Having grown up in local neighborhoods, here's my .02 cents... Generally speaking in life, if you hang out with rough crowds, you will get rough treatment... the ole' "sow what you reap" principle is very true.
That said, what Cheryl wrote earlier about the plantation era mentality was tempered with a lot more general civility and respect. There is a growing trend in the "local" (not only Hawaiian) teen/young adult population that has continued this mentality without the respect or civility and it comes out in a lot of bad ways. It is a minority of the people, and generally if you are nice and don't hang out with the "wrong" crowd you are more likely to meet some of the nices people here instead of the "jerks".
I grew up where haole was an affectionate term, that is changing, though I still like the "label." But I also knew there were certain crowds/areas where I would not be safe (and I'm a big teddy bear of a guy) and I avoided them. My neighbors ended up pulling all their kids out of public school a few years back when "kill haole day" returned to the Lahaina school system with a vengence... They got tired of their kids getting hurt simply because they were haole. (little kids - ages 5-8 at the time)
I remember talking with a co-worker about 10 years ago who was raised on a Pourtugese plantation (she is now in her mid 80's) Her comment about the current "anti-haole" climate was amazement. She told me that as a child the elders in the plantation taught the children to respect the haole because they were the educated ones who did well (Most of the management were Haole at the time) and that if they studied and worked hard they too could do well in life. So there was more of a desire to be like them and earn a place of respect in the community. Later in life when she first heard someone call out "you *** haole" she could not understand it and was very surprised at the change in attitude. btw - she was born and raised on Kauai - sweet lady who in her late 70's left most 20 yr old's in her "dust" so to speak (activity wise) ... She has made the most of the life God gave her... and still going strong
Another aspect of this change is the perception of what the "haole" has brought to Hawaii. 100 years ago they were still credited with bringing education and a better way of life to the islands for the local people. Over the past 50 years especially the focus has gotten off what they gave (primarily the early missionaries) and been put on what others took from the islands. Anytime you quit looking at how blessed you are and start focusing on the bad in life, you're attitude is bound to change... and you'll pass it onto your kids as well.
Aloha, Tim