One week into the NFL season and some of us already can sympathize with the sentiment of this 1941 beer ad. I don't know if defeat actually is sweeter with a beer, but I'd agree that the edge is taken off.
I believe the odd phrasing, a kindly glass of beer or ale, can be attributed to two things: the
relatively recent repeal of prohibition and the rise of fascism in Europe.
American brewers probably weren't too eager to tread on the smoldering coals of
the temperance movement. Doubtless they feared doing so might reignite the
passionate fire that drove alcohol underground. Also, since many of America’s brewers came
from Germany, they surely were aware of the frightening prospect of being
linked with un-American values and goose-stepping goons. Better to cleave close
to mom, apple pie, and the good ‘ol American way of life than take any chances.
In truth the United Brewers Industrial Foundation had been
in existence since 1862 and like most trade organizations its chief interest
was lobbying for favorable legislation and tax breaks for its members. The
organization did some good, supporting the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, but
its failure to recognize that the Prohibition Movement and Anti-Saloon League
presented a serious threat to the sale of alcoholic beverages proved flawed and
from 1920 through 1933 the sale, production, and transport of alcohol became
against the law in the United States.
As a little aside, in 1941, when this ad ran, the president
of the United Brewers Industrial Foundation was none other than Rudy Schaefer,
the owner of Schaefer Beer.
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