As most of the mainland U.S. battles the brutal cold of a deep polar plunge, we’ve returned to enjoying beautiful tropical weather. Our keiki (kids) are waiting with excitement for Santa to paddle up in his canoe with presents for all.
Like many places around the world during the holiday season, there is an abundant supply of cheer, joy, happiness and goodwill toward each other.
Just got out of surgery to repair a ruptured Achille’s tendon. Was coaching youngsters in basketball a couple months ago when initially injured. When teaching my niece’s keiki to surf around Thanksgiving, the tendon “popped.”
No joy hearing that pop sound!
After a number of medical visits, a MRI, and doctor consultations, I decided to undergo a high-risk surgical procedure.
Faced a tough decision: no surgery could leave me crippled; surgery could kill me. Between a rock and hard place, as my dad likes to say.
As a pro athlete and coach, I’m extremely active and hard on my body. The years have taken their toll.
Unfortunately, here in Hawai’i with a dominant Asian population, I’ve not received much support. In general, Asians are kind and compassionate people. Most of my Asian friends are. However, corporate Asian women in Hawai’i are waging war against White males to remove competition from the workplace.
To me, nothing wrong with competition. Welcome it. Unfortunately, as this history shows, the privileged Asian women are incompetent, cruel and they cheat. I have faith as a grain of mustard seed, and say, “Please end your cruelty.” Now I wait.
Glenda Jensen shared her medical issues and use of cannabis with me. Glenda is single and self-employed. Wants to be able to care for her extended family. Medical cannabis is the “one thing” that works for her.
However, Asians who run government or corporate businesses are not empathetic people. I’ve found this minority of Asians to be privileged, incompetent and extremely insecure. Would they fire a woman like Glenda and take away her health insurance?
Their parents sent them to top private schools; many were able to attend prestigious colleges. Arrogance now characterizes their behavior. They get appointed to high-paying jobs due to family and friend connections — not merit. And, our state suffers due to their poor performance.
Asians make up less than 6% of the U.S. population, but among the 78 largest metro areas, Honolulu is ranked first with the highest concentration (62%) of Asian Americans. Two of every three people living here are Asian.
As Asians are a small minority elsewhere in the U.S., most Americans are not highly familiar with Asian lifestyle, culture or tradition. I’ve been fortunate. Prior to coming to Hawai’i, I’ve been inspired by Asian values. Found Asians to be extremely disciplined, smart, hard-working, and both kind and compassionate.
In general, Asians in Hawai’i are similar — but not those who are in power. Asian business and government officials are extremely privileged, rich, spoiled and cruel. Their history includes much corruption, they cheat in their business and official capacity to provide favors for friends and family, and they bring dishonor to Asian Americans in general.
As the saying goes, “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Recruited to Honolulu
I had been consulting on the neighbor island of Kaua’i for over a decade when I received an offer to relocate to O’ahu, the major population center in Hawai’i. Was badly injured and suffered a disability, but Hawaiian Electric (HECO) needed an IT specialist with my skills.
The group was primary Asian and I fit perfectly. We made an excellent team. After six months of successful and outstanding service, HECO offered me a permanent position. Passed all their internal hurdles, including security and criminal background check. They notified me of a required pre-employment drug screen.
Due to my injuries, doctors prescribed opioid medication. I’m uniquely trained by the CDC-University of New Mexico School of Medicine to battle the opioid epidemic. I counsel individuals and groups to avoid opioids, how to seek alternatives, and assist those who may have fallen to opioid addiction.
Media reported nearly 107,000 Americans died as a result of a drug overdose last year, an increase of nearly 16% over 2020 — and opioids are the primary threat. The White House launched a national data dashboard that for the first time tracks the rate of nonfatal opioid overdoses across the country.
As a patient, I am limited in pain analgesic options. Therefore I selected medical cannabis to manage and control my chronic pain. Prior to agreeing to HECO’s drug assessment, specifically asked my assigned HR rep Liz Dear if there would be issues. She assured me I would be fine. Two weeks later, HR director Shana Buco fired me.
Senior management is cruel at HECO. From the top of the corporate pyramid, CEO Constance Hee Lau created a culture that stigmatizes cannabis patients. Attorneys Thao Tran and Susan Li labeled me a drug criminal. They ran me out without discussion or consideration.
Hawaiian Electric corporate attorney Liann Ebesugawa holds a unpaid commissioner chair position with Hawai’i Civil Rights Commission. She was able to obstruct the investigation of my discrimination complaint. Ultimately, the women of Hawaiian Electric successfully prevented me from returning to work. They would not treat another woman this way.
These top Asian female executives tolerate drinking of alcohol, smoking tobacco, vaping nicotine, and even the use of opioid medications. However, use cannabis and they consider the person to be dangerous.
Friends tell me Asians consider cannabis to be a “Black person” drug. And, my Black friends tell me Asians are racist and prejudice toward African Americans.
Just like there are bad apples in White culture, such as the KKK-types who hate Black people and Jews, there are bad apples in Asian culture. And for some reason, they seem to be concentrated in Honolulu.
These Asian individuals aren’t ordinary folks. While ordinary Asians are kind, compassionate and mindful of others, these privileged rich Asian kids are cruel and incompetent — they’re the Mean Girls in the school.
They do not empathize with regular people, as they live in million dollar homes, have a country-club lifestyle, and advance by providing and receiving favors with their high maka maka friends. Connie Lau made over $5 million the year I was fired; Susan Li around $750,000, while median income is about $37,000.
Cruel, rich and unsympathetic Asians!
Privileged Rich Asians Lack Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. According to psychologist Daniel Goleman, empathy is a necessary component of emotional intelligence. Goleman identifies three types of empathy, each of which are important for effective leaders: [source]
- Cognitive Empathy: the ability to understand another’s perspective. This requires leaders to think about their feelings rather than feel them directly. Emotionally intelligent and effective leaders are aware of their feelings and can explain them.
- Emotional Empathy: the ability to physically feel what another person feels. This type of empathy helps people feel attuned to another person’s emotions, and provides the ability to feel others’ emotions quickly without thinking deeply.
- Empathic Concern: the ability to sense what another needs from you. Empathic concern is “other-oriented” in the sense that it involves feeling for the other person, such as feeling sorry for, sympathy for, concerned for, and so on. Excellent leaders have a keen sense of being present with others.
After a successful six months of employment, HECO offered me a permanent position. My supervisor rated me a superstar employee. I considered the group to be my hanai (adopted) family. Excellent fit — we made an awesome team. Together, we were winning for the company and rate payers across the state.
My supervisor, Japanese American Lori Yafuso, was the top manager of my career. Had worked for hundreds. Hands down, she was the best: smart, talented, proficient and a true leader. Not only was she a motivating professional, she was also kind, compassionate and caring. Most of my IT teammates were Asian — also truly amazing people. Couldn’t wait to come to work each day!
There was absolutely NO empathy for a disabled White male from senior management. Classified me as a drug criminal. HR director Shana Buco told me I was a danger to my coworkers, company and general public. I went from superstar employee to drug thug in a day. Shana kicked me out of the building in shame. Wasn’t welcome at HECO again.
My dear manager, Lori Yafuso, cried when the company forced me out, but never spoke with me again. Apparently I had embarrassed her, and brought shame to the IT workgroup and department. Coworkers didn’t speak to me again.
I became the Brittney Griner of Hawai’i. Since I wasn’t Black, gay or a privileged athlete, the WNBA, President Biden or nation didn’t rally behind me. I’m just an old, beat up White dude who knows how to write code, and invisible most of the time. Now, I was also an undesirable in Hawai’i.
A USA TODAY article explains why generally kind, compassionate Asians treat me like a criminal. Asians rarely suffer chronic pain. They cannot empathize with those of us who do.
While nearly one in four White folks report chronic pain, less than 7% of Asians do. Asians are truly amazing in this regard. Happy for them. Unfortunately, as they don’t suffer, they can’t relate to those of us who do.
I work with many Asian athletes. Most are female. Some of the runners I assist might stand about 5’0 and weigh less than 100lbs. They don’t dunk a basketball, tackle a rushing back in football or labor in construction. They hold office jobs, wear cute and fashionable dresses, eat a balanced diet and do a lot of walking to stay healthy.
Asians in general have excellent health; many Asians worldwide set life longevity records. Asians are smart people who live in balance with their bodies, and I admire and respect their dedication.
Let me share a story with you. Ray is one of my college teammates. Just spoke with him today. Has a grandson playing ball in Hawai’i. Ray had outstanding character as a young man; really talented, hard worker and offered our program much potential.
During training doing stadium bleacher jumps, he slipped and broke his femur. I was next to him at the time.
We loved to motivate and challenge each other. Both of us were exhausted, as we were almost finished with the workout. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” We encouraged.
In fatigue, he didn’t make the last bench … crack! Bone into a hard wood bleacher bench doesn’t mix well.
Ray never recovered from the injury. He was 19 at the time and has suffered chronic pain for all these years.
Like Asians, I eat smart, work hard to maintain balance in my life, but I stand 6’5, weigh about 200lbs, and spent a large part of my youth dunking basketballs, running explosive sprints, diving after loose balls or hitting the hardwood taking a defensive charge. As a professional athlete, balance had to be sacrificed for performance excellence.
If you enjoy watching World Cup, NFL or college football, NBA or college basketball, various competitive women’s leagues, these participants must give up their body for the game.
Japan had an impressive World Cup run this year. After a sluggish initial game, media reported that their coach heavily criticized the players for not giving their all. “Sacrifice your body for the team; for your country!” These young players will feel the side effects of the demands of international competition later in their lives.
As an IT professional, I’ve been successful hiding the pain and pushing forward during the day. Hate pain relievers. They have made me sick, caused deadly side effects and doctors even prescribed addictive opioids. I’m a health professional and know the mental grip of these analgesics.
I’ve done my best to avoid these medications when possible. And in the evening before bed, I use medical cannabis. Suppresses my pain sufficiently so I can sleep. And a restful night of sleep leaves me ready to hard-charge the next day. Just as I did as an athlete — give my all; put everything into the team effort.
This attitude wasn’t enough for the privileged female Asians of Hawaiian Electric. To them, I’m not a hard worker or dedicated professional. These self-righteous ladies see only a drug criminal; a street thug; or someone who presents a danger to them.
For this Christmas, Dear Santa, all I want is these privileged Asians to end their cruelty in Hawai’i. Stop discriminating against medical patients, Veterans and disabled individuals who need this alternative medication. Aloha and Mele Kalikimaka
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Ko’olau of Kaua’i. I am the Defiant One
“I Believe We Can”
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