U.S Tipping Culture is Rooted In Rascism
Some of you may read this and say "well of course it is we all know that" other may read it and say "what the hell are you talking about" (please ignore the blaring typo)
While tipping in general was not originally based on racism I think it is evident that U.S tipping culture is.
What do you think?
Also did you know that the minimum wage for tipped jobs is only $2.13 in all but 7 states.
If your could change anything about our modern day U.S tipped system, what would you change?
For more information read, U.S Tipping Culture Is Rooted In Racism
UPDATE:
My argument - U.S tipping was definitely based on racism when it first began. In today's world it isn't based on racism but still affects African Americans at a disproportionate rate. I believe that tips should not be included in base wage and that tipped sub-minimum wage should be eradicated and raised to the state's minimum wage.
My reasoning (clipped from my article)
After the Civil War, Newly Emancipated Black Americans had to find jobs with little options. Employers no longer having a way to exploit their workers had to come up with something new.
Racial discrimination in all aspects of civil society was still rampant. Many restaurateurs refused to pay newly minted freedmen wages. 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 most states sub-minimum wage rests at a staggering $2.13 and hasn't changed since 1991.
Across the U.S., poverty rates for tipped workers are 2.3 times as high as poverty rates for non-tipped workers (11.3% vs. 4.9%) (EPI analysis of Ruggles et al. 2024).
About 4,100 workers in five states and Washington, D.C., participated in the survey, which was conducted over the phone and via email from October through January. It found that while Black workers represent the majority of the tipped service industry, they are also the ones making the least, according to the report, which examined government data and its survey’s findings, among other sources.