Obama said earlier today that he would not push to lower the drinking age.
SCRANTON, Pa. - Democrat Barack Obama on Monday promised Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans help with their grievances — save one. “I know it drives you nuts. But I’m not going to lower the drinking age,” the presidential candidate said.
ADVERTISEMENTArmy veteran Ernest Johnson, 23, of Connecticut, said one of the things that peeved him before he turned 21 was that he couldn’t come home and drink a beer — even though he was old enough to serve in the armed services and die for his country.
Obama told Johnson he sympathized, but that setting the legal drinking age at 21 had helped reduce drunken driving incidents and should remain.
Senator Obama, I’m sorry, but you don’t get it (or more likely you don’t want to alienate voters who would disagree with pushing to lower the drinking age.).
There’s something called artificial scarcity.
Artificial scarcity describes the scarcity of items even though the technology and production capacity exists to create an abundance. The term is aptly applied to non-rival resources, i.e. those that do not diminish due to one person’s use, although there are other resources which could be categorized as artificially scarce.
I believe that lowering the drinking age to 18 — or even 16 — would lower the artificial scarcity of being 21-years-old to purchase and or consume alcohol in the U.S.
And believe me you, it is certainly artificial scarcity.
STudents create fake I.D.s, sneak into bars, go to parties, go to cabins, and any way they can usurp the rules.
Of course, after having spent some time in the military, one can see how ridiculous the 21-year-old age limit to drink alcohol.
“Die for country but can’t even drink a beer legally.”
I mean, there really is no argument against that.
Of course, alcohol abused can endanger the lives of others, needlessly, recklessly, and most definitely foolishly; but will the lowering of the age increase DUIs or DWIs?
I always think to myself — what is the difference between a person with 20 years and 355 days and a person with 21 years and 0 days (in the US)?
Absolutely nothing.
Again, it creates artificial scarcity, as youth just want to catch up to their friends and older peers and participate in the ritual of “becoming” an adult. (i.e. getting hammered)
Take away the age limit — take away the artificial scarcity.
Is that system perfect? No. — but the truth is the current alcohol system is broken. How many kids would want so desperately to go to College and party hard if they could throw the same sort of alcohol-infested parties as a 17 or 18-year-old?
I didn’t used to think like this by the way. I’ve been raised from the school of thought that alcohol is a detriment to society and people should refrain from indulging it regardless of age.
But the school of real life has taught me differently, and while I still refrain from the consumption and abuse of alcohol, it has more to do with taste and opportunity — I’d prefer a Coquito or Malta India to a Guinness any day.
Take away the artificial scarcity, and it will be a lot less “cool” for under-21s to go out and party, and alcohol can simply exist as a healthy part of culture and society rather than a drunken rite of passage.
And then Mothers Against Drunk Driving can change its name to Mothers Against Dumb Drinking.
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Absolutely, I myself as a military man agree, give’em a beer before you give’em a gun. We can’t always do the things we waant though. And according to both Barrack and Hillary rights should be governed anyway. Of course Im also for the legalization of earth products as well (tax and clear the debt).
Nice article.
DB Reese
“we can’t always do the things we want…”
But in this case, what “we” want may be better for the American public.
Agreed. One only has to look at European countries, where the drinking age is 18, to see that it’s not that big a deal to older teenagers there. Although, I did hear of a restaurant with a sign: we will not serve alcohol to children under 10 ;~) .
Andrew alludes to the point I instantly thought of: many european families and governments let kids drink at 14, 16, and 18…but none let them drive before 18-20. That way they get their “asshole” drunk phase out of the way early, and the novelty of being blitzed is somewhat gone before they ever take the wheel. And MADD is a surprisingly powerful lobby.
Who can refuse mothers whose nest have been destroyed by a DUI?
A counter argument to the driving debate will be rural town where mass trans is not widely available, but I do agree.
That’s what I mean by artificial scarcity. Whether it’s 14, 16, or 18 (or 10 according to Andrew) in differing European countries, there is uber-desire for alcohol craze because it’s not scarce — it’s made available.
Not a perfect system, but better and less-restrictive then what we have.
Then there are the numerous accompanying laws to protect establishments from getting sued for providing alcohol to a minor: Bars, Concerts, etc.
Agreed. One only has to look at European countries, where the drinking age is 18, to see that it’s not that big a deal to older teenagers there.
I hate arguments which reduce to culture, but I think that in this case, culture provides the best argument against immediately lowering the drinking age in the United States. Frankly, I’m not certain that there will be a reduction of the worst tendencies of young American drinkers. Why? Because of our semi-puritanical attitude towards alcohol consumption, and its effect on the perceptions of younger people who want to drink. I really think that there needs to be a sea change in cultural attitudes surrounding alcohol before we decide to lower the drinking age.
Oh, and P.S. “Die for your country but can’t drink a beer legally” is kind of a tautology, and isn’t really an argument.
I had to look up tautology. Tautology can refer to:
* Tautology (logic), a statement of propositional logic which holds for all truth values of its atomic propositions
* Tautology (rhetoric), use of redundant language
. needless repetition of an idea, esp. in words other than those of the immediate context, without imparting additional force or clearness, as in “widow woman.”
Ok, I think I got it now.
“I’m not certain that there will be a reduction of the worst tendencies of young American drinkers. Why? Because of our semi-puritanical attitude towards alcohol consumption, and its effect on the perceptions of younger people who want to drink”
But if there won’t be a reduction of the worst tendencies, will there be a raise?
“Frankly, I’m not certain that there will be a reduction of the worst tendencies of young American drinkers. Why? Because of our semi-puritanical attitude towards alcohol consumption, and its effect on the perceptions of younger people who want to drink. I really think that there needs to be a sea change in cultural attitudes surrounding alcohol before we decide to lower the drinking age.”
I agree with this - and not necessarily because of our puritanical attitude (which is always around). Many of today’s teenagers have learned the value of glorious excess (mostly from their parents). Check out YouTube to see them constantly one up each other with dangerous stunts, pranks, and other lovely behaviors. It’s ultra-competitive, and drinking legally would certainly fuel many an early death.
But if there won’t be a reduction of the worst tendencies, will there be a raise?
I don’t know. But my fear is that lowering the drinking age without a change in drinking behavior would result in more kids doing stupid shit to endanger their lives.
I’m not sure how you would go about changing the drinking culture though, so maybe in the end, it might be a good idea to lower the drinking age back to 18, and hope that the change will facilitate a change in attitudes towards drinking.
The way I see it is this: take the shroud of secrecy, the rites of passage, and the smoke-filled room deals just to get a fake ID, etc.
Again, the culture is after the scarcity — people are rushing to be accepted before they’re 21 so that they can too ‘arrive’.
@MT — you talk about dangerous, ultra-competitive drinking games. From my experiences a lot of this happen at the 21st birthday party — again, the passage from the dark, shrouded world of alcohol consumption into the public light.
This debate goes down to the core of why people drink.
i.e. their “drinking behavior.”
Again, from what I’ve seen, there are large influences form the scarcity of alcohol and the air of alcohol being ‘untouchable’ til one becomes 21 just makes it all the more desirable.
think Nintendo Wii (not bought at Ebay for ransom) or the Amazon kindle, or even …
the BEanie Baby — probably the greatest example of artificial scarcity wihtin the last few decades.
it was the scarcity, or perception of a scarcity, that CREATED the desire.
Now do I think the desire for Alcohol will go away? Most certainly not, but I do feel that desire will be much more controlled once scarcity is not a problem.
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