Civic Artifact Speech Draft
Summary: I want to analyze why people will wait in the Starbucks line in the Hub for 30 minutes each day for overpriced coffee. This also includes an analysis of why people drink coffee in general, and whether this trend has changed over the years.
Intro: Why do people drink coffee? As I walk through the HUB daily, without fail there will consistently be a line of 30+ people waiting for their overpriced, sugary coffee with a butchered name on the cup. So my analysis stems from my curiosity, why do people drink coffee? As a disclaimer, I’m not much of a coffee drinker but I find myself wanting to consume this tasty beverage at times for odd reasons. Sometimes I’m tired and I feel the need for an extra boost. Other times, I just want to fit in with the rest of my friends. When 3/4 of my 9am class comes prepared with a variety of coffee beverages, I find myself wondering what it is about this “magic juice” that entices people to burn their dining dollars before the second semester even begins.
Point 1: What are the reasons for drinking coffee?
– status symbol (makes you seem more sophisticated)
– connects you to other people (coffee dates, peer pressure)
– Solves your problems! tired = drink coffee, hungover = drink coffee
– Coffee = maturity, adulthood
– Society wants us to be mature, civic duty to be mature & hardworking –> drink coffee!
Point 2: What is the role of advertisements for drinking coffee?
Talk about advertisements & what they mean (All adults in advertisements!)
Point 3: So who consumes coffee? Has this changed over time?
– Everyone, adults, college students, parents
– More sugar, can’t drink black coffee
Point 4: What are the different meanings behind drinking coffee?
– Different meanings? Seen as status symbol – power, authority, comfort, hardworking
– Commonplaces? Adults drink coffee, professional people drink coffee, coffee = maturity
Conclusion: How does coffee relate to being civic? Coffee makes people function, socialize, and work hard. Aren’t these the exact qualities people look for and expect to see in adults? While it may go unnoticed, coffee plays an important role in cultures across the globe and contributes to civic life. Every day, pressures of society push people to get jobs and work harder, and a symbol equated with these ideas is coffee! The drink of choice by successful business men and struggling college students, coffee can truly be “the best part of waking up” for many, even if it means paying a lot and waiting in a long line for one cup.
Hey, Nora 🙂
I think your topic is interesting. I’ve always glanced at that long line and didn’t question it, but maybe we are socialized into drinking coffee. Everyone drinks it, so we think it’s only natural that we do too. Personally, I like the smell of it. My Grandma would drink a cup of coffee every morning so when she’d talk to me, I always thought that that’s the breath of a mature person. Advertisements play a large part in this too! Your analysis of coffee informs me of things I never really considered, so I look forward to learning more when you present your speech.