Nikole Hannah-Jones, author of the "1619 Project," who believes America was built on racism, now says that even tipping for good service emanates from slavery.
"Have you ever stopped to think why we tip, like why tipping is a practice in the US and almost nowhere else?" she tweeted.
"Tipping is a legacy of slavery, and if it's not optional then it shouldn't be a tip but simply included in the bill," she tweeted under the handle "Ida Bae Wells," late Monday.
After getting some negative feedback from people who are in favor of tipping, she was quick to add that she does tip, The Washington Examiner reported.
"Are y'all reading what I am writing or nah. I said I tip. I tip well. I tip almost always. But I object to the idea that I am obligated to tip no matter how I am treated. Nope. And you can't get more offended at me than employers that pay less-than-minimum wage."
"I've said what I have to say about this," she wrote. "I have been utterly disrespected at restaurants. Ignored. Rudeness. Nope."
Twitter users chimed in, with most saying tipping subsidizes the low wages received by restaurant staff and other service providers. But social pressure to tip regardless of the quality of service is unfair, some tweeted.
"Tipping is optional," wrote a Twitter user named BluePhoenixRise. "No one has to leave a tip or a decent tip for bad service. If the employee doesn't make enough in tips the employer is required by law to pay the employee to meet minimum wages. The system is unfair and we need to get rid of tipping and pay a fair wage."
Hannah-Jones, who is Black, is best known for the "1619 Project," which is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery.
"It aims to reframe the country's history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of our national narrative," according to The New York Times.
In May 2020, project creator Hannah-Jones was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for her introductory essay. But the journalism project has sparked criticism and debate among prominent historians and political commentators, who say it puts ideology before historical understanding.
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