I am not the first to make the comparison between the prohibition of alcohol and the prohibition of illicit drugs. My aim is not some hippie dream of legalized drugs, but to show the real effect of prohibiting: violence. Extreme violence over the control of an item that is restricted, is not healthy, and is not morally justifiable. Alcohol prohibition was put into law in order to help free the country from the perils of alcohol. But all it did was make gangsters such as Al Capone rich, and get a lot of people murdered.
The prohibitions of drugs like marijuana and cocaine have a very similar history to the prohibition of alcohol, with one major difference; alcohol is no longer illegal. Prohibition can best be explained with economics. First, prohibition creates a supply-vacuum after a substance is declared illegal. Then, someone who is willing to risk the law fills the demand. But the issue does not stop there. The problem is that there is so much money to be made, that gangs start to fight for control.
In the first image, I chose to show the famous picture of women sitting in front of a sign that says “Lips that touch liquor shall not touch ours.” This sign is typical of the temperance movement, which was one of the driving forces behind the 18th amendment. Although I do not know anyone who would give up a drink to kiss one of those sourpusses; this image shows the anti-alcohol movement that was taking place around the turn of the 20th century. This image is supposed to be slightly humorous so people can see that the idea behind prohibition may have been noble, it was ultimately foolish.
For my second picture I chose to show several men pouring out alcohol in compliance with prohibition. This image shows the attempts at controlling the alcohol supply by dumping it out. I chose this because I wanted to show that alcohol prohibition was enforced and to use it as a bridge to my next images. This image might evoke sadness, if you are a beer drinker, but mostly I want it to be slightly comical. Like the first image, I want to show the foolishness of attempts at controlling booze. As if pouring all of the beer out, would prevent someone from making more.
For my third image, I chose a smiling Al Capone with a big fat cigar in his mouth. I chose this picture to show Capone almost gloating over his success. His facial expression is almost gloating, and he is dressed in a nice suit. I want it to seem like Capone is almost laughing at prohibition, and the first two images. This image is supposed to inspire loathing, at this repugnant man who profited off of violent crime.
My fourth picture is the emotional hammer. After the first 3 images set the stage, this bloody picture shows the true consequences of prohibition. This is a disgusting scene with bodies and blood strewn, and I want my audience to feel that disgust as well as horror that such a thing could happen. I want people now to feel the same way that people who saw the image when it happened felt. The St. Valentines day Massacre, as it is called, seemed to be a breaking point for the prohibition movement, because it showed people the horrific things that prohibition can inspire.
The fifth picture is the last in a sequence. This image is of a newspaper headline in 3 inch letters stating “Prohibition ends at last.” The headline seems to have a “thank god” kind of relief to it. I want this image to inspire hope and relief. Hope, because American’s were able to overcome a deadly mistake and relief because I want my audience to feel the same relief that people back then felt; relief from the dangers of prohibition-fed gang violence.
My sixth image is the first in a new sequence that parallels the first sequence. I want to show, by using similar images how similar the prohibition of alcohol is to the prohibition of other drugs. For this I chose a poster which details the horrors of marijuana. The poster promises “Murder! Insanity! Death!” but I did not choose the image for its portrayal of the effects of “Marihuana.” I chose this to show the desire to limit this drug for the greater good. This image is a reflection of the “lips that touch alcohol” picture, and I chose each of them to show how each prohibition began with a genuine attempt to improve the country.
My seventh image shows a police officer and police dog, standing in front of giant bags of marijuana, some cash, and a few guns. I want people when viewing this image to think about how despite the best effort of the police, that marijuana is commonly available. I also want this image to inspire fear, because despite the calm and friendly image of pot dealers, there are many who traffic in large volumes and carry guns. This is similar to the picture of beer being poured out from the early 20th century. Both of them show that prohibiting drugs (alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, etc) does not stop people from selling or using them.
The eighth picture is of the modern day Al Capone. Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera was recently listed in Forbes magazine as a billionaire. This is a scary, powerful, and rich man who should scare people, because he is very dangerous. I chose this image in parallel to the Capone image to show how similar these two men are. Both have profited immensely of off prohibition, and both are willing to kill to keep there power.
The ninth image is once again an emotional hammer. This is a sickening picture of decapitated heads. The heads are a consequence of the drug trade across the Mexican border. The image is truly nauseating to look at. I want people to feel sick and to fear this kind of violence. This mirrors the St Valentine’s Day Massacre, in its grotesqueness. I want people to see the comparison and to see that the underlying cause of both of these tragedies was prohibition.
The final image is missing. Simply a question mark stands in its place, because this is where the comparison of prohibitions ends. While The American People saw the light and ended the alcohol prohibition during the Great Depression (bonus effect: revenue stream, hint, hint) the prohibition of other drugs continues. So does the violence. Maybe American’s allow it because it is our poor brown neighbors to the south that are getting killed, instead of Midwesterners. Or maybe, people do not remember the lessons of history. Prohibition does not stop whatever it is trying to stop. Prohibition makes criminals rich, wastes money on enforcement, and worst of all: kills innocent people.
I am going to end this analysis the same way that I end my Prezi, with a question: Why do we, as Americans, insist on trying (unsuccessfully) to curb peoples access to drugs, when it is clear that people can get drugs whenever they want, and the measures to limit those drugs foster an illegal drug trade that has killed thousands along the US/ Mexico border?
http://officespam.chattablogs.com/archives/Lips-That-Touch-Liquor-Shall-Not-Touch-Ours.jpg
2. Beer pouring
3. Al Capone
4. St. Valentine’s Day Massacre:
5. Prohibition ends at last
6. Murder! Insanity! Death!
7. Marijuana police bust:
8. Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera
9. Heads…
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