Barack Obama was talking about black and white, but he could have been addressing the anger and hurt among all the other colors of humanity. He could have been talking specifically about Hawai'i, though he was speaking about all of America.

Here in our Islands, we stubbornly repeat the hopeful delusion of the melting pot where everybody gets along. But this fiction has worn thin, and there is evidence every day that racial tension exists here. No matter what your ethnic heritage may be, somebody out there will hold it against you.

Obama was addressing the incendiary comments made by his pastor. In doing so, he did more than condemn his pastor's comments. He dared to speak of the state of race relations in this country — not the fiction of the melting pot, but the reality of the cauldron.

Obama admitted a secret many Island families keep about the people they love and the attitudes they hate. He talked about his beloved grandmother:

"... who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."

Oh, we know that grandma. We got one, too. Mixed in with that mess are the things we end up saying ourselves, sometimes not even catching our own wrong-headedness until we see the reaction of those around us.

In Hawai'i, our proof of cultural diversity and acceptance is too often superficial. It is a parade down Kalakaua or a festival in the park. It is a party where kalua pig, pancit, sushi and potato salad are served.

If you think things are rosy here, read some online message boards. The topics about race are the most filthy, ignorant and popular.

Obama framed racial divide as a result of socio-economic insecurity, something that we certainly see here in our state.

"They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pensions dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense."

That last line sums up so much of what we deal with in Hawai'i. It's one thing to endure a stupid joke or a hurtful comment, it's quite another when someone is actively working against you in the name of protecting their own opportunities.

Finally somebody brought it out into the open on a national stage. The pretending certainly hasn't helped.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.