Has anyone seen the article on Leo in the New Yorker magazine? This article is getting much press and is not very kind towards are Leo. He apparently parties hard and barely tips.then again he is only in his early twenties,so the press should really lay off of him.

-- MICHAEL PITT (XRRG1OB@PRODIGY.COM), June 20, 1998

Answers

They are just jealous. I didn't read the article that you are talking about, but I am getting tired of hearing bad things about Leo. I don't just like him because he's cute. I think that he is one of the most talented actors of this decade. Most actors nowadays get in front of the camara and pose, and he does much more. I bet everything in that article is a bunch of rumors anyways.

-- Sissy (foo@what.com), June 20, 1998.

When bashing an actor like in the case of Leo, the bashers should remember that acting and private life do not necessarily have to overlap. If we would judge Michelangelo by his life instead of his wonderful work, measure how much alcohol he consumed during his life or how many women (or men, rummors say) he had, we could not appreciate today his fine work. Bottom line: arts require a lot of sacrifice and personal life becomes a refuge place to regenerate one's artistic potential and ideas. Critics should just stick to the art products, be them paintings or movies and leave out artists' life. We have no right of intrusion there or me might be displeased of what me might find, things that are not relevant anyway. We are no better, but we have the privilege of being and passing through life anonimously, so we're not being on the spot. Of course, that's only the way I like to look at these things. I might be wrong, but that's me.

-- Dan Draghici (ddraghic@sprint.ca), June 21, 1998.

When I was in my early twenties I knew how to tip properly, as do most people. In cases when I wasn't sure, I sought out the proper etiquette. So that's no excuse. But I wonder what "barely tips" means? If it means that he tips as well as or slightly better than the average clientel of the establishments he frequents (as I suspect) then I have no problem with that. Should a valet expect a $100 tip for parking a car just because it's DiCaprio's, or 75% of an expensive dinner check? If it means that he doesn't tip or tips poorly when he receives poor service I have no problem with that either. Tips are an incentive to provide good service. And, being a little more famous than he would like to be from all accounts, he may have a different standard for "good" service that may preclude over-obsequiousness and may include a desire for privacy. On the (most likely) rare occasions when he gets this kind of service - which we all take for granted - he probably tips well. As a conservative, I chafe at the idea that people who have EARNED great wealth are obligated to "give something back" that isn't earned or deserved. Tips are not charity. On the other hand, I haven't read the article. Maybe he is just a cheapskate, or arrogant to the point that he believes proper etiquette does not apply to those who have been graced with his presence.

-- Dalton (foo@bar.com), June 26, 1998.

So Leo is a nice guy after all. As if I ever doubted this.

http://www.mrshowbiz.com/news/todays_stories/980626/leo062698.html

-- Shaunna (Shaunna@visualmetrics.com), June 26, 1998.

Whether Leo earned his wealth or not (however one chooses to view it), there is no excuse for bad manners. I am relatively conservative as well, but I've also waited tables, and no one is as cheap as the rich. It's always been the people who can't afford to go to a nice dinner whenever they want that are the most generous. And I personally feel that if you are fortunate enough to have more money than you'd ever need, you damn well oughta remember where you came from when your server is taking care of you. It's just about being good people. Waiting tables SUCKS. And some people have no choice in life but to do just that. Leo, myself, you...EVERYONE should be tender-hearted regarding it. You don't know what's going on in that person's life; you don't know if they're a single parent, if they're spouse is dying of some disease, if their parent requires constant medical care in or at a home...you JUST DON'T KNOW. The only exception to stiffing on a tip is when you are served with outright rudeness. THAT'S ALL.

-- Gilded Age Junkie (GildedAgeJunkie@yahoo.com), August 04, 1998.

I agree. The richer they are, the worse they tip! Also the blacker they are or the more feminine they are - if you want to believe the stereotypes. Just ask any waitress at Dennys....

-- Dan Dalton (foo@bar.com), August 04, 1998.

Tell me, Dan...are you being sarcastic? And have you ever waited tables for a living?

-- Gilded Age Junkie (GildedAgeJunkie@yahoo.com), August 04, 1998.

Yes, GAJ. I was being sarcastic, probably because we got off on the wrong foot with that "no woman could stand to be next to you" comment (hahaha). I'm STILL wondering what I said to BobG. And while I never waited on tables before, I've had worse jobs that paid nowhere near as well - before or after taxes. None of them included tipping. However, I can say that all the problems you mention are experienced by people outside the food service industry. And many waiters probably do well in their jobs, getting larger tips by masking their suicidal misery with a smile and pleasant attitude. Those of us who don't receive gratuities do this simply to remain employed.

-- Dan Dalton (foo@bar.com), August 05, 1998.

All I have to say is, thank goodness I live in Australia and it's not compulsory to tip over here. It's the done thing everywhere in the States isn't it?

-- Emma (foo@bar.com.au), August 05, 1998.

Well...I was a little confused by your statement, "all the problems you mention are experienced by people outside the food service industry." I'm assuming you meant to put an "as well" at the end of the sentence. If this is what you meant (sorry if I'm completely missing the mark), then I would have to disagree with you again. There are plenty of other rotten problems in corporate America that don't come up in the food service industry, but in my experience, the personal humiliation isn't near as rampant in an office as it is in a restaurant (I have done both). At least in my little cubicle, I can bust my @$$ and leave at the end of the day feeling like I accomplished something. When I was a server, I busted @$$ for hours and some days/nights I barely went home with more than blisters on my feet and a death wish. Now...I've never worked in a sewer for a living, but as far as I'm concerned, little more than that job can be worse that waiting tables for a living!!!

I hope you aren't holding a grudge against me for my misplaced comment when I first got here. I'm really not a mean girl. :)

Emma...are your servers paid at least minimum wage per hour "down under"? Actually...do you even have a minimum wage there? See...up here in the states, servers are only paid about $2-3 per hour and have to make up the rest in tips. For some it's great money; for me it was slave labor! :)

-- Gilded Age Junkie (GildedAgeJunkie@yahoo.com), August 05, 1998.

GAJ: I'm not sure adding "as well" would have clarified my point. What I meant was that everyone has problems in their life (i.e. single mother, dying relative or something else). This is no excuse for bad service on the job. Just as a waiter should expect to be treated with respect, no one goes out to eat to be abused by a waiter with a bad attitude. The practice of tipping is to assure good service by rewarding those who provide it more than those who don't. Most honest people don't believe in stiffing anyone for a well-deserved tip and understand that the service provider relies on them; they would consider such behavior a form of theft. I agree with you that there is a minority of people who don't understand the etiquette, but disagree that they are all on the recieving end of the services.

-- Dan Dalton (foo@bar.com), August 05, 1998.

I'm not talking about servers with bad attitudes. Someone wants to be rude to me; they're getting rude back. But I've been out with people who scream at the server for bringing them an incorrectly cooked steak...AS IF THE SERVER COOKED IT HIM OR HERSELF AND CAN TELL JUST BY LOOKING AT IT THAT THE INSIDE IS TOO RED. This is assanine and unacceptable. And no one seems to understand that theirs isn't the only table this person has to take care of, but they sure as hell act like it is. You do have valid points, Dan, but I think a lot of people continue to expect excellent service from someone they're abusing. More often than not I watch servers being treated like animals rather than humans beings...actually most people DO treat their animals better than they treat their servers.

-- Gilded Age Junkie (GildedAgeJunkie@yahoo.com), August 05, 1998.

AND FURTHERMORE (YADA, YADA, YADA...)...if people want someone there by the table every second of the meal, then they need to hire a chef and a staff and stay the hell at home.

There. Now I'm done. Unless, of course, you say something else that gets me all riled...:)

-- Gilded Age Junkie (GildedAgeJunkie@yahoo.com), August 05, 1998.

GAJ, yes Australia does have a minimum wage and while I'm not sure exactly how much it is, I know it's a lot better than $2-$3 per hour. Hooly Dooly, that's slave wages.

-- Emma (foo@bar.com.au), August 05, 1998.

I've never been a waiter. I was a dishwasher at Chi-Chi's Mexican Restaurant (my first job)--talk about a nightmare job. The dishwasher broke down shortly after I began the job, and it was a zoo during Friday and Saturday nights because all these dirty plates with cheese stuck to them came flying in, and they had to be done by hand. And yes, it was minimum wage. Then there were the hot pots and pans you had to be careful with. I smelled like an Enchilada at the end of every shift when my dad came to pick me up. I eventually got into cold food prep and busboying, and those seemed like heaven in comparison. Now...how can I segway this into a Titanic discussion...well, this one chili relleno I was frying one night appeared to form in the shape of a ship...

-- BobG (bobg@titanic.freak), August 05, 1998.

Oh, and Dan, Mr. Dalton, I came back to this thread to respond to your reference to me. Now that I have, I'm leaving. *shake shake* (yeah, I may not have it verbatim but who cares) You're so annoying!...What on earth are you referring to, Mr. Dalton? Nothing on earth could come between us.....okay, basta. Seriously, not sure what you're talking about.

-- BobG (rgregorio@ibm.net), August 05, 1998.