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Profs & Pints: Prohibition Myths Distilled
Profs and Pints presents: Prohibition Myths Distilled, with Michael Lewis, sociology professor at Christopher Newport University and editor of Prohibitions Greatest Myths.
With the centennial of Prohibition upon us, belly up for a historical sociologists talk on Americas history of alcohol control, which involves a much more complex mix of facts than you might think.
The word prohibition tends to conjure up images of hatchet-wielding saloon busters, smoky basement speakeasies, dancing flappers, and hardened gangsters bootlegging whiskey. Such popular culture stereotypes have given us a very strong, and very wrong, picture.
Movements to control alcohol were not solely the work of sour-faced radical Neo-Puritans, nor were they limited to the 13 years of national prohibition. They originated soon after the founding of the republic and continue today. They wereand remaincaught up with religious, social, economic, and cultural changes in the nation. In many respects they have been a response to both immigration and Industrialization, each of which fostered fears of a loss of political control, concerns that real political power rested with a liquor trust that could control men and their votes, and public-health concerns about saloon-keepers fostering addiction to reap profit at the expense of the already-poor.
Attempts to evade anti-liquor laws went well beyond the organized crime rings depicted in popular culture. They also involved small-time liquor dealers who sold the stuff to their friends and neighbors, often paying off police to look the other way and even ratting out the competition in their neighborhoods. Changes in public attitudes toward alcohol fostered by Prohibition continue to influence how we think about liquor today, helping to explain most drinking now takes place in the homeconsidered a much safer space than the old-time saloonand liquor advertising goes out of its way to depict drinking and drinkers as respectable.
Given that alcohol (and alcohol control) continue to occupy a central place in our collective lives, its important not only to be clear about the full history, but to dig deeper and ask: Why do we remember prohibition the way we do? What do we lose when we fail to get the story right? Does any of this help make sense of our current discussions about substance use and abuse, including debates over marijuana laws, the opioid crisis, and the regulation of pharmaceutical companies? (Advance tickets: $12. Doors: $15, save $2 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please allow yourself time to place any orders and get seated and settled in.)
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AdresseSocial Circle Bistro at the Cambria Hotel-Washington DC Convention Center (Afficher)
899 O Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
United States
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| Âge minimum : 18 |
| Enfants bienvenus : Non |
| Chiens bienvenus : Non |
| Non-fumeur : Oui |
| Accessible aux fauteuils roulants : Oui |
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