Soap Box

The last three days in my English class this semester were spent giving oral presentations on various topics. The requirement was that these topics had to be somewhat controversial because my teacher likes to strike up debates like you would not even believe!

One of the girls in my class got up and announced that she thinks that the legal drinking age should be brought down to the age of 18. The reason she gave was that if an 18 year old can fight in a war, they should be able to drink as well. I guess I kind of agree with that. After all, you are an adult when you are 18. BUT then she said that the biggest reason she thinks it should be lowered is because so many teenagers are drinking, and when they completely over do it they are too afraid of the law to go to the hospital and get help, and many of them end up dying from alcohol poisoning.

THAT'S WHERE SHE LOST ME.

Now don't get me wrong, it IS sad that alcohol is such a problem for teenagers today. But lowering the age limit is NOT going to solve anything! We live in a society where we no longer have to pay for the consequences of our actions. Have sex and get pregnant? Abortion. Go to jail? Buy your way out. Love McDonalds a little too much? Plastic surgery. 18, too much alcohol, afraid to go to the hospital? Lower the drinking age??? I DON'T THINK SO! If teenagers are really stupid enough to break the law, then they SHOULD have to pay for the consequences!

I don't think teenagers really get the affect alcohol can have on them. They do it as an act of rebellion, they like the high, they don't think anything bad will happen to them. WHICH MEANS: They are not mature enough to handle it!


A law should not be changed simply to decrease the number of law-breakers. It would be like saying that murder is on the rise, so let's make murder legal so that we don't have as many people breaking the law. It's completely absurd!

Anyway,this is just me on my little soap box, saying that this argument is a completely ridiculous one. I think it's kind of scary that some people actually think this way. I don't know why, but ever since that class I have not been able to get this off my mind. I don't like that consequences are disappearing. You can get away with so much these days.

Yesterday my boss said to me "I would rather ask for forgiveness than permission." That kind of summarizes our society today. Act first, think later. What a good theory to spread into the world. Sheesh!