Gossip is the new pornography

maura:

Foster assigned me this piece!

I’m also an overtipper, although I don’t think it’s necessarily because I’m a music writer (although there is certainly that), but because of the guilt I have that comes with having a family that is notoriously cheap. I remember several times going to dinner with family members and being certain that the tab to our meal came to well into three figures but only leaving a few dollars (like three) behind. “Our service was really good so maybe we should leave $3 instead of just 2.” This was all before I had an income or a conscience, but when I grew up I learned better and tried to erase the enormous guilt complex I grew.

I have worked several years as a fast food manager (starting out as a lowly team member), so while I was never dependent on tips for my income (I don’t think I ever was offered one, let alone accepted one), but I did see how tight the margins restaurants are run on. It isn’t so much a matter of “restaurants can just pay their waitstaff more so I don’t have to do it”, because that just won’t happen.

Yes, by all means, let’s change the system so that waitstaff and bartenders earn higher salaries; I’ll still continue to overtip because good karma is worth more than 15%.