I'm on the other side on this issue (I don't agree with the norm of American-style mandatory tipping). What you describe as the reaction of people against tipping is the reaction I usually see out of people who are for tipping.
When I voice my opinion against tipping, I immediately get inflamed reactions, I get called "cheap", I get told I'm a "terrible person", etc. etc. People on the other side in my opinion are usually more well-tempered.
To be clear, I am only against the culture of quasi-mandatory tipping. I'm all for all workers being well-paid.
The problem with tipping, as Porter describes, is it inevitably promotes racism and sexism. If you have waiter friends, maybe they've told you about "Canadians"? As it turns out, black families usually don't tip (or tip very little), and white males usually tip a lot. What ends up happening is waiters fight to get the tables with white males, and adjust their service for each (better service for while males, poor service for black families). See http://www.fusionmagazine.org/racism-in-restaurants-2/ for more.
Instead of having a culture of mandatory tipping, just going with fixed service charge for dining in makes a lot more sense.
>As it turns out, black families usually don't tip (or tip very little), and white males usually tip a lot. What ends up happening is waiters fight to get the tables with white males, and adjust their service for each (better service for while males, poor service for black families).
And that creates a feedback loop. It is absolutely true that black people generally tip less, and that waitstaff generally seat them badly and give terrible service. Even black waitstaff get caught up in it with experience. Tipping is the problem here.
I'm on the other side on this issue (I don't agree with the norm of American-style mandatory tipping). What you describe as the reaction of people against tipping is the reaction I usually see out of people who are for tipping.
When I voice my opinion against tipping, I immediately get inflamed reactions, I get called "cheap", I get told I'm a "terrible person", etc. etc. People on the other side in my opinion are usually more well-tempered.
To be clear, I am only against the culture of quasi-mandatory tipping. I'm all for all workers being well-paid.
The problem with tipping, as Porter describes, is it inevitably promotes racism and sexism. If you have waiter friends, maybe they've told you about "Canadians"? As it turns out, black families usually don't tip (or tip very little), and white males usually tip a lot. What ends up happening is waiters fight to get the tables with white males, and adjust their service for each (better service for while males, poor service for black families). See http://www.fusionmagazine.org/racism-in-restaurants-2/ for more.
Instead of having a culture of mandatory tipping, just going with fixed service charge for dining in makes a lot more sense.