FREE ESSAY ON A DIFFERENT SORT OF SEGREGATION- POSITION PAPER ON LEGALIZING DRINKING

A DIFFERENT SORT OF SEGREGATION- POSITION PAPER ON LEGALIZING DRINKING

Segregation of a Different Sort
If we [adults between 18 and 21] can still be trusted enough to fight in wars, if we can
be trusted enough to vote for our leaders, if we can be trusted enough to have sex, then
why the hell can't we be trusted with a glass of wine? Shamed Dogan 
By law, anyone 18 years and older will be tried as an adult in court, is allowed to vote,
and is required to pay taxes. On one's 18th birthday the law no longer views him as a
child yet he is restricted from many places of social activity. Bars and many dance clubs
are strictly for those 21 and over due to the legal drinking age in America, so many
legal adults are not permitted entry. Clearly a discrepancy exists between an 18 year old
adult and a 21 year old adult; however, since they are viewed by law as equals shouldn't
they have the same privileges? Obviously certain laws that regulate activities by age are
necessary. Voting, alcohol, and driving should not be available to people of any age
because of the amount of responsibility these activities require. However the segregation
between younger and older adults is unwarranted. 
Up until 1984 the legal drinking age was 18, however Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
spurred a campaign to raise the age limit to 21. They succeeded with the passage of the
National Minimum Purchase Age Act in 1984. (Shamed, Legal Drinking) The law aimed to
lower the number of drunk driving accidents, which it has done, but only by a small
margin. However, what it has also done is reduce the rights of citizens between the ages
of 18 and 21. 
Americans hold personal freedom to be an undeniable right. The right to drink one's self
into a drunken state still falls under the personal rights category; however, this basic
freedom is restricted by the implementation of the 1984 law. Instead of being able to
have complete control over one's life when they reach the legal age of adulthood,
citizens are forced to wait an additional three years for an equal level of freedom. A
need for drinking regulation definitely exists, yet it needs to coincide with other laws
defining adult privileges. All rights would be gained simultaneously and lowering the
legal drinking age to 18 would erase the discrepancy that now exists. 
Furthermore the temptation to undermine the law through underage drinking would be
greatly decreased. For many college students that fall in between years of legal
adulthood and legal drinking age, the desire to drink is spurred by getting away with
something they are not supposed to be doing. According to Dan, an English exchange
student, the typical college student would not feel the need to have a binge drinking
party if he were allowed into the local bar. The need to throw private drinking parties
would no longer be prevalent because the accessibility of alcohol would no longer be in
question. 
Lowering the legal drinking age would also create a plethora of social events for those
18 and older. Currently many dance clubs are strictly for those 21 and over because the
establishment serves alcohol. This leaves the remainder of the adult populous to find
their own forms of entertainment, counter productive or otherwise. If these bored adults
were allowed to participate in more activities there would be less people idling on the
streets. Society as a whole would be better off because there would be less illegal
activity taking place. This could entail underage drinking or more serious matters
engaged by those with spare time and nowhere to go. 
If more young adults were drinking in public places as opposed to dorm rooms the
possibility of excessive drinking would be lowered. The number of people present and the
way in which bars and clubs are run provide the structured environment necessary to
promote safer drinking. It is far less likely for someone to die of alcohol poisoning in
a bar than in a private home because the number of people capable of recognizing alcohol
related problems greatly increases. 
The adult population between the ages of 18 and 21 has been oppressed by the injustice of
age based segregation for over a decade, and it is time for something to be done. The
legal drinking age needs to be lowered to fit the remainder of the country's standards of
adulthood.