The Problem With Prohibition!!!

In a recent episode of the hit CBS television show “How I Met Your Mother”, the group of friends visits the Museum of Natural History. As we all know there is a strict “do not touch” policy at the museum to keep the artifacts preserved and unspoiled by constant human contact. In this episode Barney Stinson, played by Neil Patrick Harris, takes it upon himself, with a simple “challenge accepted”, to touch as many artifacts in the museum as he can, despite the prohibition against it.

Prohibition, as defined by dictionary.com, is a law or decree that forbids. The problem with something being forbidden is that it becomes that much more appealing. Not only do we crave the thing we can’t have, but we’ll do almost anything to get it. For example, on a fast day, when eating food is literally a sin, it seems that the only thing we can think of is what we’re going to break the fast on.

Along with the simple definition of this common word, dictionary.com also associates prohibition as the period (1920-33) when the Eighteenth Amendment was put in place. It was during this time that alcoholic beverages could not legally be manufactured, transported or sold in the U.S. The problem with this prohibition was that it did not take into consideration the increased demand for these now banned products. When The Volstead Act, the act that started prohibition in the U.S., was passed it prohibited Americans from producing, selling and moving what was called, “intoxicating liquors”.

The Volstead Act, along with the Eighteenth Amendment, was presented to congress outlining the prohibited items and, despite Woodrow Wilson’s efforts to veto it, was passed. According to Only Yesterday, prohibition slipped under the radar as people wanted to move on from the war and not be involved in the politics of things. It might have seemed beneficial at the time to forbid the consumption of alcohol, along with other fun products, but in reality the prohibition made it that much more exciting to find a way to drink. Now that alcohol and liquors were banned they became that much more appealing to the younger generation, in addition to the recent rampant smoking and fornicating taking place.

In banning goods that were in high demand, the US opened the door to gangsters and racketeers to provide the desired products. Underground, organized crime became widespread as the people’s demand for alcohol, drugs and the like increased. Despite the country’s best efforts to maintain their “dry” status, Americans, especially those of the Lost Generation, were not having it. In 1933, the Eighteenth Amendment was repealed by the Twenty First Amendment once again allowing the sale of “intoxicating liquors” and other banned products.

What I find most interesting about this Act and Amendment is that they contradict the American approach to life which is based on the notion of freedom to do anything. In a country that prides itself on freedom and opportunity, it seems that during this time Americans were not free to drink what they wanted, nor did they have the legal opportunity to do so. Instead of being free to drink wherever they wanted, young people, and alcoholics, were reduced to hiding in corners or underground establishments in order to enjoy their alcohol. “Speakeasies”, which were popular secret drinking establishments that cropped up during the Prohibition Era, were used as places to drink in secret. While those in power were obviously trying to do what was best for the country, they seem to be overstepping their bounds in an effort to maintain the ways of the past, or is it just me?