America Runs on Dunkin
How much does it cost for coffee at the local Wawa, Dunkin Donuts, or Starbucks? If your one of the over 100 million estimated Americans who consumes this caffeinated beverage daily you should consider what exactly it is your paying for. Why? Because there is one other "commodity" that you spend money on that is a much better bargain: gas. That's right, it's a bargain!
Consider the current cost of a cup of Joe from everyone's favorite coffee palace Starbucks. You can pay up to and beyond $5 for a calorie-laden cup of something you can't even pronounce yet people line up for it in droves. Why? Because we're consumers - and consumerism drives our system of capitalism. The problem is we are carelessly foolish consumers. One particular grocery store has a sale this week: Maxwell House 11oz cans 3/$8. You can make enough coffee for yourself for months. But you can't be burdened by the 2 minutes necessary to brew your own coffee at home - you need the "good stuff."
I see the Dunkin Donuts slogan, "America runs on Dunkin" and it's catchy. But I thought, "What if we really did run on coffee?" Could you imagine how much it would cost to fill up at Starbucks? That would cost more than diesel fuel. If a typical 12 oz. cup of Starbucks were only $1.50 that would be around $16 per gallon. You'd be switching to Chock Full O' Nuts or 8 O'clock faster than you could say Cafe au' lait (if you know how to say it).
The other thing to consider is this is a bean that grows naturally. And the major other ingredient in coffee is water - the most expensive natural resource on the planet based on its abundance. We have more water than anything yet we still buy it at ridiculous prices for a 16 oz. bottle. Why? Because we can. Why do we spend over $150 million to see Indiana Jones? Because we can. The answer to all these question is because we can.
What we cannot seem to get over, however, is that the gas companies that take us to Starbucks and the movies and to the grocery store are making money on the product they've sold us. As though Starbucks isn't making billions of dollars selling you a consumable bean. A bean that is hundreds of times cleaner and easier to harvest than the oil that becomes fuel for us. Yet we still think the oil companies are our enemies.
Consider what your spending habits are every day, week, month, and year. I bet you spend a lot needlessly. Does your teenager need that cell phone (I bet they think so!)? They aren't cheap. And neither are the plans to use them. But they have them! Just another example of our willingness to financially spend ourselves into oblivion for products that are more personal pleasures than they are commodity's. You call it what you want, I'll call it needlessly irresponsible.
I know we already use natural resources like water for hydroelectric power or windmills to produce electricity and gasoline for our automobiles but thank God America doesn't literally run on Dunkin.
Consider the current cost of a cup of Joe from everyone's favorite coffee palace Starbucks. You can pay up to and beyond $5 for a calorie-laden cup of something you can't even pronounce yet people line up for it in droves. Why? Because we're consumers - and consumerism drives our system of capitalism. The problem is we are carelessly foolish consumers. One particular grocery store has a sale this week: Maxwell House 11oz cans 3/$8. You can make enough coffee for yourself for months. But you can't be burdened by the 2 minutes necessary to brew your own coffee at home - you need the "good stuff."
I see the Dunkin Donuts slogan, "America runs on Dunkin" and it's catchy. But I thought, "What if we really did run on coffee?" Could you imagine how much it would cost to fill up at Starbucks? That would cost more than diesel fuel. If a typical 12 oz. cup of Starbucks were only $1.50 that would be around $16 per gallon. You'd be switching to Chock Full O' Nuts or 8 O'clock faster than you could say Cafe au' lait (if you know how to say it).
The other thing to consider is this is a bean that grows naturally. And the major other ingredient in coffee is water - the most expensive natural resource on the planet based on its abundance. We have more water than anything yet we still buy it at ridiculous prices for a 16 oz. bottle. Why? Because we can. Why do we spend over $150 million to see Indiana Jones? Because we can. The answer to all these question is because we can.
What we cannot seem to get over, however, is that the gas companies that take us to Starbucks and the movies and to the grocery store are making money on the product they've sold us. As though Starbucks isn't making billions of dollars selling you a consumable bean. A bean that is hundreds of times cleaner and easier to harvest than the oil that becomes fuel for us. Yet we still think the oil companies are our enemies.
Consider what your spending habits are every day, week, month, and year. I bet you spend a lot needlessly. Does your teenager need that cell phone (I bet they think so!)? They aren't cheap. And neither are the plans to use them. But they have them! Just another example of our willingness to financially spend ourselves into oblivion for products that are more personal pleasures than they are commodity's. You call it what you want, I'll call it needlessly irresponsible.
I know we already use natural resources like water for hydroelectric power or windmills to produce electricity and gasoline for our automobiles but thank God America doesn't literally run on Dunkin.
posted by Doctor Rick at 8:55 PM
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