I sympathize with the barista here, but mindset that customers need to cover 10 to 20% of his income is symptom of decades of brainwashing of employees and customers alike. In this case NPR is part of this brainwashing. I will not tip someone for doing their job. I will only tip when I feel it is needed based on the service provided.
I think everyone is getting pretty sick of tipping. Workers hate the uneven wages and being beholden to customers. Customers hate the escalation in tipping amount, social anxiety and hidden prices. I wish businesses would just abolish the practice but that isn’t happening