Shots On The House
| August 22nd, 2008 by Robert | Word Count: 1276 | Reading Time 5:02 | 2,175 views |
How excited were you when you turned 21? Are you not there yet and sitting in a state of stupor because of your pent up anticipation of that fateful day when you can take your “first legal drink?” Is turning 21 as important as turning 16, or 13, or 10, or 5? Does age provide a single arbitrary date that creates an adult with a mind mature enough to make the correct decisions? Of course it doesn’t, but it seems we feel the need to parlay a simple event such as a birthday into something much more meaningful in our society. At age 5, we are far beyond the term baby and some even like to think child. At age 10, we have left behind the children stage on our page to young adulthood. We reach 13 and we are to be respected as young men and women. Age 16 grants us the right to drive and most believe the right to do anything we wish. Age 18 comes along and grants us our ability to vote, smoke, get married, and join the army. The final age to true “adulthood” comes at 21 with the ability to drink, legally.
Ages are arbitrary numbers, we all have birthdays. But, maturity of the mind occurs much differently for all of us. Were there in depth studies performed by our previous generations determining that a young mind can withstand such responsibilities we have associated with our current age delineations? Our past generations were thrust into society and given important responsibilities at much younger ages. The fact is they were ready for the luxuries reached by turning 16, 18, and 21. Their minds were trained and ready to deal with the ramifications resulting from their newfound “rights.” Can you honestly say the same about our current generations? Yes, we like to think we are “smarter” than our previous generations, but are we mentally ready for what young adulthood brings with it?
Research currently supports the fact that a human brain does not fully mature until the mid-20’s. Fully mature is a subjective statement if we are talking about common sense and decision making of course. However, the human brain, scientifically, reaches a mature state biologically at that time. An immature mind does not have the experience level associated with it or growth to rationally expect mature decisions from it. We are not even throwing in any side effect inducing substances in the equation that will further dilute the ability of the mind to think at this point. Our minds just do not develop until later in life. Much later than the 16, 18, or 21 ages we allow our younger generations to experience full adulthood responsibilities and luxuries.
I know there are those of us (probably 99% of us) who like to think we were smarter than the average bear and we deserved the rights we received when we reached the age milestones. If everyone is smarter than everyone else, where are the less than smarter people? Self delusion experts have some great research in that area alone. On average, what we believe is just not true when relating to those around us. There are those of us who are ready for the responsibilities of turning 16, 18, or 21, but for each one that is, there are many more that are not. The ones who can withstand the pressures and issues do not have completely mature minds, but they have something else. They have an environment around them supporting their decision making, they have something within separating them from the other immature minds around them, and they are mentally prepared to handle themselves even though they do not have completely developed mature minds.
Let’s focus on a single subject that has recently come up. Several colleges, about 100 actually, are trying to lower the legal drinking age to 18. Primary reasoning for lowering the age is that “current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus.” They even mention that “this is a law that is routinely evaded … It is a law that the people at whom it is directed believe is unjust and unfair and discriminatory.” Well great, since it’s a tough law to enforce and somehow it discriminates against young people, getting rid of it is the answer right? How much more completely wrong can that opinion be? The age limit and enforcement laws are in place to keep young people safe, not to hurt them. Adding a mind, mood, and decision altering substance to the equation that already includes an immature mind, only adds to potential issues.
If the age factor is creating a binge problem, then theoretically, shouldn’t the age limit be removed all together? I mean if the age is 18, wouldn’t 16 year olds be bingeing because of age discrimination? Let’s be fair to everyone. Next time you buy that six-pack, feel free to share it with your 14 year old, or 13, or 12, it doesn’t stop. The argument to lower the drinking limit has been around for a long time. It’s because people think they are ready for adulthood at an age when they aren’t even ready to take care of themselves. If you cannot take care of yourself, on your own, with your own job, your own money, and your own willpower, guess what, you’re not an adult. Going to college is not the equivalent of making you an adult.
I’ve heard all the good arguments too. I can join the army and shoot people but I can’t drink? I can vote for the next President but I can’t buy a beer? I can get married for the rest of my life but I can’t legally drink that Jell-O shot. Maybe they have a case. Maybe those ages and luxuries should be looked at. Maybe 18 should be 21 and maybe 21 should be 25? Wait, that’s the wrong way, we want it lower so we can all do what we want to do earlier and more often. Personally, I think our younger generations are at such a low experience and mind maturity level that moving the driving age to 18 is feasible and moving everything that comes with turning 18 to age 21 sounds like a good idea also. That will never happen, but I will guarantee that our youth would be better served.
You may think I’m just some old fogey making up rules to limit the youth’s fun and rights. Wrong. As I look back on my life, I carried great school grades, displayed great responsibility during school, and earned a college degree. I can honestly admit during those years, I thought I knew everything. I was a complete adult and I could handle everything thrown at me. How wrong I was. Now, in my mid-30’s, I can look back at my past self and thank the Lord that I am still alive to experience true adulthood. Comparing who I am now to who I was then, who I was then was completely insane. People like to believe they are ready for the world at 16, 18, and 21, but they are not. We are still training to become adults well into our 20’s and we must realize this. Moving the luxuries and responsibilities some adults cannot even manage to a lower age can only result in disaster within our society today. Our 21 year olds can hardly manage their lives with alcohol, what do you think a generation of 18 years olds will do? Let’s get this party started. Shots on the house bartender, I have to get up early tomorrow so I don’t miss my bus.
Citation: http://www.cnn.com/
on August 22nd, 2008 at 10:48 am:
While I have to admit, I did not read much of this, I was not thrilled about being 21. After drinking before turning legal age, 21 sort of loses it’s appeal. The only change is that I don’t have to have someone go get it for me, which at times was nice. You are right about the last paragraph, kids today are douches. They start crap way before past generations thought about it. I have a seven year old cousin who’s pregnant, does cocaine regularly, and sips beer from a sippy cup (none of this is true). Raise the level on doing anything to 25 and I wouldn’t care (I’m 25).
On a side note, it’s good to be back but I see you haven’t made anything shorter for me to actually read and comment upon fully.
on August 22nd, 2008 at 12:54 pm:
I agree, our younger generations are doing things way before the age allowable or even agreeable these days. Primarily because there are no authority figures at home or in society to stop them from doing so. I.E. there are no consequences for doing something wrong anymore. Society always likes to complain about underage this and underage that involving drinking, pregnancy, and smoking among other things, but nobody is willing to step forth and do something about it other than to simply complain.
How about some actual penalties for the kids? Or parents for that matter? If we started punishing kids again, decisions to do wrong would be much less frequent. I’m not saying it would go away, but there would be an impact.
on August 22nd, 2008 at 1:08 pm:
It’s not parents fault. It’s that damn rap music! Society is too quick to blame others. How about this? When your kid was at home listening to Marilyn Manson and assembling a bomb in he basement, what were his parents doing? Let’s point the finger at sub par parenting for a change. I went to the zoo a few weeks ago, and as a wife and husband without kids, we found it very interesting to see how many awful parents there are.
on August 22nd, 2008 at 3:36 pm:
Blaming others has become the pastime for many in our society. It’s part of the ideology that we all get to do whatever we want, whenever we want, as long as we aren’t “hurting” others. I also find it disheartening when I go to “family” environments and observe other parents with their children. Parenting has never been taught, but the learned skills are being lost. The primary reason is that over half of our society grew up in a broken home within an environment lacking true parenting skill.
While we are not taught how to be a parent, we learn by experience from our parents “how to do it.” No longer is the experience a good one to learn. It’s basically a survival mode environment at this point. Parent’s at fault? Very much so and that’s where the finger should be pointing.
on August 24th, 2008 at 4:35 pm:
The Washington Post ran a story on Aug. 24 with the following information:
“COLLEGE OFFICIALS who have signed on to the provocative proposition… say that they just want to start a debate.
More than 100 presidents and chancellors from such top universities as Duke and Johns Hopkins say it’s time to rethink the drinking age, contending it has caused “a culture of dangerous, clandestine ‘binge-drinking.”
The statement does not specifically advocate reducing the drinking age, but many who signed it say they thought legal drinking should begin at 18.
Henry Wechsler, the Harvard expert… put it best, comparing lowering the drinking age ‘to solve binge drinking is the same as’ “pouring gasoline to put the fire out.”
Work by experts such as Mr. Wechsler, as well as the experience of college officials committed to solutions, shows that strong steps to enforce the law and change the culture can produce results.”