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589 Comments
- noirhawk, on 08/26/2008, -20/+412FIXED: "Why is the Drinking age 21 in America?"
- peterjmag, on 08/26/2008, -7/+358Honestly, I think a good solution (although maybe not entirely realistic for the US) would be something along the lines of Germany's laws. In Germany, the legal drinking age is 16, but you can't get your driver's license until you're 18. I think that helps teenagers realize the effects of alcohol in a safe environment before they ever get behind the wheel of a car.
- thechr0nic, on 08/26/2008, -5/+262I tend to believe that if we consider an 18 year old, mature enough to die for this country, then they are mature enough to drink.
Maybe we should leave the drinking age 21, but at the same time, raise the enlistment age to 21 as well.. wouldn't that be fair? you cant have it both ways
Realistically, who here, actually waited until 21 for their first drink? yeah, thats what I thought, NO-ONE. My parents let me sip their drinks when I was very young, and I am not a roaring alcoholic. I love the whole, 'well I drank when I was young... but no-one else should be allowed to make the same mistakes that I did' attitude.
I do not believe it is the place of government to save us from ourselves. Of course the exception being, when you put someone else's life in jeopardy.
With that said, I firmly believe that it is education that will be the true antidote to alcohol related deaths. There is no magic age, when a person can suddenly just 'handle' their alcohol. We need to be able to have open and honest conversations about alcohol use and try to prevent abuse through education. Prohibition has rarely if ever, worked.
I dont expect that my opinion will be popular, but it is the truth as I see it. - inactive, on 08/26/2008, -16/+198Religious Americans and Soccer Moms.
- Mootabolife, on 08/27/2008, -1/+112Better yet, before they head off to college and go insane.
- Haoie, on 08/26/2008, -3/+102It's 18 here in NZ, and we still have an underaged drinking problem, as well as binge drinking.
I don't know, it doesn't seem any age limit is particularly effective. - inactive, on 08/27/2008, -0/+84Yeah, if you grow up around alcohol and get used to drinking when you're young it isn't some "forbidden pleasure" that you feel compelled to overindulge in when you turn 21 (like it is right now). There's just no compelling logic there, IMO. You want young people to learn about alcohol before they can drive and while they're still under adult supervision. You don't want it to be something they don't learn about until (just after) they've left the nest. That just seems insane to me.
I grew up with a father who sold liquor for a living. He was a terrible role model, but I drank enough as a kid that it wasn't a big deal when I came of age. I went and saw a band for my 18th birthday (legal age in those days) and had a couple of drinks, but it wasn't like I was funneling beers to make up for lost time. I'm sure I'm biased, but to me it makes perfect sense to let kids drink earlier in life. Besides, most kids who puke up half a bottle of gin when they're 14 aren't going to be nearly as tempted to overindulge when they're 18. I have a pretty well-stocked bar at home, but I probably only have an alcoholic beverage a couple of times a month. Haven't been "drunk" in years. I don't think you're training them to be drunks. You just aren't withholding alcohol from them, which seems to give it a mystique. - Neiliosullivan, on 08/27/2008, -4/+79Education>Prohibition.
Teach people about the dangers of abusing alcohol (and other drugs) instead of jail. - inactive, on 08/27/2008, -1/+76Drinking was more fun when it was underage for me, because it didn't matter what the alcohol was. If you could get it, you were the *****, and it was an instant party, even if it was nasty you forced yourself to drink it and got drunk. Good times
- CybrStuff, on 08/27/2008, -3/+76Why don't you have a seat right over there...
- plr4ever, on 08/27/2008, -4/+72I actually prefer driving to drinking.
- ModernChem, on 08/27/2008, -37/+99like your country matters
- BrokenCircle, on 08/26/2008, -0/+61China: 18
Portugal: 16
Fiji: 21 - Kevunism, on 08/26/2008, -9/+67Support the Darwin effect, lower the drinking age now!
- Rikkochet, on 08/27/2008, -8/+64Oh come on, I'm not American and I found it hilarious.
- jessedigg, on 08/27/2008, -0/+56Prohibition is still very much alive in the U.S. If you are twenty years old, married, have children, a house, work two jobs, go to school and pay taxes; somehow there are people who say you are simply not responsible enough to have a Bud Lite.
- inactive, on 08/27/2008, -2/+56As an RA at a college campus, I can tell you that there is no way that underage drinking is going to stop. The only way to make it safer it to educate students on safe drinking practices, encouraging moderation over binging. This would be a hell of a lot easier if there could be adults present (or any kind of responsible supervision). However, the drinking age makes the act clandestine, and therefore students who wish to drink are forced to do so in secrecy.
Also, studies have shown that the vast majority of underage drinkers do so in moderation, but perceive that others do not. So basically, peoples preconceived notions that their friends drink to excess encourages them to do the same.
Don’t patronize all teenagers and make it seem like we’re all incapable of making smart decisions. Prejudices like that only encourage dangerous behavior. - Xoti, on 08/27/2008, -10/+60Why is porn restricted to girls over 18?
- BrokenCircle, on 08/26/2008, -4/+54The 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act, [23 U.S.C. § 158] was enacted as a method of social control, it still allows a person to drink in private regardless of age.
If alcohol really did have devastating effects on a person's body ages 17-20 then Europeans would not completely trounce Americans in the fitness and health department.
Also on a side note: Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, the man who proposed NMDAA bill firmly believed that masturbation was bad for a person's mental and physical health. - Y0tsuya, on 08/27/2008, -6/+51Most teenagers are well aware of effects of alcohol, which is why they drink it.
- Darren07, on 08/26/2008, -10/+54You can got to war when you're 18 and kill people, but you can't get a drink until you're 21. Just great.
- byronne, on 08/27/2008, -2/+40In Germany (and most of Europe, for that matter), the process of obtaining a driver license is very arduous and requires much more training and expense than it does in the US. Also, the DUI laws are extremely strict - pretty much only one strike you're out; say goodbye to the privilege of driving forever. I'd say that lowering the drinking age and raising the driving age results in a greater appreciation of the risks involved and more responsible people behind the wheel.
- floridiot2, on 08/27/2008, -1/+37Especially when in some states, 14-16 is legal to have sex.
- sinembarg0, on 08/27/2008, -5/+39FIXED: "Why is the Drinking age 21 in the United States?"
I'm pretty sure its 18 in Canada, and don't know if there even is one in Mexico, and thats just North America. - Jforsyth89, on 08/27/2008, -0/+34If the government considers you an adult, they should not restrict your right to do anything to your body.
- Ajajadude, on 08/27/2008, -0/+33Amen. 18 year old kids are old enough to vote, smoke and die for their country, but they're not mature enough to drink? That has always seemed like a bunch of nonsense.
- cyberdork, on 08/26/2008, -1/+32Binge drinking is a new problem which we also have here in Germany. I think the reason is that kids these days have way more money available than just 10-15 years ago. Our age limit is 16, and the typical teenager wouldn't have had enough money to get drunk when I grew up. But nowadays it's almost normal for parents to give their kids $100 a week or something like that.... spoiled brats...
- inactive, on 08/27/2008, -1/+30I don't drink at all - I don't like drinking or being around people that do (to excess).
However I think that it would be more self regulating if we eliminated the age requirement all together.
If kids end up having some wine with dinner, it isn't going to have the same allure as it does when they are cut off until 21.
It is a fact people want what they can't have, so give it to them, and I doubt there would be as much binge drinking and alcohol poisoning deaths.
Basically, I feel this issue falls outside of Government's jurisdiction. When we give the government the power to save us from ourselves, we are essentially giving away our freedoms and our rights. Good luck getting them back - because that's one constant in this world. Those with the power seldom like to give it up.
- synystar, on 08/26/2008, -2/+31But yet you still decided to go ahead and break the law when you had only one week left to go? A law is a law and in the end you still made the personal choice to break it -- even if it had been one day before you turned 21 instead of a week. I won't digg you down for being a goody-two-shoes, I'll digg you down for being a hypocrite.
- akatsuki, on 08/27/2008, -3/+31no they go to a bar and have a couple of drinks with friends instead of binge drinking in secret like they do now.
- paraforce, on 08/27/2008, -0/+26The drinking laws are rendered useless because most teenagers know the one or two places around town that don't card.
I know I do. - inactive, on 08/27/2008, -1/+24There is no "magical age" when young people can "handle" alcohol.....There's a hell of a lot more people over 21 getting busted with DUI's then there are teens. There's 30, 40, 50 yr olds who abuse alcohol and drive intoxicated....waiting to 21 made not the slightest effect on their poor judgement. Point is, there is no good arguement to keep it at 21, MADD and those other political groups can shout "anarchy" and "mayhem" and "massive teen deaths" as they fear monger, but they're wrong...you know how they're wrong? Look at Europe. European teens aren't dieing left and right in firey,alcohol fuled accidents. The religious groups are just in it for control and pushing their beliefs on mainstream as much as they can. Jesus drank wine. In fact, wine and water were the only things people could drink on a day to day basis. There is no actual passage in the bible banning alcohol or calling it a sin...Let's make alcohol not taboo to teens and let's educate them. Besides there isn't a teen anywhere who can't find a way to get alcohol. It's very, very easy to do and the law is just pointless and illogical and based on archaic beliefs.
- RudeTurnip, on 08/27/2008, -0/+23It says a lot about someone's character if they think the only reason people don't do things is because it's illegal.
- Hrodrik, on 08/27/2008, -1/+23Nor digg.us
- Frogee, on 08/27/2008, -1/+23Even Jesus drank!
- otto989, on 08/27/2008, -5/+26………………………………………………………………………………………………
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….,-‘’-~’’,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; | ; ; | . . . . . . ,’; ,’’¯ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ,_ ; ‘-,……….. - cyberdork, on 08/26/2008, -5/+26Ah yes, so that's why Germany for example is mostly populated by brain damaged unproductive people. Because their age limit is 16...
- dinostabOMG, on 08/27/2008, -1/+22Two things:
1) RTFA. This is an initiative by university presidents. So it's not just "people under 21," unless the universities happen to be furnished with Playskool products.
2) 16-18 year olds may not be as responsible in the USA as elsewhere, sure. Did you ever bother to think that it might be because society treats them like they're 10? Maybe, just maybe, if we gave them more responsibility (i.e. more freedom) they would be more responsible! Whoda thunk?
...
3)pwnt - fevilleg, on 08/27/2008, -1/+21slippery slope fallacy
- chrisaug18, on 08/27/2008, -2/+20Google bitch, use it!
oh, and because i'm feeling nice: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_drinking_age - darklights, on 08/27/2008, -4/+22I think small exposure to alcohol at a young age allows a young person to become accustomed to its effects, hopefully leading up to a sensible, mature atitude towards drinking. Just look at most european countries for examples of this.
However, the UK has it plain wrong - just go and visit ANY town center on a friday night to see whats happened there. You'll see a scene you dont see anywhere else in the world, even in Australia, which has very similar culture / laws. Fights / police / puke / piss / unconcious punters - its just a big mess. And its not just young people going crazy either, its behaviour engrained in a huge swathe of society there.
The UK is not a good example to follow. I should know, I'm from there. - dafragsta, on 08/27/2008, -1/+18"States decide their drinking age, not the country. The National Government gives states road funds for putting the drinking age at 21."
That is what you call "passive aggressive behavior" - Pebcak, on 08/27/2008, -3/+20Exactly! At 20 years old I was:
Married
A Father
A college student
Employed
A soldier in the U.S. Army
I used to follow this ridiculous law, but after I joined the Army and got sent to Iraq I saw how unjust it was. - Adv1s, on 08/26/2008, -0/+17It's age 18 to buy it legally at a bar, shop, etc but age 14 with a meal. I'm 19 and my peers were getting drunk from age 14 onwards.
- 9bpm9, on 08/27/2008, -0/+16States decide their drinking age, not the country.
The National Government gives states road funds for putting the drinking age at 21. Louisiana decided to keep it at 18 for the party center that is New Orlean's, but then their roads were pieces of crap.
Drinking in your home and at a restaurant with your family is allowed in quite a few states in this nation also. - solo152, on 08/27/2008, -1/+17Even Canada's got something a little better.
19 (18 if you're French / a cowboy / from Manitoba)
Although alcohol saturation (market-wise) doesn't seem as prevalent as the United States, there seems to be considerably more responsibility and care taken with drinking.
I could be wrong, however... - Scira, on 08/27/2008, -1/+16y'know what else might be unhealthy? Going into a combat zone in a war.
But I guess its not like wars ever happen anymore, so we shouldn't count that. - thegrantman, on 08/27/2008, -1/+16Zero Population Growth brought to you by Budweiser.
- inactive, on 08/26/2008, -4/+19And now you have to wear glasses.
- djbon2112, on 08/27/2008, -1/+15The drinking age should be 18 for the simple reason that at 18, you are a legal adult, and the government has NO ***** business to regulate what an adult does with/to their own body.
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