Drinking Age Debate

[Imperfectionist]

Okay so i'm on the Debating Commitee at my school and tomorrow we're staging our inaugural society meeting, where basically we've invited a bunch of other people come along and watch us debate so that we can teach them how to do it in competitions etc.

Anywho, i'm on the debate and I need some help coming up with ideas against the motion:

'This house would raise the drinking age to 21'

(I live in England btw so the drinking age here is 18)

[scrumpleberry]

I won't give you ideas, because you argue with more conviction when you come up with good ideas on your own and believe them.

What I do with things like this is to write down the motion in the middle of a piece of paper, maybe do a bit of research on the history and current popular opinion, chat to people about it without going "hey hey i'm doing debating" and just note down everything, and your thoughts and ideas will grow from there. Once the paper gets really full and messy, rewrite the plan, then order your points, then write your points up. It's so easy once you get in the mood to do it.

Also: remember your counter arguments, they're essential. If you can start with the obvious arguments and counter them well, it might help you think of your own arguments.

Good luck!

[Imperfectionist]

Yeah that's pretty much what i'm doing now lol I just thought while in the middle of my research that it would be a good idea to see what people on here thought about the topic for inspirations sake, so that maybe if I spotted something and thought 'Oh that's actually a really good point' or if someone came up with something that the proposition team would likely say that i'd missed it would certainly help.

But thanks for the advice and encouragement =)

[Aerith's Knight]

Drinking age is 16 in the Netherlands, weed is legal and smoking age is also 16.

Still, if I compare the students in the US and the students here, the students in the US smoke more weed(they smoke it pure, idiots), drink far more(don't know when to stop), and are overall bigger morons. I didn't really care, as it was always fun, but it was noticable.

I think making something illegal merely makes the appeal bigger. If people really want it, they'll be able to get it. I mean, I was 19 in my time in the US and I had no problem getting booze.

[Shlup]

The legit reasons I can think are for raising the drinking age.

[nik0tine]

It's totally unreasonable to tell a legally adult citizen that he is only 'somewhat' of an adult, or only 'half the adult' that a 21 year old is.

How can your country tell you that you are old enough to pay taxes and old enough to get into life changing debt, but not old enough to have alcohol? You are old enough to be forced to kill and die for your country but not old enough to drink. Until you are shipped out of your countries borders, of course, in which case your government doesn't give a :bou::bou::bou::bou: what you do.

You are eligible for the death penalty at 18. Why? Because at 18 you know damn well what you are doing when you commit a crime. Unless that crime happens to be consumption of alcohol, in which case you are an innocent infant who needs the full force of the law and every nuance of government bureaucracy there to coddle you at all hours until you turn 21. That day, however, you are totally old enough to drink your entire life away if you want.

How about the good old 'it doesn't work' argument. In the U.S.A. you will be hard pressed to find someone under 21 that does not drink. When you do finally find one you will discover that the law plays absolutely no part in their decision to abstain.

And finally, my favorite argument. When was the last time a bureaucrat did anything well? I know that in the 20 years I have been alive my government has not done one single thing effectively or with any degree of efficiency. So maybe you think such a law is a good idea, but believe me, your government will find a way to smurf it up.



The legit reasons I can think are for raising the drinking age.
Is it just me, or does this not make any sense?

[rubah]

she's saying the only legitimate reasons she knows of on either side of the debate all belong to the pro-legalization side.

The only argument I have for you is "well, the US does it so why not us 8)"

[The Man]

that's not how I read her post.

Regardless I'd say basically what nik said, with an extra dosage of "it doesn't work" for good measure. From what I've observed of Yurp while I've been over there, there seems to be quite a lot less alcohol abuse amongst teenagers than there is here, and the drinking age is generally sixteen or eighteen amongst countries there.

[rubah]

oh, I did misread it :D sorry

[Old Manus]

You could always be the lawful neutral about it and say that it's better kept down to 18 because the governmentz gets more taxes from the extra under 21 populace

[qwertysaur]

Change the word Drinking to Buying, and triple the fine for a DUI :p

[Shlup]

Sorry, BJ was rushing me and generally being a naaaaaag.

I don't believe using mind-altering chemicals on a brain that is still developing is a wise choice is all.

[Bunny]

My stance is thus:

Drinking is pretty neat, I should be able to drink.

[The Man]

Sorry, BJ was rushing me and generally being a naaaaaag.

I don't believe using mind-altering chemicals on a brain that is still developing is a wise choice is all.

While I agree with this, and in fact actually waited until I was 24 to start using mind-altering chemicals for precisely that reason, leaving them illegal at that age simply increases their allure. The people that want to use them are going to use them regardless of their legal status.

[Ouch!]

There was a movement in August of 2008, I think, in which some 200 university professors submitted that in the United States, the drinking age should be lowered to 18.

The only real convincing aversion I heard to this was that the government wanted to keep it out of high schools; if the age is lowered to eighteen, seniors can legally drink, and then that just makes it easier for younger students to get alcohol through older friends. Not that this doesn't happen already, but the argument was that the whole process of getting alcohol to minors just becomes significantly easier.

[Jessweeee♪]

Freshmen come to school drunk after spring break ends every couple of years or so around here anyway :|

[strawberryman]

The legal bar tending age in Minnesota is 18. But the drinking age is still 21. To me, I think that deserves a resounding "Wtf?"

Also,

How can your country tell you that you are old enough to pay taxes and old enough to get into life changing debt, but not old enough to have alcohol? You are old enough to be forced to kill and die for your country but not old enough to drink. Until you are shipped out of your countries borders, of course, in which case your government doesn't give a what you do.

Quoted for truth.

[Imperfectionist]

Woah this thread grew a bit since I was on here last, some very interesting points made, thanks to all

Btw I singlehandedly won the debate =D aren't you all so proud

[Sword]

Personally I think the drinking age should be based on education level rather than your exact age. Of course, it would have to be within reason, like if a genius 12 year old had the same knowledge/maturity of an adult I wouldn't agree with them drinking.

Like for example if was in my senior year in school again and soemone I knew turned 18 in september (the beginning of the 1st term), but for me I had to wait until april to legally drink. Even though I might have been more mature and able to handle the drink better (this may not have been the case, but its just an example).

I just don't like the way such laws have to be obeyed so strictly, rather than just being guidelines. When judging who should be allowed alcohol I find common sense works better than the law.

P.S. Sorry this doesn't really help because it avoids the issue of an actual age requirement, but to me its logical when considering personal freedoms, even though monitoring it becomes significantly more difficult.

[Rye]

It should be 18, by all means. Why?

Because most people start drinking around that age, in college. And if they can't go to bars or places where it can be monitored by adults/RA's/whatever, they're going to do it underground, and that results in a lot of dangerous things going on, like date rape, binging, and drunk driving. It's not safe.

There is no reason that it should be any higher. I can't think of a reason for it to be lower - I think teenagers should be allowed to drink in their house under the company of their parents if they allow them, and their parents only (not other parents), but that's pretty much what goes on as is.

[Madame Adequate]

Because safe drinking is about creating a culture of accepting and understanding alcohol, not pushing people away from safe places and practices (And anyone who thinks making booze illegal to anyone stops them drinking is naive beyond comprehension). You stop alcohol abuse by raising kids to understand alcohol and treat it as nothing special, not by making it something cool and coveted.

Oh wait you already won. nvm! Well done :D

[eestlinc]

it used to be 18 in a lot of states until the 1980s when the federal government basically forced all the states to increase the age to 21. It was a big legal issue that went all the way to the Supreme Court, who said it was ok to make the states increase the age. Bad decision on many grounds.

I think Canada does pretty well with 19, though. Keeps high schoolers out of it.

[Quindiana Jones]

If they make me pay taxes then they damn well better give me booze.

Congratulations on single handedly winning the debate by the way. Though anyone who wasn't a moron would agree with you. :)