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Society

Runtime:

7 minutes

Rating

GD Star Rating
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Black Folk Don’t Tip

 

Do black people actually tip less? This is the controversial question at the heart of this small and powerful documentary short. Producer Angela Tucker explores this particular black stereotype in man-on-the-street interviews, as well as conversations with cultural critics, bloggers, comedians, actors and more. She poses a theory that black people do tip less for certain services – but tip far more than their white counterparts for other services.  If there is a difference, it lies with the value placed on the service.

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  • Hymie Rosen

    I’m Jewish and I can relate. We also have a bad reputation for tipping so I’ll often tip a little extra to make sure I don’t like look a ‘cheap Jew.’

  • steven

    Interview random people guessing about the issue? Is it really so hard to do a little study? Spend one day in a restaurant or two and take the data? Because I would actually like to know if it is TRUE or not first. Before you even know whether or not its a MYTH, all those guesses mean precisely zero!

  • Hmmmmmmmmmmmz

    This is just people expressing there opinion. No reserch?

    Or was the result too politicaly uncorrect to add?

  • madscirat

    I waited tables for years. It is generally agreed upon by servers and I found it to be the case that black people are the worst tippers after old people. It’s not a politically correct observation, but reality, I find, is rarely politically correct. I am definitely guilty of using this and other stereotypes to determine which tables I would focus my limited attention upon. I don’t feel guilty about it; when you’re living off dollars and quarters you can’t afford to pay a tax just to feel less prejudiced.

    • Shmem

      Did you ever think the reason they tipped you less is because you automatically made the assumption they were going to tip less, based only on the colour of their skin, and then decided not to bother giving them top level service?
      Not only is this a self-perpetuating myth, but it is also being used as an excuse for racism, prejudice and ignorance!

      • Devil’s Advocate

        That sounds like the chicken and the egg argument. Which behaviour caused the the other? Bad tip leading to bad service or bad service leading to bad tipping?

      • prayersaredumb

        There is nothing wrong with assumptions sometimes.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JLZIPGUIBINLSYUTS63PDNVMMQ Jake Ayres

      Wow, that’s pretty racist, whether you’re willing to admit it or not. Your making an assumption, a generalization, about an entire group of people based only on a physical trait they have. Maybe they aren’t tipping you because you are not black. But that, of course, you would find prejudiced and unacceptable. Why dont you just do the best job that you can, regardless of who the customer is or what color they are? Comments like that are what is perpetuating racism altogether. Get rid of that kind of narrow thinking and maybe you’ll find black people more receptive to you. People are so ignorant, its like they are stuck in the 50′s or something.

      • BlackPeopleDon’tTip

        madscirat is right. Black people are the worst tippers next to lesbians and just-recently-crossed-the-border types. I waited tables for years. It was always the same, and nine times out of ten they want lemons, straws and water…so they can make their own lemonade. They also send food back to the kitchen, look under their food and throw attitude much more frequently than their white counterparts. We always just figured that they thought one is supposed to act snobby when dining out. They have no idea that someone from real money would not complain and would be as polite as possible. It’s not their fault, though. It’s a class thing. They don’t know any better because they weren’t taught any better. Call me racist, but I’ve lived it. Stereotypes are out there for a reason. All of the ‘generalization’ blah blah blah is stupid. Yes, I know that not all black people are that way, but the majority of them do indeed need help when it comes to social etiquette. Black waiters even know this is true. I’ve worked with them. They hated getting black tables just as badly as the next guy.

  • bugster

    so true about what shmem said:
    if you automatically assume then you make an ass out of you and me durr!!! but foreals though ive been given bad service before just bc of my skin color and oooooo they would have wished to serve me better bc everyone i know knows that im the best tipper out there the least i ever tip is five dollars and thats as long as you refill my drink and get me my food then im gd and you automatically get five bucks out of me but if you excellent to me then you get between 10-20 bucks so i feel sorry for those asses who assumed i was a bad tipper bc they lucked out on some cash oh yeah boooya!!!!! lol

  • Tracy

    No research whatsoever went into this piece of nonsense: just a bunch of people giving their opinions. ‘Black folk’ are not a homogeneous group: there are massive cultural differences between black people from different ethnicities. Melanin does not determine behaviour. Tipping is related to culture, class, & economics. It also relates to individual perceptions and expectations about the quality of the service they received. Also, especially in these tough economic times in the USA where visible minorities have minorities are really struggling, many can barely afford to enjoy a meal at a restaurant. Coming up with a substantial tip might be beyond many people’s budget.

  • Fern

    Dumb documentary, if you can even call it a documentary? More like an opinion piece. Not sure if this was supposed to be informative or tongue in cheek, but either way it failed on both accounts.

  • solomon

    Terrible,poorply constructed arguments at best.
    Excuse for racism,if you need to hide behind a specious argument,well shame on you.