The tipping system is fucked, but that doesn’t at all change the fact that it’s baked into the system. EVERYONE (in that moment) expects you to to tip; so if you don’t, you’re effectively stealing from the server.
If you don’t want to tip, your only options are to either not eat out at restaurants, or to find restaurants that have “Hospitality Included” service (a trend which I’m thankful to see growing – albeit slowly).
What if everyone didn’t expect you to tip? You vehemently defending the tipping system is part of why EVERYONE expects you to tip.
That kind of aggressive apatheism is what makes the system continue.
The tipping system sucks, but short of passing some laws mandating a livable wage WITHOUT tips, going out now and not tipping for a full service dining experience is absolutely a bad move.
Basically you’re advocating for customers to screw over the wait staff since, as you clearly point out, the owners aren’t on the hook for the tip income.