Reading some click-bait headers today, I recall this story from an actual advertisement that appeared in a national magazine (Saturday Evening Post?) from the 1930s that I once used in the late 1960s - early 1970s in a history/government class lesson about the Great Depression. It was the story of the man who sold hot dogs and the influence of his college educated son telling him about 'real world economics'.
Pass this onto your friends who are glued 24/7 to the news today and listening to reports about the current economy during the present election cycle. Beginning to sound too familiar already?
THE MAN WHO SOLD HOT DOGS
There was a man who lived by the side of the road and sold hot dogs.
He was hard of hearing, so he had no radio.
He had trouble seeing so he had no newspapers.
But he sold good hot dogs.
He put up signs on the side of the highway telling how good they were.
He stood by the side of the road and cried “Buy a hot dog, mister” and people bought…and bought often.
He increased his meat and rolls orders.
He bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade.
He finally got his son to come home from college to help him out.
But then something happened. His son said: “Father, haven’t you
been listening to the radio? There’s a big depression coming on!
The European situation is terrible. The domestic situation is even worse!”
That made the father think: “Well, my son has been to college, he reads the
papers and he listens to the radio and he ought to know.”
So the father cut down on meat and roll orders, took down his advertsing
signs and no longer bothered to stand on the side of the highway to sell his
hot dogs.
Sales fell fast almost overnight.
“You’re right son,” the father said to the boy. “We certainly are in the middle of a great depression.
There just isn’t any business. No one even comes by anymore!”
Pass this onto your friends who are glued 24/7 to the news today and listening to reports about the current economy during the present election cycle. Beginning to sound too familiar already?
THE MAN WHO SOLD HOT DOGS
There was a man who lived by the side of the road and sold hot dogs.
He was hard of hearing, so he had no radio.
He had trouble seeing so he had no newspapers.
But he sold good hot dogs.
He put up signs on the side of the highway telling how good they were.
He stood by the side of the road and cried “Buy a hot dog, mister” and people bought…and bought often.
He increased his meat and rolls orders.
He bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade.
He finally got his son to come home from college to help him out.
But then something happened. His son said: “Father, haven’t you
been listening to the radio? There’s a big depression coming on!
The European situation is terrible. The domestic situation is even worse!”
That made the father think: “Well, my son has been to college, he reads the
papers and he listens to the radio and he ought to know.”
So the father cut down on meat and roll orders, took down his advertsing
signs and no longer bothered to stand on the side of the highway to sell his
hot dogs.
Sales fell fast almost overnight.
“You’re right son,” the father said to the boy. “We certainly are in the middle of a great depression.
There just isn’t any business. No one even comes by anymore!”
