In the past, we would chronicle and discuss countless examples of drinkers OVER 21 behaving badly, as "Things Underage Drinkers Didn't Do". Time to do it again:
In the past few weeks or so in America:
An underage drinker did NOT so desperately want an encore of New Year's Eve the following day that she got drunk, drove, and flipped her car, wrapping it around a telephone pole, splitting it in half, on New Year's Day. And then had the chutzpah to yell at hospital staff who treated her injuries afterwards!
An underage drinker did NOT get so wasted that she rear-ended another driver, killing him, and then kept obliviously driving and sideswiping other vehicles. She was three times over the legal BAC limit.
An underage drinker did NOT cause Florida's very first fatal drunk driving crash of 2023.
An underage drinker did NOT drive obviously drunk, lead police on a high-speed chase, and then have the chutzpah to proceed to fight with the officer after being pulled over. Being a football star does NOT make one immune from consequences!
An underage drinker did NOT get himself an aggravated DUI plus a bunch of other charges as well for his egregiously reckless drunk driving escapades and even trying to flee, all while on a suspended, revoked, expired, or non-existent license.
An underage drinker did NOT drunkenly crash into another vehicle after blatantly driving the wrong direction on the highway. But at least he was wearing a mask in his mugshot, albeit incorrectly, right?
An underage drinker did NOT drunkenly crash into and injure three people while double the legal BAC limit and on a suspended license.
And underage drinker did NOT drunkenly crash and injure himself and his three passengers, two of which were not yet legally old enough to drink.
An underage drinker did NOT get so extremely drunk that he passed out in Penn Station, and then had the chutzpah to assault the officers who roused him.
An underage drinker did NOT drunkenly pull out his gun and start shooting during an argument when a bystander made him pull over because he appeared to be driving drunk. Guns and alcohol do NOT mix either!
An underage drinker did NOT drive drunk with his 2 year old daughter in his car, then assaulted a woman when she asked him to pull over so she could take the wheel.
An underage drinker did NOT drive nearly twice the legal BAC limit, with her young child in the car.
An underage drinker did NOT drunkenly hit his wife with a Christmas tree (!) after she asked him to help make dinner. Yes, you read that correctly.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is just the tip of the iceberg....
Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. A legal drinking age of 18 in every state and territory of the United States would encourage alcohol responsibility. It would create a better culture of alcohol responsibility throughout the country. Currently, there is much more emphasis on enforcing the current legal drinking age of 21 rather than discouraging misbehavior while drinking alcoholic beverages. It should be the reverse, alongside a legal drinking age of 18. In addition, laws should be better enforced against these types of misbehavior, the least of which being the current legal drinking age of 21.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that!
DeleteLowering the legal age along with increased education and preventative measures against drunk driving for all ages. As demonstrated in this article, being 21 or older than 21 isn't the cure for destructive behaviors around alcohol.
DeleteHere in AB, many high schools (around the time of graduation and prom) have events called "safe grads." Most allow for controlled consumption of alcohol while encouraging activities that don't make drinking the main focus of prom night.
https://www.t8nmagazine.com/safe-grads/
And although police have the authority to ticket/cite people under 18 for drinking here, most of the time, they do not, especially if it's a group of teens who are otherwise respectful and law-abiding. They'll confiscate or ask you to pour the liquor/beer out and, if necessary, ensure you have a safe ride home or notify parents/guardians. That's it really. You don't lose your driver's license or gain a criminal record.
DeleteCanada gets it right.
DeleteWe're not perfect, but I'm glad we take a more humane and rational approach to some of our laws that benefit youth and adults.
DeleteIt also doesn't make sense to say that you're not responsible enough to drink because you're immature but then turn around and give them a record for it because you didn't like that they drank. It's either you're fully responsible or not.
Once someone is 18, the state shouldn't personally interfere in the decisions of its citizens, especially where it concerns bodily autonomy. I hate that inconclusive studies about neurodevelopment are being weaponized against competent individuals.
Exactly. Laws and rules should not be made from the perspective of misinterpreted scientific findings. At 16-17 years of age, the brain is almost entirely developed. Therefore, an age of majority of 18 and all minimum ages of 18 fit right into this factual scientific finding. A young adult of 18 is also old enough and responsible enough to make their own decisions, including for alcoholic beverages.
DeleteWell-said.
DeleteEven if the evidence was more concrete, my attitude towards it is one of "So what?" because we don't take away freedoms or disenfranchise other people who are somewhat "cognitively off" unless they're so severely debilitated that it would cause more harm to themselves to not interfere. We need to be extremely cautious in using brain science to make policies. Look no further than the so-called "science" used against women or certain minorities.
ReplyDeleteIn this case, the science being propagated is being used to "protect" people under 21 years old, but instead invites the heavy hand of the government, which causes more problems than it solves.
Indeed, this sort of biological determinism is like modern-day phrenology, just as dubious and just as pernicious when applied to abridge the civil and human rights of whatever demographic group seems to be the target at the time. And those who cheer it on, beware: today it's young people, tomorrow it may be YOUR demographic next.
DeleteI agree, and these arguments fall flat on its face for the hypocrisy that it is when people who are supposedly "undeveloped" or too "impulsive" are trusted to fly fighter jets and launch rocket-propelled grenades in defense of their country in the army. They can be elected to public office ( the so called "undeveloped" people making our laws), are allowed to drive, and engage in business contracts daily. Under 25s are parents, many of them married, and some run their own businesses. They also rely on the votes of young adults, like they did in this past election.
DeleteTruthfully, our society knows that 18-25 year olds are adults, otherwise the aforementioned things wouldn't be allowed. I'm starting to think it's not so much about age (or not just about age) but rather the weird cultural hangup we have where it concerns alcohol, recreational drugs, and sex. In my opinion, there are residual effects of a puritan/prohibitionist culture that would like to strictly regulate or even ban certain behaviors of ALL adults if it could, but instead is finding reasons to go full on nanny state with a select group citing reasons of "safety" and "public health".
We are much more tolerant of a teenager posessing an AR-15 in public, but if that same teen pops open a beer in public it's "deviant" or "delinquent behavior". Our priorities are skewed.
In other words, adults over 25 have projection issues LOL and are passing it on to the younger ones.
DeleteThis. It's either you're an adult or not. (16,18, 20, 21, you pick.). Once you do, there should be no more "Well, you're an adult, but not for this yet" stuff.
DeleteAmen to that!
DeleteThis. It's either you're an adult or not. (16,18, 20, 21, you pick.). Once you do, there should be no more "Well, you're an adult, but not for this yet" stuff.
DeleteIndeed. The ONE exception that I think MAY be legitimate is, "Well, you're an adult, but not for having access to the nuclear launch codes yet". But to be the president of a country that doesn't have nukes or doesn't have access to the launch codes, let the voters decide. And for non-elected jobs or positions, the blessing and curse that is modern credentialism is enough to keep immature folks of any age at a somewhat safe distance of sensitive positions without resorting to ageism.
I KNOW the trolls will try to argue this, so I am beating them to it.
It should be about the quality of political candidates rather than their age. Age is sort of a factor (I think you should at least be old enough to vote for yourself, lol), but we've elected young candidates before. You have to be at least 18 to run in a federal election in Canada (which includes being Prime Minister or being in the House of Commons, but oddly not our Senate). To be a senator, you must be 30 with proof of property tax contributions.
DeletePierre Luc Dusseault was the youngest person to ever be elected to Canada's parliament (House of Commons). He won his seat at 19 and was sworn in by his 20th birthday.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/meet-canadas-youngest-mp-in-history/article614110/
In Ontario, Sam Oosterhoff, a conservative, won his seat in Ontario's provincial legislature at 19.
https://globalnews.ca/news/3020511/sam-oosterhoff-19-wins-pc-nomination-for-niagara-area-byelection/
Jack Kukolic, age 19, runs to be Mayor of Oakville.
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/community-isn-t-just-shaped-by-the-adults-oakville-teen-running-for-mayor-1.6120064
In the US
19-year-old (Cassie Levesque) who advocated against Child marriage, wins Democrat Seat in NH legislature.
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/2018/11/08/19-year-old-democrat-wins/8937641007/
18-year-old (at the time) Tony Labranche wins a seat in the NH legislature.
https://www.wmur.com/article/18-year-old-from-amherst-elected-to-new-hampshire-state-house/34580050
18-Year-Old Wins State Legislature Seat in West Virginia
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/11/18-year-old-wins-state-legislature-seat-west-virginia/
An Ailing Arkansas City Elected an 18-Year-Old Mayor to Turn Things Around.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/10/us/jaylen-smith-mayor-earle-arkansas.html
There are probably more headlines out there, but these are examples of young adults under 20 years old being elected to positions of influence/power. It should dispel some notions that young adults don't care about their country or politics.
So to trolls (like Candy) who would argue otherwise, I'm all for putting qualified young people in power. I'm all for empowering young adults to vote, run for office, and take charge of their futures.
There is no such thing as ageism against young people, and there should not be teenage state legislators. What experience do they have beyond the walls of high school?
DeleteBut it's fine to have teenage conscripts, right?
DeleteRandy, you seriously need to stop trolling. You have already been banned from commenting here. Now there's the door. Don't let it hit you on the way out, troll.
DeleteI know right, Matt? The hypocrisy is so thick you could cut it with a knife!
DeleteProtecting our young adults starts with educating them and letting them make their own informed decisions. In this case, no one on this thread is encouraging young adults to drink or smoke (tobacco or cannabis) but simply saying it's their choice as adults. Nobody could force me to do something against my will at 18 or 19; it was my own educated choice.
ReplyDeleteAmen
DeleteComments are now disabled on this post thanks to trolling. Again.
ReplyDelete