MidWeek Column

Back when many of us were kids, summertime represented more than just a season; it carried a euphoric promise, the feeling of freedom, a step into the unknown, but you felt it was good. School was given a timeout, while “real” life lessons unfolded. A first job (caddying at age 12), a first kiss (of note), a first- and last- puff on a (regular) cigarette due to unseemly peer pressure.

And the music… indelible. Songs making a permanent mark in a good way. “Summertime, Summertime” by the Jamies, “Summertime” (Billy Stewart rolling his tongue!), “Summer In The City” (the Lovin’ Spoonful), “Summer” (War), “Summertime (DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince- Will Smith himself!). And the anthemic, anarchic “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper- with its hints of teen rebellion: “Out for summer/ out ‘til fall/ We might not go back at all”. Ooh, those rebellious years!

We did go back to school, of course, just as kids do now. But following three years of uncertainty, quarantine, and complete disruption on many levels, perhaps summer, 2023, will allow us to reminisce about those hanabata days and nights when we gripped a freedom that lasted for about 90-days. We eagerly anticipated the arrival of these dog days, year after year. 

Some summer incidents proved momentous, some summers featured plenty of “lazing on a sunny afternoon” (The Kinks). There’s a casual nature to summer you feel as a kid, less regimentation, relatively unorganized, fewer must-dos or must-dues. Social skills developed over summer evolved into new school friendships, relationships, and opportunities. First jobs that enhanced one’s concept of being responsible with a dash of accomplishment (I made my own money!). Dreams of what you just might wanna do later with your life…

Inevitably, adulthood arrives, and with it comes multiple responsi-bill-ities, obligations, commitments, seasonal stresses (no kiddie structure sans school in summer) and a redefined sense of world order (or lack thereof). We age, and sometimes pine for those languorous days as we lament the lack of time left- in summer, and perhaps in our lives. Summertime in adulthood rarely represents a clean break from routine, but perhaps still a time of pleasant diversion. 

So soak in the sun, the serotonin boost, the sentiments and the substance of summer (with sunscreen). Watermelon, corn on the cob, shave ice, lemonade, “laughing all our cares away” (Chad & Jeremy)- it all tastes better in summertime.

Think about it…

Tribes. They’re all around us; we’re all in them, to some degree. They’re strange in that we can belong to various tribes at the same time, yet this intricate, tribal mishmash comes into conflict quite routinely. You live next door to me, but we play on different AYSO soccer teams, go to different schools, prefer different religious affiliations. 

Tribes may help define us and provide a sense of belonging and purpose, very important for our species. But tribes may also define us in ways that are not so good, like what we see playing out across our frazzled country month after month. We used to civilly disagree with people and then go about our ways. Now, some can’t even stomach a family reunion or have given up on lifelong friends due to seemingly irreparable, social belief systems.

Locally, the existence of tribes helps to bond people… absolutely, but may also reinforce tired, reductive, simplistic stereotypes. Private vs. public school, leeward vs. windward vs. town, male vs. female, Oahu vs. Neighbor Island, ethnic origins, religious affiliations, pickleball vs. tennis, soft taco vs. crispy. The options are everywhere, as are many ridiculous distortions and/or exaggerations people make based on perceived tribal norms and prejudices. 

As the underrated, West Virginia band, Crack The Sky, wrote in its 2021 album, “Tribes”: “we take sides believing in our tribes”. I just don’t find it amusing when someone “jokingly” says to someone, “eh, pretty good for one public school kid!?”, or makes some aside based on ethnicity, tattoo, or body shape. Joke or judgment?

What if we acknowledge that we’re first all a part of a bigger tribe- the human one- and let the sects fall where they may, making judgments (if we must) about people based on real, personal attributes? Not what street they grew up on, what instrument or sport they play, what halau they join, or what deity they believe in or don’t believe in. 

In the end, if you possess a soul, shouldn’t people be recognized, befriended, or known for who they are, how they treat others, and what they do, and not from where they came, or who gave birth to them (over which we had no choice)?

“I got the answers/you got the answers/we’ll never change our minds/and so you know it” sing Crack The Sky. We often miss so much when we rely on repetitive and ignorant tribal assertions.

Think about it…    

Just like much of the political nonsense that plagues our country, sometimes you see or hear things that leave you with a sense of “…this can’t be real!” Alas, sometimes it is…

A second tourist here in four weeks drove a vehicle into the Pacific Ocean. After a digitally-dependent, distracted driver recently dumped a rental into the Honokohau Small Boat Harbor in Kailua-Kona, yet another wayward vehicle proceeded to plunge into the same waters. According to bystanders (via Hawai`i News Now), this driver “…thought the water was a big puddle”. Hmmm, one can see how the vast Pacific might look like rainfall run amok… Perhaps relying on focused, human eyesight would have proven to be a better methodology to employ. Luckily, no one was badly hurt in either incident, other than bruised egos and some wounded pride. 

From the sublime to the… whoa, what?! Artificial intelligence (AI) gurus have been warning anyone who’ll listen that rapidly-expanding AI capabilities could be catastrophic; they’ve used terms like “civilization destruction” (entrepreneur Elon Musk, 2023) and “the end of the human race” (physicist Steven Hawking, 2014). Leading tech companies are rightfully echoing this concern, some of whom actually embraced ethical stances on the sanctity of the internet before trendy likes, friends, followers, fans, and sycophants ruled their bottom lines; many have now basically eschewed ethics. A bevy of rules to theoretically dissuade rampant misuse of evolving AI science is coming, but will bad guys and evil doers care about or follow said rules? Surely, we’ll be seeing AI-created false copy, erroneous “facts”, and computer-generated pictures throughout the 2024 election cycle. As chatbot chatter runs amok, how can/should it be addressed? Wow…  life on Mars is starting to sound intriguing. 

The United Nations put bannisters in place post-World War II to deter nuclear-capacity nations from annihilating one another, but will 21^st century egomaniacal, evil emperors play by to-be-established AI norms? Many don’t play by accepted international rules now. And how’d you like to be a professor reading student papers while wondering- is this truly a student effort, or just 10-minutes spent tweaking an AI-spewed thesis? 

As Peter Gabriel sang in his wonderful tribute to late, anti-apartheid activist, Stephen Biko, “You can blow out a candle/ But you can’t blow out a fire/ Once the flames begin to catch/ The wind will blow it higher.” A I ? How ‘bout Aye Yai Yai…

Think about it…

We’re getting older, faster here, and that’s a problem. According to U.S. Census Bureau 2020 numbers reported in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 19.4% of our local population is in the 65+ age group, versus just 14.3% of the population in 2010. That’s quite a leap in a decade. And without enough safety net systems in place (including housing and medical answers) this aging situation will become a bigger drag on our local communities. 

While we lament the need for more doctors, nurses, teachers, affordable housing, and higher-paying jobs, to name a few wish list items, what we’ve gotten over the past decade is many more tourists and thus, a renewed sense of economic complacency. Tourism is absolutely essential for our economy, but the pleasant tax dollars and jobs provided have precluded forward-thinking efforts at establishing opportunities for more industries (and jobs) to locate here. You’ve heard this before…

If more working age residents move from Hawai`i, as has been the case for the past six years, and if many newcomer residents are retirees or remote workers, where will that leave us in a decade or so? If more middle-aged residents become senior family caregivers- whether they choose to or not- due partly to local cost factors, what will that do to our social networks, workforce, and sense of well-being as a state?

Hawai`i is not unique with its aging population, but we are unique in the limited scope of places one can go locally when the rent gets too high and services necessary for elderly care are simply not available. This growing (and aging) dilemma is compounded as younger generations opt to have fewer kids. Cost issues (employment, housing, childcare, child rearing, economic uncertainty, et al.) and concurrent mental consternation are providing natural barriers to potential parents.

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) in Hawai`i applauded the 2023 legislative efforts to help our elderly in need, with bills passed and personnel added in state positions to help meet growing needs. The pandemic simply exacerbated an aging population issue that’s been percolating here for years.

More energy placed on economic diversification plus continued focus on the needs of the elderly must be the action plan… let’s not regress to traditional “same old, same old” stasis as local tourism numbers rebound, like we accepted after the Kobe earthquake, 9-11 tragedy, 2008 worldwide recession, and 2011 Sendai tsunami. Our kupuna deserve better.

Think about it… 

We’ve been lucky. You know it; I know it. As we enter hurricane season this week, we must always remain vigilant and prepare accordingly, even during the doldrums. Because as anyone who’s been to Vegas knows, luck can change (except for those few we all know who simply insist that they win every time after they come back… amazing, or untrue?).

According to the Weather Company (an IBM business), August is the peak month for hurricanes in the central Pacific region, with many more events over the past 50+ years (74 total) than in the second most active month (July, with 45). September ranks third over the past 50+ years with 37 tropical cyclones.

If you look at our region’s hurricane tracking map over the past 30 years, you’ll realize just how lucky we really have been, as storm systems swerving like wayward drivers at times mostly missed our shores (and interiors). El Niño weather patterns affect water temperature, which affects the severity and direction of storms heading (or not heading) our way. It was an El Niño effect that blasted us with the costliest hurricane in Hawaiian history- Iniki, back in 1992. And Hurricane Iwa (also El Niño-ed) caused great damage and havoc locally 10-years earlier.

While we’ve had our fair share of swings and misses over the past few decades, it’s likely just a matter of time, energy, and ocean factors before we’re inundated with the next “perfect storm”, though any hurricane debacle would be far from perfect.  We’ve had our share of near misses, tropical storms, and distant hurricanes dump plenty of water, knock down trees, and result in flooding, but we’ve been lucky (there’s that word again) that we’ve not taken a profound, direct hit in decades.

Hurricane season in Hawai`i runs through November 30. Last year we saw just one tropical cyclone in our region- a below average number. Hurricane Iwa visited us in late-November, 1982. Hurricane Douglas missed us in July, 2020. Erick, Barbara, Olivia, Norman, Lane, Fernanda- they all dropped by (as tropical storms) or managed to stay away over the past six years. These are not invited guests. But they will come.

Stock up now on basic supplies and stay attuned to local weather reports, your first line of defense. And don’t take our lucky past as any sort of guarantee. The next one just may be on-target, intense, and devastating.

Think about it…

There is no mailbox in my neighborhood anymore. Apparently, some waste of space vandalized the old one twice, and the post office simply decided to remove it. Problem solved… kinda.

We’ve been advised not to leave outgoing mail in our home mailboxes and advertise it with the mailbox flag raised. That’s literally a red flag, letting lurking mailbox thieves know there’s something in there. As some correspondence does contain personal information, it’s probably sage advice. So, without traipsing around to adjoining neighborhoods to seek a free-standing, public mailbox, we now drop our letters off at the nearest post office… about 10-minutes away. One person’s predilection for causing anonymous angst impacts hundreds… on a regular basis. It’s sad how these things happen and we’re left to ponder, “how come?”

…like when vendors remove “your” bottle cap upon purchasing a beverage at sporting events. This apparently keeps people from slipping on full, dropped bottles, and also prevents misguided individuals from throwing the projectiles. But capless bottles are more likely to spill, and then someone might slip on the liquid. If I’m really intent (i.e. a moron) on tossing a bottle with the intent to do harm, I could just stuff it with some paper towels in lieu of the absent cap. And if I’m really a pre-ordained reprobate, I’d probably just bring my own cap from home.

If you think a bottle cap banishment seems odd, here are a few actual local laws… you cannot put a coin in your ear. Seriously. I assume that a coin earring is OK, unless you deface a legally minted coin to create said earring. Thus, if you ask someone for “a penny for your thoughts”, remember that he/she can’t pull it out of his/her ear.

It’s illegal to annoy birds (any birds) while in a local state park? You mustn’t even shoo them away while dining. Which local birds were queried as to what they consider “annoying” when this law was passed? Hmmm, perhaps it’s outdated, and thus time to set up an ad hoc committee, public forum, white paper, or research analysis to further delineate, because time flies… like birds.

Lastly (for today)… until recently, you couldn’t possess two alcoholic beverages in front of you at a bar at the same time. Apparently, if you partook of a slammer and both glasses contained alcohol, you could’ve been hauled off to the slammer.

Think about it…

“Ignorance is bliss”… until it’s not. The proverb that originated over 350-years ago is surely a truism for youngsters, but becomes less acceptable as we age and try to navigate our way through the real world- ignorance often leads to problems.

Math and reading scores across the U.S. dropped in 2022, while Hawai`i’s scores (for 4^th and 8^th graders) held their own or increased, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress… even amid pandemic issues. Nice job locally by the kids and teachers, but there’s still a long way to go.

While curriculum dos and don’ts continue to wreak havoc politically across the U.S., there are other areas of concern beyond reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic. History scores for 8^th graders plunged, there was a decline in civics, and don’t even ask about economics knowledge, as half of the states, including Hawai’i, don’t push or require it.

Locally, the Hawai`i Council on Economic Education tried (in vain) to get economics ABCs mandated in some form in our schools for decades. According to the national Council for Economic Education, 40% of Americans have less than $300 in savings; just 24% of Millennials demonstrate basic financial literacy; and 50% of America’s youth will earn less than their parents. While it’s not all or always about money, understanding (and then acting upon) basic economic concepts might help us avoid or mitigate the next financial crisis (see the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis, as confusion reigned).

25 states currently mandate that students take an economics course in order to graduate- practical, available, basic knowledge. And learning more about history might encourage more people to become more involved and encourage greater engagement on civics, ethics, and social items. Ignorance and arrogance are not great platforms upon which to run a fruitful democracy.

If you’re a parent or a mentor, help kids learn more stuff about more stuff. There are fun ways to capture history’s lessons. I just took a short, 8^th grade history exam while reading about the recent, rocky student results. I flunked… badly. A wake-up call for me. And one can always learn the basics of when not to buy things (cars, homes, credit cards, Amazon “wants”) outside of one’s existing financial realities.

No, ignorance is not bliss at some juncture. We (the collective community) need to make sure our kids learn to make better choices on alluring options later in life.

Think about it…  

Yet another balloon was sighted drifting gently over our azure skies recently. Thankfully, we were assured that it did not pose a threat and was not being controlled by some prying, foreign potentate. Apparently, it was released from a baby luau as the crowd sang “Happy Birthday”, and the overzealous birthday boy wailed away due to his sheer exhaustion, but that might be just a cable news rumor.

All 10 of the strategically-placed, red-light traffic cameras are now operating on Oahu, so we don’t even have to wonder if Big Brother is watching… he set ‘em up! Hopefully, people will not simply slow down, but will actually stop at that red thing (a/k/a- a traffic light) and also heed the yellow light rather than consider it a pedal-to-the-metal indicator.

Does anyone locally get busted for texting and driving or texting while walking through an intersection? Surely some people have been nabbed in the act. The penalty? Scofflaws are fined and their information is sent to Santa Claus at the North Pole; he then places their names on his “naughty” list. It’s true! It was allegedly reported on a national cable news show.

COVID-19 has been moved to a mellower list of “endemic diseases” as federal government restrictions are eliminated. Upon finding out, COVID-19 said, “oh yeh… you just wait, I’m not done yet” and threatened to mutate yet again. I wish this was funny, but as 18-million Americans continue to suffer with “long COVID” symptoms of some sort, the ripple effect of this disease is no joke. You can surely make your own COVID-related decisions for you and those around you, but recall the 1960s when many parents allowed their kids get chicken pox from the youngster down the street to “get it over with”. But decades later, chicken pox can lead to the lovely (not!) shingles viral infection, a nefarious viral byproduct. No joke, indeed. 

And finally, Kaiwi, the monk seal, gave birth to her fifth pup on Kaimana Beach on April 14. By month’s end, junior will hele on. Kaiwi last gave birth to a pup here two years ago, and while thrilled with that birth, she admits to the difficulties of raising kids nowadays, saying this about her now two-year old son: “…he never calls, never writes; he doesn’t even Zoom!” Well, that’s what they told me on a national cable news network.

Think about it…

The University of Hawai`i men’s volleyball team will try to serve up a three-peat this weekend at the NCAA championship tournament in Virginia. Beloved by so many, it’s been quite the trip for the VolleyBows and local fans watching this team of local, national, and international studs ply its trade on the hardwood (or Taraflex). 

For many folks, UH volleyball has been COVID relief, as we’ve witnessed this squad winning back-to-back national titles during the relative lockdown, by 3-0 set scores over arch-rival Long Beach State (2022) and Hawai`i’s long-time sports nemesis, BYU (2021). Oh, and the 2020 squad was 15-1 before the coronavirus ended the season for everyone in mid-March.

UH has won 90% of its matches over the past three years (72-8!) against the best college competition around. It heads into this season’s final weekend having just won the Big West Conference tourney on April 22. It is peaking once again, undoubtedly a scary sight for tired opponents.

With all of the starters back from last year’s team, the performance of these volley-brawlers perhaps comes as no surprise, yet think of how many teams in how many sports have difficulty repeating their successes annually. One of the great things about sports- it’s real-life drama unfolding live in person or as reality TV on our screens of choice (and please, do not confuse this showcase with the contrived, edited melodrama of so-called “reality” shows; ugh…).

This volleyball team not only displays a seamless blending of cultures and creativity, but also features an easy-to-be seen aloha that UH players share for one another, local fans, and their coaches. Hawai`i averaged over 6,600 fans at each home match this year- many schools would gladly take that 6,600 attendance figure over the course of their entire home season!

Win or lose, triumph or trauma this weekend, UH’s elite leapers have proven to be incredible ambassadors of volleyball and our islands. Their infectious perseverance, choreographed antics on the sidelines, and knowing smiles with fans (UH adorers and opposition fans) enhance this volleyball phenomenon. 

College coaches nationwide acknowledge what a thrill it is to play in Hawai`i or to play anywhere against Hawai`i. For this long-running show, now occurring annually in Mānoa, we should be thankful, appreciative, and grateful. So, here’s to UH Coach Charlie Wade, his terrific, talented team, and everyone else associated with this class act. Go Warriors!

Think about it…

Buried in the brouhaha about how to handle advertising and marketing for the state is the sense that- hey, we’ve already built it, so they will come (not exactly “Field of Dreams”, but you get the gist). If simple existence was sufficient to ensure that our #1 industry would keep performing as it has historically (minus those pesky, short-term rentals), the conundrum over who and how to market Hawai`i wouldn’t be such an important struggle.

But lest local consumers think that our speck in the ocean is an “automatic” when it comes to luring hard-earned, discretionary spending, heed the wise words of Ford Motors’ founder, Henry Ford, who said, “A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time”. The price we’d pay might be steep, too steep for Hawai`i to risk, no matter how we invariably market, who does it, or who we’re trying to reach. 

If branding is the issue du jour, then let the debate begin. But if you really think we can cut way back and still maintain our current visitor positioning (a big chunk of our tax base), then you’d better inform Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Coca Cola, Disney, Samsung, Louis Vuitton, McDonalds, Toyota, Intel, Coca Cola, Nike, AT&T, and VISA… the most recognized brands in the world, most with many decades pursuing customer recognition. Yet they’re all still out there daily, reminding us of their products, value proposition, and mere existence.

And yes, Hawai`i is “different”, but so claims Mexico, Canada, California, Florida, New York, the Caribbean, and other destinations that crave inbound visitors (and spending). Sure, we want a savvier, more culturally-aware visitor who’ll spend more money than in the past so we won’t need as many bodies visiting to reach annual revenue goals to ensure happiness for hotel operators and Hawai’i’s tax coffers. 

But to suggest that we can rest on our laurels and save $25 – $50 million a year because “they’ll come anyway” is most likely naïve and quite possibly dangerous. Studies from the past 100 years show that entities advertising during a recession received higher sales than those that cut back. “Penny-wise and pound-foolish” is not a viable marketing plan. A robust, consistent marketing strategy featuring destination marketing targeted to various locales is essential in building loyalty, equity, and vital top-of-mind positioning. We can’t a Ford not to…

Think about it…