I think being a local surfer in Hawaii is one way that helps me see how tourism is bringing down the 50th state. This is true because one of the main reasons that tourist come here are for the waves, the waves that break here in the islands and for beautiful scenery. Everyone from all over the world have seen movies, commercials, and advertisements of the big, beautiful, and dangerous waves that hit the islands north coast every winter. Fantasizing the lifestyle that shows a surfer easily dropping into a huge 20 ft. face wave and coming out of the barrel. Seeing this false advertisement, all of a sudden they want to jump on a plane and surf the "Banzai Pipeline". And when they come they either drown or get punched out by a local surfer.
The reason that I pick surfing as an example for the effects of tourism in Hawaii is because I don't work in the tourist industry and I am not Native Hawaiian. Not being in the tourist business or not having native blood I feel that I am not in the right place to talk about those issues. But like I said I am not in those two major categories, but I feel being a surfer I can relate to those people that are, because you can see how the media rubs off on all the people who come here to vacation. .
What I mean by this is that they come here and they try to imitate the local lifestyle. For example I read the Haunani - Kay Trask article titled "Lovely Hula Hands" Corporate Tourism and the Prostitution of the Hawaiian Culture. In her readings she explained how the media has exploited her culture and how it gives a false identity to her people's culture. Whereas when the tourist come here they don't give any thought or consideration on what are the spiritual meanings of the Hula or the meaning of Aloha. I can relate to that because it's the same way in surfing. When visiting surfers come here they don't put any thought or consideration into who are the locals at those breaks.
