The Decaturian is Millikin's student-run newspaper. The opinions reflected may not be those of Millikin as an institution.

The Decaturian

The Decaturian is Millikin's student-run newspaper. The opinions reflected may not be those of Millikin as an institution.

The Decaturian

The Decaturian is Millikin's student-run newspaper. The opinions reflected may not be those of Millikin as an institution.

The Decaturian

What McDonald’s has taught me: Decatur’s homeless and the digital age

Working at McDonalds I see more people than I sometimes desire at the window or counter. Every day, the regulars come in. Some order their senior coffees every morning: two sugar, one crème, leave room for ice. Others, their daily sausage burrito: fresh-up, extra mild sauce.

But then we have the more unexpected regulars. The man picking up dropped change every night: a dime here, a few pennies, no words stated. The older fellow begging for change: please, we’re broken down just down the road, Springfield isn’t far. The woman who stands by the windows at night hoping for a heated ride and a bite to eat: just around that corner, baby, don’t you smoke?

Yes. Decatur has come to this.

And with the change we held in our pockets, these men and women could once get by. But more and more, the change lessens. The dollars dwindle. The credit and debits cards become much more prevalent. We’d rather be able to use the excuse, “I don’t carry cash,” than feel bad for refusing to give up the spare change found rattling around in our consoles.

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As the cash declines, so does the income for these homeless men and women. Each night, I see more and more cards come through the drive through: swipe, “have a nice night,” swipe, “nice weather today, huh,” swipe, “I’m sorry, sir, your card was declined.”

Much like the lives of those who cannot afford a home or the food to keep themselves alive.

But, contrary to how this may sound, I don’t pity those who frequent the streets. In fact, like the woman previously mentioned (come on, baby, don’t you smoke?) many of them have brought their fate upon themselves. However, with the growing digital age, they also often lack the ability to change their present state.

Many stores, like McDonald’s, no longer accept paper applications. Sure, we have paper applications and still technically accept them, but do we really? No. Once, while working at home, I witnessed a manager (no longer employed there) shred the application of an obviously desperate, disheveled woman because she “doesn’t bother reading them.”

What if that woman were homeless and on her last pair of clean clothing, desperately hoping that a job might be her last salvation? Paper applications are necessary for those individuals who do not have access to a computer. Once secured with a job, any person could manage to turn his or her life around. But this is often only possible when paper applications are available.

Although a growing digital age is promising and necessary, sometimes it’s best to take a step back and remember how everything was before to help those in need: “Congratulations, you got the job,” “have a nice night,” ca-ching.

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