• UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    a famous part of the prohibition was the organized crime which was both kind of naturally occurring at the time and was created specifically to traffic booze

    Quite a few political families profited handsomely from alcohol prohibition. The Kennedys are probably the most famous, but the political system was rife with corruption. If you’ve ever watched Boardwalk Empire, the story was based on the notorious Atlantic City sheriff Enoch Johnson.

    So, turning to black market cartels is a form of resisting policing, it’s a form of anti-institutional action, I’d say, as it gives more economic power to anti-institutional organizations.

    The ability to selectively enforce prohibition gives you ample opportunity to profit from the gaps in the system. Sex work has long had a relationship with local politicians and police, and I have no doubt that criminalization of porn would create an huge market for kickbacks to enforcement organizations.

    • daltotron@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      The ability to selectively enforce prohibition gives you ample opportunity to profit from the gaps in the system.

      It’s like 12 at night for me so this might be a little bit rambly and stupid, be prepared:

      Yeah, that’s pretty true, but I also mentioned that to some extent in my OP, that selective enforcement is the case with basically every law that has ever existed. I’m not really a stranger to the institutional fuckery that happens in the illegal market either, gary webb and allat, but also the classic uncontrollable mexican government drug cartel shenaniganery. I just also think, maybe to the core of what I’m getting at, that people shouldn’t also be like, immediately snap judgement in terms of condemning illegal action on the basis of it’s illegality necessarily. The black panthers collapsed and all the other civil rights organizations that were around at the time. MLK probably got assassinated by the feds, Fred Hampton definitely did, I think Malcolm X probably also did, but those organizations, or so I am told, didn’t dissolve immediately, they just began a long process of ostracization and alienation and probably atomization as suburban poverty increases more recently, until they basically just became normal gangs, as they were engaging in illegal activity before, and selling drugs, or illegal property, is a quick way to make cash to fund ventures. I dunno I still need to find a good place to watch “the bastards of the party”, I think that documentary has something to say about that. Also never heard of boardwalk empire