http://2mikejohn.wordpress.com/cons-of-lowering-drinking-age/
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2009/02/23/the-drinking-age-debate-time-to-go-from-21-to-18-but-its-not-an-easy-call
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2009/02/23/the-drinking-age-debate-time-to-go-from-21-to-18-but-its-not-an-easy-call
While the author has many factual and important
evidence, he fails to look at any of the pros of lowering the drinking age. He
states that it is inappropriate to have a lower drinking age in America because
people start driving earlier and more often than their European counterparts.
While this may be true what he doesn’t look at is how they are socialized
against one another. For instance children in Europe are taught that alcohol is
a normal thing and that it’s not anything special. For young people in America,
alcohol is bad and only intended for adults and mature people. But the way our
media portrays things teens and young adults want to be perceived as older and
more mature there by increasing the desire to drink. Another point he fails to
address properly is the potential increase of alcohol related crashes, while
the number of drinkers would increase the difference is that people would be
more willing to take alternate uses of transportation if it meant not getting
in trouble by parents or law enforcement.
If the drinking age was lowered or even abolished, then it would become easier for people to become educated on the subject. Parents don't want to be the ones to explain things like alcohol abuse and binge drinking to their children. So thy leave it up to schools and the media to tech their kids. This is entirely wrong. Parents are the first line of education. They need to be the ones to socialize their children in the right way that will make them less susceptible to alcohol abuse.
As well as educating teens to lower the rate of binge drinkers, a lower minimum drinking age would allow teens a safe way to drink. I have heard too many stories about underage drinkers who have died from alcohol poisoning because no one called the police or went to the hospital. Why? They were too afraid they would get caught and get in trouble for helping. This is one of the greatest risks regarding underground alcohol consumption.
Robert Schlesinger brings up one of the hottest issues in this debate. How can we trust 18 year-olds to go to war, vote and sit on a jury if we can’t even trust them with a drink? The simple fact is that these laws don’t make sense. The national age of maturity is 18 and in some states, such as North Carolina, are even lower. If we can try a 16 year-old as an adult then we obviously think they are mature enough to handle it. So how can they be sent to jail but not be able to have a beer? At age 18 you can legally purchase a gun in the United States and at 16 you can legally hunt. Why are we trusted with such deadly weapons at such young ages but alcohol is such taboo. This is a direct reflection of how we are socialized about drinking in such a wrong way. The bottom line is that education starts in the home. Parents need to be able to set the tone for safe and responsible drinking.
If the drinking age was lowered or even abolished, then it would become easier for people to become educated on the subject. Parents don't want to be the ones to explain things like alcohol abuse and binge drinking to their children. So thy leave it up to schools and the media to tech their kids. This is entirely wrong. Parents are the first line of education. They need to be the ones to socialize their children in the right way that will make them less susceptible to alcohol abuse.
As well as educating teens to lower the rate of binge drinkers, a lower minimum drinking age would allow teens a safe way to drink. I have heard too many stories about underage drinkers who have died from alcohol poisoning because no one called the police or went to the hospital. Why? They were too afraid they would get caught and get in trouble for helping. This is one of the greatest risks regarding underground alcohol consumption.
Robert Schlesinger brings up one of the hottest issues in this debate. How can we trust 18 year-olds to go to war, vote and sit on a jury if we can’t even trust them with a drink? The simple fact is that these laws don’t make sense. The national age of maturity is 18 and in some states, such as North Carolina, are even lower. If we can try a 16 year-old as an adult then we obviously think they are mature enough to handle it. So how can they be sent to jail but not be able to have a beer? At age 18 you can legally purchase a gun in the United States and at 16 you can legally hunt. Why are we trusted with such deadly weapons at such young ages but alcohol is such taboo. This is a direct reflection of how we are socialized about drinking in such a wrong way. The bottom line is that education starts in the home. Parents need to be able to set the tone for safe and responsible drinking.
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