Laird Hamilton: Bullied by racists at school 

Thats the story of every white kid growing up in Hawaii unless your family is rich and you go to Punahou or another private school.

Making it "way too much work" is an awesome defense against bullies, win or lose.

I grew up on Maui. He speaks the truth. I was the little sunburned haole boy charging the biggest swells. And getting hated on by the guys with no balls on shore... 🤷🏼‍♂️ lol

Growing up with a white dad in Hawaii I saw so much prejudice and racism. It was fucked being a helpless kid seeing my dad get attacked for pumping gas by massive Hawaiians, but luckily my dad is 6'2 220 and grew up wrestling and boxing all his life. I got in like 8 or 9 fights in hawaii and have witnessed dozens more, moved to the mainland in high school and probably only saw 2 fights in a span of 4 years. Crazy how many more fights went down on the islands

I grew up in Hawaii. I lived in Haleiwa, Salt Lake and Aiea. I had to fight frequently all through school simply for being haole. Maybe I didn’t have to fight but I got tired of running from Hawaiians and Samoans and Japanese kids who hated me for just being white. So I stopped running and started fighting. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. That’s why I never back down from a confrontation to this day! Don’t start no sh!t, won’t be any. Gratitude Hawaii for the early lesson. I deplore violence now that I’m 51. But, I will always defend mine 100%!

I’m a white guy who lived in Hawaii for a couple years. I left specifically because I just knew I would always be treated like an outsider. Beautiful place but that wears off quicker than you think. Love that I got to live there but I also love that I don’t have to live there. Aloha spirit is only skin deep. People are more passive aggressive there.

Did he call it, "Kidney-Garden?" 0:37

I was born and raised on the Big Island. I am part Hawaiian, but because I am fair skin, I was treated as a “frickin haole from the mainland”. It was a hard lesson growing up being hated because of the color of my skin but also having the roots and the heritage of the islands. The one thing it did teach me is that it does not matter about the color of your skin, but who you are in the inside. It taught me to respect EVERYONE I meet across the board no matter what their Nationality, age, size, personal preferences are. That does not matter to me, it’s simply on who the person is and their integrity and how they treat others.

High School is the closest any of us will ever come to experiencing prison.

“Didnt I hear that you tossed all the desks out the window?” Laird: “Absolutely *nodding head like it was an accomplishment*” hahahaha

I grew up in Hawaii I’m black and white but I look white and kids and ppl there were friggin brutal same experience as him and then some treated me like straight shit from day 1 4/5 yrs old all the way through high school.. growing up there builds effin character I tell yah.. lol

Ignorance lives in every skin color man. Do the right thing! Love to all! 🌞🌊

Laird is actually lucky he grew up in Kauai. Oahu in town like Farrington High, or the West side at Wainae, or North Shore at Kahuku High he would have been jumped. There is hardly a one on one fight if you were winning. "Kill Haole Day," was a day where the whites would avoid going to school. Oahu schools were large schools compared to the small island of Kauai.

I grew up here in hawaii and married a haole girl from the mainland. My son looks pretty much full white. We've always home-schooled him because I know exactly what he'll get in hawaii public schools!

I am white and was a victim of racism in high school where I was a minority, the majority of the student population was black - the black students would threaten me daily, take my money and hurl racist words at me -- I never complained to my parents or teachers, I took it -- but what it taught me was that no race has the market cornered on racism and cruel mean spirited behavior. Did I allow it to scar me? Hell no. It has had zero lingering effect on me -- but when I was going to marry and start a family I moved to rural, zero crime community with great schools so my children would never endure what i did -- and they did not

He would of made a GREAT Linebacker or free safety ! He is half crazy !

I spent the first 12 years of my life on the Big Island Hawaii and I dealt with racism on the regular. Wasn't too too bad though because my family was local.

Great interview Graham! He seems like a badass dude keep up the good work man

He’s right. The school system IS messed up. If someone assaults you in public, you call the cops and that person is arrested. If you are assaulted in school, there is nothing you can do without getting punished. They don’t arrest the student that assaults you. Cops don’t deal with assaults in school. You try to defend yourself, you get in in trouble and ultimately punished by the school as well. It’s a sad situation.

I grew up in Hawaii and had plenty of resentment but here on the mainland where I am now, I've heard story after story about how the kids here pick on each other here too ... just as bad stuff. So now I realize I could have grown up on the mainland and gone to an all-white school and get just as picked on for some other stupid reason. And as far as that goes, I'm not entirely white so I'd probably have gotten picked on for that.

I am haole born and raised in Hawaii. And my entire childhood was terrible

I you dont show fear to a bully or stand up to him / them it takes away their power over you. You might get your ass kicked but its better than being a ongoing target. At least theyll have some respect to you and will move to another target.

I was born and raised on Kauai and grew up with Laird. He is a few years older than me, and I looked up to him. He would always have the new issue of Conan the barbarian magazine, and we would look at it after school. He ended up lifting weights and becoming Conan, came back to Kauai and tuned up all the guys that used to f with him 🤣. Our dads were among a handful of surfers that moved over from California in the late 50s early 60s. They had it worse than us, by far. But going to Hanalei school I was bullied every day too. Then we moved to California after the hurricane hit in 81. In third grade I was bullying everyone in my school in San Diego, even the six graders. At recess I used to invite kids to line up and punch me in the stomach as hard as they could. After dealing with the big Hawaiians the kids in Cali we’re not intimidating at all. Then we moved back to Maui, and in ninth grade I made the mistake of beating up a local kid in my grade. For the rest of high school all his older brothers and cousins and friends we’re constantly trying to fight me. During lunch, waiting for the bus in the morning, getting off at my bus stop after school.The funniest part is after high school we all came really good friends. All the bullying and stuff really seems to be a school related thing.

i was a white kid that grew up on oahu. you learn how to fight young. im one of the few white ppl that understands racism

"Welll...it started the very first day of school!" 😂😂

Try growing up in New York when Roots came out! you want a story I'll give you a real story!

" I threw him out the window..... it was one story of course." lol lol lol. Bad ass.

Where is it that he said something like growing up he used to wish he was born Hawaiian because everything in the culture that was beautiful and good was...and being white was so undesirable. My feelings exactly growing up.

My son went to Damien School a boys school, because we could not afford Punahou....bullied for 4 fricking years. It has affected him to this day. Racist! My son ws blond with white skin! EXACTLY!!! TRUE!!!!

Where can I find the full interview? All I can find is clips from interview. I’d rather watch the full interview than a few minutes at a time...

Righton Laird. Good interview, fortunate soundbytes. From schoolyard fights to death defying barrel rides; You rule bra. See you on North Shore🤙

Oh man I heard Laird tell a story once of walking up to a bigger kid that was giving him a hard time. Laird smacks him across the face hard. The kid left him alone after that.

I am Hispanic, from Laredo, Texas, but also lived briefly in Dallas, and San Antonio. Also visited Houston on several occasions. Never have ever been discriminated by any Caucasian. Why can't we minorites get along with Caucasians who do want to live peacefully with us?

1:25 How Graham is looking at him

I have read about how people learned not to fuck with Laird pretty quick. I quote i read from Billy Hamilton went something like sometimes you want to smack Laird but you don't because Laird will beat the shit out of you. It was from a great book called The Big Drop. I highly recommend it. All about different big wave surfers and the hairy moments they find themselves in

He just needs a big board with lots more rocker!!!

I am white and grew up in a town with mostly white kids. Guess what people got picked on and beat up all the time for a variety of things, not because of skin color. You always have a percentage of any group that is dysfunctional, more often due to their home life. That is why I don't like the trend today of catering to parents of children that have emotional and discipline issues. They used to send kids like this to a special school, for students with discipline problems. It's too disruptive to the education process and often you will have other kids following their bad examples.

Same here! Went to school on Oahu, 60s - 70s. Worst was Jr. High. I made friends with Larry Bertlemann , we had Wood shop together. He became what they called a Backer, I was seen with him, nobody screwed with me anymore.

1:24 interviewer looked dumbfounded, like Capt cook did that? I don't believe you lol

I grew up in shepersvil Kentucky, I had same experience, but the whole south if your black or other racism is normal.

I didn"'t know people from hawaii were like this.

I bet barry wasnt getting beat down at Punahou

Great interviews.

luckily he wasn't on Oahu lollll

My young brother in-law was a part Hawaiian with blond hair blue eyes. One day I was passing the school and seen him walking home away from the school and crying! That’s when he told me he was bullied and picked on constantly! Well, on that very day it was the last-time anybody bullied him, once they found out who he’s related too. 🤙🏽

I got plunked down in Ewa Beach as a junior in high school from California, and I can certainly relate. Borderline life threatening at times. Helped a lot when I met up with some of the other haoles in the hood that had been there awhile and taught me the needed survival skills. Ewa Beach was a tough place back then. Hawaiians, Japanese, Phillipino, Samoan, and every mix of them all. Freakin' crazy. You look at some guy in a way he perceives as not cool, which wasn't exactly hard to do, and it could mean an instant ass kicking. "Whatchyoufuckinglookingathaoleboy"?!!

I'm part Hawaiian, dark skinned, and a surfer since small kid time. I took planny lickins from local guys too ... a dick is a dick no matter what their skin color is. But yeah, in the 60's haole kids could get beatings, just for being haole. I used to defend them against locals, if the beating was unwarranted and took more than a few shots for it. I invited my haole friends to participate in sports, which helped sooth things, especially f they were good at football, basketball, baseball, martial arts. Thank you Laird for choosing your words carefully in the segment, we have mutual surfer friends who are very strong Hawaiians who in turn have many close haole friends. There's strong respect. The difference between Laird and other loudmouth haoles, is that he reveres Hawaiians and their culture. Come to Hawaii and be disrespectful and you will get KO'd, no two ways about, no matter your color or where you came from. So tread very carefully.

Laird has come a long way...proud of him. He's giving the "lifestyle" of being a surfer a whole new meaning.

kindy-garden

This is the way...(Manadalorian quote)

Graham has an energy that puts his subject at ease, thus revealing their true self, great interviews and information, thanks!

I was a white kid growing up in Hawaii too. I can relate to all the comments below and to Laird's story. One thing I'm proud of now is my heritage and family line. Growing up in Hawaii, I only had my immediate parents. All the racism stuff, along with national PC trends, told me to stifle my European heritage. Now that I'm older, I'm proud of that.

Graham you are the best every interview is beautiful

You don't know what it's like, being little, middle class and white

Hawaii is the most racist place I've ever lived. People think middle american rednecks are bad, live in Hawaii and you'll find out

Same thing happened to me!

Respect to him ik he still respects Hawaii and our people I'm native Hawaiian dark skinned I always grew up having white friends most of the time my bestfriends I was never racist to people for the color of they skin lol but not all racist in Hawaii are Hawaiian tho I have a hapa friend who is Hawaiian and ukranian and he was called a haole by some local Filipino I was like wtf you are the haole non Hawaiians calling a part Hawaiian kid haole cuz they look white even tho they are the actual foreigners but ya man I won't lie tho I never had a problem with white people grown here they usually the bois but sometimes tourist can get irritating there is a difference of mindset of the haoles here and the ones in the mainland

Clearly you are a survivor.

I thought this was a Roger Federer interview 😮

As guy who went to a private school who went through the same thing, I can totally relate to Laird's experiences. I came from a older family with parents that had grown up overseas, and I was surrounded by the children of baby boomer morons, who had instilled little to no discipline in their kids. I just didn't get their infantile bullshit humour !!!!!!!! And I still don't !!!!! Anyhow, I learnt how to fight pretty quickly !!!!!!!!!!

ended up surfing waves that knowone could hold a light too. Pretty sure that makes him a king or something in Hawaiian culture right???

If you’re a HAOLE. You should understand WHY the ANIMOSITY surrounds YOU. Especially if you’re a WYTE HAOLE. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Barry Satori doesn't ring any bells. That was a long time ago! Was friends with Mark Liddell and grew up/started Surfing with Buttons! Started school at Jefferson Elementary, cant remember the name of the JR. High? Wonder Why? Ha! I did 10th grade at McKinley and start of the 11th till we moved to Florida. Wow! Good Old Days!

He’s just telling HIS story growing up period. If a person is a racist or filled w/hate it comes out, just read the comments.

Sounds like prison

kids are tough, but to bad they grow up and never mature, and illegally take other peoples homes and call it a state

LH..LEGEND

I'm Puerto Rican and moved to Hawaii ..my husband is a huge Samoan who grew up here and didn't warn me about the racism..and I got called haole ( spelled wring) and had no idea what that was...I felt they were so dumb they don't know how to tell a white from a Hispanic so I didn't take offense..

Bullying i feel builds some good character. From a guy who experience lots of it growing up. It was a common occurrence and think practically everyone at one time or another received their share.

It's a rude awakening Hawaii is a very racist state if you're not a Polynesian.......

1:27 mark

sjw s never speak of this somehow

I can’t say how growing up there is, youth can be brutal, but as an adult I’ve has an amazing time with the locals. Granted, I’m white, but I’m very dark skin, Rasta, with long beard and dreadlocks down to my thighs… I have a great memory from a time I was surfing, and had stashed some coconuts I gathered, and half opened in the brush. Big group of locals see me get out the ocean. Say my prayers and thanks for being able to ride the sea.. go get my coconut out the brush, finish opening on a rock. And drink coconut.. they couldn’t believe. Call me over. I talk to the elders, they say “everyone come meet Todd. He a Haole but he act more Hawaiian then most of you” 😅😂🤣.

I lived on Maui and Kauai and the racism towards whites was INTENSE.

my kapunas would beat me and anyone who called me haole. this new gen is soft

This guy looks fucking insane for 54yo. Shit he looks mid 30s if I didn't know any better!!!!!

We ALL experience the effects of bias and prejudicial treatment or mistreatment based on our physical characteristics at various times in life. I have light skin, light hair and blue eyes. From childhood through almost 7 decades on this planet assumptions about me have been made about my personal beliefs, my preferences, musical tastes, my assumed political beliefs, .... I've been included and excluded, invited to join in, or implicitly or expressly told to stay away based solely on individual perceptions and conclusions about me, based on my color etc. Physical altercations on public transit, bullied at school, invited to join and fully accepted into little cliques, promoted at work without merit, denied a chance to be heard, or conversely, granted an unearned legitimacy before I've spoken a view at all, ALL of us experience this and sometimes it's painful, .... we really don't know a person at all based on their appearance ...we've only seen the surface and the "who this person is" lies buried inside of that individual until we learn more..... that is life unchallenged and assumed

scrub.

2:21 yes it did. His stuttering says it all 😱😬

3 fights in Hana last 25 years because I am white, the last being Dec 2020

That’s what happens when people don’t like you bc of your SKIN, don’t feel so nice now huh?

I tgink when you do crazy shit it makes you more hamsome

It’s crazy to me they would be racist to white people who are seen as the more “beautiful” people and the majority who is not discriminated against in all other states. Maybe we should bring the racist Hawaiians to the other states so they know what it’s like

As a Australian the british arrogance of captain cooks island damage lives on even in todays times.

But Laird did the same shit once he became known in HS in Kauai

They mentioned a lot of the issues on the island; however, they didn't go over the Hawaiian grooming gangs. It would have been nice to mention some of the things women need to lookout for in Hawaii.

808 all day

And this is not even considering the japanese who think themselves of royalty in hawaii.

Kindergarten

I believe in human rights for all.

Das how da public schools in da aina stay. Bumbye dey all come togeddah and be bf wen school pau or get reunion. Das if dey still kickin.

yet in surfing tons of racism; why no blacks surfing, Laird?

Let me ask any race that came to Hawaii and felt that Hawaiians/Locals were treating them horrible in any way just imagine your home or country or birthplace was stolen from you and you just had to deal with it and also using your home or country or birthplace to market off all the resources for that persons or countries benefit how would you feel about that? Well you can’t because it didn’t happen to you it happened to Hawaiians

☑️✅

Hamilton playing victim. As if there was not one Hawaiian to embrace him as a friend or in the surfing world.

He bettah go tank dem bruddahs fo toughening him up. Bumbye he learn

Were they racist to him the same way the white man is racist towards anyone who’s darker or have a different cultures in the mainland ?

Whites getting a taste of there own medicine. Fun Fact over 70% of Hawaii is Asian and Pacific Islander. And they treat you how you treat them on the mainland..boo hoo

It's almost like imperialism and colonialism have consequences.

something tells me if he had darker skin no one would give a shit.