Drinking age

[Jerimiah]

Changing the drinking age in America won't do anything.

The use of alcohol is connected to a countries culture and you can't change someones culture just by making a new rule.

Alcohol is more widely abused in america than it is in other countries with lower drinking ages as your teenage years are the prime time for rebellion and nothing is more rebellious than doing something illegal and having fun while doing it.
Being able to legally drink at 16 takes away that sense of rebellion but only if it's been that way for a long time, which in european countries, it has.

So I guess essentially lowering the age could work in the long run but nothing's going to change in our lifetimes.

 

[kalyee]

Changing the drinking age in America won't do anything.



The use of alcohol is connected to a countries culture and you can't change someones culture just by making a new rule.



Alcohol is more widely abused in america than it is in other countries with lower drinking ages as your teenage years are the prime time for rebellion and nothing is more rebellious than doing something illegal and having fun while doing it.

Being able to legally drink at 16 takes away that sense of rebellion but only if it's been that way for a long time, which in european countries, it has.



So I guess essentially lowering the age could work in the long run but nothing's going to change in our lifetimes.

I guess it's a toss up really. For me, tattoos were the coolest, most rebellious thing when I was 13. I got one in a basement because they're illegal until you're an adult here, and felt so cool - wow, I was a dumb kid. But I moved to Utah for a while, where the age is 16, and suddenly I was more motivated to think it through and wait until I really knew what I wanted, because there wasn't that rush of, "hey not everyone is doing this because they're afraid of the trouble, im a rebel"
That might be the change if the age is lowered, or maybe not.
Regardless, I do agree that America isn't the same as many other cultures with lower ages, and so you can't expect the same results, I just feel strongly that with how much you can do at 18 to destroy or improve your life, having a glass of wine at the end of a long week with an older partner, or family, etc. isn't the biggest crime.

 

[LooseSeal]

Admittedly, I am a biased underage college student, but I really support the drinking age being lowered. Kids are drinking regardless, but I do think that lowering the drinking age can help promote responsibility and help people learn their limits when it comes to alcohol. Rather than teaching us that drinking is bad, we should instead be taught that drinking in excess is bad, and from my experience the ones who are underage are the ones who tend to be pushing their limits. Also, I'd rather be able to freely drink socially with friends or maybe go to a bar/pub than at some sketch frat or house party.

 

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