Anybody Else Find This to be Offensive?

30,000 people live in Waikiki as residents. Many in small apartments. They walk their children to school in the mornings. They take buses, walk or drive to work. Many people in other less touristy parts of the island have over an hour commute in heavy traffic in both directions. Rents are almost as expensive in outlying areas as rents in Waikiki. Cutting one’s commute can be an important reason to live in a tourist zone. So, when a tourist stops in a busy traffic lane and blocks all the traffic so the tourist can run in and buy some expensive crap in a Waikiki store and you honk at the tourist for blocking the traffic and they shout back, Where’s your aloha? I find that very offensive. Aloha is not an excuse for selfishness.

Aloha is a sacred word that is exploited by the tourist industry. Queen Liliuokalani, who wrote, Aloha ‘Oe, was offended that this special word was being exploited and that was long ago. Polynesian bus guides, Tongans, Samoans, Hawaiians, trying to scrape together a living, exhort their tour groups to shout aloha throughout the tours back and forth to the phony Polynesian Cultural Center, where pretend happy natives climb coconut trees and carve coconut shells or rub sticks together to make fire to show Polynesian culture. I find that offensive but I understand that people need to make a living.

So if a few cannibals eat a few rude tourists I’m not that bothered. Of course everyone will feel better if a nice bowl of fresh poi is shared with all the nice tourists.

Aloha
 
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I don't find the pattern offensive (but don't find it attractive either). As said above, this is typical Polynesian-style art. My degree is in anthropology with a minor in art history (with tribal art as my main interest :p ).
 
Nah, that depiction isn't offensive. Maybe tacky. What would be offensive is a depiction of a missionary on a ukulele.
 
If one were staunchly anti-Taiwan (seller location according to the listing) & pro-China, then perhaps, possibly "offensive".
There’s actually a political symbol in there https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Sky_with_a_White_Sun.
The star on the thing that resembles a Cup-a-Noodle Ramen (or drum)on the lower half.
Screen Shot 2019-10-31 at 8.58.09 PM.jpg

Re: cannibalism... interestingly enough, head hunting was a “thing” among some aboriginal Taiwanese.

Except maybe for those who are offended by very specific political symbolism/political parties in Taiwan, it doesn’t seem any more offensive than some of the Tiki King designs... but what constitutes "offensive" is kinda subjective.
 
I Don't find it offensive, just tacky. I don't like engraving of any kind on ukes. Luna ukes is quite famous for this.
I mean, how in the world would you clean it?
Tikis are quite common at luau parties, and some folks even put them in their gardens.
I don't have any, but I find them quite interesting.
As we are learning to perform Hawaiian songs, I've learned some things about Hawaiian customs and culture.
It don't hurt a uker to learn these things!

My Luna resonator has a Tiki motif.
 
I think if we were to make a list of Hawaiian/Polynesian things that have been offensively appropriated by Westerners we'd need a new forum (or two or three) worth of storage. Standard procedure is to exploit Hawaiʻi for profit. Honestly, this is pretty unremarkable on the spectrum of colonization.

Want to talk offensive? Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority continuing to selling a false Hawaiʻi to tourists is offensive (and neglecting to inform them about dengue fever, etc... when it might impact business). The state's treatment of Hawaiians is offensive (DHHL, TMT, Waimanalo, etc...).

Yes, it would be great to shift the tiki/uke paradigm, but let's keep it in perspective. Just my $.02.

EDIT: cannibal jokes = not very PC. Decolonize your mind! :shaka:

Dengue fever is in a good part of tropical Asia Pacific. If there are mosquitos and warm tropics, there is dengue. Can't eliminate it any more than we can eliminate West Nile on the mainland.
 
It's far too easy these days to find offence in anything and if you look hard enough, everything. I am not refering to the OP in particular, but, some people just love being "offended", it's what gets them up in the morning. Peace.
... :agree: ...
 
You need to be bulletproof to thrive in this non-PC and highly ethnocentric world. Otherwise you'd be offended every two seconds or so. Nothing much fazes me anymore. However, it sure is an ugly and cheap looking instrument. The designer probably should consider another career.
 
30,000 people live in Waikiki as residents. Many in small apartments. They walk their children to school in the mornings. They take buses, walk or drive to work. Many people in other less touristy parts of the island have over an hour commute in heavy traffic in both directions. Rents are almost as expensive in outlying areas as rents in Waikiki. Cutting one’s commute can be an important reason to live in a tourist zone. So, when a tourist stops in a busy traffic lane and blocks all the traffic so the tourist can run in and buy some expensive crap in a Waikiki store and you honk at the tourist for blocking the traffic and they shout back, Where’s your aloha? I find that very offensive. Aloha is not an excuse for selfishness.

Aloha is a sacred word that is exploited by the tourist industry. Queen Liliuokalani, who wrote, Aloha ‘Oe, was offended that this special word was being exploited and that was long ago. Polynesian bus guides, Tongans, Samoans, Hawaiians, trying to scrape together a living, exhort their tour groups to shout aloha throughout the tours back and forth to the phony Polynesian Cultural Center, where pretend happy natives climb coconut trees and carve coconut shells or rub sticks together to make fire to show Polynesian culture. I find that offensive but I understand that people need to make a living.

So if a few cannibals eat a few rude tourists I’m not that bothered. Of course everyone will feel better if a nice bowl of fresh poi is shared with all the nice tourists.

Aloha


Thanks for the thoughtful post, and for taking it seriously. While it is true that sometimes people go too far in what is labeled PC, that doesn't mean it is time for a backlash of uncaring behavior. It only seems ridiculous to people who haven't experienced it. But yeah, sometimes good hearted people may say something that is offensive to someone just not knowing what they are doing.

So this is an interesting thread and I shall read on. As a tall white dude, I admit that my opinion as to whether it is offensive is pretty irrelevant, that question isn't really directed to me as I see it.
 
I don't find the pattern offensive (but don't find it attractive either). As said above, this is typical Polynesian-style art. My degree is in anthropology with a minor in art history (with tribal art as my main interest :p ).

If I saw two instruments for sale used, identical in every way except one was plain, and the other had that image engraved, I would pay a lot less for the engraved one. Just personal style preference.
 
Looks cool to me!
 
Looks cool to me!

Thank you for seeing this uke in the manner it was intended. We really need to lighten up. After all it's just a design on a ukulele. I'm sure the designers didn't intend to offend, just sell a few ukes.

Personally, I wouldn't buy one but that's just my conservative taste in ukulele designs. Any other tastes should be respected and tolerated.
 
30,000 people live in Waikiki as residents. Many in small apartments. They walk their children to school in the mornings. They take buses, walk or drive to work. Many people in other less touristy parts of the island have over an hour commute in heavy traffic in both directions. Rents are almost as expensive in outlying areas as rents in Waikiki. Cutting one’s commute can be an important reason to live in a tourist zone. So, when a tourist stops in a busy traffic lane and blocks all the traffic so the tourist can run in and buy some expensive crap in a Waikiki store and you honk at the tourist for blocking the traffic and they shout back, Where’s your aloha? I find that very offensive. Aloha is not an excuse for selfishness.

Aloha is a sacred word that is exploited by the tourist industry. Queen Liliuokalani, who wrote, Aloha ‘Oe, was offended that this special word was being exploited and that was long ago. Polynesian bus guides, Tongans, Samoans, Hawaiians, trying to scrape together a living, exhort their tour groups to shout aloha throughout the tours back and forth to the phony Polynesian Cultural Center, where pretend happy natives climb coconut trees and carve coconut shells or rub sticks together to make fire to show Polynesian culture. I find that offensive but I understand that people need to make a living.

So if a few cannibals eat a few rude tourists I’m not that bothered. Of course everyone will feel better if a nice bowl of fresh poi is shared with all the nice tourists.

Aloha

Oh you are so right.

We went to the Polynesian Cultural Centre many years ago and found it offensive, demeaning and tacky with not a native from each of the island zones in sight, all were clean cut all American kids from Utah. The evening show was a recreation of one of the Elvis Presley movies so again tacky.

Let them eat Poi, yeah I like your style.
 
Thank you for seeing this uke in the manner it was intended. We really need to lighten up. After all it's just a design on a ukulele. I'm sure the designers didn't intend to offend, just sell a few ukes.

Personally, I wouldn't buy one but that's just my conservative taste in ukulele designs. Any other tastes should be respected and tolerated.

I would definitely want to buy it if I saw it in a shop!
 
I found this Alulu Tenor Uke on Ebay today.

I suppose it's supposed to be cute. Like the Tiki ukes. But I think the stereotypical cannibal caricature is incredibly offensive. Is this really an historic or accurate Hawaiian totem?

Am I overreacting? :(

Alulu solid mahogany tenor ukulele, Hawaiian totem pattern with hard case UMT63

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Alulu-soli...179568?hash=item58cc16f8b0:g:MCIAAOSwge1djXDq

View attachment 122475 View attachment 122476

I don’t really see a cannibal there... but it’s an Alulu ukulele. If it had been a Donner ukulele, then yeah, I instantly think “cannibal” ;)
 
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