Charlotte, NC

Okay … I was wrong on many points, but right on others.

A coupla days back, I wrote a piece intended to address the issue of colleges allowin’ their students to drink at 18; their goal is to curb “binge” drinking.

But (yes, I’m gonna print a partial retraction here, so hang on) …

After sendin’ a shout-out to mates in the UK, France, Germany and Australia, I do see a different picture. Stephen Weiss was right when he wrote:
“Nearly every other country in the world has the drinking age set at 18 or lower. We appear foolish to most because of our high drinking age - how can you have a country where you can be sent to war but can’t drink to your victory? Seriously, people laugh at us. A lot of people.

Most of these places also have much fewer problems with drunk driving, alcoholism, and binge drinking. My years studying in Germany did involve alcohol - significant amounts, yes. However, I also learned there how to moderate my drinking and keep myself from making a fool of myself, a skill they pride themselves on. Students are shamed by their peers for being bad drunks. I’m not sure they’d even know what binge drinking would mean if they had the term.”

That’s true! Apparently, the 18-21 bracket, when given the right to drink, does become a bit more responsible in doing so — especially if they do it in a peer-monitored atmosphere.
One thing that I noticed: Stephen said “Students are ashamed … for being bad drunks.” Unfortunately, not all young people are as responsible as that. That being said, I’ve got a question:
While it’s true that college students are responsible and self-regulating, there are thousands of others who aren’t. So how would you propose enacting this (should it pass) to provide a like positive effect to those? Lemme know, okay?

Now, Joe had a different, but highly logical, slant on this:

“At 18, people become an adult and are therefore afforded the rights associated with adulthood… voting, smoking, the right to enter into legal contracts, the right to join the military and die in Iraq, but wait… oh no they can’t drink because they will BINGE DRINK AT COLLEGE OM*G.”

I spoke with two servicemen — one who just returned from Iraq, and one who served during Desert Storm — and they said, “He’s RIGHT! It doesn’t make any SENSE!” One went so far as to call it a form of (his words) “prejudiced censorship”!
and to think that I was callin’ for the same thing … geez …

If a man or woman is old enough to fight and die “for his/her country”, then that person is old enough to drink. PERIOD!! I remember the days of “power-to-the-people” (the great “rights” movements of 1968), when we demonstrated, protested for the cause of and sang about freedom, equal rights and peace. We said exactly the same thing then (although, as Joe pointed out, you now have rights we didn’t have: “vote … legal contracts …” etc.). I shoulda thought it out a bit …

Now, I’m not gonna say I’m totally wrong, ’cause I’m not. But I’ll discuss more about this issue (and also add more of the comments!) tomorrow.

But, for all of you who’ve written, thanks. You’ve opened up my eyes a bit. And, if it’s any consolation, my international friends are unanimous: You guys give more thought to a subject than most. Keep up the good work …

I’ve gotta get on to my other work (my alter ego is The Rock Relic), so we’ll continue this tomorrow, same station — and about the same time!