I want to get this off of my chest, and I'm trying to think of a good segway into what I want to say...and I can't, so I'll just say it: racism is something I encountered a LOT in the restaurant. Most often I heard "Black people are not good tippers," even to an all out declaration of "I hate Black people." It shocked me every time I heard it and cannot believe what little guilt people seemed to show when saying these things. Especially since some of the people who said it the most had their own history of oppression (female, non-Christian, "minority" status). Where is all of this hatred coming from? Personally, I don't believe in direct cause-effect relationships. I believe there is usually a snowball of many different reasons that lead to an outcome. Anyways, here are some of my ideas of why racism is so accepted in the restaurant world:
1. Waitresses/Waiters assume that people of color are not going to tip, therefore give bad service, therefore receive an appropriate tip for their crappy job.
2. People of color assume that their waiter/waitress is racist (maybe past experiences?) and doesn't tip anyone outside of their own race
3. People of color, in general, make up more of the poor and working class and don't have the extra money to give an "adequate" tip
OR....
4. People of color tip exactly the same as white people but when we receive a low tip from a person of color we assume it is because of their race (reaffirming our stereotypes), and when we receive a low tip from a white person we assume it is because they are having a bad day, an a**hole, or maybe they just forgot to tip that day.
Just a few ideas...I could go more into embedded and internalized systems of oppression, but not now. This has been on my mind for a long time and it feels good to get it off of my chest. Feel free to comment anyone, I'd love to get a dialogue going about this- especially from anyone who has worked in the restaurant biz. Overall I'd like to say, IT'S NOT OKAY TO MAKE GENERALIZATIONS AND SAY THESE THINGS ABOUT PEOPLE...ITS REPULSIVE! **sigh**, that felt good.
I titled this blog "nerves" because in leaving my job, it is my final severance here in the U.S., meaning this upcoming trip is actually real! I read through the volunteer manual last night and it says that those volunteers must have a high understanding with spoken and written Spanish. I really wonder what they are expecting of me...any chance I can become fluent in three weeks?? My nerves are finally waking up...
I've also noticed when going to restaurants that I've heard a lof of waitresses and bartenders say that military officers don't tip well either- and that they always ask for a discount- especially the ones who come in full uniform. I don't think that's a fair statement either- because I was sitting next to a military man who actually tipped incredibly well. Plus I have friends and family all in the military and I know they tip well.
ReplyDeleteThat being said- people in general, regardless of race, religion, etc., should ALWAYS tip their waitresses at least 20%! Even when my waitress or waiter sucks I still leave 20%.
I've heard that stereotype before too!
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