The Public Opinion Soapbox

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2569 Location: Chambersburg

Gee, if you're just a few years removed from being a teenage and still have a cynical view of young people in general... well, that's kind of sad.

Just from my own personal experience, and I am a 20-something, I like to go out and have a few drinks with friends and in college I definitely had my share of hangovers. But from my own personal experience, I think that the vast majority of young people are responsible with alcohol and the ones that are not may have benefited by learning to respect it earlier on.

I'm going to go out on a limb and just guess that you don't drink and that the young people you've known who do drink are complete idiots.

I just want to present the idea that there is a such thing as young people, even people under 21 drinking illegal, that drink responsibly; and that I think those people greatly outweigh the abusers. Unfortunately, we only ever hear about the latter.

Sorry if I misjudged you, I'm just making some guesses. We probably won't see eye-to-eye.

As for handguns, it may be illegal to buy under 21 (does this vary state-to-state?) but it's not illegal to USE a hand gun. That's in direct contrast to alcohol which you can't even touch under 21. As for renting cars; that's not a law, but a standard held by the car rental industry. Some rental agencies will rent to 21-year-olds, and some perhaps may even rent to 18-year-olds. That's merely a liability issue on their part, although I would restrict car rentals to anyone over the age of 65 as well Razz

Laughing Man · Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 497 Location: Earth

cynical.... well I can't, in good faith, argue with you on that.
as I've said,ZETSUBOSTA!
but consider this:
The generation that holds the moniker "Our greatest generation" is on its death bed Sad

bon voyage grandpa.

oh but I do, on occassion, treat myself to a little something something, but you are right on the other part, the tweens I know who drink get stone drunk and are indeed idiots, but I live near and work in Quincy, so most of the people I come into contact with are idiots when sobber...lol...

zetsubosta
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Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2569 Location: Chambersburg

I have absolutely no clue what zetsubosta is... Razz

Laughing Man · Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 497 Location: Earth

its a japanese saying meaning, and this is a rough translation, of course, "I'm in dispair!"
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Torgo · Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:40 pm Post subject:

We're now several generations removed from the time when people were considered — and actually were — adults by the time they graduated high school. For example, my parents were married with toddlers and running a business by the time they were 20 and 21.

A variety of factors have since conspired to delay the onset of adulthood in succeeding generations. Perhaps no one's to blame; it was a simpler time then.

But here's the nut: Many of today's 20-somethings are the developmental equivalent of Eisenhower-era high-schoolers. And when it comes to alcohol, most are crude amateurs. They play drinking games. They have no concept of moderation, and cannot pace themselves. They have no sense of bar/party etiquette. They drink until they puke and pass out, and not necessarily in that order.

Another fun fact: The ages at which one could vote and fight for our country were established when? Yeah, several generations ago, at least. The situation is different now.

Normally, I'd be all for letting them feel their way through the process, letting them learn their limitations, because there is truth to notion that experience is the best teacher. But, exposing them to their limitations without all the other factors that contribute to adulthood would create more human wreckage than it's worth.
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Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2569 Location: Chambersburg

While I don't disagree with you Torgo, on any of your points, I would argue that things can't improve or go back to such a time when our young people learn the responsibility of adulthood without some sort of change to the current system. The idea you've presented is simply one that we throw up our hands and say, "Eh, young people are too irresponsible or stupid to be given any leeway."

I think there will be some problems, initially. I'm sure repealing prohibition lead to some overindulgence and increases in some minor crime among America's less mature, but in the long run, it was a good idea.

It's so easy for a society to just give up on something, than to make some sacrifices that may lead to better things. Perhaps our children's generation can grow up learning to respect alcohol rather than both fear and crave it uncontrollably.

And again, I will never back down on my position that young people, in general, are decent and responsible... they just don't make for good news stories.

We always talk about how western European nations are better than us for this reason and Asian nations are better than us for that reason... this is one of the many things we can do to change some attitudes domestically.

In concurrence with this, I would also advocate harsher penalties for drunk driving and other alcohol related offenses. Unfortunately, I think many law enforcement officials may have a similar point of view that alcohol is nothing but bad and young people who use it are nothing but trouble.

The vast majority of the world's legal drinking age is 18. With the exception of a few Islamic nations where drinking is illegal for anyone, here are the only countries (other than the US) with a drinking age at, or above, 21:

Egypt, 21 (Although beer is legal to buy and drink at 1 Cool

India, 21 (Only in the province of Tamil Nadu, 18 everywhere else)
Indonesia, 21 (Excluding Bali, where you must be 15 to purchase)
Japan, 20 (Merely as an offset to the wide availability of alcohol in vending machines)
Oman, 21
Pakistan, 21
United Arab Emirates, 21
Iceland, 20 (Although underage drinking is not illegal)
Norway, 20 (Only on alcohol over 22% ABV; all else is 1 Cool

Fiji, 21
Kiribati, 21
Mariana Islands (US Territory), 21

Only 5 of the above have drinking laws as tight as the US. I'd like to think our adolescents can be more responsible than those in Oman and Pakistan.

latherton · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 6

I think that if you are old enough to join the military and die for this country, you should be allowed to drink a beer. If you are legally considered an adult at 18 then you the choice should be yours.
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Torgo · Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:54 pm Post subject:

Laughing Man · Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 497 Location: Earth

perhaps we should raise the draft age, rather than lower the drinking age, let people live a little, perhaps enjoy a drink before dying in some godless land away from their loved ones
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Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2569 Location: Chambersburg

I'd be pretty surprised if there's ever another draft; although I'm certainly saying this at the worst time possible. Our military is probably more pathetic now than its been since the end of Vietnam.

Oh well, I'd be more in favor of raising the driving age...

username · Joined: 29 Aug 2008 Posts: 1

I work with 18-year-old college freshman and I DO NOT want to sit in a bar with them.

jayak44 · Joined: 25 Oct 2007 Posts: 5

My daughter turned 21 this month, just before we went on vacation. At our hotel, there was a free happy hour for guests. My daughter asked me if she could, and received a drink. Thank goodness she preferred straight bloody mary mix without the vodka. Would she have made the same decision at 18?? I think so.

I also come from a time where at 18 I could cross the border and drink in Maryland, but then it changed when I was 19, and could no longer do that. It really didn't matter...I just drank in PA...laws were looser then, and you knew where you could get served. And the same stupid chances I took at 18 or 19 with drinking and driving were the same ones I took at 21 and beyond. These days, I think 18 year olds are more mature and could handle a lowered drinking age...just as long as the laws that they must abide by get lowered on them also.

R.D.W. · Joined: 06 Oct 2008 Posts: 17 Location: C-Burg

The age one is considered an adult and can be held accountable, to society (courts), for their actions should be the age for legal consumption of alcohol. As the old saying goes: 'If you are old enough to serve, you are old enough to be served'.

That's my opinion, and I'm stick'n to it!
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keekl · Joined: 09 Sep 2008 Posts: 114

One age to drink/vote/enlist. I was in the USMC, went in when I was 17, couldn't buy a beer until 19 (North Carolina), and never got into the 21 Club (3 year enlistment)...not that I had any trouble getting any liquor I wanted, but the inconsistency of it was stupid.

taylor28 · Joined: 17 Sep 2008 Posts: 32

I finish my studies first when I first drink. Very Happy

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