's Hawaiian State of Mind", Whisp

Aloha

[MADem]

7. Wouldn't it be nice if Congress got some of that 'cultural bias toward courtesy?' nt

[Cha]

10. And, "trying to work through problems..

in a way that makes everybody feel like they’re being listened to"?

Instead the terrorist faction of Congress that's holding the country Hostage has a culture bias toward greed.

[hopemountain]

13. both the president and mrs. obama worked at the

grassroots community level in chicago - and through their work were connected to northwestern university. northwestern is the seat of the asset based community development model.

abcd, as it is called/referred to, demonstrates how individuals in communities can build their communities from the inside out - where every single citizen is acknowledged, recognized for having a voice and something to contribute.

this ABCD model pairs beautifully with the hawaiian heart. i was privileged to learn how to use this same model's toolkit to work with grassroots communities through out california (hmong, vietnamese, afghani, american indian, migrant workers, rural poor, etc.)

[Cha]

14. That's sounds wonderful, hopemountain!

[cilla4progress]

3. It makes all of "this" just so much sadder.

I think Obama has had a successful presidency. The stinkpots on the right are obsessed with tarnishing it. History will tell the truth. In the meantime, we are stuck.

[Hekate]

4. He's in an awful tough place to try to maintain the aloha spirit -- I see him trying all the time

I see it in him all the time: the respectful, affiliative (what a great word), person with so much to give -- and I feel as though he is surrounded by barbarian tribes, Huns and Vandals out to sack Rome, or in this case Washington DC.

I still have hope for him -- I hope he still has it for himself.

It's interesting to me that in reading DU I find that it is not only the GOP/Tea Party that misunderstands his nature -- many Dems/Progressives/Liberals/Lefts do as well.

[Whisp]

6. I guess many are expecting aggression and that barbarism you mention...

That is the way it should be done, what we are accustomed to.

But this dude is not like that, it's not his nature at all and he is accused of cavery and weakness for it - but it's the opposite, he has the kind of strength that lasts. He's in the long race.

The more I learn about the President, the more I like and respect him. We are so lucky to have him.

[IrishAyes]

8. All things bright and beautiful - OP, Whisp, BOG, and of course our favorite subject - POTUS

Yes, the day is off to a terrific start.

Can't remember exactly who to credit for a past comment on the mainland's xenophobia, but some poster who at least lived and worked in Hawaii told me that in her place of employment, American tourists would often ask her if she took American $. Not even realizing they were still in the same country. And this was well AFTER Hawaii became the 50th state! I'm surprised they even knew what planet they're on.

Well, with a little effort I can throw a drop or two of cold water on this great morning, I suppose. Years ago a major life opportunity for me fizzled at the last minute; in L.A. a friend of mine from Russia wanted to take me back on vacation with her, all expenses paid. Her family offered to send me a roundtrip plane ticket, and of course we'd stay with them. A last-minute glitch prevented me from going, though. It would've been the trip of a lifetime, for me not to happen in any other way. I mean, even if you have the $ to tour, it's nowhere near the same as living with natives of that country, particularly friends, who take so much pride in showing off their homeland.

Wuja believe I had several other people later refer to this missed opportunity as a fortunate escape? Why, if I'd disappeared into the dark bowels of our country's historic enemy, I might never have made it out alive? They pictured me winding up in Siberia for sure, or at least returning brainwashed to the hilt.

Xenophobia is the witches' brew of so many other evils. And I throw my lot in with those who oppose it, such as the greatest president of our lifetimes. His complete and utter lack of it just makes him such a beautiful human being.

[classof56]

9. Whoops! Did I just unrec this? If so, many apologies. This is a great post and thread.

I was not specifically aware of Hawaii's cultural heritage and the way it defines its citizens. Helps us better understand and appreciate our amazing President. How sad that there are those who would undermine and destroy him. Such mean spirited, ugly, miserable excuses for human beings.

I've learned much on the BOG in recent days, and I'm grateful there are DUers who share their support for and commitment to our President. The times I'm feeling a sense of despair for the future, all of you help lift me up to a place of health and hope.

Blessings and Mahalo!

[MADem]

11. You can re-rec if you would like--just go hit the button again. nt

[classof56]

12. Thanks, MADem! Just did that, feel better now.

Only been on DU almost 10 years (actually longer, but no need to go into that)--one of these days I'll figure things out!

[MADem]

15. Join the club! There's a lot of "tricks" I'm not up on, here!

I'd love to know how people make all the large colored text in their posts, but I'm too lazy to figure it out!

[Whisp]

16. “And once you are in the water, you use its force—fight it and you lose.”

Going with the flow doesn’t engender universal respect, though—far from it. Obama’s critics on the Left contend that if he’d fought harder he could have pushed the health-care debate further toward a public option that might have reined in costs and put the screws to profit-hungry insurance companies. But Obama held back, watching as Congress’ lawmaking process abraded the proposal into something 60 members of the Senate could swallow. Obama has made a point of talking about how basketball taught him important lessons in life. But maybe bodysurfing did, too. Both as a teenager and as an adult, he especially liked to go to Sandy Beach, which was the site of a signal battle between developers and preservationists. Nalu, Hawaiian for “wave riding,” is an ancient tradition in the islands, whether practiced with a surfboard or without. Either way, says Bowman, it stands for more than just a good time; it’s also a philosophical training ground. “In an ocean environment, you don’t just jump in; you study what you’re up against,” she says. “And once you are in the water, you use its force—fight it and you lose.”


!!

[Whisp]

17. kick for a good read for those that might have missed. n/t