That said I didn't see a whole lot. Kona Hawaii has a bigger airport and a more developed tourist/resort infrastructure than Hilo but less charm and less of the organic crunchiness.
Hilo is what it is. Kona doesn't really want to be what it is but they had to put it somewhere because you can't afford to completely alienate the tourists in Hawaii. For me, tourism is just a sideshow. The real issue is reconciling the cultural awakening that Hawaiians feel with the reality that they're yet to get up to speed economically. Explaining the cosmos is wonderful. Affording to stay on your land when its value and taxes have skyrocketed throws a wrench into things and leads to a sense of powerlessness and anger.
This is the conundrum of Hawaii. A place the US wanted and needed more than Hawaii ever needed it and that chafes at the position it finds itself in. They can't really live without the tourist dollars now but they don't particularly like living with them either.
No comments:
Post a Comment