<p>I’ve always found age rules to be weird…
What separates a 17 years and 364 days old kid from an 18 year old in terms of maturity and responsibility? I mean, I understand that they need a definite dividing line between those who can drink, smoke, look at porn, go to strip clubs, etc. etc. etc. and those who can not, but I think that there’s a much more accurate way to determine when a person is ready (well okay I don’t really think that this applies to strip clubs).
I know kids who are 15 and 16 that are probably more responsible than adults who are over the age of 21…
Edit: I forgot to consider that the health effects of alcohol and cigarettes play an important role in those laws. But cigarettes are more detrimental to one’s health than alcohol, yet the age limit for smoking is only 18 and over. But there’s still the question of porn…</p>
<p>Rum and Coke is really good. I’m not a drinker, I’m under 15, but I can say that some mixed drinks taste awesome… One or two drinks while watching a movie with your best friends is kind of… Whatever. But drinking is fun, and as long as you’re smart about it, then there is no harm.
then there’s the idiots that get alcohol poisoning and stuff… Wow.</p>
<p>Why do you go on a rollercoaster? It costs money and you might feel sick afterwords, but hell, its really fun while its happening.
Also, about the taste, its aquired. I couldnt stand beer at first, and now it goes down like water.</p>
<p>“Basically, the simplified version, kids think it looks cool, were raised by parents that were users, were too controlled by theire parents and know what to rebel, or, and least likely, they do only because it makes them feel good.”</p>
<p>Actually, I don’t drink to be “cool”, my parents don’t drink, nor did they ever control me in any way. As you said, you don’t drink so don’t act like you know why others do.</p>
<p>^ You don’t have to do something to know why others do it.</p>
<p>Yup, rmadden has no idea what he’s talking about.</p>
<p>I LOVE STRAIGHT VODKA!! I don’t drink very often, but a handle of vodka (not cold, but a little warm) goes down like water. You know I really only do it because it’s no fun when everyone else is drunk and I’m not, plus I just love the feeling like I can’t walk straight and everything is just that much funner to do no matter how stupid it is.</p>
<p>Um…I will say that this “you don’t know unless you’ve tried it” argument is suspect…slippery slope FTL.</p>
<p>Suspect or not, I don’t see how it is in any way a slippery slope argument. Are you sure that was the logical fallacy you wanted to reference?</p>
<p>I’ve tried a number of alcoholic beverages (wine, beer, rum, whiskey, vodka, sake, etc. etc. etc.) and I don’t quite see what their appeal is. CNS depressants seem a tad… stupid, especially if your intended goal is “fun.”</p>
<p>And they don’t particularly taste very good, imo (acquired or not, that is; I see no reason to bother “acquiring” their liking).</p>
<p>Oh, and we need arbitrary limits in the legal sense. Any alternative’s (a test? lol) would be just as useless (for the qualifiable aspects) or “unfair” (for the quantifiable ones).</p>
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<p>You can’t say killing people is bad because you’ve never tried it. </p>
<p>I promised I wouldn’t win this thread…oh well, lol.</p>
<p>piccolo, you need to lay off these high school threads… ;)</p>
<p>"You can’t say killing people is bad because you’ve never tried it. "</p>
<p>yes but if you have a moral compass, you know it’s bad, as it harms others. Getting wasted until the point you can’t see, while potentially harmful, isn’t ethically wrong. Until you have reached that point of plastered, you know not of its joys and its downfalls.</p>
<p>And who decides what is ethically “right” or “wrong”? Are moral values concrete objects that are floating around in space somewhere? </p>
<p>What is this “moral compass” of which you speak? Everyone has different morals, so who’s right? The person whose values correspond with the tangible “right” and “wrong” out there in space?</p>
<p>^ Not true. Other people can tell you. :p</p>
<p>And I disagree, phish. I think that breaking a law that causes no harm by itself and is meant to protect people and preserve order, and by that process endangering yourself and potentially others, is ethically wrong. And incredibly selfish. If you die of alcohol poisoning or get rushed to the hospital, what are the consequences? What about your friends? Family?</p>
<p>I agree, Poseur. It seems arbitrary to say murder is wrong but blacking out isn’t.</p>
<p>Anyway, I’m an absolutist so that was a weird thing for me to say.</p>
<p>Of course this compass, as i put it, isnt the same for everyone. It shouldnt be. However, there are some things, such as murder, that are taboo and should be treated as such.
While I understand drinking is a much shakier issue on the morality scale, I was just saying that it is not directly hurting anyone if people don’t go overboard.</p>
<p>^ “While I understand drinking is a much shakier issue on the morality scale” should read “While I understand drinking is a much shakier issue on MY morality scale.” </p>
<p>Drinking is directly hurting people. If you cannot see that, you are being incredibly selfish. If a party got busted, that affects you and the reputation of your parents. If you go to a hospital because of poisoning, that affects your family. Even if you drink one beer, you are taking a huge risk by breaking the law. That is irresponsible, the end. There is no responsible underage drinking.</p>
<p>blindly following the law isn’t responsible either</p>
<p>^I agree with this. But justifying drinking based on “you haven’t tried haha Im so much cooler than you” leads to more extreme actions being justified in the same manner, naturally.</p>
<p>Invoyable, you need to hop off…</p>
<p>“blindly following the law isn’t responsible either”</p>
<p>Arguable in general, and flat-out wrong in this case. Not drinking until you are 21 is not irresponsible.</p>
<p>But thanks for countering my statement with a senseless and vacuous one. :p</p>