New Political Debate: Drinking Age

[Dylflon]

I say 18 because at 18 you're allowed to join the army.

If you're old enough to die overseas for your military, you're old enough to drink.

[gekko]

You could also argue that if the first thing someone does in their adult life is sign away years of their rights, they are not in sound mind and shouldn't be given alcohol

[manasecret]

If 18, 19, and 20 year-olds were smart enough, they would realize they have the power to vote and thus the power to coerce their politicians into changing this law that discriminates against them and takes away a freedom that everyone else enjoys freely.

Unfortunately they're spending too much time trying to find a fake ID, buying alcohol illegally, and then binge drinking to do anything smart like that.

I include myself in that group, when I was that age.

[Bond]

Seriously, there are so many people who should not be allowed to drive a vehicle (like a lot of my friends). There's also a lot of 80+ citizens who should have their license revoked.

[KillerGremlin]

I always thought if MADD wanted to accomplish something they would push to raise the driving age. How many 15 and 16 year-old kids use level-headed rationalization while driving?

But more to the point, driving is already deadly...adding alcohol to the mix only escalates the problem. I'd call it "unintentional attempted murder." I think it would be reasonable to charge the bar or party host for letting someone drive home drunk too. What is the person called who helps someone plan a murder? "Accomplice in murder." That sounds about right.

[manasecret]

When I said any of us, I meant that -- you, me, and everyone else should not be allowed to drive. Everyone thinks they're the best driver in the world.

I think what we should do is replace our individual driving system with the mass transportation system from Minority Report. Anyone remember that?

[Jason1]

Okay, I see your point KillerGremlein, but just because the drinking age is lowered does not mean kids are all of a sudden only going to drink at home with the parents in a controlled environment...frat parties will still go on, and kids will still drink in excessive and or potentially dangerous amounts...

[KillerGremlin]

Originally Posted by Jason1

Okay, I see your point KillerGremlein, but just because the drinking age is lowered does not mean kids are all of a sudden only going to drink at home with the parents in a controlled environment...frat parties will still go on, and kids will still drink in excessive and or potentially dangerous amounts...

I assume that to be the case....I doubt any age restriction will stop binge drinking or abusive drinking. It just goes hand-in-hand with college, and with the freedom of being away from home. Oddly though, I still think we could help a percentage of people by exposing them to alcohol at a younger age or in a safer environment. It has been my experience/observation that college is not the best place to learn your drinking limitations.

I do think that many people try to stay a few drinks below their limit...I know I do. When I want to drink to get drunk I try to drink as few drinks as possible and get in that comfortable zone. I'd rather not wake up with a splitting hangover. But I also enjoy drinking a beer with dinner...I enjoy wine...and I'm trying to start to enjoy hard liquor. You don't have to drink in excess to enjoy alcohol. Beer and wine are sophisticated drinks that can be enjoyed with a meal.


Like Bond said, I think this is a complex social problem. Hence why I think we should keep the drinking age at 18 or 21.

[Bond]

Originally Posted by KillerGremlin

I assume that to be the case....I doubt any age restriction will stop binge drinking or abusive drinking. It just goes hand-in-hand with college, and with the freedom of being away from home. Oddly though, I still think we could help a percentage of people by exposing them to alcohol at a younger age or in a safer environment. It has been my experience/observation that college is not the best place to learn your drinking limitations.

I do think that many people try to stay a few drinks below their limit...I know I do. When I want to drink to get drunk I try to drink as few drinks as possible and get in that comfortable zone. I'd rather not wake up with a splitting hangover. But I also enjoy drinking a beer with dinner...I enjoy wine...and I'm trying to start to enjoy hard liquor. You don't have to drink in excess to enjoy alcohol. Beer and wine are sophisticated drinks that can be enjoyed with a meal.


Like Bond said, I think this is a complex social problem. Hence why I think we should keep the drinking age at 18 or 21.

I think that's why lawmakers just need to look at detailed statistics and analysis of those statistics, and craft a law that makes the drinking age (whatever), that will do the most good and the least harm. I don't see how one can go about this issue other than a purely utilitarian way.

That being said, the government is probably the least effective institution to help substance abuse problems in America. Like Typhoid said, it's families, it's private organizations, communities, etc. They have been, and always will be, far more effective than any law or government. And those private people and organizations can change the culture, but the government can't.

[Jason1]

I will admit, that in many cases (not all), kids who grew up with strict parents then all of a sudden go away to college, are oftentimes the wildest because their not used to it. People who had been casually exposed to drinking at an earlier time are less likely to go ape shit crazy in college.

Then there's the other side, those that actually continue to abide by their parents rules after they are out of the house...lame!

[mickydaniels]

Originally Posted by Jason1

Then there's the other side, those that actually continue to abide by their parents rules after they are out of the house...lame!

What's wrong with that?