let the sun shine
i was reading a article for class and i happened to response to it in such a manner that i just had to post it here.
I really see no reason why the drinking age should be lowered. The "proof" which Ruth C. Engs provides doesn't seem to satisfy me. Her statements that "drinking by these youth is seen as an enticing 'forbidden fruit,' a 'badge of rebellion against authority'" and "Those under the age of 21 are more likely to be heavy -- sometimes called 'binge' -- drinkers" seems quite ignorant of other factors. First off, popular culture has already built a solid framework where underage drinking is seen as a defiance of authority by the many depictions in the 80's by Hollywood and their “college drinking party” movies, where most of the binge drinking actions and games were shown to millions giving the masses of young adults ideas and actions they could build on or imitate. This positive reinforcement of “if you drink you’ll have fun“, has already been accepted as okay and humorous by society through these movies adding to the idea that it is fun to drink. If Hollywood only made one of these films then I doubt underage drinking would be so serious, but since they’ve made so many, which in fact are still being made today, it’s thoroughly convincing young adults that drinking is okay. Also since most see popular movie stars , which have become generational idols and role models, doing these actions they view it even more safe and acceptable or will make them seem funny. Young people are social creatures, who want to be accepted, and learn acceptance by imitation. If you placed a person into a “keg party” situation and this person wanted to be accepted within this social group they’d probably imitate what they saw around them to “fit it” and this person might take it a step further by displaying actions seen in one of Hollywood’s “college drinking movies” to be liked even more. Genetics also has a role in alcohol consumption. It’s been seen that alcoholism is genetic and by alcoholism I mean the instant change of personality moments after consumption which can lead to binge drinking and maybe the invoking of others to drink more as well, if in a party situation or atmosphere. The statistics Engs provides shocks me because this professor of applied health cannot see the potential health risks that are involved with drinking. Though lowering the age might have an affect on her statistics it still doesn’t change the fact that drinking damages the body. To make a comparison, say we allow heroine to be used and over the years there’s a significant drop in substance abuse and overdose cases, but people will still feel the effects of heroine use later on and have major affects on pregnancy for women. Though this is an extreme comparison, it makes the point that the body is going to be damaged and, with the lowering of the drinking age, much sooner. She also points out aspects of other cultures and their lax feeling towards drinking, which is true, and those societies tend to be lax on many other subjects as well, but what she fails to state is that sorosis of the liver is more common in younger adult ages and the general population for those places with lax drinking restrictions. In addition, this young and gradual alcohol consumption can have drastic and deadly effect on female pregnancy since alcohol consumption has been linked to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and this, coupled by the rise in teenage pregnancy, can result in more infant deaths, but the author wouldn’t worry much since alcohol related vomiting would be at an all time low. Finally her statement, “Because the 21 year old drinking age law is not working” really burns my buttons. A law cannot work if no one actively engages to enforce it and if people openly defying it and if a society depicts underage drinking as okay and fun. Lowering it wouldn’t really accomplish much at all and as a nation it shows that were lowering our standards, once more, to succumb to the majority of asinine alcohol aficionados that plague this country.
I really see no reason why the drinking age should be lowered. The "proof" which Ruth C. Engs provides doesn't seem to satisfy me. Her statements that "drinking by these youth is seen as an enticing 'forbidden fruit,' a 'badge of rebellion against authority'" and "Those under the age of 21 are more likely to be heavy -- sometimes called 'binge' -- drinkers" seems quite ignorant of other factors. First off, popular culture has already built a solid framework where underage drinking is seen as a defiance of authority by the many depictions in the 80's by Hollywood and their “college drinking party” movies, where most of the binge drinking actions and games were shown to millions giving the masses of young adults ideas and actions they could build on or imitate. This positive reinforcement of “if you drink you’ll have fun“, has already been accepted as okay and humorous by society through these movies adding to the idea that it is fun to drink. If Hollywood only made one of these films then I doubt underage drinking would be so serious, but since they’ve made so many, which in fact are still being made today, it’s thoroughly convincing young adults that drinking is okay. Also since most see popular movie stars , which have become generational idols and role models, doing these actions they view it even more safe and acceptable or will make them seem funny. Young people are social creatures, who want to be accepted, and learn acceptance by imitation. If you placed a person into a “keg party” situation and this person wanted to be accepted within this social group they’d probably imitate what they saw around them to “fit it” and this person might take it a step further by displaying actions seen in one of Hollywood’s “college drinking movies” to be liked even more. Genetics also has a role in alcohol consumption. It’s been seen that alcoholism is genetic and by alcoholism I mean the instant change of personality moments after consumption which can lead to binge drinking and maybe the invoking of others to drink more as well, if in a party situation or atmosphere. The statistics Engs provides shocks me because this professor of applied health cannot see the potential health risks that are involved with drinking. Though lowering the age might have an affect on her statistics it still doesn’t change the fact that drinking damages the body. To make a comparison, say we allow heroine to be used and over the years there’s a significant drop in substance abuse and overdose cases, but people will still feel the effects of heroine use later on and have major affects on pregnancy for women. Though this is an extreme comparison, it makes the point that the body is going to be damaged and, with the lowering of the drinking age, much sooner. She also points out aspects of other cultures and their lax feeling towards drinking, which is true, and those societies tend to be lax on many other subjects as well, but what she fails to state is that sorosis of the liver is more common in younger adult ages and the general population for those places with lax drinking restrictions. In addition, this young and gradual alcohol consumption can have drastic and deadly effect on female pregnancy since alcohol consumption has been linked to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and this, coupled by the rise in teenage pregnancy, can result in more infant deaths, but the author wouldn’t worry much since alcohol related vomiting would be at an all time low. Finally her statement, “Because the 21 year old drinking age law is not working” really burns my buttons. A law cannot work if no one actively engages to enforce it and if people openly defying it and if a society depicts underage drinking as okay and fun. Lowering it wouldn’t really accomplish much at all and as a nation it shows that were lowering our standards, once more, to succumb to the majority of asinine alcohol aficionados that plague this country.