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So, basically, the people who are upset about the telescope are natives and aren't even from Hawaii. It's a bunch of white people with too much free time. Got i

So, basically, the people who are upset about the telescope are natives and aren't even from Hawaii. It's a bunch of white people with too much free time. Got it.

DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
Most of the dozen or so leaders of the anti-TMT movement have at least some native Hawaiian ancestry, but yes, a lot of non-native people have joined in, especially on social media, where the barrier to entry into activism is low. One thing I didn't mention above that's important in all this is the Hawaiian independence movement. Many of the leaders of the protest movement view the State of Hawaii as illegitimate, and believe that the Hawaiian Kingdom is under illegal occupation by the United States. The telescope is a great symbol to rally in opposition to. If the State of Hawaii doesn't exist, what right does it have to grant permits for construction on Mauna Kea (yes, this is an argument that TMT opponents repeatedly made during the legal proceedings that eventually approved the TMT's permit)?