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October 2, 2011

PBS documentary "Prohibition" begins tonight

S0564-lg As I mentioned in our last pre-break class, I highly recommend everyone join me in setting the DVR to record the new PBS three-part documentary "Prohibition."  It begins airing tonight (Sunday, Oct. 2); I am hopeful that even those without TVs may eventually be able to watch the whole series via this official website.  Here is a preview from that site:

PROHIBITION is a three-part, five-and-a-half-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that tells the story of the rise, rule, and fall of the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the entire era it encompassed.

The culmination of nearly a century of activism, Prohibition was intended to improve, even to ennoble, the lives of all Americans, to protect individuals, families, and society at large from the devastating effects of alcohol abuse.

But the enshrining of a faith-driven moral code in the Constitution paradoxically caused millions of Americans to rethink their definition of morality. Thugs became celebrities, responsible authority was rendered impotent. Social mores in place for a century were obliterated. Especially among the young, and most especially among young women, liquor consumption rocketed, propelling the rest of the culture with it: skirts shortened. Music heated up. America's Sweetheart morphed into The Vamp.

Prohibition turned law-abiding citizens into criminals, made a mockery of the justice system, caused illicit drinking to seem glamorous and fun, encouraged neighborhood gangs to become national crime syndicates, permitted government officials to bend and sometimes even break the law, and fostered cynicism and hypocrisy that corroded the social contract all across the country. With Prohibition in place, but ineffectively enforced, one observer noted, America had hardly freed itself from the scourge of alcohol abuse — instead, the "drys" had their law, while the "wets" had their liquor.

The story of Prohibition's rise and fall is a compelling saga that goes far beyond the oft-told tales of gangsters, rum runners, flappers, and speakeasies, to reveal a complicated and divided nation in the throes of momentous transformation. The film raises vital questions that are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago: about means and ends, individual rights and responsibilities, the proper role of government and finally, who is — and who is not — a real American.

October 2, 2011 | Permalink

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Comments

Cue comparison to today's modern drug (specifically marijuana) laws.

Posted by: Olivia Bumb | Oct 4, 2011 7:52:02 PM

I was thinking the same thing yesterday, and happened to run across this piece discussing the lessons that can be applied to today's marijuana laws...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/norm-stamper/ken-burns-prohibition-pro_b_993015.html

Posted by: Andrea G | Oct 5, 2011 12:11:24 AM

I finished watching the series over fall break. It was immensely interesting. There were so many really interesting people. The story of George Remus is epic. Why hasn't someone made a movie about his life? Success, crime, wealth, murder and tragedy makes for a great story.

With respect to the criminal law, and sentencing law in particular, I'm not sure what to take away. Big picture, it's very difficult to legislate morality, especially when well over 50% (maybe 90%) of the population doesn't agree (at least behind closed doors). It's easy to say murder is wrong because 99% of the population agrees. Analogizing Prohibition to today's marijuana laws is a bit far for me based on this line of reasoning. I don't think a majority of the population agrees that marijuana is not a problem. At best, more than 50%, although not current users or those who would consider using if it was legal, might not care if other people use it. Additionally, Prohibition took away a product that had been largely legal during the entire existence of the U.S. Marijuana on the other hand has been illegal in most parts of the U.S. since the very beginning of the 20th Century. No currently living American can reminisce about the good old days when pot was legal.

With respect to sentencing, I did catch the mention in the 3rd part of the series about how the Feds raised the punishment for violation of the Volstead act in the late 1920's, when it was rather clear that Prohibition wasn't working. I suppose this can be used in an anecdotal story about how increasing the punishment for a crime may not actually deter anyone.

Posted by: Bradley Newsad | Oct 13, 2011 1:41:25 PM

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