To Insure Perfection

I have never really watched “The Oprah Winfrey Show”.  I was too young to care when it started, too busy in college, and now it’s just too late.  I do know that A LOT of people do watch and do listen to everything she says.  If she says “Buy this!”, people buy that.  If she says “Pay this!”, this is what they want to pay.  So I became concerned, being in the restaurant industry, when I heard she was telling people about tipping and what was appropriate.

I first heard that she was talking about servers and how to treat them a few years ago when I was told by my coworkers at a New York restaurant that she was telling people to tip 10% to save for the holidays.  We were furious.  All of us.  Every one of us vowed to write a letter, explaining what we do and how we are paid for it.  For a week, it was all we could talk about.  But no one wrote a letter, and things moved on. 

Oprah and her tipping talk came up again this holiday season.  The stories were going around again that Oprah was telling millions of viewers that servers don’t make their money through tips, and you can get away with tipping less.  It even came up on Facebook.  When I was invited to join the group “One Million Servers Strong Against Oprah’s Comments”, I of course joined immediately.  But I was curious about these allegations, so I looked into it. 

What I found out was quite interesting; the group’s page has links attached to it that clearly debunk the whole story.  There is no proof that Oprah has ever said anything about servers or tipping in restaurants, except that a minimum of 15% is acceptable and expected.  Not on youtube or in Harpo or anywhere can you find Oprah putting down waiters. 

So, why the hostility?  Where did these “stories” come from?   We all have access to the same information, so why does it seem that only a few people actually took the time to click on the links provided and find out that the accusations are false?  I even went so far as to email Harpo, and they sent me a statement saying, "The truth is that Oprah has never said that people should tip less during the recession.  She believes in generously compensating waiters and waitresses."  We are so quick to defend our “group” and pledge support without getting all of the facts.  Everyday I receive a Facebook update that another one of my server friends has joined the group against Oprah.  I tell them, find me the proof, and I am right behind you!  And no one has. 

I am taking this as a lesson; I am vowing to be a good researcher, to be the person who will find out the truth about the situation.  I will not be a sheep and follow the crowd.  I will learn as much as I can and make educated decisions about what I will believe.  And only then can I stand as a supporter, because then I will have the whole truth.