On Tip Jars

The custom of gratuity is a very old and well-known custom. Its origins have been lost, but there is evidence that it was present even back in ancient Rome. Whether the word was derived from the Latin word stips, or the Middle English word for "give" doesn't matter. It may have even come from the anecdote about Samuel Johnson. He supposedly placed money in a box at a coffee shop with the label "To Insure Promptness" written on it. I hope for Samuel Johnson's sake that this story is made-up. A man of his caliber should know the difference between "insure" and "ensure."

Nevertheless, tipping has become widespread. Not long ago, the custom was limited to those in service-oriented occupations. In certain situations tipping has become expected. Waitresses, bartenders, and taxi drivers depend on this supplementary source of income. I have never had a problem with tipping these people. In fact, I believe I tip rather well.

However, a new trend has cropped up over the past few years and it is getting out of hand. I am referring to the tip jar. A few years ago, there were a large number of places where tips did not exist. Pizza shops, bagel stores, coffee shops, and laundromats were all places where you simply paid the price and left. Now each one of these places, along with many others, have a tip jar staring you in the face.

Some may argue that these people also perform a service and should therefore be tipped as well. But upon a closer look we can see the difference between jobs. A waitress walks to the table, takes an order, brings food and drink to the table, and checks back at the table on occasion for drink refills. A person at a pizza store heats up a slice of pizza and hands it over as the person stands at the counter. It is clearly not the same. Even in the case of a person getting coffee at a diner, the person sits down, has it brought to them, and gets refills. The time spent at the diner and the manner in which the coffee is served greatly differs from getting coffee at Dunkin Donuts.

Tipping a person at a counter for simply heating up a slice or pouring coffee into a disposable cup is ridiculous. This society has gotten into the habit of rewarding mediocrity. Are we all that incompetent that we must reward those that correctly spread cream cheese on a bagel? It is simply wrong on so many levels to have those tip jars.

A quick determination can be made simply by looking at the time spent at a particular location. In all tip-appropriate occupations, a significant amount of time is spent in the establishment (or car). Restaurants, bars, taxi cabs, and hair stylists are all places where the customer spends some time. This is vastly different from a place where a person runs in, grabs something that is quick (and extremely simple) and leaves.

In short, I believe that many of these tip jars should be removed. In most of these establishments they are highly inappropriate. They make customers feel an obligation that should not exist. And the service is rarely worthy of any type of tip in these places. Let's get rid of the tip jars!

Barbers And Butchers: Where Have They Gone?

The world changes at a rapid pace. New developments and new technologies are constantly being created. Neighborhood atmospheres, politics, and a whole slough of many other things too long to list, change over time. In most cases, the changes are positive. But every now and then the change takes away something valuable. Two professions have become nearly extinct nowadays, and this change is not for the better.

The barbers of the world have taken a back seat and slowly faded out of existence as more and more hair stylists have emerged. I never understood why a hair stylist is better than a barber. In this day and age where I am forced to go to one, I still feel that barbers were better.

First off, the barbers cost half the price for the same service. Secondly, the hair stylists are much more superficial. A hair stylist doesn't have a vacuum on the wall to vacuum hair. A hair stylist doesn't have that real barber smell with the old fashioned products. And most importantly, the hair stylists tend to overuse electric shavers. I am not anti-electric shavers, but when a hair cut was finished the barber would use a straight razor. Nothing else can compare to the close shave given with a straight razor. Which brings up a second point-- hair stylists don't offer shaves. The barber has lost a place in this superficial world.

Butcher shops were also eliminated over the years. The best cuts of meat, recommendations on how to cook a particular cut, and a quality that can be found nowhere else is now gone. Sadly the supermarkets have become the place for someone to buy meat. The quality is now poor and the quantity has been predetermined and prewrapped. No longer can a person just walk in and ask for a pound of chop meat. A search must ensue through a bunch of packages filled with styrofoam and wrapped in cellophane to find an amount of chop meat that comes closest to the desired amount. The amount of time it has spent in that cellophane is questionable to boot.

Butchers played a vital role in keeping our food quality and food standards high. Sadly, all of our food standards have slipped over the years. Not that I'm claiming a connection between butchers and food quality overall. But the same process that allows for butcher shops to close is likely related to the process where the quality of food goes downhill.

This is not a plea to bring back the barbers and the butchers of yesteryear. It is far too late for that. But let it serve as a warning to future generations to hold on to the unique and valuable businesses that are still in existence today. If we don't, other occupations may become endangered or extinct as well.

Leave Me Out Of It!

Throughout life one experiences a variety of conflicts. They are an inevitable consequence of social interaction. Many of these conflicts are resolved over time. A select few may last a lifetime. But regardless of the duration, conflicts between the involved individuals should remain that way (i.e. between the involved individuals). Unfortunately, many people don't see it that way.

Oftentimes those involved in a dispute try to force others to "choose a side." Whether the potential recruits are family or friends is irrelevant. The truth of the matter is that a choice should not have to be made. Most of the people were not even there when the quarrel took place, let alone involved. It is unfair to expect others to feel a similar aversion to the new nemesis.

Whenever a person wishes to tell me about a particular dispute, I am willing to listen. I can understand the need to vent. In fact, the information itself may prove useful. Inviting both involved parties to the same place a short time after the argument can lead to an awkward situation. Many would wish to avoid such an encounter.

But venting greatly differs from asking others to dissociate themselves from someone. Sometimes it is a blatant request such as "Don't talk to that person anymore." Other times it is a bit more subtle such as "I don't see how anyone would want to remain friends with a person like that." And there is even the extremely presumptuous "We aren't talking to that person anymore." From this I can only assume that my venting friend has some regal status of which I was previously unaware.

My main point is that an argument should not be perceived as a major conflict that calls for recruits to be amassed on both sides. You can tell the story and you can let off steam. But you should never try to rally others to the cause. In short, leave me out of it!

On Protesting

We live in a world with many different viewpoints on almost every issue. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion (however wrong that opinion may be). But the "to each his own" philosophy is not followed by all. There are people that make it a point to force their opinions down the throats of others. They are often filled with contempt for a certain person or policy and will not rest until all others feel a similar hatred. They are the protesters.

Protesting comes in various forms. When looking back at history, one can come across a handful of protests that have actually had some influence on future events. But by and large, protests do absolutely nothing. This may seem quite cynical, but that does not make the statement less true. When one considers the amount of protests that occur (especially in this age of fakeness) in comparison to the numbers of protests whereby something is achieved, it would appear that there is a higher chance of being struck by lightning than a protest succeeding.

Some protests are ridiculous right from the start. The protests known as die-ins are probably the most retarded. This is similar to a sit-in, but everyone inside simulates being dead. Whatever artsy point this tries to convey is lost not only to the target audience, but very likely many of the morons taking part in the protest as well. It's a shame that the death is only an act. Other protests are doomed to fail just based on the premise of the protest. A good example of this would be the protests that were done against global warming. What was supposed to happen here? Were the big signs supposed to reflect some of the suns rays and help to cool the planet? I don't get how these demonstrations were supposed to have an impact.

I have seen a few counter intuitive actions as well. The protests to protect the environment are a great example. A whole group of people spend time making a bunch of large signs wasting an extremely large amount of wood and paper. Then they march out to tell everyone that we need to save the trees. These people are so dumb they should be killed.

I suppose the main point I'm trying to get across is that protests are fake and retarded. And if you are someone that likes to participate in these protests, then you too are fake and retarded.