What does the slogan “America runs on Dunkin”, really mean? To discover this we first must investigate what grew the popularity of Dunkin as a brand. As Dunkin grew as a franchise, especially in recent years, it strayed farther from being a donut shop, removing donuts from the name and more heavily relying on its coffee sales for profits. The essence of this action gets to the heart of the slogan.
Coffee is used as a drink to fuel workers and people of all kinds, after a long day at work or in preparation for it people fuel up with coffee as a way to stay awake and focused for the rest of the day and hopefully get a decent night’s sleep, all to do the same thing the next day. The idea of coffee itself feeds into a never ending loop of corporate slave work that is inescapable for the average person who needs their next paycheck to maintain their livelihood and/or survive. Dunkin for this reason tried appealing to this audience with their logo demonstrating a figure physically running.
Life in America is made to be constant work and running around, and large corporations like Baskin-Robbins (owner’s of the Dunkin brand) and many others build upon this idea with values and the idea of a potential promotion or raise if you work harder and better than those around you. It creates for a hyper-individualistic, dog-eat-dog society that tears away the individuality of humans in search for a slightly better profit margin.
This artifact, the slogan of Dunkin, which really demonstrates a higher force and power over the human will and individual mind and action, is something college students and the future generation can no longer ignore. The current suicide rates are highest among middle-aged white men, and so while this may seem like an issue that could be shrugged off due to the group impacted, one must consider their occupations. Mainly office workers or those who had recently lost jobs. In 20 years, we college students will be in their shoes, and it won’t just be white workers, which make up the majority due to the higher percentage of white males in office jobs currently, as society progresses other races and genders will be entering these same jobs, and the stresses that are built upon by large corporations will affect students like me and you. This work environment needs to be changed now for not only those currently affected, but for our own future, and for those who come after us.