Quote:
Originally Posted by Drakej
I knew that this argument would be brought up 
Now what is the biggest difference between drinking at age 18 and learning to fire weapons and handling heavy equipment full of explosives?
Training and oversight. When you turned 21 did you have to spend week after week training before you got to even touch a beer? What about having a CO standing over you 98% of the time making sure you don't drop the ball?
As for the voting aspect, this is pretty much a non issue because I think we all know or know of someone that votes out of their *** any way so it really does not matter.
At this point in Americas societal evolution I do not think that teen's cannot fully handle the responsibility of being able to drink. Drinking carry's to much of a stigma in this country. Now places such as Germany and such have embraced beer and liquor so there is not as much of a stigma associated with it making it just an every day thing. |
Adults "drop the ball" all the time when they drive drunk and kill people. The issue here isn't oversight, the issue is citizenship and the equal protection of laws. An eighteen year-old is expected to serve in the military when called upon, serve adult penalties for crimes, and rationally consent to have sexual intercourse (some states even younger). They can buy an AR-15 rifle at 18, smoke a pack of cigarettes, and vote (even if out of their ***). So effectively our society tells them that while they are expected to act as adults act, and be held to the same standards as adults, they are not entitled to all of the rights and privileges associated with adulthood. It creates a second-class citizenry and THAT is why I'm against it.
Further, did being under 21 ever stop you from getting alcohol? Between friends over 21, fake ID's, and bribing store clerks I never had dry night in college unless I chose to make it dry. Just like drugs, if kids want to use alcohol, they can find a way to get it, and they'll get it fast. All the criminalization does is create a society in which getting completely hammered at age 18 is "cool" and thus leads to significant problems with alcohol poisoning, DUI, and other alcohol-related problems. Hell, by age 21 I had been drinking IN BARS since 19, so my birthday involved two beers and a hell of a lot of buffalo wings, the novelty had worn off. Let em drink at 18, let the novelty wear off, and you'll see greater social stability.