Rogerian Arguement
In America we have certain rights that are entitled to us, as well as laws that we have to abide by. One of these laws is that you must be twenty-one in order to legally consume alcohol. This has been a reoccurring problem in our country for years on whether to lower the drinking age or keep it the same. I believe that lowering the drinking age to eighteen would be a responsible decision. I firmly believe that it will help our country and the people in it in the long run. In this paper I will weigh out the positive and negative effects that lowering the drinking age will have on our lives.
From the moment you turn eighteen you are a legal adult. You can fight for your country, live on your on your own, and make your own decisions. Why shouldn’t you be able to drink if you already have to be an adult? If the drinking age is lowered, there actually might be less drinking by this age group. College students mostly drink because they feel like “sticking it to the man”. It is seen as some type of “forbidden fruit”. Many kids aren’t able to drink when they are at home with their parents; once they are out on their own and can do whatever they want, misbehavior is inevitable Since it won’t be considered forbidden anymore they could possibly lose interest in partying all together (Kiesbye 46).
At the age of eighteen one is most likely in college and will be surrounded by alcohol no matter where they go. Many kids get an MIP (Minor in Possession) and are forced to drop out of college because they can’t afford to pay for their education and their court fees some may even get a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated). Why should a student looking to contribute to society in the future have to drop out of college for doing something that literally 90% of college students participate in (Vaughn)? I personally believe that our local law enforcement have much bigger crimes to lend their attention to, rather than ruining the futures of promising college students.
Lowering the drinking age will definitely make a lot of college students very happy, but that is definitely not the purpose of this proposed action. I believe we need to adjust this law to modern times, as the fight against underage drinking is one that wastes a lot of government money as well as the valuable time of millions of police officers. It would just be easier to educate the youth and making sure they are making responsible decisions under close watch. I personally believe that there are much more serious offences that local police officers can lend their attention to. Even though it is their own fault for drinking underage, it is sad to see young people not be able to complete their education because they messed up and got an MIP. Have seen it happen already so many times and I’m just a freshman! In today’s society, now more than ever, if you want a solid career you would be much better off with a college degree.
The National Center for Education Statistics says that only 59% of college students end up graduating, just think of how many of those dropouts are related to students getting in trouble due to minor alcohol use. It is a pity that we see our law enforcement and are stricken with fear, we should be able to feel safe when law enforcement is present. It makes me sick when I see college students have their education cut short because they got caught doing something that all college student across the nation do. With lowering the drinking age comes the question of driving under the influence. I personally believe that this is out of our control for the most part. The only way to prevent people from driving drunk is to educate and promote safety. This could be done in schools as well as through informative add campaigns. “There is no sure fire way to prevent drinking and driving because there is no way to control the actions of millions of people, especially when they are intoxicated. Another way to prevent drinking and driving would be to only