American tipping culture has its origins in the post-Civil-War south:
> Following the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, formerly enslaved Black workers were often relegated to service jobs (e.g., food service workers and railroad porters). However, instead of paying Black workers any wage at all, employers suggested that guests offer Black workers a small tip for their services. Thus, the use of tipping to pay a worker’s base wage, instead of as a bonus on top of employer-paid wages, became an increasingly common practice for service sector employment. In the early 20th century, these employers, who shared a common goal of keeping labor costs down and preventing worker organizing, formed the National Restaurant Association (NRA). Over the past century, the NRA has lobbied Congress to achieve these goals, first by excluding tipped occupations from minimum wage protections entirely, and later by establishing permanent subminimum wages for tipped workers (One Fair Wage 2021).
doctors and nurses have enough power to demand fixed professional(0) wages that "unskilled labor"(1) does not. no one _wants_ to make $2/hr(2) and to have to rely on the generosity of the general public for a living; in other words, it isn't the waitstaff having special privileges but rather the opposite case of them lacking better protections.
(0) which is to say, much higher
(1) a propaganda term if there ever was one. work one shift as a waiter and tell me it take no skill afterwards!
(2) $2.13 barring state-level increases over the federal minimum, to satisfy the pedants
When my grandpa was in the hospital towards the end of his life, the nurses let him lay in his own piss for half a day before doing anything about it. We gave them an envelope with a generous "tip", and after that they started paying much closer attention to my grandpa.
Many people give a few thousand USD cash to the midwife and the doctor after delivering their baby.
which country is this? you tip all service staff? are you presenting me a logically coherent tipping culture or just another version of the american righteousness?
It's not unheard of for people to give gifts to medical teams after a long course of treatment (at least in the UK).
Service industries have an advantage in being short cycle interactions, so even small amounts of social gratuity can be effectively monetised. There're also much more public so other people can see our generosity / stinginess.
American tipping culture has its origins in the post-Civil-War south:
> Following the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, formerly enslaved Black workers were often relegated to service jobs (e.g., food service workers and railroad porters). However, instead of paying Black workers any wage at all, employers suggested that guests offer Black workers a small tip for their services. Thus, the use of tipping to pay a worker’s base wage, instead of as a bonus on top of employer-paid wages, became an increasingly common practice for service sector employment. In the early 20th century, these employers, who shared a common goal of keeping labor costs down and preventing worker organizing, formed the National Restaurant Association (NRA). Over the past century, the NRA has lobbied Congress to achieve these goals, first by excluding tipped occupations from minimum wage protections entirely, and later by establishing permanent subminimum wages for tipped workers (One Fair Wage 2021).
From https://www.epi.org/publication/rooted-racism-tipping/
Because it encourages corruption. Doctors would prefer to work with patients who tip is not something you want to see.
Even worse example would be "Why can't I tip a police officer? ;)"
doctors and nurses have enough power to demand fixed professional(0) wages that "unskilled labor"(1) does not. no one _wants_ to make $2/hr(2) and to have to rely on the generosity of the general public for a living; in other words, it isn't the waitstaff having special privileges but rather the opposite case of them lacking better protections.
(0) which is to say, much higher (1) a propaganda term if there ever was one. work one shift as a waiter and tell me it take no skill afterwards! (2) $2.13 barring state-level increases over the federal minimum, to satisfy the pedants
so you tip garbage men? you tip macdonalds servers? you tip hospital cleaners? you tip schoolteachers?
I don't know how common it is anymore, but I vaguely remember people tipping their garbage men at Christmas.
In some countries you do.
When my grandpa was in the hospital towards the end of his life, the nurses let him lay in his own piss for half a day before doing anything about it. We gave them an envelope with a generous "tip", and after that they started paying much closer attention to my grandpa.
Many people give a few thousand USD cash to the midwife and the doctor after delivering their baby.
which country is this? you tip all service staff? are you presenting me a logically coherent tipping culture or just another version of the american righteousness?
The line between bribing and tipping isn't that thin.
It's not unheard of for people to give gifts to medical teams after a long course of treatment (at least in the UK).
Service industries have an advantage in being short cycle interactions, so even small amounts of social gratuity can be effectively monetised. There're also much more public so other people can see our generosity / stinginess.
Historically you would pay with cash for your food and sometimes counting change would be awkward so you just round up.
tipping isnt giving someone your spare change is it lol