By Jerry Burris
Advertiser Editorial Editor

Well worth reading is an article by Joel Kotkin and Thomas Tseng on the emerging phenomenon of a "post-ethnic" America.

The authors argue that while the intellectual and political elite have not yet fully realized it, a post-ethnic, cross-cultural society is emerging among young people, on the streets and within the marketplace.

It may be true that this changed world may not be fully apparent on the Mainland, but it long ago arrived here in the Islands.

The regular eruptions of debate over what constitutes "local" is just one example of how the post-ethnic dynamic is in full play here. While we enjoy argument over what "local" means in precise terms, there is no argument that it is a real quality, to be admired and to be defended and to be constantly defined.

The tiff between our banks over who is most "local" was a classic example of how important this is. Quite clearly, being "local" is seen as an advantage in the marketplace.

In their article, Kotkin and Tseng report, with what appears to be some astonishment, that a growing number of Americans — particularly young people — identify themselves by something other than their race.

Again, that is a phenomenon they might well have studied in Hawai'i for years. People in Hawai'i may be proud of, say, their Japanese or Portuguese heritage, but they are just as likely to self-identify on the basis of what neighborhood or island they come from or — above all else — where they went to high school.

In politics, "local" has been an important element for years. The Democrats have traditionally done the best job of working this side of the street.

Every governor from John A. Burns forward stressed local roots, local "values" and local sensibilities in their campaigns. For a while, it seemed, if you didn't come from Kalihi, you just had no hope of becoming governor.

In her successful campaign for governor last year Linda Lingle managed to crack this "market," if you will. She produced a campaign that appealed across ethnic lines. Whether that represents a permanent breach of the Democrats' longstanding "post-ethnic" appeal remains to be seen.

Already there are signs that the Democrats are regrouping and working to return that multiethnic base to its original home. You can be sure Lingle will be just as active in working to hang on to those constituencies.

The most hopeful thing about a post-ethnic dynamic is what it does to the issue of race.

In many communities on the Mainland, race is still used politically in an "us vs. them" style. In some cases, this is ugly. But even when it is not, it has a subtle divisive quality. Votes are sought and tallied along racial lines.

In a post-ethnic climate, this kind of campaign cannot work. The best way to succeed, as Hawai'i politicians have long learned, is to be as inclusive as possible.

Now, it seems, the rest of the nation is waking up to this important message.

Reach Jerry Burris at letters@honoluluadvertiser.com.