Walking back from Starbucks (I know, I’m very disappointed in myself, too) a number of things came to mind that I wanted to share about Maui after several weeks of observation.
To all my Print Journalism amigos: I read a publication called Maui Time Weekly (similar to The Inlander in Spokane, if you are familiar with that) and it has really opened my eyes to both the professional and social atmosphere here on the islands. When any mainland publication would worry about objectivity, bias and professionalism to the point of losing all sense of voice, the writers for Maui Time Weekly have a clear, coherent way of being real. They don’t shy away from cuss words, but don’t overuse them either. Profanities like “damn” just flow with the text. The writers are down to earth and call shots as they see them. It’s rather refreshing.
Suped up, tricked out and MONDO is the way to go when it comes to vehicles around here. The bigger a truck is jacked, the cooler it is. The locals, especially, take great pride in the height and width of their trucks. They even feature them in music videos, just in case their coolness was in question. While the price of gas is a dollar more than you are paying on the mainland, they haven’t quite been driving to that point of making changes. Most people drive SUVs here. Well, maybe not most, but noticeably more than the mainland. One thing is for sure, they keep their vehicles CLEAN. Even the beat-up, old Volkswagen buses seem to be washed every other day.
Maui has not escaped the repression sweeping the mainland. Rumors and stories of slowed revenue and closed resorts circle round and round. No good.
Maui also isn’t without from the typical political scandals that plague so many American cities now. A recent headline revealed a Maui business CEO resigned after sexist and racist comments were uncovered from his work email account. And so the world turns.
This is The Place for ‘morning people.’ While I’m sure there is enough night life to go around here, you’ll also find many people who take ‘early to bed, early to rise’ to heart. A drive between the hours of 6 and 8 a.m. will illustrate the crazy numbers of walkers, runners and cyclists who enjoy the cool a.m. hours for some exercise. Crazy healthy morning people. I’m glad I’m not alone in the world.
Fresh Washington Cherries available at Red Sky!
5 years ago
2 comments:
Interesting observations! Gracias for the break from work :) I have to say that if most journalists succeeded in being non-biased in their reporting, I wouldn't have my job. I think some journalists are just more obvious/upfront about it (using slang, etc) than others.
True, it just depends on the publication and its policies. I guess I just think there's more laid-back publications per capita here than on the mainland.
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