Goodbye 90’s & Early 00’s Prices

Coming to terms with the fact that the world we grew up in and were setup for, no longer exists.

Photo by Clément Falize on Unsplash

I’m going to be honest here: as an adult, I feel bamboozled.

Let me take you back to my childhood in the late 90’s and early 2000’s of Brooklyn, NY.

I grew up with delis that sold $1 heros, and walked down the block to get $1 pizza slice or $1.50 beef patties. Could go to the corner store and get .25 cents bags of chips, .50 cent bummies (very cheap, sugary sodas. Think: Tropical Fantasy), small candies for .05 cents, and candy bars at .50 cents. You could buy a toasted bagel with butter for .50 cents, or a baconeggandcheese for $1.75. There was a Chinese restaurant near my old elementary school that sold chicken wings at 4 for $1. Back when half-fare bus passes were $1 per ride, or if you had a full-fare bus pass, it felt like you could travel the world, sorta.

That was the world I was hoping to grow up into. Those are the prices that my current income can afford. So no wonder I find myself disillusioned + disenfranchised by the current state of affairs when I have to walk into a deli and pay at least eight dollars for a sandwich. This is not the world we grew up in, no longer the world we can hope for as adults.

Damn.

It was nice spending such little money when we only had barely any money to begin with— mere pocket change— and could still be pretty well-fed and satisfied (to a child’s standard of course) by your local corner store.

I miss those days, and I know for a fact those days will never return. Everything is trending upward in cost within our economy. Inflation is always up.

Even during the recession of 08’, Golden Krust ran a promotional— a recession special— where you could buy a mini plate of food for $2.50. You got three scoops of rice and peas, a couple pieces of chicken, a scoop of cabbage, and a small slice of fried plantain. They were working with us then, even as we saw train fares go up that same summer. Since then however, I haven’t seen prices so low.

A lot of us are fighting for our lives in this adult, professional world. The job search is volatile and interviewing can be grueling, with some candidates having to go through up to four rounds, or more, of interviews for a single position. I’ve recently found myself suddenly launched back into the job search world, having to endure hours of applying, and hopefully, going through rounds of interviews myself in order to obtain employment. For teaching, at that. With my experience in education so far, it feels like teaching has become the new temp job, with many teachers being offered less and less sustainable job security, and are experiencing more and more push-out. I have seen districts let go hundreds of teachers due to budgeting or temporary contracting— which leaves teachers very vulnerable and at the whim of district decisions. Of course there is general teacher turnover as well, but it personally feels like there has been more to push teachers out of than to keep them in the classroom.

Money is cut from school budgets, programs are cut, education statewide is often the first to bear the brunt of poor funding and less protections. It is difficult being in this profession, but having to now fear for my job every school year due to factors majorly outside of my control is harrowing.

“But we NEED teachers!”

That’s all I keep hearing, and keep seeing, but those in power are not acting in a way that secures the jobs of teachers. This is a frustrating paradigm to live in the middle of. I (and many educators alike) would like to know that, so long as no adverse nor disciplinary actions have been taken on my professional record, my teaching job is secure. This entire ordeal is difficult to reconcile with, and we can only hope the powers that be see it fit to enforce job protections for teachers.

Beyond being a noble profession, we deserve the dignity of knowing our jobs won’t be snatched from us on a whim. We deserve the decency of certainty and stability. The prices of this economy are not changing anytime soon. Is it too much to ask to be safe, certain, and secure in being able to keep my job?

I don’t think so.

.ss