The world when coffee was a penny now seems so far away. The turbulence of the times reflects much of the events that occurred almost like 86 years ago. Even though a lot has changed, there is still a lot that reminds us of the days when coffee was just a dime. In the 1930s, the world was filled with so much despair, pain, and misery. Sadly though, history has always found a way to repeat events that have happened before. And today times are not much different for millions when all you needed was a dime for that cup of coffee.
Throughout the world, the multitudes of impoverished see no end to their plight. Even in the United States, the plight of so many continues to escalate. Any attempt to close the largest wealth disparity gap in history is quickly and abruptly crushed. There are an ever-increasing number of people left to be sucked into the whirlwind cycle of poverty.
Back when coffee was ten cents, there seemed to be more courtesy among the masses. Even in this nation’s darkest hour, much of this nation was held together by the sheer refinement that society had many years ago. Now, we live in an age of greed and selfishness. Our leaders of political expediency have plotted, schemed, and cunningly positioned this country far from the basic tenets of our Founding Fathers. In doing so, they have corrupted the very institutions of government. Now, that cup of coffee costs more than $3.00. Heaven forbid you order and espresso! That’s like disbursing a second mortgage. And, of course, our nation’s civility has been shattered, even more so by having Trump in the White House.
What this current Administration has done along with our weak congress has only hastened the downfall of this nation. Of all those foreign policy directives, Trump has managed to create a more unstable and hostile world. We are now about to slide into a cataclysmic period of financial despair. Another Great Depression is surely on the way.
However, it was in the Great Depression that the phrase “dude, can you give me a dime?” That phrase symbolized the plight of Americans who lived in deplorable conditions. Through the greed and financial posturing of the moneyed elite, he managed to wipe out the financial means of millions of hard working Americans. Across the country, “Dude, can you give me a dime?” was the cry of a nation swept into a period of anguish and torment. It was nice though that the coffee was only a penny. From soup kitchens to tent cities, the ’30s evoked that catchphrase where “Can you give me a dime?” made a difference to millions of Americans.
Even in the early 1960s, 10 cents could buy a lot of things. In New York you could still get that cup of coffee and you could ride the subway. Not so today. The prices of everything have risen dramatically to the point that millions cannot make ends meet. The plight of the poor, the impoverished masses, has only continued to increase with each passing year.
In the 1930s, when the starving masses lined soup kitchens, one of the most popular songs of that period used the catchphrase “can you spare a dime?” to describe why this nation stole their livelihood. Today, to a large extent, our own government policies have made it much easier for corporations and businesses to siphon off livelihoods leaving millions stranded, abandoned by the very government that is supposed to help in difficult times.
Sure, today there are so-called safety nets, food stamps, unemployment insurance, and other agencies that are supposed to help. But sadly, most of the time these agencies are just footnotes to the great erased bureaucratic system known as our government. And, Trump and the rest of the Republicans, all they want to do is reduce or eliminate everything that leaves millions languishing in extreme poverty.
When Coffee Was a Penny was a period in time where the simplicity of life eased much of the stress and turmoil that came from those more difficult and depressing times. Today, the pace of life is much faster and stressful in almost every way. One has to wonder when you see beggars at almost every intersection, it’s not a penny they ask for, now it’s a couple of dollars. And that is the sad reality we live today.
