March 3, 2008
When I was 17
I had some very good beer
I had some very good beer
That I purchased
With a fake ID
My name was Brian McGee
I stayed up listening to Queen
When I was 17
“When I Was 17”, Homer J. Simpson
A powerful youth movement is afoot in the USA. Young Americans are fed up with the status quo and are demanding change. Countless youngsters are shaking off apathy, signing petitions, launching online campaigns and joining forces to exercise their collective power to ensure that their voices are heard in the halls of power.
Obamamania? What would a couple of beery Canadians who only watch CNN when hangovers preclude a remote control hunt know about that? (Editor’s Note: When are the people who invented The Clapper going to come up with a TV remote equivalent [one clap to turn it on, successive claps for channel flipping]? Would-be inventers have our blessings to run with this). No, what we’re referring to is the snowballing movement south of the border to lower the drinking age.
Currently the drinking age across the USA is 21, with some states respecting this more than others. Indeed, recalling past debauchery in pre-hurricane New Orleans, we were shocked to find that out that the drinking age is officially 21 in Louisiana and that the young people hooting at us and projectile vomiting off balconies in the French quarter were actually breaking the law.
The nationwide drinking age has been on the books since 1984 when the National Minimum Drinking Age Act went into effect. This act was basically federal blackmail forcing states to raise their minimum drinking age to 21 or be denied transportation money.
Recently, however, lawmakers in Vermont, South Dakota, South Carolina and Wisconsin have all, to varying degrees proposed lowering or allowing special exceptions the drinking age requirement, and in Missouri, Facebook is being used to collect signatures to get a measure on the ballot there to lower the drinking age to 18 (click here for that group’s page). One group, with the less than headband worthy name of “Choose Responsibility”, has even went so far as to suggest that young people be made to undergo an education alcohol program before being allowed to drink. Having written a potential textbook for this class, we fully support that idea.
The transportation-funding catch is likely to prevent any of these efforts from succeeding — good news for fake ID providers, establishments that turn a blind eye to such matters (and generally to standards of hygiene) and that one creepy older guy in every circle of teenage friends who has no peers his own age but enjoys a special status among teens for his ability to procure booze.
March 3rd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I say if you’re old enough to drive a car, shoot a gun, and defend your country, then you should have to wait at least three years after attaining those privileges to be able to drink.
March 3rd, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Any particular reason?
I’m not sure I see the connection…
I lived in Germany for a year during highschool, where the drinking age is 16. They seem to function without all hell breaking loose.