Funny thing is, SUPERBOY did seem to have a certain amount of vague cultural awareness. Kon even gets called out a couple of times for being a dismissive or douchey white boy. Becoming more respectful of native Hawaiian culture seemed to be, like becoming more respectful of women, one of his subtle long-term growth arcs. Unfortunately, "subtle" is the key word there, and the narrative itself spends a lot of time merrily perpetuating that same blindness. If they *had* kept Pele around and made her a genuine god, they probably would indeed have gotten it wrong and certainly merited an angry letter or two, whether or not they actually got them.