"Malaysians don't see white people, they see dollar signs" - Jokes by Jazzy
Alternate titles for this post include:
Mo' White, Mo' Money, Mo' Problems
Cash Rules Everything Around Me, W.H.I.T.E
I Got White Money to Blow
Shake Your White Money Maker
Show Me the Money, Whitie
As you may have noticed in my previous blog post (read it here), Jazzy paid a bribe of RM50 when he probably could have bartered it down to RM30 if us white folks weren't in the car. Yes, this leads me to my post on the white tax.
This 'white tax' simply means that, because of our skin colour, we stood out as tourists in Malaysia. And with tourists come money and larger bills. Here are four of our experiences that prove this white tax theory.
Proof #1: Let's Fudge the Numbers
When we were on the side of the road at a durian stand, we learned (through Jazzy translating from Malay to English) that the durians were RM30/kg. Our durian happened to weigh 3 kgs (which Jazzy was very skeptical of). He started arguing with the seller about the price or the weight until another guy came to back him up. So, we ended up paying a total of RM90 for our durian experience.
Proof #2: Canadian$ v.s. Malaysians
In Chinatown we were bartering for various items from sunglasses to clothing items. Bartering happens all in good fun, of course, but when we started bartering with one shopkeeper about a shirt and Jazzy tried to help us bring the price down, the shopkeeper called Jazzy out on trying to help the wrong side, and we were kicked out.
Proof #3: Friends with Money (no not the film)
On his way up to the rooftop bar of our hotel in KL, Morgan was asked by a server if he was with the Singaporean (our friend Ahmad from college), he said yes, thinking that he must have mentioned that he was waiting for a few Canadians. It turns out that Ahmad didn't mention anything about waiting for anyone in particular, it was simply assumed.
Proof #4: Guilty by Association
After a few days, we figured out this white tax business enough to let Jazzy do most of the dirty work. So, at the Batu Caves, we sent him up to purchase two coconuts for refreshments for Morgan and Ahmad. Jazzy was quoted RM4 for the coconuts then came over to us--the two Canadians and the Singaporean--to check if that was ok and to pass along the money. When Jazzy went back to the seller, the price went up to RM5. Apparently we didn't do a good enough job of blending in and were then charged an additional RM1 fee: the white tax.
Unfortunately, we never got around to attempting our final experiment on the white tax which included Morgan and I going up to a street vendor and inquiring about the price of a fruit (dragon fruit, for example), then have Jazzy go up after, with us a safe and unnoticeable distance away (I know, it's hard for us to blend), and ask the same question. We would compare prices and know the ultimate price of the white tax. But hey, if anyone tries this in Malaysia or elsewhere, feel free to share your experiences and observations with me.
Mo' White, Mo' Money, Mo' Problems
Cash Rules Everything Around Me, W.H.I.T.E
I Got White Money to Blow
Shake Your White Money Maker
Show Me the Money, Whitie
As you may have noticed in my previous blog post (read it here), Jazzy paid a bribe of RM50 when he probably could have bartered it down to RM30 if us white folks weren't in the car. Yes, this leads me to my post on the white tax.
This 'white tax' simply means that, because of our skin colour, we stood out as tourists in Malaysia. And with tourists come money and larger bills. Here are four of our experiences that prove this white tax theory.
Proof #1: Let's Fudge the Numbers
When we were on the side of the road at a durian stand, we learned (through Jazzy translating from Malay to English) that the durians were RM30/kg. Our durian happened to weigh 3 kgs (which Jazzy was very skeptical of). He started arguing with the seller about the price or the weight until another guy came to back him up. So, we ended up paying a total of RM90 for our durian experience.
Proof #2: Canadian$ v.s. Malaysians
In Chinatown we were bartering for various items from sunglasses to clothing items. Bartering happens all in good fun, of course, but when we started bartering with one shopkeeper about a shirt and Jazzy tried to help us bring the price down, the shopkeeper called Jazzy out on trying to help the wrong side, and we were kicked out.
Proof #3: Friends with Money (no not the film)
On his way up to the rooftop bar of our hotel in KL, Morgan was asked by a server if he was with the Singaporean (our friend Ahmad from college), he said yes, thinking that he must have mentioned that he was waiting for a few Canadians. It turns out that Ahmad didn't mention anything about waiting for anyone in particular, it was simply assumed.
Proof #4: Guilty by Association
After a few days, we figured out this white tax business enough to let Jazzy do most of the dirty work. So, at the Batu Caves, we sent him up to purchase two coconuts for refreshments for Morgan and Ahmad. Jazzy was quoted RM4 for the coconuts then came over to us--the two Canadians and the Singaporean--to check if that was ok and to pass along the money. When Jazzy went back to the seller, the price went up to RM5. Apparently we didn't do a good enough job of blending in and were then charged an additional RM1 fee: the white tax.
Unfortunately, we never got around to attempting our final experiment on the white tax which included Morgan and I going up to a street vendor and inquiring about the price of a fruit (dragon fruit, for example), then have Jazzy go up after, with us a safe and unnoticeable distance away (I know, it's hard for us to blend), and ask the same question. We would compare prices and know the ultimate price of the white tax. But hey, if anyone tries this in Malaysia or elsewhere, feel free to share your experiences and observations with me.