What a mindfuck. At one point you/I/we are blindly making assumptions about what the human on the other side of the counter is thinking - or being egotistical enough to believe the employee's transaction with me (and the potential $1) was of any significance to them.

My guess is that the decision makers/consultants at that business are aware of these potential reactions - if they're any good at being greedy, they've dug far deeper. They just play the game of guilt to get the patron to subsidize employee wages.

Because if the tips aren't enough to make ends meet for the employee, it's the customer's fault.

Sometimes I disengage from my personal viewpoint and marvel at the complexity of it all. Using humanity against itself for personal profit without incurring a proportional amount of public disdain. Then I resume being disgusted.

We have sooooo much potential as a community. I would give literally anything (of myself - not of the ones I care about) for a star trek future. But I also like Dune, The Expanse, Foundation....

Final thought - I'm rewatching 2000's battlestar atm and it made me wonder:

If humanity has an AI war and we won - how could we ever prevent someone/some thing creating a new homegrown AI later? We almost have to merge at some level?

Anyways, sorry if you read this. Be well