The Itching Palm: A Study of the Habit of Tipping in America by William R. Scott
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"The Itching Palm: A Study of the Habit of Tipping in America" by William R. Scott is a social commentary and critique written in the early 20th century. The book examines the practice of tipping in the United States, analyzing it as a moral and economic issue that reflects a deeper societal problem. Through a detailed exploration of tipping's implications on personal dignity, economics, and class structure, Scott argues that this pervasive
practice undermines the democratic ideals of equality and self-respect. The opening of the book outlines Scott's viewpoint that tipping is a detrimental habit tied to 'Flunkyism,' a term used to describe a servile attitude for monetary gain, which he believes is contrary to American democratic values. He presents striking statistics about the number of individuals in the U.S. dependent on gratuities for their income, suggesting that this system not only perpetuates inequality but also raises ethical concerns around self-respect. Scott argues that scrutiny of tipping is warranted and emphasizes the need to reconsider its moral implications within American society. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Scott, William R. (William Rufus), 1886- |
|---|---|
| LoC No. | 16022972 |
| Title | The Itching Palm: A Study of the Habit of Tipping in America |
| Contents | Flunkyism in America -- On personal liberty -- Barbary pirates -- Personnel and distribution -- The economics of tipping -- The ethics of tipping -- The psychology of tipping -- The literature of tipping -- Tipping and the stage -- The employee viewpoint -- The employer viewpoint -- One step forward -- The sleeping-car phase -- The government and tipping -- Laws against tipping -- Samuel Gompers on tipping -- The way out. |
| Credits |
Produced by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 55.7 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | HD: Social sciences: Economic history and conditions, Production |
| Subject | Tipping |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 33170 |
| Release Date | Jul 15, 2010 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 1014 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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