Cyndi's Two Cents
Modern day temperance movement
Commentary.
Gangs of activists in this country are using words and phrases reminiscent of those used during another time in America’s history. The temperance movement early in the 20th century targeted alcoholic beverages. The temperance movement underway in this 21st century targets not only alcohol, but meat, milk, eggs, genetically engineered plants, and any food or drink deemed to be unhealthy by uninformed, well-funded activist groups.
It was in 1917, after the United States entered the First World War that President Woodrow Wilson instituted a temporary wartime prohibition in order to save grain for producing food. I cannot count the number of times I have heard a similar argument from animal rights activists, suggesting we should stop feeding grain to livestock that will be harvested for human consumption.
Nationwide prohibition began in 1920 when the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect. Prohibition banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages until 1933 when the Twenty-first Amendment was ratified and the Eighteenth Amendment repealed.
During a recent tour of the Anheiser-Busch brewery, the topic of Prohibition came up. The discussion turned to how the brewery was able to stay in business during the 13-year period when beer was a banned beverage in this country. So I began to think about the anti-agriculture movement and how if we do not work together, a juicy steak at your favorite restaurant could become contraband.
Picture with me if you will a small shack far from the beaten path in rural Pike County where Carnivores slip in from the dark of night to enjoy a medium rare beef steak. Perhaps race car drivers like Dale Junior and Tony Stewart could be enlisted to carry the contraband from the grill hidden behind the barn to the church basement for Sunday’s clandestine family night activities.
Prohibition banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages. Never, during the 13-years that Prohibition was the law in our land, was alcohol consumption illegal under federal law.
It is not illegal to eat horse meat in this country, yet today’s temperance movement has led to its prohibition.
It goes without saying that Prohibition was a failure of epic proportions. From lost jobs and tax revenues directly associated with the manufacture, sale and transport of alcohol to an overall decline in sales of clothing and household goods, and a drop in dollars spent at restaurants and other entertainment venues. Those businesses expecting a boon due to Prohibition, like soft drink and chewing gum companies, were sorely disappointed when growth did not take place.
Many in the temperance movement of the early 1900’s believed they possessed moral superiority over those who supported an adult American consumer’s right to choose to drink or not to drink alcohol. Many in today’s temperance movement possess a similar arrogance. They believe everyone else should conform to their lifestyle and beliefs.
How far will this temperance movement go? Will it continue until more people experience true hunger.
It is not a good idea to experiment with the Constitution or with the health and well-being of the American citizenry.
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so true
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It’s a little more complicated than someone just being a killjoy taking away your freedom of choice. With regards to meat production, grains are not part of a cows natural diet. Also more grain is produced to feed to livestock for the fast food industry than is consumed by humans. It is wholly unsustainable.
The average alcohol consumption for a person in the 1800’s was around 6.5 gallons of whiskey per year. 5 times the modern average so alcoholism was a genuine epidemic. People were wrecked all day every day. Temperance movements sprung up to tackle what was a very real problem. It wasn’t simply a case of “you shouldn’t drink, drink is the devil”. It was a very real big social problem. -
Why do American conservative types have such a keen sense of persecution?
People deciding to use their freedom to eat what they want is not an attack on your freedom. The thing with freedom is… you don’t get to tell them what to do, just as much as they don’t get to tell you what to do. It’s 6 years since you wrote this and there still have been ZERO attempts to outlaw meat, eggs, booze, or whatever else triggered you (back before that was a term). The only thing that has happened is people have used their freedom differently than you want them to. If you believe in freedom, you SHOULD have nothing to complain about. If, however, you were just using “freedom” as a manipulation to get your way, then continue to feel persecuted.
LOL.
Good column, Cyndi. I had never thought about it that way, good comparison.