As usual my work & life schedule has eaten a large chunk out of my reading time.
But what I was able to chip away at makes me love this book even more. 🙂
In Chapter 2 we leave ancient Greece and Rome, for a scene and a history which is much more familiar.
“On and Off the Wagon & the American Character” by Jonathan Alsop.
This chapter outlines America’s beginnings in wine, and its hypocritical/puritanical stance toward booze in the times leading up to, during, and after the most ridiculous period in American history: Prohibition. It also talks about how we are still slowly bouncing back from that. The chapter discusses the effect that movies have had on the wine industry in America, good, bad, and ugly. And how NASCAR may be responsible for the rise of the Smoky Mountain wine maker.
Some things really lit a fire in me… good and bad.
The Good first: After reading this it seems that we are on the right track finally after two centuries. All of this wine history, from Jefferson to NASCAR, has inspired me to write a rock-a-billy opera called “America’s Drinking Problem” (more on that to come.)
And now the bad: STOP GREASING THAT SQUEAKY WHEEL, AMERICA.
I have heard of Carrie Nation, and other fanatical temperance “worriers” before but every time I read about people like this succeeding in their slanted agendas it makes me soooo HOPPING mad.
How is it that even though Americans from all walks of life do and always have enjoyed a good drink, a few loud crazy fanatics can make a big hatchet wielding stink and we completely cave in to their wishes? The more we as a country cowtow to the squeakiest most extreme wheels, the more off balance our country will be. And I’m not just talking about drinking, but any type of policy.
Sorry for the rant…. I hope I am not squeaking too much 😉
Tags: america, nascar, philosophy, politics, prohibition, roman, symposiums, temperance, theatre, thomas jefferson
