← Chris Distefano Presents: Chrissy Chaos
Chris Distefano Presents: Chrissy Chaos
The Roaring 20s’ Dark Side: Crime, Chaos & Prohibition’s Fallout
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Rated T for teen.
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What's up, everybody? I am Christopher DiStefano, aka Christeries DiStefano, and this is Christeries. Welcome to Christorese. Today we're going to be talking about the 18th Amendment, how the mob rose to even greater power, and how women are to blame for making drinking illegal during the Roaring twenties. That's right. We're talking about prohibition. Not today. Little por O sauce? Oh, yeah. Tastes good. So what was happening in the world that led to prohibition? We are in the 19th century. We are about two things. We are about the love of God, I love you, Jesus and his teachings. And we are about making sure women can't get ahead in anything. So there was a movement called the Women's Christian Temperance Union, the wctu, and the Anti Saloon League, the asl. And this was growing at a time to make sure that nobody could have alcohol. And I think women, of course, were very motivated to remove alcohol from society because their husbands would get drunk and beat them. That's the truthy wuthie. They highlighted issues, you know, addiction, poverty, crime, domestic violence, Big one. And the breakdown of moral values as consequences of excessive alcohol consumption. And this was called the temperance movement. So when you hear the temperance movement, that's really what this was. And it grew big during the 1800s, encouraging people to either drink way less or stop drinking alcohol altogether. Do not drink. It's much like smoking, right? Like how smoking cigarettes. There was a time when I was growing up where, like, people would just smoke cigarettes. There was commercials, the Marlboro Man. But now we know smoking's no good for you, so smoking is out. This is what was happening back then with alcohol. They were like, we know we used to like it, but maybe we should remove it because everyone's getting the shit beat out of them. And when I say everyone, I mean the women years. 1917, the Great War, WW1, good two to three years in Germany was going to war with us. Submarine warfare. So the USA joined the war. And then we just, you know, do what we do. We just destroyed everyone. Everyone and killed them. What do you need to fight a war? Soldiers. Right? That's what you need. And what do soldiers need to be men. So they go to war, leaving the farmers and, you know, kind of empty because they were the guys doing the farms. And so you have this harvest grain, you have this harvest grain shortage means, like, you got a bread shortage. Nothing. Nobody's got food. So dry. Advocates took this opportunity to advocate to stop brewing beer, stop using the harvest and the crops to make beer and the barley and all that, and instead make it into bread to feed the American soldiers. So no beer, more bread. Okay? And President Woodrow Wilson, which was a name I used to call my penis when I was a child, instituted a temporary wartime prohibition in order to save grain for producing food. So the first steps of prohibition actually came World War I. They said, we're running out of barley here, so we gotta stop making beer. We gotta start making bread. And the guys were like, why don't we just drink more beer? That. That has calories, too. I could just live off beer. And Congress submitted a bill to have a nationwide ban on alcohol, aka the 18th Amendment. All right, let's go to January 1919. She said she was only 19. World War I is over, but the temperance movement is alive and well. That temperance movement again. That movement started by women to say, let's get rid of alcohol because we don't want to get beat by our husbands. So Congress passes the 18th Amendment. December 18, 1917. Took some time for it to be officially ratified. Ratification. What does that mean? States voting to make it official law. That happened January 16, 1919. The 18th Amendment, okay, what it said is it prohibited the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages. That was the 18th Amendment, and that was January 1920. So this led to the creation of the Volstead act, also known as the National Prohibition Act. It was named Volstead because of U.S. representative Andrew Volstead from Minnesota, who played a key role in the passage of law. The 18th Amendment is now law, people. And what happens? The 18th Amendment becomes a law. So what happens when something becomes a law in this country? People find a way around it, baby. Break the law. Remember, though, alcohol consumption was never illegal under federal law. It was only the production and manufacturing and distribution of it. But if you consumed it, you ain't doing nothing wrong, baby. So people found other ways to make liquor. They got a doctor's note. That's what happened. Exceptions for alcohol prescribed by a doctor for medicinal purposes the loophole was exploited by many who got prescriptions for alcohol, which led to a large group abusing the system. Nurse, I need a vodka. They did it at home. They made alcoholic spirits called moonshine. I mean, go drink some moonshine, folks. That'll put hair on your nuts. The name moonshine actually originates from the practice of making the liquor at night by the light of the moon to avoid detection. A lot of those. I mean, dude, moonshine, backwoods Kentucky, just. Ever seen that movie Deliverance? You give me moonshine in a banjo, I'm going to have sex with you and your ass by a tree. By the way, the homemade spirits were sold in secret bars called speakeasies. So, you know, today you think it's, like, fun. So it's speakeasy. On Instagram, you say a code, you order a hot dog, and, like, you press a button, and then there's, like, a speakeasy. Well, that was from these times when it was illegal to drink. So now speakeasies are fun and they're, you know, go viral. But back then, it was the only way to really drink moonshine. So these places operated secretly, hidden locations, you know, basements, back rooms, storefronts, whatever. And you needed the secret code or password, just like, you know, you do today in some trendy bars in the lower side. The name speakeasy is thought to have originated from patrons being advised to speak easy or quietly when discussing the order of alcohol. So when you have to. So now, speak easy. So you speak easy. Speak low. Low. I don't want anyone to know. I don't want anyone to know that I'm secretly trying to drink alcohol. That's what I do now. I do this now when I'm like, hey, asking for a friend, but I'm new in town. But where are the gay bars? And mixology, the whole art of mixology, that started around this time because the homemade alcohol tasted pretty nasty. So they would sweeten it up with other ingredients. So all those mixed drinks that you love right now came because there was a federal law against it. And by the way, speakeasies brought together people from everywhere. This is like a great melting pot. Politicians, celebrities, artists, businessmen, everybody wanted to go into the speakeasy. Gay people were allowed. Nobody cared about status or sexual orientation. And let's be honest, you're in a speakeasy, you just fought with your wife, you're drinking, you're stressed out. What's the best chance you have of your wife not finding out that you're having an affair? Get a blowjob from a gay guy. They keep their mouth shut because men aren't dramatic. One story in particular actually highlights the diverse and inclusive nature of the speakeasy. And it was called the Cotton Club. Harlem, New York City. This was jazz music, dancing, nightlife still there today. And even though it was a time, it was like racial segregation was everywhere. You know, racism was big back then, Better now. The Cotton Club attracted a mix of clientele, white and black people. Black performers, legendary musician Duke Ellington, Camp Calloway. They entertain white audiences, and they reflected that unique cultural exchange and integration that occurred in Harlem during the 1920s and is back occurring now today, just 100 years later. So that's pretty cool. Cotton Club, very successful. And it symbolized how speakeasy's provided a space where social barriers could be transcended and people from all different backgrounds could just come together and be united. So the back then, it was the Cotton Club. Bringing together people of all different backgrounds and races and religions transcended their problems and just came together for a good common cause. And now it's called the Capitol Steps. It's where we come together. Storm the Capitol. This is an ad by BetterHelp. 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It's got an App store rating of 4.9 out of 5. Okay. On over 1.7 million client reviews. I mean, that's. It speaks for itself. Those numbers, it's convenient, too. You just join the session, click of a button at any time, you take a little survey, they match you with a licensed mental health professional, and it's great. And you can change that. Therapist at any time, by the way, I've done it. Change it up if you're not getting along, no questions asked. They are really all about the patient. It is the largest online therapy provider in the world. BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of Expertise. Listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com that's betterhelp.com chaos betterhelp.com chaos go there now. I love it and I think you will too. I want to talk to you about Nutrafol. Okay? Because an investment in your hair is an investment in yourself. 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You just make it so simple for me. Plus, you get free naturopathic doctor consults and a headspace meditation membership. That's big. Start your hair growth journey with Nutrafol. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month, your first month subscription and free shipping. When you go to nutrafol.com men and enter the promo code Chaos. Find out why Nutrafol is the leading hair growth supplement brand on the market@nutrafol.com men that's n u t r a f o l.com men promo code chaos. That's nutrafol.com men promo code chaos. Obviously, prohibition was meant to help with the decline of crime, alcoholics and blah, blah, blah. But of course, it fueled more but organized crime, AKA the mob. This is where the mob really gets its foothold in American culture and starts to come out swinging. Very, very famous mobsters. Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, they were bootleggers. They seized control of the bootlegging industry and they established these sophisticated Smuggling and distribution networks and that ran speakeasies, fought in many violent turf wars, and they wanted to control territory and profits. There were so many gang murders between 1927 and 1930. And actually, my other podcast history Hyenas that I do with my friend Giannis Pappas, Giannis was telling me that he just read something that Al Capone was actually just a normal, regular bootlegger that the federal government, for whatever reason, wanted to make famous. Like, they made him big star to have, like, a war against someone, but he was just a regular bootlegger. There was, like, nothing fancy about him. He was just, like, plucked out to become this superstar. And, you know, he was the most famous. Al Capone was the most famous. Born in Brooklyn, New York. A lot of people just think of him as a Chicago guy. The kid's from Brooklyn. And he moved, but he moved to Chicago and he dominated the illegal alcohol trade there. He was charismatic, generous, but he was violent, you know, nut job. He was known for the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929. That's Capone's henchmen. They were disguised as police officers, gunned down seven members of a rival gang led by Bugs Morin, who was a Jewish gangster in a Chicago garage. And that solidified Al Capone as he had control over the city, Chicago, city gang underworld. And the thing is, he murdered people, you know, broke all these laws, but he eventually goes to jail for tax evasion. That's the thing. When the government wants to get you, they'll get you, baby. So the mob at this time in Chicago in the 1920s was fun. First of all, if you ever get a chance to go to Chicago, go on the Chicago Architectural River Tour, and they will show you from a boat, the building that Al Capone would do work in. And he was the only building in Chicago at the time that he would drive his car into the building and an elevator would take him and his car to the top floor. That's pretty cool. Had a car elevator in his apartment, I think. And they had Tommy guns, which I wish. I want to bring those back. Just get a Tommy gun and just start letting it rip. But, yeah, the. You know, there was pretty ruthless, everybody. The St. Valentine's Day massacre, I mean, that was pretty bad. Bugs Morin was also. I think he was. I'm almost positive Bugs Morin was Jewish. Almost paused. He was Jewish because that's the thing. Back then, Jewish people were gangsters, too. I mean, they still are. Shout out Netanyahu. Oh, okay. So Bugs Morin Who I just said was Jewish. We asked Chatgpt, and that's a lie. He was not. He was actually Catholic. So sorry, moving on. Here's the thing. Prohibition, the Volstead act, right? Yes. It's a law, but how are you going to enforce that law? Okay, how are you going to enforce that law? It's like, I can't make you do it. It's like the vaccine. Prohibition agents. Ex. The thing is, Prohibition agents, they existed, but they were so easy to bribe, and a lot of them wanted to probably drink too. It's like, do I want to really do this? It's like being an ICE agent, you don't really want to do that. You don't really want to throw people out of this country. But, you know, you're trying to put food on the table, even though the person you're throwing out is the one who's making the food to put on your table. So it's just what it is. And many governors, they didn't want to spend money on this, you know, these Prohibition agents and enforcing this law. So they really didn't do much to enforce the law. Maryland was one of the states that didn't even make rules to stop people from drinking. They just truly didn't care. They were like, do whatever you want. Doesn't matter. It's Baltimore. New York stopped enforcing the laws in 1923. So if new York stops it, the rest of the country's gonna follow. Most of the states then after that started just stop following the law. Maryland Senator William Cable Bruce said national Prohibition went into legal effect upward of six years ago. But it can be truly said that except to a highly qualified extent, it has never gone into practical effect at all. So that means it's a law, but nobody really enforces it or cares. It's like jaywalking. That's a crime technically, but I do it every day. And if you're a traffic cop that tries to give me a ticket, I'll spit on you. So in 1931, investigators come together and they released what was called the Wickersham Commission, which reported that Prohibition was actually failing. And not that crime was on the rise, but it was actually more. Now we have more crime because of Prohibition. So let's start drinking. So goodbye Roaring twenties, hello Great Depression. With crime on the rise and the country getting super depressed mode, President fdr, Franklin Delano Roosevelt came through to elevate the mood and the good times, and he saw the social and economic impacts and he said, Baby, 21st Amendment is here. Ending Prohibition. You can get drunk, hit your wives. So he advocated a part of his New Deal agenda for alcohol to be manufactured and distributed to help get the economy back in shape. And we're gonna make that alcohol right here in the usa. And he was like, I'm so drunk right now, I can't feel my legs. Oh, wait, no, I got polio. In February 1933, Congress passes the 21st Amendment, ending prohibition. Thank you, FDR. That's why I love you. So the term the roaring twenties, a lot of you guys have heard about that. The 1920s, economic prosperity. It was fun. I think everything. Just every time I hear about the roaring 1920s, I'm like, what? It was just a big sex fest. So everybody was living life, having a good time, which, of course, is eventually gonna end with the Great Depression and things gonna get real bad. But it's interesting that during those 1920s is when they weren't making alcohol for a little while. So I don't know, maybe the lack of alcohol is good. Maybe she'd drink a little bit less. Maybe all maybe things. Yeah, whatever. Have a drink. In closing, shout out drinking. Okay? A lot of you wouldn't be here without alcohol. Just know that your moms and dads were drunk, and then here you are. So even if you're anti alcohol and you're for prohibition, then you might be killing yourself. Because I know. I know I got kids that I love very much. And I know that, yes, technically, their mother gave birth to them, but they were given life through a bottle of poor Osos. Okay, Your boy likes to drink. And when I drink, the one thing I definitely do not do is pull out or use protection, okay? I don't. I can't feel anything. So shout out drinking. I love it. I enjoy it. I do it. I do it responsibly in moderation. And if we can learn anything about prohibition is that drinking actually brings people together from all walks of life, but in a fun way. As long as we're drinking responsibly. Okay, so my advice to you, listen to this episode. Go out, have a drink, make some bad decisions responsibly. And I'm telling you, it's more fun to not pull out. Remember, yesterday was history.