Drinking seems to be a big thing amongst college students in this country (USA). Consequently, the drinking age is likewise a hot topic, especially considering that the drinking age in most states is 21, and at 21 most college students are upperclassmen even though (let’s admit it) they start drinking waaaay earlier. Ever since the drinking age was raised to 21 in 1984, there have been calls to lower the age. In 2008, college presidents from top universities in the country “called on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18.” On the opposite side of the field are organizations such as MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), which was instrumental in bringing about the change of the law in 1984).
Both proponents and opponents of the current age of 21 have strong arguments for their positions. However, I suggest that the issue is more than just a matter of a drinking age. In fact, the drinking age alone has little to do with the more serious underlying problem of alcohol abuse amongst college students.
Even then, the problem of college students binge drinking is just ONE of the reasons why this issue is important. Those for lowering the age argue that with students being able to drink legally, they will drink less recklessly and will no longer need to “make ethical compromises that erode respect for the law.” Yet, to lower the age for these reasons rings of succumbing to the tyranny of a spoilt generation. Is it not akin to saying, in an academic context, if students cannot meet the standard due to their own fault, let us lower the standard to accommodate them.
Thus, I think the problem lies with the attitudes and culture of college students towards alcohol, themselves and the law in general. Simply changing the drinking age will do little to address that.
I, as an 18 year old in college, would have to agree that it would be most beneficial to lower the drinking age. While, my motives may appear skewed because I would be directly affected by a change in policy, I think that the drinking age should be lowered for several reasons. The primary one being safety.
ReplyDeleteDrinking has become something iconic for underage individuals to do while if the drinking age were lowered it would not be as glorified. One of the primary reasons, in my opinion, that alcohol is overused, is that underage students know that it is against the law. The rebelliousness and glorification of breaking the law attracts people that are underage to break the law because it is the "cool" thing to do. If the drinking age were lowered drinking would not be seen as something rebellious to do.
Darkmatter theorizing has a point on which I agree as well. Although I am not a proponent of lowering the drinking age, I must say that putting restrictions on certain activities makes people more eager to pursue. I said that I was not an advocate of lowering the age simply because it does not affect me that much. For me personally, it would not make that much of a difference. However, for the world at large, I believe it would be a beneficial change. It would be nice to attempt activities that are not illegal. Teenagers would not have to sneak alcohol secretly. If there is a restriction, then those who break the law are seen as "bad"...this may mean "cool" to teenagers.
ReplyDeleteOverall, there are certainly both benefits and risks to lowering the drinking and keeping it the same.
The “bad = cool” argument is one that is often bandied about by parties who support lowering the drinking age, so I’m glad both of you have raised it. However, it oversimplifies the situation of underage drinking, suggesting that underage drinkers drink, and drink to excess, largely because they want to be bad to look cool.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem I have with the argument that bad = cool, therefore people act bad to look cool, and breaking the law = bad therefore people break the law to look cool, is that it exhibits poor logic. By the same logic, individuals should be running around wrecking mayhem and breaking every conceivable law, raping, murdering, stealing, slandering, vandalising, etc. But this is not the case, is it? If it were, society would be more concerned with the more horrific crimes to bother with something as trivial as underage drinking. Hence, it is unreasonable to conclude that people want to break laws simply because it is the law. And if that is indeed the case for some, the problem lies more with those individuals than with the law itself, which means to say, it is not excusable behaviour.