I see it as an extra "thank you" if someone goes above and beyond what I was expecting for a service. It's not something that should be given out lightly or something that is expected, but I also know that tipping is necessary for people in some jobs to make a living. It's not a fault of their own, but a fault of a system that saw a benefit they were getting, and was like "oh, we can just under-pay these employees and use tipping as leverage against them." Do I hate the tipping system in the US? Absolutely. Am I going to impose financial stresses (by not tipping) on the waitstaff at a restaurant in order to make a point about how badly they are compensated for their work? Absolutely not.