Surf shop story

Hey i’m recently married to a Taiwanese girl and she’s a surfer … She had the great idea to start a surfshop at Jingshan beach… There are a few other shop owners there and I expected a bit of bad vibes but not extream racisim. The Taiwanese out there said cause I am a cracker, (whity), (yougurt face) THat my wife can’t do buiz out there… WELL first they said she had to move her tent so we did… Then they said we needed a buiz licence and we got one… Then they said after a month of doing there dance. That they started a “Union” (not a leagal one… really more of a street gang) because when they would yell racist slurs at me from there surf shop tents I didn’t get the hint that crackers aren’t allowed at Jing shan. And the Union fella’s told me that they were going to do a vote and if they don’t like me I can’t be there and my wife can’t do buiz and if they voted yes then it would be ok… When I asked if this was leagal they said (The government lets them make there own laws here) IT sounds like a lie but if you know Taiwan theres a good chance that what he told me was true. So I hired a local ganster to do my wifes buiz so she wouldn’t loose all her investment and they leave him alone… The moral of the story is if your going to do buiz in Taiwan… restraunt… hot dog stand… surf shop… Dont’ do so without a ganster that will back you up… Now I pay the protection money but still can’t hang at the beach every day cause the ganster said it’s just too much trouble… SO if you would like to fight racisim in a 3rd world country then e-mail me at spudjohnston@hotmail.com and I will tell you the only shop at Jing shan that didn’t give me a hard time and was quite nice his name is Kevin his parters name was Tony and Gil worked for them… Plus they have the best boards if you want to buy… Or if you’d like to rent boards I can give you the gansters # that has my wifes boards… The thing that got me the most is the people there that gave me the hardest time had the most foriegn friends… So if you’d like to show the TBC’s (Taiwan born CHinese) That racisim dosn’t pay and you surf contact me :wink:

IMO, this kind of post should be a major thread here on Forumosa.com.

Assuming its all true.

Just a thought, you don’t suppose your gangster mate doesn’t want you there because that way it’s mcuh easier to skim your earnings?

HG

So, let’s all go there and open several surf shops … :smiley:

Sorry to hear your story, but welcome to the dark side of surfing. It’s nothing new. Aggressive territorial surfers have long existed elsewhere; like everything else, it’s not surprising they’ll eventually be found in Taiwan.

[quote]A new book simply entitled “Surf Rage” and compiled by former Australian surfing champion Nat Young lists a litany of violence from downtown Los Angeles and the big waves of Hawaii to Australia’s desert coast and Indian Ocean reefs.

“We’re a mob of greedy, adrenalin-fueled colonials participating in an unbelievably frustrating activity that drags out our worst instincts,” surfer Derek Reilly writes. . .

“Increasingly, surfers are losing it. Fists are thrown, knives are brandished, out-of-towners are ganged up on, cars are vandalized and boards are speared at heads.” . . .

The primeval face of surfing made world headlines in March when Young had his face beaten to a pulp after a dispute with another surfer at his home break of Angourie.

After six and a half hours of reconstructive surgery, Young’s face is today held together with titanium until the bones knit.

Young, who once earned the nickname “The Animal,” says he has been guilty of surf rage and triggered his beating by hitting his attacker’s son, who was swearing at Young as the two surfed.

“Surf rage is an ugly reality to most surfers. We’ve ignored it for a long time. Now it’s time we took a closer look at ourselves,” says Young.

The consensus from the surfers, surf journalists and sports psychologists is that surf rage is being fueled by the explosion in the surfing population. . .

In California, land of the Beach Boys “Surfin’ USA,” surf rage has entered the courts after a series of vicious attacks and surfers have done time on battery charges. The problem has become so bad police patrol the surf on jet skis during summer. . .

In Fiji, the famed Cloudbreak off the surf resort of Tavarua island is patrolled by bodyguards who extract non-paying guests.

In Mauritius in the Indian Ocean a local surf gang called the White Shorts orders visitors out of the water or else. In Bali, it’s the Black Shorts.

In Hawaii, the infamous Hui dictate the surf law and locals and fists rule. A Hawaiian local once offered a $25 bounty for every Brazilian surfer punched in the head while surfing.

In the Canary Islands in the Atlanta Ocean rocks are thrown at non-local surfers and their cars vandalized. . .[/quote]
archives.cnn.com/2000/books/news … fing.reut/

drdriving.org/rages/surf.htm

With reference to them being allowed to ‘make up their own laws’- bullshit!
Just go there and refuse to be bullied, take a bunch of white friends if you need to but screw them assholes.

They would never try that shit on us at Da Shi because the “locals” know me and my crew are the locals. We’ve surfed there and beyond for the past ten years when most of the Taiwanese “floaters” were shitting in their diapers. We surf the big wave days, in the winter and when no one is there to take our pictures. We also live there which most of the “local” surfers don’t.

However you are business competition in a market that has a season and there is a limited market. Of course they are intimidated by a foreigner-most of them probablly just learned to surf/swim 3 years ago, have never surfed outside Taiwan and have gained all their knowledge from poorly translated Japanese magazines.
This is all about business and you are seen as an expert muscling in on their turf.

I get the same attitude from the Big bike crowd sometimes, though I have to admit I’ve had worst attitude from bikers/surfers from my own country.(USA) ande Ozzies in Bali.

In Taiwan, I usually find that both sets are friendly and courteous.

I think you should start you own gang or remain a victim of the local gangsters and competitors.

[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]Just a thought, you don’t suppose your gangster mate doesn’t want you there because that way it’s mcuh easier to skim your earnings?

HG[/quote]

Yea I know what you mean but my wife has to be there every day to check on things and collect the $$$ I just can’t enjoy the beach cause of the shit there.

I spend every weekend in the north shore hanging out at the surf shop my friends run. Two doors down is a place owned by a whitey and his wife. Everyone is friendly. I consider it my oasis away from the hell of Taipei. I have never experienced any racism there. Nothing but people being friendly to each other. Hanging out, surfing, getting bent, eating, having a good time.
Maybe you should just find another beach where the people don’t suck so much.

[quote=“SuchAFob”]I spend every weekend in the north shore hanging out at the surf shop my friends run. Two doors down is a place owned by a whitey and his wife. Everyone is friendly. I consider it my oasis away from the hell of Taipei. I have never experienced any racism there. Nothing but people being friendly to each other. Hanging out, surfing, getting bent, eating, having a good time.
Maybe you should just find another beach where the people don’t suck so much.[/quote]

What beach do you hang at? Jing Shan?? I might be that whitey. If so your friends are most likly ass holes that like your money or the status you give them as being a foriegner hanging at their shop. Try spending your money else where or worse yet buying a couple of surfboards to rent out… All I know is that out of the 13 competators there was … Pings Bus … A guy that allways weres red shorts his shop has no english name… A short taiwanese chick and her bf and a guy with a pony tail I think it’s Tube surfboards and a group called the 10 surfers… Spider surf shop was the genius behind this Illeagal union that dosn’t allow my Taiwanese wife to do buiz at the beach and They all said to her if a whity wasn’t there she wouldn’t have so much trouble… If you hang with these people explain to them good and bad behavior … and while your at it explain that sitting in a bay with no waves is NOT surfing …

[quote=“Bubba 2 Guns”]They would never try that shit on us at Daxi because the “locals” know me and my crew are the locals. We’ve surfed there and beyond for the past ten years when most of the Taiwanese “floaters” were shitting in their diapers. We surf the big wave days, in the winter and when no one is there to take our pictures. We also live there which most of the “local” surfers don’t.

However you are business competition in a market that has a season and there is a limited market. Of course they are intimidated by a foreigner-most of them probablly just learned to surf/swim 3 years ago, have never surfed outside Taiwan and have gained all their knowledge from poorly translated Japanese magazines.
This is all about business and you are seen as an expert muscling in on their turf.

I get the same attitude from the Big bike crowd sometimes, though I have to admit I’ve had worst attitude from bikers/surfers from my own country.(USA) ande Ozzies in Bali.

In Taiwan, I usually find that both sets are friendly and courteous.

I think you should start you own gang or remain a victim of the local gangsters and competitors.[/quote]

Want to start surfing again in the worst way…But no way am I going to relive the Southern California surf scene. The only peace we ever had was down in Mexico. The rest? A fight every time you got in the water.

No thanks…I’ll stick with diving. The soul of surfing might exist in some peoples minds, but for the most part, modern day surfers are the very antithesis of what surfing is supposed to represent.

Bubba 2 guns, I’m happy you have enough history and Kuanshi to surf the break at Tashi with impunity…But what would happen to poor old me if I, for example, wanted to start surfing again? I’m sure I’d get clipped within 5 minutes, and you know it. If I return to wave riding, it will probably be in Fulong. It may not be quite as good as Tashi, but at least I won’t get my ass kicked there.

Happy soul surfing…And hope you get your bike back soon. :slight_smile:

SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS!
:frowning:

[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]Just a thought, you don’t suppose your gangster mate doesn’t want you there because that way it’s mcuh easier to skim your earnings?

HG[/quote]

I don’t see how thats possible given that the owners control the inventory…

I’ve started kiteboarding now…

Righto.

MJB:

Bubba 2 guns, I’m happy you have enough history and Kuanshi to surf the break at Daxi (Dasi) with impunity…But what would happen to poor old me if I, for example, wanted to start surfing again? I’m sure I’d get clipped within 5 minutes, and you know it. If I return to wave riding, it will probably be in Fulong. It may not be quite as good as Daxi (Dasi), but at least I won’t get my ass kicked there.

I’ve surfed at Daxi a few times, the thought of surf nazis even never even crossed my head. Same rule as everywhere, just ease in.

Just do it!

HG

I haven’t ever surfed at Daxi but I used to go there for a swim sometimes. The surfers were usually just kids, though – I can’t imagine any of them getting rough without getting themselves hurt, although one girl did once shout at me for being in her way (on a millpool-calm day). Actually came running up the beach to shout at me some more afterward with her boyfriend in tow. Stink-eye and a brief hand-gesture took care of her right sharpish, though. She did have nice sinewey thighs, though. I should have been a bit nicer to her, I suppose.

[quote]Bubba 2 guns, I’m happy you have enough history and Kuanshi to surf the break at Daxi (Dasi) with impunity…But what would happen to poor old me if I, for example, wanted to start surfing again? I’m sure I’d get clipped within 5 minutes, and you know it. If I return to wave riding, it will probably be in Fulong. It may not be quite as good as Daxi (Dasi), but at least I won’t get my ass kicked there.
[/quote]

We hardly ever surf the main break–especially when the herd is in town, so we avoid conflict. If its ever any good it’s not crowded because most people are afraid of the big breaks. (I had volunteer life guards frantically whistling at me as I paddled out on a pre-typhoon day as as I swam away laughing maniacally) I’ve been beaned with wayward boards a few times because…well… yeah…the Taiwanese surf like they drive. I pulled one guy into me by his leash after he THREW his board over a wave and nailed my ass. He was a high school student. I told him to park it on the beach and watch the other surfers for a while before coming back out. In the LBC, HB, Venice or Santa Cruz he would have been gutted and wedged into a crevice far, far underwater.

PS. Sandy- Bike is back. I’m riding everyday now. Waves are flatter than an uniformed office girl’s backside after overtime.

No, not Jing Shan and I have no suspicions about the motivations of my friends. Especially considering that I never give them money and they usually won’t let me pay at dinner.
I was just suggesting you find another beach because your story makes it sound like the ones at your beach are assholes.

As Mother Theresa states, the “Locals Only” thing has been around for decades…but, as somebody alluded to, it is hilarious to see some kook (not a racial epithet) floundering around in the water and then get aggro at somebody else for not being “local”.

I am ashamed to admit that, many moons ago, I was one of those people making fun of inlanders who had to drive more than 20 minutes to get to the beach…adolescent insecurity I suppose.

Surfing well should shut them up - but the business end of things is tough. Sorry to read of the OP’s grief! :s

Good to hear the Blade’s back on the road. But from the above it looks like you’ve been spending far too much time on that cafe racer bloke’s website! :laughing: