The legal drinking age in the Unites States of America is one of the highest in the world and stands at 21 years of age. It is defined as the minimum age at which, an individual is allowed to consume alcohol at public places without fear of legal prosecution. This law does not extend to the household, where individuals are generally allowed to consume a few spirits before this age as per celebrations or holiday traditions.
The United States did not always have the highest drinking age. Dating back to World War II, the minimum age limit was 18. However, as roadside fatalities and episodes of drunk driving began to increase, the need to increase this age limit was recognized. A group “Mothers against Drunk Driving” was also formed, which, gained wide popularity and put increased pressure on increasing the age limit. It was assumed that a higher age limit was synonymous with responsibility and would lead to decreased fatalities; thus the introduction of the law.
While the minimum age limit on alcohol consumption exists worldwide, most countries allow their youth to drink at 18 years of age. Indeed, European countries are also much more lax when it comes to private drinking, and allow younger children a taste of alcohol during celebrations from the very start.
American children, on the other hand, the moment they reach puberty begin dreaming of that all too elusive “forbidden fruit” – alcohol. Teenagers all over the country think up ideas of how to appear to be 21 and fake I.D’s to get into clubs and access hard drinks. Punch is often spiked under the noses of unsuspecting teachers at prom and winter formals. When the 21st birthday finally arises the individual spends the entire night consuming large quantities of alcohol and getting “piss” drunk.
For the past three decades, it appears that the Americans have glorified and publicized what they have tried so hard to stop. By introducing a higher than the average limit, they have made alcohol such a big deal. It feels like a joke gone bad. While, other countries allow their youth to start drinking at 18 and hence dampen their ardour a bit Americans make their citizens wait three extra years. Those three years means illegal drinking, smuggling of alcohol and wild partying with bad consequences.
It is human nature; the more you forbid a thing, the more you want it, and the more alluring it becomes for them. This is exactly what this act has been doing. There is no doubt that an individual is much more mature at 21 than he is at 18. He is out of high school, is in the middle of college, has met a variety of different people and has had many more life experiences. However, it is this very individual who was allowed to vote at the age. Choosing the right leader for your country is a much bigger deal than being allowed to drink so why is it that there is such a big disparity of ages between these two acts. (Van Tuyl)
Ethos: Persuasion made by author’s own credibility includes in Ethos and have a more profound and lasting effect on the audience. The audience believes that author’s integrity is a very important factor which makes them build a reliable perception regarding the matter. It is, therefore, necessary that the arguments regarding lowering the legal drinking age must also be emphasised by someone authority on the subject. For this reason, we shall produce the statements given by a medical specialist, and a road traffic controller who have years of experience dealing with the issues of Alcoholism and crimes related to drinking.
The medical specialist Dr Howard Bernard states that the majority of the patient he has dealt in the past were drinkers above the age of 25. He emphasizes that people's drinking attitudes are rarely supported by legislation. This means that all those youngsters who decided to drink even before the legal drinking age find out loopholes in the system that help them to fulfil their desires to start drinking at an early age. On the contrary, all those teenagers who were reared in a disciplined atmosphere did not feel the urge to drink even after being at the legal age to have alcohol. Hence his medical experience and case studies that has observed made him to believe that Alcoholism and worse medical conditioning related to consumption of alcohol can still affect a large number of people even if the legal drinking age has been 21 years.
Road traffic controller Jonathan Quincy also shares the same views. Working as a road traffic controller he has experience of 17 years of handling traffic related issues Mr Quincy has dealt with a large number of cases that involved drunk driving. He shared his experience that most of the driving accidents he has observed in his career related to adult drivers above the age of 21. Although there have been times where the accident caused by the negligence of the driver was found drunk it also appeared that minority of cases belonged to underage the driver. They had fake id cards that showed them of legal age but in reality they were underage. They somehow managed to find loopholes in the system to obtain and drink alcohol. They did not hesitate to drive even in this condition, and their reckless driving caused great loss not only to them but others as well. But the proportion of such incidents is comparatively lower as compared to their adult counterparts.
Furthermore, he also notes that the number of underage drunks who drive on the streets would be far greater, as they could only ascertain such culprits whenever their happened an accident. The number of underage drunk drivers would be far great who could safely pass without causing any incident.
Pathos: It is important to consider the difference between crime and illegality. We have been confounded in worldly meanings of law which attempts to restrict our freedom. State cannot teach its residents to eat, drink or live in a particular style. Man has been born free. Hence it is his right to live according to the way he deems most suitable. I can drink whatever I want; I can eat whatever I want, and I can live the way I want. No other person has a right to influence me how I would like to take my decisions in life. If at the age of 18 the right to vote is provided to an 18 years old. He possesses the right to drink whatever he wants on the basis of the same genius that he uses to vote. (MIRON and TETELBAUM)
Furthermore, it is a known fact that every year parents have to receive dead bodies of their children that lost their lives due to heavy drinking. No one can estimate the sorrows of that mother who has to bury those of her children that she reared by sacrificing her own happiness. One day she receives a call from the law enforcing agencies that her dear daughter or son died of an accident due to the heavy dose of alcohol. This all happened because of the reason that she was not provided enough time so that she could teach her children how to behave responsibly when taking alcohol. Her children started drinking at the age when her influence on their life was considerably lower than the time they used to be in their teens. If the legal drinking age was lower, she would have enough time to teach her children the drinking etiquettes like once she taught them how to eat with fork and knives. This could have saved a number of lives as the parents would have more time to teach their children how to safely consume alcohol and protect other their own selves from its disasters.
Logos: First of all it must be borne in mind that logic demands if a law is not proving useful in handling crimes, it must be amended and made more effective. Statistics proves that the majority of the American teenagers had used alcohol in a large amount even before coming to a legal age. This defines two things. First the law is not compatible with the law of nature and human psychology and secondly it is not serving its purpose for which it is has been enacted. Furthermore, the practice to allow drinking at the age of 18 is already prevailing in a number of countries. Germany, Mexico, United Kingdom allow its citizens to start taking alcohol at the age of 18. (Kiesbye)
Allowing drinking at a younger age has a number of benefits for teenagers. First of all it certainly reduces their urge to take alcohol which on the other hand increases till they reach the age of 21. As their urge ends, they show more responsible behaviour towards taking alcohol. This reduces the number of crimes that happen due to alcohol. As parents and teacher have more time to observe their teenage children and guide them regarding its proper consumption. Any undesired outcome of alcohol taking can easily be monitored and then methods could be created to solve problems related to alcohol whether medical or psychological. In the opposite scenario till a teenager reaches the age of 21, he is more keen and curious to find out the extravagance of alcohol. Sometimes it causes heavy doses of drinking which they find difficult to handle hence end up getting a trouble for their own self and others (Hingson).
Conclusion
In United States, the legal drinking age restrictions has caused teenagers to drink alcohol in unsafe places as the law does not permit them to have alcohol openly at public places such as bars and clubs. The law does not stop them in consuming alcohol; rather it makes drinking much more dangerous and unsafe. Had this been allowed by the law, teens would have started drinking in a much safer environment, preventing any undesired incident to happen. It has also been observed that teenagers and people belonging to early thirties feel thrill and adventure in taking steps that include challenging the law. If such has been made a regular process, the notion of thrill and adventure will end and consumption of alcohol would become a normal routine procedure.
This law has the effect of creating a general atmosphere of disrespect for the entire legal system. Teenagers do not stop from drinking. They any how consume alcohol and keep breaking the law. This provides them courage to break other laws as well. Such as traffic rules, theft and auto lifting (Gerard). Hence, minimum legal drinking age act serves as a catalyst to break other laws. The uniform minimum legal age in all states is another interesting story of how federal government influences state decisions which it legally and constitutionally should not. Federal government withholds more than 9% of funds related to roads and highways of those states that do not increase the minimum drinking age to 21. States due to such pressurising tactics of the federal government are bound to follow its direction as not accepting federal’s terms would lead to loss of millions of dollars in terms of highway funds.
Works cited
Gerard, Jasper. 'Should We Raise The Age Of Legal Drinking?'. Public Policy Research 14.1 (2007): 31-35. Web.
Hingson, Ralph W. 'The Legal Drinking Age And Underage Drinking In The United States'. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 163.7 (2009): 598. Web.
Kiesbye, Stefan. Should The Legal Drinking Age Be Lowered?. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Print.
MIRON, JEFFREY A., and ELINA TETELBAUM. 'DOES THE MINIMUM LEGAL DRINKING AGE SAVE LIVES?'. Economic Inquiry 47.2 (2009): 317-336. Web.
Van Tuyl, Christine. Drunk Driving. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Print.
