HapaJapan.org has been redesigned

I thought "hapa" was a Hawaiian term. I'm hapa. I'm not Japanese. Yet another racist group created. Yea :-(

oh, and not to rain on your parade but

http://www.realhapas.com/

http://www.amerasianworld.com/hawaiianhapas.php#hapas

Sorry if I was being a dick.

I just find it curious that:

1) Gen is very aware of racial issues, especially in relation to Japanese Americans

2) Gen who seems to be anti-racist is promoting a group of which you have to be part of a certain race to participate in

3) Gen who is hyper sensitive to asian american racial issues it using the term Hapa to describe half Japanese which in itself is racially offensive to actual Hapas (part Hawaiians)

Gregg, I always appreciate your comments even if I don't always agree with them.

Race is an interesting topic to me. I look at race through the only lens I have, my own, and thus my biases are evident.

From the links you've provided, the organization should be called Hapa Kepani (half or part-Japanese) but the group is named as such because it's in Japan.

The issue of segregation is a complex one, but the reality is that people of mixed-race are a minority of a minority in Japan. This group is an attempt to create a social space where people of half-Japanese are dominant. I'm actually the minority at these events because I am not half-Japanese.

Gregg, you have an open invitation to join me at any HapaJapan event you'd like to go to. We are not exclusive of anyone, but the focus of the group is for people of mixed backgrounds, mainly half-Japanese, because there is so little in the way of community or support in the mainstream of Japanese society.

Thanks for the invite. Again, I didn't mean to be rude, just bring up some ideas.

I'm about as rare as they get. I have 7 nationalities mixed in. According to the U.S. census there are less than like 200 people in America that have 7 or more. Actually they only tracked up to 6 but as the scale got processively smaller and 6 or more was already under 1000....

hawaiian, tahitai, chinese, portuguese, english, irish and dutch. I got my mom's genes so I look white. My sister got my dad's so she looks hawaiian.

But, generally the race based groups kind of upset me because generally at the core you can expose their racism. Have a white looking guy like me show up at a chinese group and people will ask me to leave to at least be uncomfortable. I wish people could some how separate culture from looks and from race but I guess it will be many years if ever before that happens.

I have enough Hawaiian blood (30-40%) to go to the Kamehameha school on Ohau (hawaiians only). While I thought that was cool as a kid I'm mixed on it now. Is having a hawaiians only school preserving hawaiian culture or is it just being racist and exclusive? I don't know.

It just seems like gathering around a race issue, even if they aim to be inclusive eventually ends up on a "us" vs "them" kind of situation and I don't think that helps solve this whole issue of race although I have no idea how to solve it.

I learned alot from gman's comments. gman's comments are well taken and the frustration behind the words. Thank you. Obviously Gen's have equal value or I would not be reading this blog.
Forced assimilation in the U.S. was common. In some cases,culture was kept in the home. I am glad that my hapa kepani children (yonsei) are able to use their Japanese (grandparent) names, take Japanese in school (happy that it is offered and not been taken away...yet). A big difference from their sansei mom's experience in school.
Why do I also agree with gen's comments? My daughter is starting a hapa club at her college (You don't have to be hapa).

Just adding more thoughts. I find it interesting that Hawaiian Hapa's claims are not taken seriously. I think it would be come quite and issue if a bunch of white kids decided to start call themselves African American and formed and African American club or a Native Indian and etc.

Of course deep down I think none of this should be an issue but I find it sad that one group asks for respect and at the same time doesn't respect another.

I don't know why I can't stop thinking about this topic but....

Here's another thing to think about. This is my personal experience.

When I grew up, elementary school, my best friends were Laura Bargayo (Filipino American), Ed Hamada (Japanese American), Rocky Fankhouser (Swiss? American), Glenn Wallace (Scottish, Native American, American) and Me (Hawaiian American(*)). We grew up knowning that our families came from different backgrounds but it never occured to us to care.

In High School it was John Alvarado (Mexican American), Greg Marquez (Mexican, Native American, American), Ron Nakada (Japanese, American), Andy Brown (German? American), Me (Hawaiian American).

Ed Hamada was no longer a close friend but he was class president. Our top female student was Judy Kuramoto and she was just as popular as Ed Hamada. Andy Brown was our top male student. We had an influx of Vietnamese students who has far as I know were assumilated just fine. Every one was friends, everyone was just a human being.

Now-a-days it seems like that kind of situation is nearly impossible. People who were unfortunately vicitms of racism have formed groups based around race for support. That means I suspect if I were to grow up with those same people today they would all be asked to join groups where others of different races are not allowed or are discouraged from participating. We would not have been easy friends because we would have formed groups of Hapas and Asian Americans and Mexican Americans etc and it would have become an us vs them kind of mentality.

It's really really sad that because of this the world or specifically America is getting worse in its race relations, not better.

"God damn you half-Japanese girls. Do it to me every time."

Weezer will be at the next event scouting for new talent.

Gen, I couldn't help but notice that the info on the HapaJapan homepage excludes you from their events.

"The only requirement to join us or participate in a party is that you are hapa. By hapa, we take a broad definition meaning mixed race (having parents of different racial background)"

As someone who loves the energy of this group (and realizes it's just a loose gang of kids having a blast) I don't really care too much, but thought I'd point it out.

See you at the next nijikai :)