Second Assignment: Outline

Drinking is an enjoyable way to pass the time with friends, and a great way to unwind from the stresses of everyday life. Everyone has, at some point in time, thought about drinking, and in most first world countries it is something most people look forward to being able to do. But why is the legal drinking age different all around the world? Why is it that something everyone can agree on eventually being acceptable, can't have a standard age that applies EVERYWHERE?

Most of Europe has a purchasing age of 18, and in some places like Germany that age is 16. BUT minors are allowed to consume alcohol as long as it is provided free of charge, which basically means if it is given to them by friends or family.
Yet in this great country (USofA) the Legal Drinking Age is 21, but that's not all because it is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to consume alcohol much less purchase it. And this is enforced so strictly that fines and even punishment can be given to minors who try.

Here's my position:
America as a country is new, when you compare the age of this country to the ages of European countries we are very young. So why is it that we think our laws are the best, particularly the laws about drinking. These other countries have been around for literally hundreds of years longer then America has, so why don't we think about changing our ways to more reflect those countries with greater experience?

Arguments:
Drinking by persons between the ages of 18 and 20 happens, this is a known fact. Why doesn't the government just go ahead and drop the purchase age to 18 because:

• It will allow the government to increase revenue from taxes because people from ages 18 to 20 will now be able to purchase alcohol.
• This age group will no longer feel the need to "hide" while drinking which is where the danger comes from, they will no longer need to find a place to get drunk then try to find a way home
• People will know how to handle being intoxicated by the time they are actually able to enter society and get a real job, so it will become less of a problem for public intoxication type incidences.

Counter Arguments:

• It will heavily affect seniors in high school and possible ruin GPA's in the last year of school.
• Students in college will focus more on partying and less on studying
• The human brain doesn't fully develop until 21

Answers to Counter Arguments:

• If seniors in high school have decreases in GPA's, they are still in a situation where their parents have some control over them. In these situations the parent/guardian needs to take action to prevent excessive consumption
• If a student makes it to the college level, and this is coming from personal experience, and they make the adult decision to go out to parties and not study. Then that is their choice, and they will have to deal with the consequences that come from those choices.
• If the human brain were seriously affected by the moderate alcohol consumption that comes from a few drinks a week, the world would have seen the affects of this from most countries in Europe.

So it couldn't possibly do that much harm to persons or society to lower the drinking age, however, personally I feel that there will be a significant increase in alcohol related problems for the first few years of the lowered limit. This can be expected as the rush of newly legalized drinkers go slightly crazy from the ability to buy and consume, however, this can also be compared to the amount of people who are publicly high due to the new marijuana laws that are slowly moving across the country.


Mason Knight

Drinking in the States

     Drinking in the US is a social attraction, you can buy a beer just about anywhere in this country. Drinking is considered a recreational activity that almost everyone looks forward to participating in, and it the last major mark of becoming an adult in our society. But why is it that the drinking age is so radically different around the globe? Why is it that something everyone can agree on being socially acceptable, can't have an agreed age restriction across the world?