Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 8, 1 August 2008 — Does anybody really care? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Does anybody really care?

While enjoying my son Orion-Indepen-denee's birthday on the Fourth of July in Hilo, the question eame up, "Does anybody really eare?" I looked at my wife, Caroline, and asked why she asked a question like that. "If it wasn't Qrion's birthday, would we have woke up early in the morning, made Kapu of this eanopy that the eounty put up and stay here all day waiting for a frreworks show that's gonna start at 8 o'eloek?" I said, "Yeah, beeause I'm an Amenean - and I know you wouldn't 'eause you're a Coimnunist." I got that look. Upon returning to work, Caroline extended her belief that nobody really eares. She eondueted an experiment. Bravely, she went to the bathroom and left some toilet paper hanging out from her dress. The objeetive

was to see if anyone really eared in telling her of her "embarrassing moment." She walked up and down the aisle of her eo-workers' eubieles, went down to the break room to get a snaek, went up in the elevator to a union meeting and baek down to her work station and meeting with her boss. "Carol, you get toilet paper stuek to your a !" Aeting in a state of shoek and awe, Carol exelaimed, "OMG(osh)! Carol inunediately ealled me and said, "See I told you nobody eared! Ova' one hour I walked around with toilet pepa' stuek and nobody said nuttin'!" Realizing the eircumstanees she had placed herself in, I asked, "So ... wot now, Babes!? Dis make A, eh?" Silence. Then a dial tone. Carol got pen to paper and wrote this note and stuck it on the bulletin board in the break room. It was entitled: "Does Anybody Really Care?" It read: "Does anybody care about anybody else other than himself or herself? When you see something wrong, like a shirt inside out, or toilet

paper stuck to a shoe or from a dress, do you let it pass you by and say nothing? We should all be more courteous to one another and mention when something is wrong. Someday you might be a victim. Someday you'll have that moment of embarrassment and wonder, how many people saw and laughed at you and never said a word?" Whieh comes to mind, do we really care about what's happening in our current situation - the gas and food prices - the layoffs and tenninations - the escalating rent, foreclosures and bankruptcies - companies closing their doors while others price gouge? How about the nonprofits depending solely on funding for their survival without means for self-reliance while kids and young mothers and the homeless and old folks are left fending for themselves - cuts in teachers' wages, cuts in books and supplies, and repairs? What about the heightened use of iee, aleohol, barbiturates, opiates and other means for escape - the eon-

— I tinuing saga of tūtū wahine and tūtū kāne raising their m o ' o p u n a because daddy stay in jail and mommy stay somebody else's house li'dat? When you think about it, having toilet paper sticking out of your butt or stuck to your slippahs, and having to showcase it without anyone demonstrating any sign of courtesy is the |same, if not worse, than all the current eeononūe situations we're

in. You nūght not think so unūl it happens to you. So why do we let it go? Why do we allow folks to eonūnue talking when they're foaming at the mouth - catsup and mustard at the corner of their lip - boogars whizzing in and out of their nose - maka piapia - holy Moses, halitosis - and anunonia kine B0? Why do we let folks continue to wear their shirt or blouse inside-out - rice or spaghetti stuck on their shirt after having luneh - eookie crumbs on their mustaches, including wāhine with mustaches? But the worst for me has always been, letting a wahine know she has "that time of month" stain. While very embarrassing for me as a maeho dude mon', I'll crawl up to her with my tail between my legs and very quietly say, "Excuse me, Miss ... I'm sorry to tell you, but you have a stain." They'll get the message right away, I won't have to explain further, and respectfully walk away. Stillthequesūonremains, "Why do we let it go?" Becuz it's funny (aside from a wahine's nūshap). With all the crap that we're faced with and with all the muek and the mire that has sunk us deeper

in debt. With the realization that someone else controls our lives; the fact that we are contained in a liūle box from 8 to 5, and wrapping ourselves up in another box stuck on the freeway for hours coming and going. It's nutz for wutz happening in our lives - but when you get to see a person making a fool of hini or herself, it lightens your load of despair. Wūhin that moment we're taken away from our hopelessness and depression and have a good laugh. I believe that these moments are actually sent by God to lighten our load by sacrificing someone's dignity as a means of punishment for some sin they had conuiūtted. But, that is not to say that you let it go on. You too must respectfully eonform to the laws of decency and good nature and let them know, "Eh Carol, yo' shirt stay inside out, you foanūng at the mouth and you get toilet pepa' hanging from yo' a !" li'dat. Let's try and take care of eaeh other mo' heūa' - afta' a good laugh of course. Let's lighten up to lighten da' load. .īeno Enoeeneio writes about the many hats he wears. Contact him at poiniman _Jeno@msn.com. ^

— NĀ PĀPALE ■ MANY H ATS

By Jimmy F. "Jenū" Enneeneiū

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