3 ms·

You make a very good point. Passport processing is another good example. However, it is so much more fun to pay someone directly where you know it is going to f

You make a very good point. Passport processing is another good example. However, it is so much more fun to pay someone directly where you know it is going to feed their family vs. just being an additional tax to the government. One guy once told me that my money was helping buy his kids books for school. I don't know if he was lying, but I appreciated the thought.

stefs 3y ago
This soinds so weird and absurd to me: "i'd rather pay bribes to corrupt individuals than taxes to my government."
- latchkey 3y ago
  Have you lived in Vietnam or any country where this is a thing? It is weird, until you realize that it often works in your best interest. For example, if I get pulled over in Vietnam while driving a motorbike, I can just pay the "fine" right then and there. While I admit, it is totally corrupt and questionable, it sure beats spending hours going to the police station and dealing with language issues. Obviously, this isn't good for locals since it is used as a form of extortion, but it is what it is. I'm not in Vietnam to fix the problems there. The world is indeed a strange place...
  - dragonwriter 3y ago
    > Have you lived in Vietnam or any country where this is a thing? It is weird, until you realize that it often works in your best interest. […] Obviously, this isn’t good for locals Most people who have lived in places where this exists were also, at the time, locals, so your description is self-contradictory.
  - yieldcrv 3y ago
    yeah its like this in parts of Mexico too, it is convenient and fun, like "wow everyone's so cool haha what a playful land as long as you have 50 pesos on you" but it can also be annoying as the 'incidentals' add up
    - latchkey 3y ago
      This is why I paid someone to help me get a VN drivers license. At that point, the coffee money either goes away entirely or gets cut in half. At the end of the day, $3 sure is a lot cheaper than $100's in a single ticket in the US.

stefs 3y ago

This soinds so weird and absurd to me: "i'd rather pay bribes to corrupt individuals than taxes to my government."

latchkey 3y ago
Have you lived in Vietnam or any country where this is a thing? It is weird, until you realize that it often works in your best interest. For example, if I get pulled over in Vietnam while driving a motorbike, I can just pay the "fine" right then and there. While I admit, it is totally corrupt and questionable, it sure beats spending hours going to the police station and dealing with language issues. Obviously, this isn't good for locals since it is used as a form of extortion, but it is what it is. I'm not in Vietnam to fix the problems there. The world is indeed a strange place...
- dragonwriter 3y ago
  > Have you lived in Vietnam or any country where this is a thing? It is weird, until you realize that it often works in your best interest. […] Obviously, this isn’t good for locals Most people who have lived in places where this exists were also, at the time, locals, so your description is self-contradictory.
- yieldcrv 3y ago
  yeah its like this in parts of Mexico too, it is convenient and fun, like "wow everyone's so cool haha what a playful land as long as you have 50 pesos on you" but it can also be annoying as the 'incidentals' add up
  - latchkey 3y ago
    This is why I paid someone to help me get a VN drivers license. At that point, the coffee money either goes away entirely or gets cut in half. At the end of the day, $3 sure is a lot cheaper than $100's in a single ticket in the US.