Lips That Touch Liquor
Posted by Tom Purcell at 4/6/2008 11:58 PM and is filed under uncategorized 
I stumbled upon this photo, in government archives, while looking for ideas for a book cover for a collection of columns I'm finally going to gather into a book.
This photo was taken during the Prohibition era, an amazing time in American history. From 1920 to 1933, America, thanks to a Constitutional amendment, no easy feat, went dry. That, of course, led to massive organized crime and enriched the Kennedy family -- old man Kennedy made much of his dough selling illegal booze -- and you can read about the basics at Wikipedia.
As interesting as Prohibition was and is, what interests me more is this photo -- the indignation, the moral superiority, the unwavering confidence that, by using the might of the federal government to limit our behaviors, these ladies KNOW they are doing what is best for the rest of us... because they know better than we do what is right and good.
Look and sound familiar? We could easily replace the words in their sign to apply to global warming or a host of other issues that, we're told, can only be resolved by expanding our government all the more and forcing people to "sacrifice" for the good of whatever it is the do-gooders are demanding that we do.
In any event, I don't know why the ladies above are so against alcohol and threatening to withhold their lips to any fellow who imbibes. From the looks of some of them, I don't know many fellows who'd want to pursue them sober.
These definitely were not the first Sports Illustrated models. Could they have found any homelier women? LOL Made me laugh and that was good after having a cop car plow into my van. Life goes on . . .
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Hi Tom--do you swear you found that photo in an archive? With all those lemon-sucking expressions, it sure looks like a parody to me--either then or now . . .
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I got the "Lips that Touch Liquor Shall Not Touch Mine" image at Google, but it says on the bottom of the photo that it is from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Edison National Historic site. These ladies were serious... it's the kind of thing that can drive a man to drink.
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Tom--
perhaps it's worth noting that today's manifestation of drinking descends from the social drinking habits of the well-to-do. It wasn't particularly hazardous to social stability.
The temperance movement came out of working- and middle-class folks who, in contrast, witnessed significant social deterioration from white lightning, demon rum and other low-cost drinks used to escape from the painful reality of their lives.
This may make it a little easier to understand why these women thought this moral ill ought to be addressed in law vs. individual self-control. They wanted to alleviate real suffering (as long as the cost in individual liberty isn't too high). The logic isn't very far afield from those who promote federal funding for abortion. They believe they are helping (as long as they are convinced it's not a person being eliminated).
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