Who Are The Real Radicals?

The word radical generally refers to a person or group that wants to make drastic and fundamental (that is, radical) changes to society.  Derived from the Latin word for "root", in this way it illustrates just how fundamental such change is called for.  Classic examples that you oldsters reading this may recall from back in the day include Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin.  But is Twenty-One Debunked really such a radical group like some may think it is?

Is it really radical to want all legal adults above the age of majority (18) to have the same rights that people over 21 currently enjoy, including (but not limited to) the right to use, possess, share, and purchase otherwise-legal psychoactive substances?

Is it really radical to believe that alcohol should be legal for all adults, period, like it is in nearly every single non-Muslim country in the world (and even some moderate Muslim countries too)?

Is it really radical to believe that cannabis, which is objectively safer overall than alcohol and tobacco and less addictive than coffee, should be re-legalized (it was not always illegal, only for a tiny fraction of history) for both recreational and medical use, fairly taxed, and regulated no more stringently than alcohol or tobacco (and legally sold and/or used in many if not most of the same places as well)?

Is it really radical to believe that, when it is legalized, the legal age limit for cannabis should not be any higher than the legal age of majority (18), nor any higher than for the more dangerous and addictive already-legal drugs, alcohol and tobacco?

Is it really radical to believe that, for as long as tobacco remains legal and readily available, those over the age of majority (18) should retain the right to decide for themselves whether or not to choose pleasure over longevity and indulge in this (albeit dangerous and deadly) substance?

Is it really radical to not want to punish the many (such as an entire demographic group) for the actions of the few?  And to prefer to hold individuals fully and solely accountable for their own misbehavior?

Is it really radical to believe that drinking establishments, and especially "social hosts" at private residences, should NOT be held vicariously liable for what their adult guests or customers do after leaving the premises following participation in voluntary intoxication on the premises?  And that personal responsibility for individuals should still be a thing?

Is it really radical to believe that, as John Stuart Mill believed, that individuals are fully sovereign over their own bodies and minds, at least as far as consenting adults are concerned?

Is it really radical to believe that our own bodies are NOT property of the state or any other entity besides ourselves, regardless of what the state or entity may claim or choose to provide us with?

Is it really radical to believe that adults should NOT have to be baby-sat?

Is it really radical to believe that if you're old enough to go to war, you're old enough to go to the bar?

Is it really radical to believe in logical consistency and common sense rather than arbitrary legality?

Is it really radical to favor personal autonomy rather than paternalism?

Is it really radical to believe that under a system of federalism, the federal government does NOT get to force or coerce states to raise their own legal age limits for alcohol (or any other legal substance) higher than their own legal ages of majority?

Is it really radical to believe that under a system of federalism, the federal government should have far LESS (if any) latitude in terms of micro-managing authority over We the People than the state and local governments do, and when in doubt should really stay in their own lane?

Is it really radical to still believe in the U.S. Constitution as the supreme law of the land?

Is it really radical to believe in liberty and justice for all?

Because if you think that these ideas are somehow radical, well, we've got news for you:  they are actually quite conservative and in line with both international and historical norms, even in our very own country before 1984 if you can believe that.  This shows just how far the Overton window has shifted both rightward and in the authoritarian direction, and just how far down the rabbit hole we have gone.

As Five Finger Death Punch would say, it's stranger than fiction, how we've decayed...

Still More Things Underage Drinkers Didn't Do

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....

Have A Safe And Happy Holiday Season

(This is a public service announcement)

It is that time of year again when the holidays are upon us, and many of us Americans (and around the world) will be celebrating with alcohol and/or other substances, pretty much back to normal now.  We at Twenty-One Debunked would like to remind everyone to be safe and celebrate responsibly.  There is absolutely no excuse for drunk driving at any age, period.  We cannot stress this enough.  It's very simple--if you plan to drive, don't drink, and if you plan to drink, don't drive.  It's really not rocket science, folks.  And there are numerous ways to avoid mixing the two.  Designate a sober driver, take a cab, use public transportation, crash on the couch, or even walk if you have to.  Or stay home and celebrate there.  Or simply don't drink--nobody's got a gun to your head.  Seriously, don't be stupid about it!  And the same goes for other psychoactive substances as well, and a fortiori when combined with alcohol.

ARRIVE ALIVE, DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!!!   If you plan to drink, don't forget to think!  The life you save may very well be your own.

More Things Underage Drinkers Didn't Do

In the past, we would chronicle countless examples of drinkers OVER 21 behaving badly, as "Things Underage Drinkers Didn't Do".  But we have clearly been slacking lately.  Time to do it again:

In the past few weeks or so in America:

An underage drinker did NOT drunkenly wrap her car around a telephone pole--and set a terrible example as Assistant District Attorney.

An underage drinker did NOT literally get her SEVENTH DUI since 2007.  

An underage drinker did NOT drunkenly assault an officer while being arrested for a wrong-way DUI.

An underage drinker did NOT get arrested for DUI while on the job--as a state trooper.

An underage drinker did NOT drunkenly crash into and kill a 17 year old in another car, while another killed a 16 year old.

An underage drinker did NOT drunkenly ram his car into a police cruiser, with a BAC of a whopping 0.30%, nearly four times the legal limit.

An underage drinker did NOT drunkenly crash into and kill a motorcyclist.

An underage drinker did NOT drunkenly crash into and kill a sheriff's deputy. 

An underage drinker did NOT drunkenly hold a razorblade to a woman's throat on an airplane.

An underage drinker did NOT have a drunken and violent meltdown on an airplane and try to fight off cops.

An underage drinker did NOT deliberately put alcohol in her baby's bottle, causing the baby to get sick.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is just the tip of the iceberg....

We Oppose The Proposed Texas Teen Social Media Ban

In Texas, a lawmaker has recently introduced a bill that would completely ban anyone under 18 from using any social media whatsoever, and require age verification via photo ID for anyone over 18 to open a social media account.  And Twenty-One Debunked opposes this bill for the following reasons:

• First and foremost, it is extremely ageist and a slippery slope.  And what's to stop them from arbitrarily raising the age limit even higher?
• It is far too broad an overreach, and throws the proverbial baby out with the bathwater.  Social media does have a dark side that we all should be aware of, but a blanket ban on everyone under 18 is NOT the way to deal with it. 
• Young people ages 13-17 are not adults, but they are not entirely children either.  There needs to be far more nuance than this sort of blanket ban.
• It is yet another intrusive instance of Big Brother, that also affects people over 18 as well.
• There is no obvious grandfather clause for anyone already over 13 but under 18 who currently already has social media accounts. 
• It will disadvantage people under 18 relative to people over 18 when it comes to networking for jobs (keep in mind that LinkedIn would count as social media under this bill).
• It will simply drive people under 18 onto the Dark Web instead, where there are NO rules or limits of any kind, period.  If they are tech savvy enough to set up and regularly use their own Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok account, they are also savvy enough to download Tor and then go down a far, far worse rabbit hole of horrors.

Thus, this ageist bill is a massive government overreach that will do far more harm than good on balance.  If we must have any hard age limits for social media by enforceable law, and that is a VERY big "if", they should not be any higher than 16 at most.  Age verification is OK in principle, but it needs to be done very carefully to avoid unintended consequences in terms of privacy and such.

So what should we do instead?  Well, we could adopt the data privacy laws that the European Union currently has.  We could tax the "attention economy" by taxing the advertising that serves as the business model of Big Tech.  We could put regulations on the algorithms that Big Tech uses to manipulate its users of all ages and keep them hooked.  We could investigate Big Tech for antitrust violations. We could, you know, actually educate young people on social media literacy, ideally starting long before they go on such sites.  We could do a smartphone buyback (similar to gun buybacks) for all ages.  And we could also, you know, enforce existing age limits (typically 13) that are clearly NOT being followed in any meaningful sense, honored far more in the breach.

We could do all that and more.  But that would make too much sense, right?

To all lawmakers:  please vote a HARD NO on this bill and any similar bills.  And to all parents and other adults reading this:  be a mentor, not a tormentor.