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“TALA GALO FA’ASAVALU JR. LETTERS”

Dear Editor,

Re: “Hold on to our Culture” (published 09/17/12), “Shotgun Approach” (published 09/22/12)

OK, not to sound threatening or coming at you in a wrong way, but seriously, Ya’ll need to make up ya’lls minds already.

I have been hearing all my life that we are so fortunate to have the U.S. involved with our well-being as a people. It has allowed and afforded us possibilities of futures that are not readily available to other 3rd World countries, or to our neighboring islands.

We children of the 60s, 70s, 80s and some of the 90s were brought up encouraged to pursue futures of great magnitude & difference from what our parents had settled with.

What was not clearly stated in the by-laws of those incentives, is that when your future clashes with your culture — bust an about face and run for it.

Really, ya’ll need to get over it. What is it that you people want? Has anyone ever heard of a Samoan making it big without adapting to survive?

We have a classic example right here on the island … officials corrupting the system to get ahead in the game… and it is done by one Samoan to another Samoan.

Ok, speak of the culture (Fa’amaoni & Fa’aaloalo)when it is not practiced at face value right in our back yard.

Need facts on that (try reading the paper daily, where reports of missing federal funds and budget cuts sweep the island faster than 104 days of summer).

To get to the point — who in their right mind would want to hang on to a culture that preaches one thing but when the going gets rough, it turns around to do another.

The American Dream and being Americanized are different… but different is good. Different leads to changes, changes lead to progress, progress leads to success, success defines identity, and identity creates individuality! Which in totality is what we all want, yet never really admit.

Maria Tu'uiletaifeagaigaotaupou Balqua-Thornraq