The Clever Design of Hawaii's Capitol Matters.

The Hawaii state capitol doesn't look like any other capitol in America. Why?
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CITATIONS
(reference numbers noted in English CC)
1. Phil Barnes, A Concise History of the Hawaiian Islands (Petroglyph Press: Hilo, 1996), 38-54.
2. Ibid., 62-70.
3. Dan Boylan and T. Michael Holmes, John A. Burns: The Man and His Times (University of Hawaii Press, 2000).
4. Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi, “State Capitol Awash with Meaning,” for the Historic Hawaii Foundation, 18 January 2018.
5. Office of Hawaiian Affairs, “About.”
6. University of Hawaii, “About the Hawaiian Language.”
7. Aislyn Greene, “What is the Hawaii Sovereignty Movement,” in AFAR, 2 September 2021.

[@lknight1266]

Bro got a tax write off for his vacation with this video 😂

[@spectacles-dm]

🤫🤫🤫

[@mamascookin]

Omg same!

[@808-PFH-Kanaka-Rights]

@@spectacles-dm hello, just a note for the begginning of the video. in 1887, the king did have to sign something known as the bayonet constitution that stripped his power (and the rights of the people), however he was not the one who had been overthrown. as you know his sister did though, as she got overthrown on january 17th, 1893, backed by US marines. those who forced both Kalakaua and Liliu'okalani of their power, were not mostly white men. it was disappointingly all white men, hence the all white militia of the honolulu rifles- committeee of safety, and "missionary" party (that last one feels like a mockery to their parents and grandparents) :(

[@jacobmartin1100]

There was an attempt in the early 2000s-2010s to try and get some form of Federal recognition for the status of native Hawaiians; unfortunately, Hawaii's history and background doesn't mesh well with the American system of tribal recognition (poorly arranged as it is for indigenous people on the continent), and it wasn't well received by many people and SCOTUS ultimately struck it down. The brutal reality of the situation is that Hawaiian as a language is practically unused by day to day people, outnumbered in use by Asian languages and dwarfed by English, and the demographics of the state point more towards a pluralistic synthesis being requisite for its future than anything else. There are many injustices which have to be redressed for both the population as a whole and for native Hawaiians in particular, but the demographic weight and reality of the situation geographically, let alone the opinions of people who live there, makes the notion of "illegal occupation" leading to independence an understandable but impractical one.

[@SEAZNDragon]

I feel for the native Hawaiians given how they lost their kingdom. There's a reason the 1887 constitution was called the Bayonet Constitution. But demographics aside the islands small size and location just made them a target of colonization. If not by the US then, it could have easily been the British or Japanese. Today I can see more an economic colonization by China If Hawaii regained its independence.

[@808-PFH-Kanaka-Rights]

it was by the US then. remember, britain was our largest allie and we were making agreements with japan, with one ship apparently coming here from japan after the wake of the overthrow to figure out what was happening. they were even considering a Royal Marriage with the hawaiian kingdom, but sadly, that planned dissolved. @@SEAZNDragon

[@x808drifter]

None of the Hawaiian "Leaders" wanting to play nice with each other is another large part of it. 4-5 people who want it to be all them and fk every one else mentality.

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

I’m glad the USA took over Hawaii back then. Excellent decision! Eventually making it a state was nice as well! If some Hawaiians want to complain they should consider advocating for the split up of the Hawaiian islands after their hypothetical succession from the Union as well. The Hawaiian islands coming under the single rule of one kingdom did not somehow occur without conquest as well. I’m sick of the whining from the minority there.

[@808-PFH-Kanaka-Rights]

@@robertortiz-wilson1588 you're probably just complaining due to the fact that Hawai'i is your little slice of paradise. if so, that's such a shame because it proves that you ignore our history which is why the people of hawai'i are always angry at visitors.

[@Ntyler01mil]

I'm not really sure where anyone is getting “Bauhaus” from this building. The design strikes me as belonging to the “New Formalism” movement, which was popular in the 1960s. The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs by Minoru Yamasaki is a very similar-looking building from the same period. Both buildings are very consciously reinventing a classical temple with modern-looking columns and window screens. Yamasaki's work on Wayne State Campus in Detroit, Michigan also marries similar modernist temples with water features.

[@shannymau5]

Senator Inouye had an incredible story. Rest in peace.

[@peterkelly4873]

Philip, I hope your trip has been going well. These on location videos have been fantastic.

[@spectacles-dm]

Thanks Peter! Glad you like them. Next stop: 🗾

[@jl63023]

4:50 This is something that all post-colonial societies are learning to deal with and in many ways, these two views are held in tension. Should we take pride in being a hybrid of societies, lamenting the past but moving forward together for a brighter future? Or should we see this hybridity has a continual reminder of our subjugation and the lingering effects of our oppressions and instead cast off these "foreign colonial elements", get back in touch with our ancestral ways that were since hybridized, watered down or supplanted and seek justice for our collective? While I prefer the former, this debate is being had in many societies, some going with the former, some with the latter. But we shouldn't shy away from acknowledging the past, but we shouldn't use it as an anchor to keep us down either. We should seek justice and reparation, but we shouldn't let it consume us. We should stake our own identity and tell our story, but we shouldn't be erasing parts of our identity we find unsavory because of its origins. This is something that all of our societies will have to deal with and come to a consensus over, even if it's a bit painful

[@evansnjuguna8315]

This is true. While Native Hawaiian traditions and customs and history should be preserved, I also feel that new customs traditions and pathways can be made while it exists in its current form as part of the United States. Hawaii can forge its own path now that benefits itself and the greater union much better without restrictions and fear as both Hawaiians and Americans.

[@dai-nippon_digger]

Take this from a local sitting on Oahu right now. The Hawaiians have willfully changed their culture over time to be better adapted to the changing world. At the start of the 19th century, they most crucially thrust off the Kapu system which had ruled them for nearly a thousand years. Times have changed and I honestly think that a lot of Native Hawaiian activists are just campaigning for a "Hawaii for Hawaiians" just so they can get a kick-back from the government. But you must admit that preserving their culture is something that must be done.

[@Capt.Steele]

I agree it's a very tricky topic, and I hate people simplifying it down to colonialism bad, natives good. Economic exploitation is indeed bad, but toppling A monarchy and enforcing literacy laws is one of the best ways to jumpstart an economy and bring stability to a region. All around the world, but particularly in the caribbeans and Africa we see the results of native populations throwing away whatever was gained through colonial occupation. South Africa in particular was one of the few success stories in Africa until they decided to take a nationalist native sentiment and seize much of the land and institutions that their horrible oppressors had built up. Immediately resulting in a famine due to kicking out all the white farmers, and intense government corruption by kicking out all the white politicians and giving their jobs too inept political yes men.

[@johntom5562]

Couldn't agree more. Australian politicians need to take note

[@spectacles-dm]

Sometimes truth lies in embracing such contradictions. Thanks for such a thoughtful comment!

[@sem_identitificador]

It would fit just fine in Brasilia. It looks like a classic Oscar Niemayer public office building.

[@VIK_1903]

Indeed

[@vulpes7079]

Most of those were designed by Lúcio Costa

[@sem_identitificador]

@@vulpes7079 My understanding was that Lucio Costa was the urbanist and Oscar Niemayer the architect of Brasilia.

[@miketackabery7521]

Yeah it's completely unrelated to the Bauhaus.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Louisiana's and Nebraska's capitols were built the same year in 1932 as skyscrapers (Florida also did the same thing in the 1970s)! Baton Rouge actually has the tallest capitol building in the country! By the 1920s, the Old State Capitol (built in the 1850s) in Baton Rouge was starting to show its age and proving to be too small for the expanding state government. When Huey Long was elected, he seized upon the idea of using a new capitol as a way to symbolize the end of the "political domination of Louisiana's traditional social and economic elite" in the state. He noticed Nebraska was constructing a new tall capitol building at the same time at 400 feet tall, and decided to copy the skyscraper concept Nebraska was doing and made sure the new capitol would be taller at 450 feet tall. Both of these were completed the same year in 1932. The New Mexico State Capitol is unique in being circular because it was designed to resemble the Zia sun symbol (which is on the state flag) when viewed from above, with four entrance wings that protrude from the main cylindrical volume. The symbol has sacred meaning to the Zia people. It's painted on ceremonial vases, drawn on the ground around campfires, and used to introduce newborns to the Sun. Four is a sacred number symbolizing the Circle of Life; the four directions, the four times of day, the four stages of life, and the four seasons. The circle binds these four elements of four together. Its original capitol building is the Palace of the Governors which was built in 1610 for the then capital of the Spanish province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México. The Palace changed hands as the territory of New Mexico did, seeing the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the Spanish return from 1693 to 1694, Mexican independence in 1821, and American territorial status in 1848. It remained the New Mexico seat of government until 1901, NM was granted statehood in 1912, a capitol was built in 1900, and the circular capitol was built in the 1960s.

[@m1l3s27]

I see you on a bunch of the videos I watch. Respect to you for contributing great comments on the channels I enjoy.

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

Interesting, thank you.

[@KingfisherTalkingPictures]

I remember passing this building so many times in the 60s when I was a kid. To me, this look meant modern society, and modern Hawaii. We moved to other parts of the pacific, but always remembered the modernity of Honolulu. My views have changed over the years, but I’ll never forget feeling how fresh and new Honolulu felt in the Jet Age.

[@JohnnyMarksVideos]

This was so dense with information without ever feeling like it. Stoked to see more Philip-on-the-street action!

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

When it comes to controversial capitols, Albany's Empire State Plaza around NY's state capitol comes to mind. Empire State Plaza was the idea of Governor Nelson Rockefeller, who was inspired to create the complex after Queen Juliana of the Netherlands visited Albany for a celebration of the area's Dutch history. It's sadly another example of diverse neighborhoods being ripped apart for big 1960s projects by the state as an African and Italian neighborhood was destroyed to make way for it. It was inspired by Brasília and India's Chandigarh and designed by Wallace Harrison, who also worked on the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center (a Robert Moses project that destroyed the African/Puerto Rican neighborhood of San Juan Hill). The NY State Capitol itself on the other hand is pretty cool. As you briefly mentioned, it's unique for its architecture. It was built between 1867 and 1899. Three teams of architects worked on the design of the Capitol during the 32 years of its construction which were Thomas Fuller (from 1867 to 1875), Leopold Eidlitz and Henry Hobson Richardson (1875 to 1883), and Isaac G. Perry (1883 to 1899). Thomas Fuller was the same guy who designed the buildings of Parliament Hill in Ottawa! As the result of the different architects, the state capitol is in different styles throughout including Romanesque and French Renaissance. Inside are 25 murals created by William deLeftwich Dodge that depict everything from Samuel de Champlain to New York troops serving in World War I.

[@Meower68]

Don't forget the Louisiana State Capitol building. It's a 34-story art-deco high-rise building which contains not just the capitol chambers (House / Senate) but also all the offices for all the senators, representatives, governor, etc. It's about as far from traditional Greco-Roman architecture as you can get.

[@808-PFH-Kanaka-Rights]

I would also like to note on truly...what is Hawai'i? Hawai'i are the people that live here. Hawai'i is the lifestyle that these people acknowledged. Hawai'i are the Native Hawaiians that first came apon these islands, and ruled them for over a thousand years. Hawai'i is our history, based on that of the native Hawaiians and monarchy and built apon the plantation days and then by the Native Hawaiian Renaissance. it is a mindset, a mindset of understanding where you are, who you are, and how to contribute to these islands. it is the mindset of community and family. it is the mindset of understanding the land and knowing it's limits as well as your own. it is knowing aloha and knowing respect. to not give aloha or respect will mean you will immediately loose it... these are all Hawai'i..... these represent the people of Hawai'i. it is why we acknowledge what we acknowledge and push for what we push for. Also remember, no Hawaiians...No Hawai'i. Hawai'is home for native Hawaiians, we have no other.

[@kennixox262]

Here on the mainland, there are several buildings in the southeastern part of the country that imitate that design, mostly bank buildings.

[@johnl.7754]

Looks nice and unique

[@praedyth9718]

i know its not this guys fault but I spit out my food when we said the late Senator Daniel Inouye's last name XD

[@marklittle8805]

Iolani Palace and the tour there told the story of Hawaii to me. I am a Canadian, I found the story fascinating in that the Royal Hawaiian family were very much close to Queen Victoria and the UK. Had they been willing to join the Empire so to speak they may have been able to fend off the American planters. However, that would have been a subjugation to another master so I know that didn't seem like an option. One thing I did get a chuckle out of. A big native Hawaiian was the security guy at the back door (all the staff are native Hawaiians only) asked me where I was from and I told him. He said, what did you think? I told him if he wanted help kicking out the Americans, we Canadians would take them in as province. He laughed his ass off ...

[@bladepeterson778]

Fascinating to think that a state capitol can represent so much. How it differs from the rest of the US, and yet is also controversial in how it hopes to represent Hawai'i's unique status amongst the United States.

[@ATIMELINEOFAVIATION]

I was literally looking at the architecture in and around Iolani Palace, including at the state capitol, for like the past month! 😂

[@HYPERIONNakayama]

Great video, summarizes conflict that the people of Hawaii have dealt with. I live in Hawaii and have taken my Hawaiian course in college. This is pretty good. Well done sir.

[@waikelehawaii4409]

Speaking as a kama'aina, this was a pretty good job. We all know about how Hawai'i and her people became American; what is rarely discussed however, are the alternatives. The Russians were on Kaua'i, the French on Maui, and of course there was the British (just look at our state flag). Every seafaring country was colonizing the planet and if it were not for the United States, we could all be speaking Russian, French, or British English. To think that Hawai'i and the monarchy could have stayed independent is not realistic in the context of history IMHO. Given the alternatives, I'm happy and proud to be an American. I'm even happier knowing that the ethnic Hawaiians (kanaka maoli) will hopefully get their due from OHA.

[@andezong9565]

100% agree with you but didn’t King Kamehameha put the Union Jack on your state flag for pure aesthetic reasons?

[@Novusod]

@@andezong9565 He put the Union Jack on Hawaii's flag to fool the other seafaring powers. The deception actually worked. The reason the French and Russians didn't make a move to grab Hawaii for themselves is because they thought it was a British protectorate even though it wasn't. He also put the 13 red / white stripes on the flag to fool the British. The British though it was already part of America so they never made a move on it either. This confusion allowed Hawaii to remain independent for decades.

[@timhazeltine3256]

Not entirely correct. The Hawaiian Kingdom was recognized by many European Countries, including the United Kingdom, France, the German Empire and Russia, as well as China and Japan in Asia. Moreover, by the 1860s, European powers were no longer interested in annexation. Americans, and Americans who had become subjects of the Hawaiian Kingdom (aka traitors) spearheaded the coup and annexation. Frankly, they couldn't abide a country ruled by 'brown' people with a female sovereign. A final point, Hawai'i was a constutional monarchy, with a constitution, legislature, courts and a high literacy rate. But it would never suffice for most of the Island's whites, who saw the Hawaiian people as inherently inferior because of their color.

[@miketackabery7521]

​@@timhazeltine3256not entirely correct, as quite a few countries "recognized" by european colonial powers were later colonized by those same powers. Hawaii would never have remained independent.

[@user-be1jx7ty7n]

⁠@@timhazeltine3256 “Frankly, they couldn’t abide a country ruler by ‘brown’ people and ruled by a female sovereign” Australia and New Zealand were contemporaries ruled by a female monarch. Highly doubt they would have cared too much about this. Your conviction sounds more formed by contemporary politics than by historical motives. It was mostly centered around commercial interests.

[@miketackabery7521]

The architecture has no relationship to the Bauhaus. It is far closer to Oscar Niemeyer's work on Brasil's new capital of Brasilia.

[@jamarswope2341]

Man I wanna visit Hawaii so bad. They're a great example of our inability to just undo what our ancestors did, though.

[@BiasBiasBias]

nice

[@nls7383]

So cool!

[@jerryvega3042]

😂 thats a ‘subscription worthy’ edit 0:54

[@felman87]

Oh wow, this brings back memories. I used to live on Oahu and even did my internship at the capitol.

[@schwiftyschwimmer]

As a linguist grad student, I feel for native Hawaiians with respect to the teaching of the native language. I’ve never been to Hawaii, but it appears like the chance to create some sort of multilingual society was ignored. It’s a real shame, not just for Hawaii, but any indigenous language in post colonial states (countries). Languages need speakers to live, and it’s a shame that native Hawaiian isn’t at least comprehensible to a large portion of their population.

[@skipperson4077]

Hawaiian language is better off than many languages worldwide that are threatened with extinction. I lived in Hawaii for some time and there are efforts to reinvigorate Hawaiian language in the school system, most notably at charter schools and/or within the Kamehameha system. The language used for 'multilingual society' is so-called Pidgin, simplified English that mixed parts of other languages including numerous Hawaiian words and phrases. One thing keeping Hawaiian language alive is its use in music, both hula and some Hawaiian music. Most people I've met who actually speak Hawaiian are close to hula or Ni'ihau...

[@Edax_Royeaux]

You drive around Hawai'i and you'll see signs along the road written in Hawaiian.

[@eliaseriksen4809]

“Sure, a democracy shouldn’t be run out of a royal palace…” *laughs in Norwegian*

[@riptide8103]

1:29 English Literary requirements, Hawaii had a higher native language rate than the US.

[@timhazeltine3256]

Yes. One of many measures, including forbidding the teaching of Hawaiian in public schools, intended to eliminate Hawaiian culture.

[@Hilavaflow]

"It [the state capitol] represents subjugation." Selective memory and amnesia, as long as the ones being painted as villians have pale skin color. Kamehameha subjugated the chiefs and people of Maui, Oahu, and other independent islands through conquest and brutal subjugation. There was mass slaughter at Io Needle on Maui by Kamehameha's warriors. Spare me selective, agenda filled propaganda of Hawaii sovereignists. History is the past that we gleam wisdom from but should not be used as a talisman of victimhood.

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

The fact that one society had a system of subjectgation and oppression does not automatically mean that another is simply ok.

[@Edax_Royeaux]

@@IkeOkerekeNews Exactly. Too many Hawaiian nationalist I've spoken (the loud ones at least) want to create an ethno-state and seize the properties of those whose blood isn't pure enough. It chills the bones to listen to it.

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

@@Edax_Royeaux That is a shame, but I'm actually critiquing the original commenter's strange argument against Hawaiian Sovereigntists, which argues that because the Kingdom of Hawaii was itself a project of conquest, it means that the US's conquest of the islands was somehow justified.

[@doujinflip]

While Hawai’i may be “subjugated” by the US, at least the US is tolerant to open dissent. The alternative would have been getting conquered by Imperial Japan some years later in their eastward expansion probably under some pretext of “protecting their compatriots” who had migrated there, and they’re infamously not so keen on diversity.

[@jlee4039]

I lived in Hawai’i, and I know he didn’t talk to a single Hawaiian for this video, based on how he continually mispronounces its name. 😮

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

I’m glad the USA took over Hawaii back then. Excellent decision! Eventually making it a state was nice as well! If some Hawaiians want to complain they should consider advocating for the split up of the Hawaiian islands after their hypothetical succession from the Union as well. The Hawaiian islands coming under the single rule of one kingdom did not somehow occur without conquest as well. I’m sick of the whining from the minority there.

[@NW255]

Alaska state capitol look like a office park office block with no character whatsoever

[@andresm1704]

Man i loved these vids at first, then when i found out your vids are filled with misinformation and personal bias it ruined everything for me

[@supertrippyjohng]

I felt weird learning so much from such a young baby faced person. You almost make up for it with your clear and almost deep voice. I see a bright future in TV at some point. Great job 👍

[@kormagogthedestroyer]

This may just be the best KZbin comment in history

[@supertrippyjohng]

@@kormagogthedestroyer I see you feel the same way lol

[@lutherwilcox2249]

see what does the statement mostly white add to your video. either create good content or bring your political views into your content you can't choose both

[@AndreaJ9x]

No attempts to do anything like this for native Americans.

[@ashishpatel350]

wasnt just whites. but specifically christians that did that to hawaii

[@dai-nippon_digger]

Where my Hawaiian homies at 🤙🔥🔥🔥

[@SimonSozzi7258]

0:20 All three of those buildings have Greco-Roman elements, though. New Mexico has timpanums above the doors and dentlil moldings. New York is covered in pilasters with Ionic capitals and Alaska has a Doric temple as it's entrance.

[@Zulonix]

There was a bank where I grew up that looked a LOT like the Hawaii state house... a total monstrosity of an eyesore! What were they thinking?

[@SantaFe19484]

Do they ever have luaus at the capitol? That represents Hawaii.

[@user-ru3ql6ji4p]

Free Hawaii!

[@Commander-leo]

Hawaiian economy if that happens📉📉

[@redhidinghood9337]

You mean expell? Because that's a more accurate way to phrase it, considering most Hawaiians don't want to leave the US

[@timhazeltine3256]

​@@redhidinghood9337Do you know the difference between a Hawaiian and a Hawai'i resident?

[@SeruraRenge11]

Ok yeah, maybe it's a symbol of an illegal annexation...but land doesn't exactly get un-annexed, especially not after a hundred years and ESPECIALLY not after the original native inhabitants have become a small ethnic minority. It's hard to argue against the decolonization of say South Africa when the black population was 90% of the country, it's a little easier with Hawaii when they're just under 11%. So while I can't see the land EVER being given back to the native Hawaiians, they'll just have to do the next best thing and ensure the rights of the people who were in the past conquered, just as we did here in Finland with the Sami. Maybe that means giving them their own legislature like we did.

[@fra604]

Land gets un-annexed, even after a hundred years and even jf the natives become a minority. It happened literally everywhere in the Americas, it happened in every Arab country outside of the Arabic peninsula, and it happened in Taiwan. Even Estonia, your neighbor, only had half of the population that was ethnically Estonian yet they're a successful independent nation now

[@SeruraRenge11]

@@fra604 First off, the majority of SA countries are around 50% native minimum and most of them threw off colonial rule violently. Secondly, Arabs became independent because the Ottoman Empire was destroyed. And thirdly, Estonia only managed to do that because the USSR was collapsing. No nation willingly gives up territory, something has to happen that they're no longer able to hold onto it. After all, for as much as we want it, we still have not gotten back all of Karelia.

[@dai-nippon_digger]

​@@fra604come to Hawaii an see fo yourself how things are? What land is there to give back? Our state is not the wealthiest so for the government to get back the land and then give it to a small minority would in my eyes be unaffordable. It would also severely prioritize one minority over another. Especially on Oahu this is wholly impossible. Hell, my Uncle can't even find a damn place to live for his family. Land is so scarce, a good sized apartment is at least $1,500 a month.

[@Capt.Steele]

South Africa is a bit of a terrible example as the country is in horrendous turmoil after restarted apartheid. I'm surprised how many people are shocked that a country starts falling apart when you gut its institutions and hand out the vacant jobs too inept political yesmen. Like for God sakes the country "stole back" massive amounts of farmland from the "horrible oppressors" and gave it to the local population which immediately initiated A famine because no one knew what they were doing. Moving beyond that, we in the modern day are given the privilege to consider war an illegal act. When in reality it is a common and quite frequent aspect of human history. For 99% of history conquering a land means that you now own it and its people. Sometimes they rebel and regain their freedom, and sometimes the population merges with its "horrible oppressors" creating a new culture which then repeats the cycle. The last thing America needs to start doing is legally separating people based on their cultural heritage. Such acts only foster violence and prejudice, most often against the culture that is trying to be protected. The best thing for humanity as a whole is to acknowledge our similarities rather than our differences. To judge a man not based on his skin colour or his cultural heritage, but by the contents of his character.

[@SeruraRenge11]

@@Capt.Steele to be fair, in no way was I trying to pose the idea that I support the ANC and their insane socialist policies. The ANC has destroyed SA, Spectacles made a video on that. My point was simply that handing over the reins to a country is a lot more morally justifiable when the people you're handing it to are the vast majority of its population, as most people have an inherent distate for the idea of a tiny ethnic minority holding all power in a country that claims to be democratic.

[@flightmasterr231]

The irony is that those same people who in 2024 cry about Hawaii being subjugated would be the same people clamoring to join the USA if it were the poor, small, defenseless, independent country it would be

[@lohphat]

Inouye = ee-NOH-ay The "y" is due to Anglicization and originally wasn't there. See wiki on "Inoue". I know Native Hawai`ians are upset over annexation, but sitting out in the midde of the Pacific meant that SOMEONE was going to do it. Consider the alternatives. Imperial Japan slaughtered the cultures they invaded. China? Just as Tibet about how that's going. Russia? How would those imperial powers have treated the native language and culture? For all the wrongs the US has perpetuated -- and continues in the Marshall Islands today -- being a US state is the least of the Hawai'ians' problems. Obesity and drug use now are killing more natives than the colonists have.

[@AlexWeong]

Hawaiians* and treaties existed. The Hawaiian Kingdom had a very close relationship to Imperial Japan back then, and I wonder where obesity and drug problems came from.....

[@lohphat]

@@AlexWeong These people aren't being forced fed. They're making personal choices. The Imperial Japanese were brutal in their occupations. Just ask Korea and China how the Japanese raped and slaughtered entire villages during their occupation. Having a long distance relationship with Imperial Japan is not the same as them occupying.

[@AlexWeong]

@@lohphat Hawaiian Kingdom was close with them and almost became one united kingdom until some problems happened. I know Japan did very very terrible things after that but we still had other treaties and protection. During the overthrow the Japanese asked our Queen if we needed assistance. Even the UK didnt like the US backed coup because we had close relationships and treaties with other countries. We wouldnt have been occupied by another country.

[@FreedomIII]

@op you're on the right track, but don't quite go far enough. Inoue is a Japanese family name consisting of 4 syllables, ih-noh-oo-eh (井上(いのうえ)). What's more, え is pronounced eh (think "meh", nice and short), though native English speakers almost always try to pronounce it as ay.

[@lohphat]

@@AlexWeong EVERY colonial power wanted Hawai'i because if it's strategic location. My point is that the US did the least cultural damage. The Japanese, Chinese, Russians, and the British would have repressed native cultures harder. The only exception may have been the French but their record isn't great either. At some point Hawai'i could not exist independently. Period. It did not have the resources to fend off any large military power who wanted it. Yes the US exploited it, but unlike the other options, it was the best option for the long term survival of the language and culture, despite the attempts to "civilize" the natives. Those other imperial powers were NOT pluralistic.

[@SaintShadowe21]

One small rhetorical mistake, I wouldn't use the word "marriage" for merging three things.

[@spectacles-dm]

the future is now old man

[@solssun]

“Identities change” said Japan to Korea, said Germany to Poland, said Russia to Ukraine

[@gollygeep]

Exactly. It's a bit much for colonial powers to do their utmost to erase the original identity and say that what's new is the "proper" identity.

[@Nalololol]

As did the Persians to the Turks. Turks to the Armenians. Chinese to Uyghurs. Swedish to the Danes. Serbs to the Croats. Zulu to the Shona.

[@dai-nippon_digger]

Yes except you're forgetting that Hawaiians willfully changed themselves between 1789 and 1887. The Kapu system which was in place for a thousand years was thrown away. Identities do change and not always at the behest of another.

[@Capt.Steele]

Changing identities and cultural shift and merging is the literal story of humanity. Do you think every culture just spawned out of nowhere in the beginning of time like a civilization game?

[@ichigokurosaki2725]

This is an interesting video even though you butchered people names.

[@Chobblesome000]

I mean when does people start to become "native" to the land? I don't think native Hawaiians are more deserving of the land compare to citizens who lived in hawaii for a significant portion of their life.

[@notorioustori]

In other countries, like Japan and Germany, no matter how long you've lived there, you are never a native. There is a sense of cultural preservation. Due to the US being a country of indigenous all but wiped out by settlers and colonizers, there is little appreciation for the culture that preceeded eurocentric practices, just as there's little appreciation for the cultural contributions of newer migrants and settlers. We often say, or hear, that we can't undo progress. Yet, we have allowed the very thing throughout history. From ending Reconstruction and welcoming the era of Jim Crow, to union busting, to the recent end of Roe v Wade (and whatever's going on in Florida right now). Just like the theft of Hawaii being the result of profits over people, we all still live under the dark umbrella of the prioritization of corporatism (see Tiktok and Capitol Hill). Other than Coca-Cola, McDonald's and various depictions of the misuse of our national flag with rifles & the bald eagle, what are our emblems of American culture? What other distortions of truth do we soothe ourselves with?

[@Chobblesome000]

​@@notorioustori Thanks you for the response, I want to emphasized I was not talking about "native" used in the context of culture preservation but specifically in the context of claiming ownership of the land. But even in the context of culture identity, Americans need to be careful in balancing between localized culture identity and national identity. I think having cultures from minority group is generally a good thing, but they should not supercede the priority of the national identity because the latter plays a much more critical role in building the material foundation of our society in 21st century,

[@prst99]

I agree that Polynesian Hawaiians are no more deserving of possession of the land than any other type of human. Ownership was surrendered by the monarch to the white Hawaiians.

[@LolTollhurst]

A comment section where a whole lot of people will use a whole lot of words to try to hide what they actually want to argue about - who gets to own the land, and who does not (and why their american selves qualify). Because ownership means the right to be the only voice, the king, in a fenced in part of our planet. Freedom from others.

[@cybernaile]

Free Hawai'i

[@Capt.Steele]

You're advocating for the collapse of your economy and the subjugation of almost 90% of its population. Peak fascist behavior.

[@andezong9565]

We already asked and answered the question of whether states can leave the Union and it was a resounding no. 300,000 brave noble Union soldiers and 600,000 total Americans lost their lives fighting traitors who wanted to rip our country in half in pursuit of independence so that they may continue enslaving their fellow man.

[@cg_2k72]

hey sorry we stole your country, but look at the cool physical representation of our ongoing occupation, we thought of you when we made it!!

[@andezong9565]

You can’t really occupy a state bro tf?

[@cg_2k72]

@@andezong9565 Uh yeah you can? Like this has been a recognised concept in political sciences for centuries...

[@nobodyloldwabit]

let us go.

[@Commander-leo]

Shut up lil bro

[@underratedbub]

As a Hawaiian (as if that should matter) people like you should stop giving legitimacy to fringe modern reactionary Hawaiian ethno-nationalism. Natives are just one tiny, mixed group amongst the many many others in Hawaii. Hawaiians are American citizens with the same equal rights as anyone - no one should get special treatment. Hawaii is clearly the most prosperous and democratic place in Polynesia, and it's all because it's a state of America-way better than the corrupt hereditary monarchy that the few reactionaries simp for. You just shoehorned the capitol into a vague and tired story about alleged American oppression, without making any connection. I know literally zero people who object to the capitol building for being oppressive. I think this was one of your worst videos.

[@AlexWeong]

what exactly made the Hawaiian monarchy corrupt to you?

[@Capt.Steele]

@@AlexWeong its a fucking monarchy dude.

[@dai-nippon_digger]

Ho brah, spot on. I'd jus like to add that I've never met a full blooded Hawaiian. I'm sure there's one or two but to rebuild a nation off a people who aren't even full blooded is crazy.

[@AlexWeong]

@@Capt.Steele okay and? Hawaiis own monarchs gave up power and made itself a constitutional monarchy. They even held elections for who would be the King/Queen. Not all monarchies are total dictators yk.

[@AlexWeong]

@@dai-nippon_digger There are quite a few full blooded Hawaiians left, and like most of Hawaii have some Hawaiian blood. Even back during the Kingdom times there werent many Hawaiians left but they still progressed .

[@andezong9565]

The Union will remain one no matter what. If armed independence movements in any state of the Union were to try and have a go at striking it alone, then the full force of our country will come down hard. We already asked and answered the question of whether states can leave the Union back in 1861 to 1865 and the answer was a resounding no paid for in blood. I’m not downplaying the history of how Hawaii became a territory and eventual state but I don’t see how that means that we should tear apart the Union now.

[@LOZFFVII]

Speaking as a Brit looking in from the outside of your “United States”, believing that the union should hold on to Hawaii just for the sake of ‘the union’ strikes me as being similar to our response to Argentina’s claim to the Falklands/Islas Malvinas. Ultimately, our governments want to hold on to these isolated island chains more for military reasons more than any other reason. Granted, Hawaii actually has a side-benefit of being a beautiful holiday location, while the Falklands are a desolate, cold, wind-swept archipelago…I suppose they remind us of home.😂 At least Gibraltar is actually warm.

[@andezong9565]

@@LOZFFVII the difference is that our Supreme Court already established that secession from the Union was illegal. Ignoring the obvious military and economic benefit of holding onto an island chain in the middle of the Pacific, I personally don’t want to see my country divided up much like how I doubt many Brits wanna see the UK split up into an independent Scotland, Wales, and England while Northern Ireland reunites with the rest of Ireland. If Hawaii (or any state in the Union) leaves, that sets a precedence that says “yes, you can leave whenever you want”. You as a British citizen might think “oh well didn’t you guys fight a war to be free from our control 2 centuries ago?” and yes you’re right; however, when the United States was formed, we agreed that this is an insoluble Union. 85 years after independence was declared, we fought a war to determine whether states can leave the Union and the answer was “NO”. SCOTUS just solidified that ruling later.

[@TheMajorStranger]

It's a State. Hawaii is a State. You're welcome.

[@AlexWeong]

*An illegally occupied state. Youʻre welcome.

[@bottledbread8076]

@@AlexWeongwomp womp they had the home field advantage and still lost

[@AlexWeong]

@@bottledbread8076 Womp womp you dont know a thing abt Hawaiian history

[@jacobr6698]

Wow no one ever thought of that before . Thanks for your input

[@samgatsby8437]

​@@AlexWeong Womp! Womp! your life is miserable, you don't matter and one day when you die, you will be forgotten. The End.

[@brandonbath6097]

They’re still salty about being conquered?

[@AlexWeong]

You mean abt it being illegally annexed?

[@brandonbath6097]

@@AlexWeong you must be slow

[@AlexWeong]

@@brandonbath6097 the US literally recognizes Hawaii being illegally occupied idk why u calling me slow

[@brandonbath6097]

@@AlexWeong because the US literally conquered Hawaii. Or are Hawaiians running Hawaii and I missed something?

[@Capt.Steele]

@@AlexWeong the only reason you have this opinion is because you are privileged enough to live in a world with very little war. Conquest and colonization is the story of humanity. Everyone did it to everyone else.