The Cringe Reflex and Alcohol Politics

It must return to alcohol and politics if trust, compromise and thoughtfulness are to be brought to alcohol policymaking—and politics in general.

CRINGE REFLEX: The Instant revulsion one feels upon hearing or seeing another person take a position or make an argument that is momentary, self-serving, or hypocritical.

Colorado liquor store owners argued that allowing grocery stores to sell wine would put them out of business. They lost that argument. But I know that as a collective these liquor store owners never argued that clothing shops, bookstores, hamburger joints, and appliance stores ought to similarly be shielded from competition.

New York liquor store owners are making the same case right now as grocery stores in that state seek changes in the law that will give them the right to sell wine. They too are not making the case that other retailers ought to be shielded from competition.

I don’t know if the liquor store owners are wrong. I don’t know if they will go out of business if grocery stores are allowed to sell wine. What I do know, however, is that self-serving positions that lack internal consistency are hard to take seriously.

This is the same problem experienced by the folks who oppose interstate direct wine shipping but promote local DTC wine delivery. It’s hard to take seriously those that claim interstate DTC shipping will risk minors getting their hands on alcohol, while not making the same case about local DTC delivery. This latter bit of irrational inconsistency makes America’s wholesalers look like nothing but self-serving rent-seekers who don’t care at all about minors but merely want protection from competition at any cost, including their integrity.

This kind of inconsistency in the positions we take is so common now in the U.S. that we don’t even take notice of it. The American Left, in the wake of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v Wade, excoriated the U.S. Supreme Court for ignoring the fact that most American support abortion rights. In the wake of the recent Affirmative Action Supreme Court decision, the same Left forgot that Americans oppose race playing a role in college admissions.

The American Right is no better. After Dobbs, they reminded us that it’s not about public opinion, but it’s about the Constitution. After the Affirmative Action decision, the Right told anyone who would listen or tune in that Americans don’t support race playing a role in college admissions.

Hypocrisy has consequences. It’s difficult to muster sympathy for Colorado liquor stores seeking government protection from competition when these same folks aren’t clamoring for burger joints to be protected from MacDonalds or when you see the Amazon truck pull up outside their doors with a delivery.

Meanwhile, no one in the alcohol industry has trusted the American wine and spirit wholesaler for decades because they know they or their representatives will twist themselves into any position so long as it fattens their wallets.

And it’s not as though the American elected official has developed a well of trust among voters.

I have no expectation that principled rhetoric in politics or the world of alcohol will suddenly take hold. And I don’t know if remaining principled in alcohol politics can lead to political victories, success, or even good policy. I have my doubts.

This is no plea that we all do better, let alone that the alcohol industry do better. My expectations are, again, low. I’d just like to see the effort made now and then. Allowing the cringe reflex back into alcohol industry politics, and politics in general, would be a victory for everyone. It would increase the trust level among people. It would generate genuine compromise. And it would make thoughtfulness a virtue.