Nano #2: Respect (Hawaii Five-0)
Nov. 2nd, 2011 01:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miss_lucy21Spoilers for 2.07: Ka Iwi Kapu, although not spoilers for major plot elements.
AN: This is probably a good time to point out that I'm not doing any research or anything for any of these NaNo pieces. I'm just writing them from the top of my head. I'm going off my own experiences of living in diverse communities and not off of anything I know about how race and culture play out in Hawaii. I welcome constructive input from people who may know better than I do. If it winds up being part of a larger story (which it might- it's related to something I've been thinking about since early on last season) then I'll probably do some reading before I really get into the story.
:::
As they drove to the mattress store, Chin asked, "You still pissed at Danny?"
Steve shrugged. "Are you?"
Chin sighed and was quiet for a moment. "It would be nice if someone I liked and generally respected was not a complete asshole about something that is important to me. But I don't have to tell you that sometimes people we care about do things we don't like."
"No," Steve shook his head. "You don't."
Chin regarded Steve for a moment, then asked. "Are you mad because he was disrespectful or are you mad because he was conspicuous?"
Steve blinked. "What?"
"You don't like it when Danny does things that mark him out as being from the Mainland," Chin said. "It bothers you."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Steve said, stiffly.
Chin smiled gently. "Yes, you do." When Steve didn't reply, he continued, "He doesn't get it and he's probably never going to get it."
"How do you mean?" Steve asked, finally.
"Danny is a white guy from the Mainland. That gives him a certain level of privilege. He doesn't notice that things are different here, because he's never had to notice it," Chin explained.
"Yeah, but I'm a white guy, too," Steve pointed out.
"True," Chin agreed. "And you have privilege as well. But you're from here. And I know where you lived and what schools you went to. You know what it's like to not be in the majority, because you never were when you were growing up, until you went to the Mainland. It gives you a different perspective. And you were raised to be respectful of Hawaiian rituals, even though your family didn't practice them. You know why it's important."
"It doesn't excuse the fact that he was an ass about everything," Steve argued. "I don't care what he believes or what he doesn't believe. I do care that he respects other people's right to believe and he wasn't."
"No," Chin agreed. "He wasn't."
"I told him that," Steve said.
"I figured you did," Chin said. "But, at the end of the day, you can't change his attitude. That's on him. You don't have to be responsible for it, you know?"
"I'm not," Steve protested.
"You are, a little," Chin said. "Otherwise you wouldn't still be trying to figure out how to change him."
"I don't like it when he makes himself a target," Steve admitted.
"I know," Chin said. "And that's on him, too. It's all right, Steve. You're not responsible for the whole wide world, ok? Let it go. You carry enough."
Steve sighed. "Fine." He parked the truck in front of the mattress store.
"Good," Chin said, getting out of the car. "Now, let's get this done."
AN: This is probably a good time to point out that I'm not doing any research or anything for any of these NaNo pieces. I'm just writing them from the top of my head. I'm going off my own experiences of living in diverse communities and not off of anything I know about how race and culture play out in Hawaii. I welcome constructive input from people who may know better than I do. If it winds up being part of a larger story (which it might- it's related to something I've been thinking about since early on last season) then I'll probably do some reading before I really get into the story.
:::
As they drove to the mattress store, Chin asked, "You still pissed at Danny?"
Steve shrugged. "Are you?"
Chin sighed and was quiet for a moment. "It would be nice if someone I liked and generally respected was not a complete asshole about something that is important to me. But I don't have to tell you that sometimes people we care about do things we don't like."
"No," Steve shook his head. "You don't."
Chin regarded Steve for a moment, then asked. "Are you mad because he was disrespectful or are you mad because he was conspicuous?"
Steve blinked. "What?"
"You don't like it when Danny does things that mark him out as being from the Mainland," Chin said. "It bothers you."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Steve said, stiffly.
Chin smiled gently. "Yes, you do." When Steve didn't reply, he continued, "He doesn't get it and he's probably never going to get it."
"How do you mean?" Steve asked, finally.
"Danny is a white guy from the Mainland. That gives him a certain level of privilege. He doesn't notice that things are different here, because he's never had to notice it," Chin explained.
"Yeah, but I'm a white guy, too," Steve pointed out.
"True," Chin agreed. "And you have privilege as well. But you're from here. And I know where you lived and what schools you went to. You know what it's like to not be in the majority, because you never were when you were growing up, until you went to the Mainland. It gives you a different perspective. And you were raised to be respectful of Hawaiian rituals, even though your family didn't practice them. You know why it's important."
"It doesn't excuse the fact that he was an ass about everything," Steve argued. "I don't care what he believes or what he doesn't believe. I do care that he respects other people's right to believe and he wasn't."
"No," Chin agreed. "He wasn't."
"I told him that," Steve said.
"I figured you did," Chin said. "But, at the end of the day, you can't change his attitude. That's on him. You don't have to be responsible for it, you know?"
"I'm not," Steve protested.
"You are, a little," Chin said. "Otherwise you wouldn't still be trying to figure out how to change him."
"I don't like it when he makes himself a target," Steve admitted.
"I know," Chin said. "And that's on him, too. It's all right, Steve. You're not responsible for the whole wide world, ok? Let it go. You carry enough."
Steve sighed. "Fine." He parked the truck in front of the mattress store.
"Good," Chin said, getting out of the car. "Now, let's get this done."
