The Roaring 2020s

Author’s note: Dear reader, I am writing this while the coronavirus is still gripping the United States. My head is not buried in the sand and I am fully aware of the seriousness of it all. But I’ve decided to plug on with what I do best: writing amusing little articles that might put a smile on your face. Carry on.

The 1920s in the United States was called the Roaring Twenties because of the exuberant, freewheeling popular culture of the decade. The Roaring Twenties was a time when many people defied Prohibition, indulged in new styles of dancing and dressing, and rejected many traditional moral standards.

That’s the official Wikipedia definition of the Roaring Twenties. Interesting that it used the word “roaring” to describe what was going down. What’s even more amazing is that 100 years later, the expression “Roaring Twenties” is still relatively known. Why? Nobody, and I mean nobody, reading this right now lived anywhere near the Roaring Twenties. So why is the expression still around? I have my reasons. Let’s explore them together and hope we can transform the 2020s into every bit as “roaring” as the 1920s were.

Let’s get the No. 1 reason out of the way. The Roaring Twenties sure seemed like a heck of a party. There were always these big giant bashes going on with everybody raising hell, bands blastin’, and women wearing cool hats. And there’s nothing America loves more than a great party. Who else could turn the championship of one of our four favorite sports into a national holiday like we did with the Super Bowl? I know Europe and South America go nuts when their country wins the World Cup, but that’s an entire country, not a game between Detroit and Baltimore. And that World Cup thing only happens every four years anyway. Our Super Bowl is every year.

What really made the 1920s roar was that it was built out of defiance. If there is one thing America always taken pride in, it is how defiant we are. Our country is basically built on it. (Geez, I’m starting to sound like I’m running for office.)

Nothing makes people want to do something more than when they’re told they can’t do that very something. That’s what Prohibition was. For more than a decade, you were forbidden, by law, to drink alcohol in this country. That’s right, the United States of America, where the expression exists that there is nothing more patriotic than “Mom, baseball, and apple pie.” So, just imagine baseball without being able to enjoy a beer. They go hand-in-hand, don’t they? (Babe Ruth played most of his career in ballparks that were not allowed to sell beer.) How did America respond when it was told it wasn’t allowed to get loaded anymore? By going on a major bender.

I remember when I first heard about Prohibition. I figured, how long did they make drinking illegal? About a year? No, try 13 years. From 1920 until 1933. In fact, a constitutional amendment was required to ban it. Thirteen years later, we needed another constitutional amendment to bring drinking back. To this day, this is the only time in American history in which a constitutional amendment was passed for the purpose of repealing another. (Dag, I ought to be teaching political science at Harvard, or at least Stockton.)

So, what does any of this have to do with the Jersey Shore? Well, try to imagine a Jersey Shore on a Friday or Saturday night (or a Sunday Funday) without beer or vodka or a bottle of Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill wine. Hard to do, isn’t it?

OK, here comes the big, stupid disclaimer. I don’t want anyone to think that I am advocating drinking. There are many other beautiful things to do at the Jersey Shore, not to mention that many of you have seen me over the years pedaling my bike through town, so I put my money where my mouth is.

Let’s take another glance at that Wiki definition of the Roaring Twenties and break down a few of the other adjectives used to describe Prohibition of the 1920s.

“Exuberant” – Is there a better feeling in the world than when you take that exit off the Garden State Parkway and start heading into town?

“Freewheeling” – Is there any chance that you might be standing behind beautiful people in bathing suits waiting in a line at a Wawa in Germantown? Or Upper Darby? Not a chance. But that’s the norm in Avalon.

“New styles of dancing and dressing” – Are you kidding me? First of all, men dance more in one weekend at the Windrift than they will during the entire offseason back in the city. As far as fashion is concerned, a lot of dudes I know will wake up in the clothes they partied in the night before and then keep those same clothes on for another day.

So, it sounds like we have this covered, folks. Let’s make the 2020s every bit as roaring as the 1920s were. See you this summer!