Prohibition Ads on "The Liquor Traffic"

*Note to Reader: This is a work in progress, mostly just posting photos for now and adding commentary at a later date*

People who sold alcohol were stigmatized workers often for low pay, and they were often immigrants. They started being referred to as “the liquor traffic” and bartenders (people who sold it) were called “liquor dealers”. It is true that regulation and protection for those in the industry was needed, and that it could cause addictions. Places that alcohol was sold at wasn’t very safe and alcohol addiction could/can exacerbate violence especially in the home. That’s not going to be the topic of this blog post. I’m focused on what happens when valid issues create the ostracization of an entire group based on their jobs or on one specific industry.

One thing I’ve noticed in my research is how many industries threw those in the alcohol business under the bus. Several industries to this day have a “sin tax” placed on them. The logic behind it is that if the government increases the price of certain goods and services, it’ll decrease demand for it. Many ads like the one above blame the alcohol industry for many societal issues including poverty, homeless, domestic violence, all abuse toward women and children, and even child labor. In this ad they point out that an estimated 2 million children work in various industry but notice that it says “BUT” then pivots to focus on the ones “millions enslaved by the licensed liquor traffic”. 2 million children were estimated to be working in the US around 1910 so the reference to this specific number raises questions.

Image links

https://prohibition.osu.edu/gallery/posters

https://ehistory.osu.edu/exhibitions/ohiodry/brdsds

Notice people who work at bars were drawn as fat and old, they are shown targeting children and destroying the home. People who worked in these businesses were dehumanized as anti-family and anti-women despite workers having families and some workers being women.