Drinking age lowered to 18?

[foilman8805]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

No, certainly it wouldn't change anything for you, Mr. Responsible, but there are not nearly as many people as blessed as you with those kinds of mental faculties.

And the point is that in Ireland, it's been 18+ for a long time. I'm talking about if this law is suddenly repealed in AMERICA.

[Chrissi]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

Like I said, Canada's doing alright.

[OrganisM]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

That sounds like a thinly veiled insult, but I'll take the high road and assume you mean it literally. /sarcasm

I don't see where you draw your conclusions that accidents would automatically increase with the age minimum being lowered, nor do I see you refuting my angle of the argument that perhaps exposure and acceptance could reduce abuse rather than encourage it. Not simply by virtue of lowering age minimum, mind you. Read my post, or at least part of it.

And the point is that in Ireland, it's been 18+ for a long time. I'm talking about if this law is suddenly repealed in AMERICA.

Once again, where's your conclusion that mass riots will ensure drawn from? And please, don't call it AMERICA, it sounds obnoxious and it's part of why the rest of the world rightfully wants to burn us out of existence.

[Chrissi]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

We need some sort of thing like...

RTFP

Read That Fine Post

[OrganisM]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

or

Read The Fcuking Post Or Do The World A Favor And Shove Your Face Into A Woodchipper.

[Chrissi]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

Ow, that one's a little passive-aggressive.

[OrganisM]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

No better way than to sweetly tear your heart out.

[ryanisadouche]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

Oh god people laws like this have never mattered and never will. I remember drinking well before high school (Grade 10) even started. I've been at so many house parties where cops have came and broken up the party, sending people home and nothing more (Even though everyone is CLEARLY underage). No one cares. I can't think of one person i know who has never drank before their 18th birthday (the legal age here).

Everyone has to have that one night where they go too far and black out/get extremely sick. No one learns what being drunk is from hearing about it at school assemblys. They learn from being bent over a toilet for an hour puking their guts out. Then they go on with their lifes, whether or not they choose to keep drinking.

The people who DIE from getting drunk are an extreme minority. Should we raise the age of being allowed passage on an airplane to 18 because planes have crashes before? No, it makes no sense. People can die from doing almost anything, but its always a small minority that anything drastic happens too.

Drinking should be allowed at a much lower age as far as im concerned. The earlier its introduced, the earlier people begin to understand their own personal limits, and this will benefit everyone in the long run. Either way, underage drinking will keep happening, and will NEVER be punished any worse then having your drink poured out by the police.

[foilman8805]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

That sounds like a thinly veiled insult, but I'll take the high road and assume you mean it literally. /sarcasm

I don't see where you draw your conclusions that accidents would automatically increase with the age minimum being lowered, nor do I see you refuting my angle of the argument that perhaps exposure and acceptance could reduce abuse rather than encourage it. Not simply by virtue of lowering age minimum, mind you. Read my post, or at least part of it.

I certainly agree that exposure, education and acceptance would greatly reduce abuse. That wasn't a point in question, which is why I didn't address/refute it.

What I'm trying to target is that if this law is revoked in the near future, a statistical portion of those kids would probably accept their new responsibilities, and a statistical portion would have absolutely no idea how to behave because they haven't been properly educated. Just kinda seems logical, and all we're really doing here is throwing out our opinions. Theoretically, neither of us can be right or wrong at this point.

And I was jesting with you in my previous post. No harm intended.

EDIT: And like awein said, this is regarding the short term and things getting a little worse. I think eventually things would settle down.

[OrganisM]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

Should we raise the age of being allowed passage on an airplane to 18 because planes have crashes before? No, it makes no sense.

*scratches head*

What I'm trying to target is that if this law is revoked in the near future, a statistical portion of those kids would probably accept their new responsibilities, and a statistical portion would have absolutely no idea how to behave because they haven't been properly educated. Just kinda seems logical, and all we're really doing here is throwing out our opinions. Theoretically, neither of us can be wrong at this point.

Of course some will be irresponsible and some will benefit, but how is that different than now? There's no way it'll be 100% one way or the other, but that doesn't say much in itself.

It's not about concrete proof, or being wrong or right with one opinion as absolute truth. As I understand it, it's about providing theories and ideas with logic and arguments to back those theories. I'm glad the argument isn't hostile, but I still don't see necessarily why there will be blood spilled on the streets the day 18 year olds are allowed to drink. When you think about it, that's only a three year difference. If the age minimum suddenly ceased to exist, I can forsee problems, particularly within this culture, but I'm not sure lowering the age minimum to 18 will suddenly cause the 18 year olds to drastically drink more or less. It's not hard to get alcohol when you're under 21, and for me it would just be removing the formalities more than anything.

[awein999]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

I think sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better. And that would be the case lowering the drinking age in America. It's better in the long run

[foilman8805]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

Should we raise the age of being allowed passage on an airplane to 18 because planes have crashes before? No, it makes no sense.

I know! We should raise the age of the airplane. It has to be 18 before it can fly.

[ryanisadouche]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

*scratches head*

My point clearly was that people can die from almost anything. Airplanes crash every now and then (very rarely these days). People die from alcohol poisoning too, also very rarely. I'm saying if you get on a plane/drink alcohol, chances are nothing terrible is going to happen. But in the case of drinking, people make a huge deal of pointing out the few serious incidents that DO occur.

edit at foilman: Dude, just cause your trying to sound smart when your posting, doesn't mean you are, so don't bash me.

I certainly agree that exposure, education and acceptance would greatly reduce abuse.

This is probably the worst argument ever. For example, there's probably not one person over the age of 16 that doesn't know that if you smoke cigarettes, it WILL eventually kill you. It's basically long-term suicide. There is INCREDIBLE amounts of effort put into educating people (especially high school students) about the dangers of cigarettes. Now walk down the street and tell me how many cigarette butts you see. Even if people are educated, they will continue doing what "the majority" is doing. Whether its idiotic or not.

[OrganisM]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

I know! We should raise the age of the airplane. It has to be 18 before it can fly.

Problem solved.

[wwwJ4mmYcouk]

Re: Drinking age lowered to 18?

I am 21 and the drinking age here (England) is 18, smoking has also recently gone from 16 to 18. I started going out to pubs as soon as i could try and get passed the doorman which was about 16-17. I think if you are mature enough then 18 is a fine drinking age, but you do get some complete idiots that think they can take on the world when they are drunk. People mature so much from 18 - 21!

Also Tera, i really think when you are older you will drink.

Any way to answer the question in my opinion - if America did lower the drinking age to 18, i think there will be trouble to start with then it will all die down. Kind of like when England gave out 24hr drinking licenses to some pubs and clubs, the crime rate actually dropped after a while (for a bit it was higher as it was a new thing). The reason it dropped eventually is because before hand everyone was leaving when the law stated pubs had to stop serving alcohol (11pm) so everyone leaving pubs at the same time absolutely pissed out of their heads caused fights, stabbings, robbery, vandalism ect. Now it seems to be a steady trickle of people leaving at various times creating less crowds and less trouble.