DCML Digest, Vol 9, Issue 30

[L. Schulte]

To Arie:
Concerning the use of "brother", it was more common among average people in 
the 1920's and 30's.  There was even a famous song from the Great 
Depression "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"  Today it is usually used among 
Afro-Americans, sometimes shortened to "bro".
Another 1920's-1930's expression of address to a stranger of the same class 
- used among the working class - was "Mac", which sometimes appears in the 
older comics (e.g. "Hey Mac! Can you spare a dime?")