
American tipping is rooted in slavery–and it still hurts workers today - howard941
https://www.fordfoundation.org/ideas/equals-change-blog/posts/american-tipping-is-rooted-in-slavery-and-it-still-hurts-workers-today/
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duxup
"rooted in"

And then they describe the origins as not slavery, and then it touches on the
topic of slavery, and then lots of history that doesn't have to do with
slavery.

I feel like sometimes there is a historical game to find where a thing touches
on something good or bad (depending on if the person likes the thing) and tie
it to that. I don't think that necessarily is a reflection on what the thing
is today.

~~~
milsorgen
It's like 6 degrees of separation but with an agenda.

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aphextim
I always have this conflict when it comes to tipping.

I want to refuse and try to show that I do not agree with this practice,
however if I refrain from tipping I know the only person I'm hurting is the
individual I'm not going to tip in that transaction.

I always tip extra generously as that is how I was raised, and when dealing in
a small town where you may frequent the same establishment many times
eventually you do gain a reputation if you tip well and tend to get better
service.

I feel if we really want to change tipping culture we need to start at the
root of the issue where employers are allowed to pay their employees such a
low wage and expect the clients to pick up the extra.

~~~
mrunkel
Yes, this is correct. It must be handled at the legislative level and I’d say
at the Federal level to be effective.

~~~
rolandog
Indeed.

Waiting tables is a job. Tipping allows employers to assign a lower wage, thus
having to pay less payroll taxes... And they'll even try to get a clear
conscience by saying "they just need to learn to budget properly".

This whole situation reminds me of the congresswoman from California, Katie
Porter, questioning the CEO of J.P. Morgan [0].

In my opinion, minimum wage shouldn't be an arbitrary number; it should be
linked to each city's cost of living, and perhaps some sort of multiplicative
factor based on the metropolitan's area population.

This would hold urbanization at bay, and you'd see -- in the long term -- a
more balanced spread of cities.

[0] [https://youtu.be/2WLuuCM6Ej0](https://youtu.be/2WLuuCM6Ej0)

