Lower the Drinking Age?!

Scores of college presidents, including the head of Maryland's public university system and the president of Johns Hopkins University, have an unexpected request for legislators: Please, lower the drinking age.

The Amethyst Initiative, launched in July, is a coalition of college presidents who say that the legal drinking age of 21 encourages binge drinking on campuses. William Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, William Brody, president of Johns Hopkins, C.D. Mote Jr. of the University of Maryland and the presidents of Washington and Lee, Sweet Briar, Towson, Randolph-Macon, Duke, Tufts, Dartmouth and others have signed on to the effort.

It is likely to be difficult politically to change the drinking age, which has been 21 since the mid-1980s.

In a survey released yesterday by Nationwide Insurance, which is hosting a symposium on binge drinking in Washington in November with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 75 percent of adults said they support tougher enforcement of existing drinking laws.

SOURCE: Washington Post


OK, I'll be blunt: I'm against lowering the drinking age. Yes, the same man who wanted to lower the age so he could run for mayor to 18 doesn't believe 18-year-olds should be legally allowed to drink. Why?

The reasoning for the law-change is rather... well, dumb. The reasoning is that since it's illegal, most people ignore the law anyway, so why not change it? Sadly, that doesn't work 99% of the time. When it comes to legal marijuana use (I don't like drugs, but honestly, prohibition isn't, and never has, worked), I'm for it. This? Not so much.

College presidents are the one's pushing it, and for that alone, you should be suspicious. Why? Because these same fucks want you to attend their colleges so they can make money! These same bastards don't want their precious university to get sued every time some bone-headed minor drinks themselves stupid! The reasoning for the law change isn't to do anything positive for society, just for the people running the frat houses.

I'm going to agree with MADD on this; Drunk driving accidents with teens HAVE dropped since the 1984 law was enacted. Not only that, but most 18-year-olds aren't even close to being mature enough to drink responsibly. Their far too happy to drink themselves stupid and go overboard, and have.

Me? I didn't even want a drink until I was 22. My mom gave me wine when I was 10, I hated the experience, and that was it. Today, I rarely, if ever, drink. Why? Because my parents rarely ever drank except for special occasions. When they did drink, it was VERY responsibly and it never got out of control. They taught me something over my 19 years with them; drinking isn't a be-all, end-all activity. You don't have to drink in order to be happy and enjoy life, and the occasional drink won't make you nuts.

Too many parents these days, and for the last 20 years since the hippy movement, treat their children as friends instead of their offspring. In turn, they teach them drinking is OK if your underage and, sometimes, even let them drink themselves stupid at home. Most parents reasons that their kid is just going to go drinking at a friends house, why not at their house where it's safe? DISGUSTING! Teach your god-damn kid drinking underage is wrong, explain why, explain the effects, and stop treating your goddamn kid like your goddamn friend!

When I went to a party during college with a lot of drinking and drug use, something I didn't do either of, I didn't freak out. I had a good time, turned down anyone who asked me if I wanted either, and that's it. It isn't hard. Teach a kid what to do right and that's all it takes. All the anti-drinking and anti-drug ads in the world can't have as much impact as a parent simply telling his child that something is wrong and explaining why.

No, keep the age 21. During those 3 years from 18 - 21, you actually learn a lot.