Wednesday, October 14, 2009

What Makes An Adult? (Part i)

Many see this as one of the big issues that lie at the heart of the debate about changing the drinking age. Everyone on the side of lowering it to 18 raise the apparent inconsistency that people are allowed to die for country and vote at 18, so why are they only allowed to drink at 21? I think this “double standard” in the law illustrates my contention that the age itself is arbitrary. I could very well say why permit people to drive at 16 when they can die for country and vote only at 18? Or, for that matter, why not lower all ages to 16, or raise all ages to 21? Will having a uniform age limit eliminate the problem of binge drinking amongst college students? I think not.


In this post, I will show why I consider the absolute age as a poor indicator of adulthood. I will also provide an argument for why the age limits are necessary and a possible reason as to why they differ. In the following post I will outline what I deem to be a better estimation of one having reached adulthood.


The fact that there exist inconsistencies in the various age limits is already an indication that the age is an arbitrary number. Sure, there are assumptions behind assigning a particular age. The idea is that at that age, whatever it may be, the majority of the population is deemed as having the ability to behave responsibly. Thus, society grants these of-age individuals the permission to make their own decisions. But, society is a collection of disparate individuals with disparate personalities. To expect that all don “responsibility” at a particular age is unreasonable. Yet, as a group, society cannot function without laws. Hence, there needs to be some sort limit in place, and that limit simply happens to be whatever age is chosen. What I am saying here is that the age is in place more for the practicality of implementing the law than for anything else.


The next question on most minds is probably, “why that age in particular?” I think the age at which society deems one “adult” enough is largely conventional. Sure, there are certain physiological considerations; no one would consider a five year old an adult. But after one has developed the outward appearance of being full-grown, I think what comes after that is dependent on how society is ordered. In today’s developed world, one’s life stage is very much shaped by the process of education. Hence, in many countries, the “coming-of-age” coincides with when the individual graduates from basic education (which I define as high school).


Then people are sure to ask, so why is there the disparity between the 18 age limits and the 21 limit for drinking? (Once again, why does no one ever ask about the driving limit?) For one, I think the 21 limit on drinking has a particular history behind it, that of teenage deaths from drunk driving accidents. And as for the 16 driving limit, I’m not so sure, but perhaps in a country as car reliant as the US, it makes sense to have children who can get themselves to school without having to bother their parents. Then why is it one can go to war at 18 and vote at 18 but not drink at 18? I think the reason is in part due to the nature of the activity. An individual is likely to consider going to war more seriously than drinking. Hence, a serious, considered thought process seems to be inbuilt in the decision to sign on with the army, more so than for drinking, anyway. And as for voting, the number of “youngsters” voting relative to the entire electorate is minimal, hence, perhaps, society is not too concerned if people vote irresponsibly owing to immaturity.


These are just some possible reasons why the ages are different. Nonetheless what is clear is that adulthood isn’t a magic number. Rather, the different ages suggest that entering adulthood is a process that spans time.

2 comments:

  1. I think the driving age limit has something to do with the country's agricultural history - young people needed to get licenses early to participate in the agricultural sector. There are probably specific historical reasons for each of the age limits - maybe you could explore each more deeply and come to an understanding of how the 21 year limit came into place, in light of the other age limits that have a bearing on the issue of what makes an adult?

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  2. That's something interesting to think about, how the agricultural history, or for that matter spatial geography, of the country has influenced its laws.
    Yup, I agree that the 21 limit definitely has a particular and unique history to it. But at this point in time and for the purposes of the blog, I don't think I've enough space to explore that in detail. Nonetheless, it is worth looking into, as such a historical interrogation of the age may lead to a greater appreciation, or at least understanding, of it.
    I'm talking about this with respect to the initial age 21, before it was lowered to 18 in the 1970s. As for the revision back to 21 in 1984, I think that is fairly evidently ostensibly due to the rising instances of drunk driving accidents involving teenagers. However, I would be unsurprised if there were other political issues at stake.

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