TOW #22

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/the-science-of-tipping?intcid=mod-latest

Whether it's after eating out at a restaurant, ordering a coffee at Starbucks, or getting a haircut, we like to tip after paying. And it doesn't really make sense. This article delves into why we tip and the psychological effects of tipping.
First of all, this article uses humor to show the ridiculousness of tipping and maintain audience's interest. The author writes, "it would probably never occur to you to tip the mechanic for your new brakes, the plastic surgeon for your magnificent face-lift, or the veterinarian for your dog’s magnificent face-lift." and "In a university experiment, scientists discovered that rats that were handed divorce papers just before a meal tipped considerably less than rats that were told they’d just won a trip to Disneyland."
The author also writes about the origin of tipping, appealing to logos. "Tipping dates all the way back to the eighteenth century, when patrons would give a few coins to their waiter/struggling scrimshaw artist “to insure promptness.”"
I'm not really sure the point this article is trying to make. Maybe that tipping doesn't make sense, or why do we only tip certain jobs, or why do we tip at all?
I think the target audience it average Americans. Apparently not all countries tip and I think this article is supposed to show us why. To show us that what we do doesn't make sense. Or perhaps it's for countries that don't tip to show them why we do. Or to show them that we don't know why we tip either.
I also think it's interesting that the article ended with "The academic world may never truly solve the mysteries of tipping. But the bottom line is that a lot of the people you look down on rely on tips to live. So the next time you’re buying an overpriced matcha drink at your local café and see the tip jar staring up at you, what will you do? Throw all your change into it? Simply walk out?" This kind of provides reason for why we tip: some people need these tips in order to support themselves, or even sometimes their families.
Though tipping doesn't make much sense, there is sort of a purpose to it all, and until we find a better option, we should continue to do it.