There has been much debate over whether reducing the legal age for purchasing alcohol would yield more pros than cons. However, as with many other laws, the common citizen does not do in depth research on the drinking age limit law. While the federal law certainly bans the purchase and transport of alcohol by an individual under the age of 21, some states allow for recreational or religious consumption of alcohol at a private residence under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian. There are also some states that allow underage drinking on private property without parental consent, so reducing the age limit for purchasing alcohol would affect only the states that do not allow underage drinking for minors under any circumstance. In fact, the article points out that the law is already disobeyed, and that many people suffer and could suffer more from reducing the legal age. Point is: reducing the age will not solve the problem of underage drinking. From a symbolic interactionist standpoint, the problem may emerge from the lack of education regarding alcoholism or the fact that most cultures either embrace alcohol or absolutely forbid it within the family, which, unfortunately, in both cases, makes alcohol even more appealing to many adolescents. The most effective (not the easiest) method of reducing the number of underage drinkers would be to begin teaching the effects of drinking to kids early on, both in school and by encouraging parents to do the same at home. After all, not all underage drinkers are drinking to simply party-- many use alcohol as a metaphorical crutch to escape problems at home, school, or other places that are meant to provide stability and comfort. In addition, modern culture tends to follow what is popular in real time, meaning that what celebrities do or say on camera will be absorbed by their followers. If a culture of alcoholism, drug abuse, and apathy could be made through perpetual media support, then a counter-culture could also arise from socially popular sources. As seen in most rehab groups, knowing you have a problem is the first step before attacking the problem. Therefore, knowing about alcohol should help reduce the number of underage drinkers.
I agree with David about the lack of alcohol consumption by people younger than 21, but I also view the drinking and partying through the functionalist perspective. The partying and drinking serves as a distraction from the all the hard work and studying students go through. As long as it has not been abused then I don't think it would necessarily serve as a dysfunction. People should definitely be educated into taking more precaution when drinking.
Patricia S. The social issue I identified in this article was the controversy of established laws that prohibit young adults lower than 21 years to drink alcohol beverages. The article stated that 85 percent of college students have admitted to alcohol indulgence before the legal age permitted. The culture surrounding the students in colleges and how the media has portrayed "college life"to be like has created a phenomenon of underage drinkers. College students whether living on campus or not, primarily spend several hours in their college. The need for these young adults to acquire autonomy produces an eager for socialization. Despite the family values they have obtained these young adults want to be capable of creating their own new relationships with others, outside of home. Feeling accepted and comfortable in college causes them to prioritize values and roles within college. Since most college students are indulging in underage drinking they have to participate in theses actives in order for social acceptance and not be labeled as "outsiders."
An interactionist would say that the behavior of underage drinking portrayed in college campuses induce other young adults into drinking creating a culture of illegal drinking. Unconsciously the outer culture specifically the media creates invisible guidelines for college students that influences their college experience. Underage drinking in the media is not seen as a phenomenon rather it is culturally feed as a norm, all young adults do it to experiment because at some point adulthood will hit and their "wild-life" ends. In society the role of young adults is to experiment and make mistakes the reinforcement of peers enacting these actions causes new underage drinkers to become products of society. The set behaviors of society creates these types of social issues.
Rather than manipulating the age for legal drinking, society needs to change the cultural context transmitted to the population. Whether the age would be decreased or increased if the media continues to feed underage drinking to the population, it would cause no significance and actually perpetuate an increase in illegal drinking. If the age were to be lowered younger and younger adolescents will be submitted into alcohol indulgence because the norm will continue to be to disobey the laws based on the stage of life you are currently in. A solution to this problem can be making your human agency count. Rather than emerging into underage drinking those students that feel the culture being feed to them is wrong should actively speak up against it not only within school premises but against strong influences like the media. It is known that acceptance is important for young adults but if society continues to stress "acceptance" to be stronger than individual values, emerging adults will continue to be oppressed and conducted unhealthy activities. Social institutions such as the government, law enforcement, and colleges should strictly enforce the law because they are aware of the high percentages of underage drinking. Advertisements of underage drinking whether in the media or other places should be banned. All behaviors learned can be retrieved through the adequate process. We can't expect new generations to act properly when the examples set are distorted.
Lowering the legal drinking age for alcohol would only have a negative outcome. Many adolescents die each year in vehicle related accidents. Lowering the age limit would only double the number of adolescents who drink and engage in illegal activity. Underage drinking is a social problem because it not only affects the one drinking but their behavior while intoxicated, can endanger their life and the lives of other people as well. Whether it be on the road driving or in public, it becomes a danger to everyone. It has been proven in New Zealand that lowering the drinking age had a negative outcome. It increased alcohol related car accidents. Seeing it from a conflict theorist approach, I would say that only having control over the age restriction will decrease the amount of deaths involving adolescents and vehicle accidents. I think that by keeping an age restriction limits the amount of fatalities even if its not by a lot. One solution we can impose on underage drinking is by getting teens informed of the consequences as soon as possible. Schools should also conduct activities that show how serious alcohol can be and the effects it has on others.
Peter Phan. It's no mystery that under-aged drinking is a social problem in today's world. Teenagers, as well as young adults believe that they are indestructible and that nothing bad will happen to them. This leads those individuals to poor decision making, such as drinking and getting behind the wheel of a car. Driving under the influence is clearly a problem, because many people(such as the driver, passengers, and innocent people) die from drunk-driving every year. Not to mention, the many cases of alcohol poisoning from underage drinking. It would be interesting to see what is going on in the minds of underage drinkers, and explore how we could solve this issue. A symbolic interactionist would say that drinking is essential in a young adult's social life. It seems like drinking together in a social gathering brings people closer, as well as making them feel included in group. It is also a way to escape from their daily lives, and is a source of release of their troubles and problems. Media plays a big role in underage drinking, as it is glamorized in TV and music. Sometimes, I do think that the drinking age limit should be lower, but I don't think it would help decrease drunk-driving related accidents and other issues. Mostly since the drinking age limit is ignored anyways for the most part. Instead, I think it would be a better idea to educate the young how to drink responsibility as well as the dangers it has. Simply telling them that drinking is horrible and that they should never do it will not help, as teens are rebellious and will act against it anyways. We should let them know that drinking IS a normal part of life, but it isn't something to take lightly. I personally have a few friends who have gotten DUI's and alcohol poisoning, so I think it is important for underaged drinkers to realize the consequences of their actions before it's too late. I know that my friends have definitely learned their lessons, and have decided to take responsibilities into their own hands. Last October, a tragedy happened in Burbank, where 5 people died from a collision near a freeway exit. I actually knew one of the guys that unfortunately passed away, so I think that is why my peers, as well as I have all decided to be responsible, and learned an important lesson the hard way.
The problem that comes with drinking when you are under the legal age is the fact that most of the time you have to hide it or sneak drinking from parents or authorities. This makes young adults that are under the age of 21 develop poor drinking habits which then can cause them to make bad discussions when they are under the influence of alcohol. This is a social problem because thousands of people are killed and injured in drunk driving accidents each year so it is affecting society in a major way. In looking at this social problem through the scope of a functionalist mind set one can see that our society almost sets themselves up for having these kinds of problem with young adults and binge drinking or underage drink. I feel that as a whole our society does not address the correct way to drink responsibly. most parents just say dont drink until you are 21 which causes many young adults to develop irresponsible drinking habits. which in turn causes a rise in drunk driving which is dangerous for our whole society. a solution that i propose would not to lower the drinking age but to instead focus more on educating teens and young adults on ways to drink more responsibly if they are going to infact drink. the fact is that it is near impossible to stop teens from drinking at all so the next best thing to do is to make it safe for them if they are going to do so. implementing more "Safe-Ride" programs would keep people under the legal age off the road while drinking which would make it safer for our entire society.
Lowering the legal age for drinking will not solve the problem for underage drinking, but only more problems to come. As stated in this article that many young adults are already drinking below the legal age, so why not lower the legal age for drinking alcohol? Young adults that are below 21 drink because they are influenced by their friends or surroundings. If the legal age for drinking is reduced then wouldn’t the people below that age be influence to drink as well? Lowering the drinking age would result more teenagers to drink and this will not stop more of them from drinking. As stated in the article that in New Zealand they lowered the drinking age and this increased drunk driving and car crashed. An interactionist would say that the result of underage drinking would be due to their surroundings like from their parents as lack of discipline, friends that are 21 or above can influenced them, or as stated in the article that most college students that are below 21 drink as well; creating a culture of underage drinking. I think the best solution would be parents teaching their children about the dysfunctions and affections of alcohol. Letting them know that it is not okay to drink alcohol for any reason, to never look at alcohol as a solution or comfort. Having to know about alcohol and knowing that this is not the best result should reduce underage from drinking.
Vazgen M. I agree with Zach about the real issue of drinking underage. He claims that the problem arises because you have to hide it from authority and do it in secret. This in turn builds bad drinking habits throughout ones life. I choose to comment on this because I have had the exact same experience when I was underage. I think he hit the nail right on the head. These bad habits once build end up hurting everyone in a verity of ways. They force young adults into awful decisions and when this becomes wide spread as it is now a social issue is born. A conflict theorist would say that not allowing underage teens to drink is a form of social control set up by the adults. The only reason underage drinking happens is because it is a way for teens to fight this social control. It is a conflict between the adults who have unlimited access to alcohol and the young adults who have no legal access whatsoever. I also think Zack has a fantastic solution that is very realistic and doable. By educating kids about alcohol and implementing "safe ride" programs we can lower the incident rates but I don't think it would lower it significantly enough. As long as alcohol stays a forbidden fruit in the eyes of young adults they are going to want to try it in secret. My solution would be to implement what Zack said but to also lower the drinking age to 18. If allowed to drink more openly with adults, teens can learn a thing or two about responsible drinking. We consider an eighteen year old as an adult in every other form so why not allow them to drink. Like we used to say in the Marine Corps "If I'm old enough to die for my country then I'm old enough to drink a beer."
I agree with David, in which changing the legal age of alcohol consumption not solving the problem but I believe that even when educating the individual it will not reduce the the number of underage people from consuming the alcohol. But, I do not agree with only educating younger adults about alcohol. David's comment really hit the problem right on the nail's head, and definitely looked at it through the interactionist lens in which the individual must be educated rather than society as a whole.
but, how many times have we been educated on not smoking and drinking as teenagers, and yet the first thing we do is smoke and drink to fit in?
I believe the consumption of alcohol by minors is inevitable. In fact I view it through the functionalist lens. The consumption of alcohol and other types of drugs serves as a way to fit in, and communicate with other people of a similar age, as well as an escape from the changes underaged people are experiencing. Drugs and alcohol will always be there, so in a way I don't believe that just knowing of alcohol will work. Although, if the alcohol and drugs are being over abused it can become a disfunction causing a lot of deaths which have been the result throughout the years.
My proposed solution is for underaged drinkers to be educated on the precautions to take when out and about, wether they are the drinkers and smokers or just the drivers. Another solution that can be proposed is to teach young drinkers to know their limit, and when to seek help if they are in dangerous circumstances.
Jennifer Torres I agree with with Davy, lowering the legal drinking age is not the solution but in fact will cause even more problems. Even with the legal age being 21 there are numerous of teens drinking and being able to buy alcohol. Interactionist will view this as a consequence of teens interacting with people that are bad influence for them. Teens re in the stage of life where they want to experiment or follow the crowd. The environment of a person has an influence on a person and i they are raised seeing alcohol around there are more possibilities of them trying alcohol. I agree with the solution Davy provides,talking to children and informing them of the risks that drinking alcohol can cause. i don't think underage drinking will be abolish but i do believe that informing kids with facts and real life stories of deaths and illness cause by alcohol will help the thin twice before drinking.
I agree with Peter, because drinking alcohol under the age of twenty-one has become the new phenomenon throughout young adults in the United States and around the world. Young adults believe that drinking under the age of twenty-one does not have consequences. Most individuals that drink underage often do not make right choices. As portrayed in Peter’s assignment #1 when he states that drinking under the age of twenty-one, “leads those individuals to poor decision making, such as drinking and getting behind the wheel of a car”. To add to his opinion, many teenagers that drink alcohol usually drink without their parent’s permission. I chose to comment on Peter’s comment because he depicts, how drinking underage has become a social problem among young individuals. He illustrates some examples of the consequences of drinking alcohol underage. In addition, I believe that drinking underage is becoming more common nowadays. This is affecting many teenagers and their surroundings because they put themselves and their community at risk. It has become a social problem because getting drunk among teenagers who are usually not responsible faces many negative consequences. Furthermore, I believe that many individuals who drink underage learn it from their surroundings. For instance, adults may introduce teenagers to beer, wine, or other alcoholic beverages at home during dinnertime. This leads many underage individuals to be interested in drinking.
Moreover, looking at this social problem in a conflict perspective, underage individuals usually think different than adults, which cause conflict. A Conflict theorist would depict that teenagers who drink are often surrounded with young individuals who also drink. However, there are many parents who surround themselves with other parents who would like to ban underage drinking. These two groups that have different point of views tend to be in conflict with each other and try to gain power by demonstrating the opposite side that they can accomplish their desires. For example, individuals who drink underage get away with drinking by hiding it from adults, and parents tend to get to punish their children because they are the authority. I think that Peter’s solution is great because informing teenagers about the negative consequences drinking underage has, they would think about them before they decide to drink illegally. His solution can be possible and realistic because schools can provide with vital information about the consequences about drinking underage. My solution for this social problem would include educating our young individuals like Peter portrayed in his comment, but also provide workshops or senior seminars with individuals that are willing to share their negative experiences from drinking underage. This would help seniors reflect on the dangers that drinking underage can cause, especially because most young individuals do not think about it when they are about to graduate from high school. For example, I recall that my last week during my senior year adults came to talk to us about their negative experiences they had gone through after high school. Many of those individuals who shared their experiences have lost a loved one who was drinking underage. After listening to those sad stories, one can reflect one it and would think that drinking underage is not a right choice. There is always time for everything, and I believe that waiting to drink legally/responsible and preventing harm is the best choice.
According to David, reducing he age limit for drinking would not be a great success, and I absolutely agree with that. I do not see the any positive outcome for that besides the fact that it would eliminate teens from illegally drinking. Unfortunately, if the age was reduced, I believe it would only increase the act of irresponsible drinking excessively which adds onto the alarming number of DUIs and deaths from car accidents each year. This social problem can potentially affect the lives of every civilian because majority of the population engage in driving for transportation. Drunk driving is clearly a major issue that accounts for many innocent lives. I chose to comment because many of my peers and dear friends have passed away from being involved in vehicle collisions or pedestrian hit and runs by a drunk driver.
Although I see how an interactionist would focus on this subject, a functionalist can offer different insight on the matter. A functionalist would state that underage drinking serves as a function to society by providing consumerism for the economy. Also, it offers an escape from the reality of adolescent stress. Young teens need to relieve their desires to socialize, fit in, and experience the rebellious stage to aid with finding their sense of self or identity in this world. In one way or another, it serves as indirect therapy.
Furthermore, I agree with David's proposal about informing individuals about the dangers in drinking irresponsibly in educational settings and parental guidance. However, I don't think it would make a significant impact because many parents an teachers do express their concerns about it, but young adolescents tend to prioritize things differently. Another solution could be to implement stricter laws involving underage drinking and driving under the influence. These laws should be taught at schools, and the government could be more active in promoting awareness by providing more museums, programs, advertisements, and assemblies focusing on the issue.
12 comments:
David N.
There has been much debate over whether reducing the legal age for purchasing alcohol would yield more pros than cons. However, as with many other laws, the common citizen does not do in depth research on the drinking age limit law. While the federal law certainly bans the purchase and transport of alcohol by an individual under the age of 21, some states allow for recreational or religious consumption of alcohol at a private residence under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian. There are also some states that allow underage drinking on private property without parental consent, so reducing the age limit for purchasing alcohol would affect only the states that do not allow underage drinking for minors under any circumstance. In fact, the article points out that the law is already disobeyed, and that many people suffer and could suffer more from reducing the legal age. Point is: reducing the age will not solve the problem of underage drinking. From a symbolic interactionist standpoint, the problem may emerge from the lack of education regarding alcoholism or the fact that most cultures either embrace alcohol or absolutely forbid it within the family, which, unfortunately, in both cases, makes alcohol even more appealing to many adolescents. The most effective (not the easiest) method of reducing the number of underage drinkers would be to begin teaching the effects of drinking to kids early on, both in school and by encouraging parents to do the same at home. After all, not all underage drinkers are drinking to simply party-- many use alcohol as a metaphorical crutch to escape problems at home, school, or other places that are meant to provide stability and comfort. In addition, modern culture tends to follow what is popular in real time, meaning that what celebrities do or say on camera will be absorbed by their followers. If a culture of alcoholism, drug abuse, and apathy could be made through perpetual media support, then a counter-culture could also arise from socially popular sources. As seen in most rehab groups, knowing you have a problem is the first step before attacking the problem. Therefore, knowing about alcohol should help reduce the number of underage drinkers.
I agree with David about the lack of alcohol consumption by people younger than 21, but I also view the drinking and partying through the functionalist perspective. The partying and drinking serves as a distraction from the all the hard work and studying students go through. As long as it has not been abused then I don't think it would necessarily serve as a dysfunction. People should definitely be educated into taking more precaution when drinking.
Patricia S.
The social issue I identified in this article was the controversy of established laws that prohibit young adults lower than 21 years to drink alcohol beverages. The article stated that 85 percent of college students have admitted to alcohol indulgence before the legal age permitted. The culture surrounding the students in colleges and how the media has portrayed "college life"to be like has created a phenomenon of underage drinkers. College students whether living on campus or not, primarily spend several hours in their college. The need for these young adults to acquire autonomy produces an eager for socialization. Despite the family values they have obtained these young adults want to be capable of creating their own new relationships with others, outside of home. Feeling accepted and comfortable in college causes them to prioritize values and roles within college. Since most college students are indulging in underage drinking they have to participate in theses actives in order for social acceptance and not be labeled as "outsiders."
An interactionist would say that the behavior of underage drinking portrayed in college campuses induce other young adults into drinking creating a culture of illegal drinking. Unconsciously the outer culture specifically the media creates invisible guidelines for college students that influences their college experience. Underage drinking in the media is not seen as a phenomenon rather it is culturally feed as a norm, all young adults do it to experiment because at some point adulthood will hit and their "wild-life" ends. In society the role of young adults is to experiment and make mistakes the reinforcement of peers enacting these actions causes new underage drinkers to become products of society. The set behaviors of society creates these types of social issues.
Rather than manipulating the age for legal drinking, society needs to change the cultural context transmitted to the population. Whether the age would be decreased or increased if the media continues to feed underage drinking to the population, it would cause no significance and actually perpetuate an increase in illegal drinking. If the age were to be lowered younger and younger adolescents will be submitted into alcohol indulgence because the norm will continue to be to disobey the laws based on the stage of life you are currently in. A solution to this problem can be making your human agency count. Rather than emerging into underage drinking those students that feel the culture being feed to them is wrong should actively speak up against it not only within school premises but against strong influences like the media. It is known that acceptance is important for young adults but if society continues to stress "acceptance" to be stronger than individual values, emerging adults will continue to be oppressed and conducted unhealthy activities. Social institutions such as the government, law enforcement, and colleges should strictly enforce the law because they are aware of the high percentages of underage drinking. Advertisements of underage drinking whether in the media or other places should be banned. All behaviors learned can be retrieved through the adequate process. We can't expect new generations to act properly when the examples set are distorted.
Juliana D.
Lowering the legal drinking age for alcohol would only have a negative outcome. Many adolescents die each year in vehicle related accidents. Lowering the age limit would only double the number of adolescents who drink and engage in illegal activity. Underage drinking is a social problem because it not only affects the one drinking but their behavior while intoxicated, can endanger their life and the lives of other people as well. Whether it be on the road driving or in public, it becomes a danger to everyone. It has been proven in New Zealand that lowering the drinking age had a negative outcome. It increased alcohol related car accidents. Seeing it from a conflict theorist approach, I would say that only having control over the age restriction will decrease the amount of deaths involving adolescents and vehicle accidents. I think that by keeping an age restriction limits the amount of fatalities even if its not by a lot. One solution we can impose on underage drinking is by getting teens informed of the consequences as soon as possible. Schools should also conduct activities that show how serious alcohol can be and the effects it has on others.
Peter Phan.
It's no mystery that under-aged drinking is a social problem in today's world. Teenagers, as well as young adults believe that they are indestructible and that nothing bad will happen to them. This leads those individuals to poor decision making, such as drinking and getting behind the wheel of a car. Driving under the influence is clearly a problem, because many people(such as the driver, passengers, and innocent people) die from drunk-driving every year. Not to mention, the many cases of alcohol poisoning from underage drinking. It would be interesting to see what is going on in the minds of underage drinkers, and explore how we could solve this issue. A symbolic interactionist would say that drinking is essential in a young adult's social life. It seems like drinking together in a social gathering brings people closer, as well as making them feel included in group. It is also a way to escape from their daily lives, and is a source of release of their troubles and problems. Media plays a big role in underage drinking, as it is glamorized in TV and music.
Sometimes, I do think that the drinking age limit should be lower, but I don't think it would help decrease drunk-driving related accidents and other issues. Mostly since the drinking age limit is ignored anyways for the most part. Instead, I think it would be a better idea to educate the young how to drink responsibility as well as the dangers it has. Simply telling them that drinking is horrible and that they should never do it will not help, as teens are rebellious and will act against it anyways. We should let them know that drinking IS a normal part of life, but it isn't something to take lightly. I personally have a few friends who have gotten DUI's and alcohol poisoning, so I think it is important for underaged drinkers to realize the consequences of their actions before it's too late. I know that my friends have definitely learned their lessons, and have decided to take responsibilities into their own hands. Last October, a tragedy happened in Burbank, where 5 people died from a collision near a freeway exit. I actually knew one of the guys that unfortunately passed away, so I think that is why my peers, as well as I have all decided to be responsible, and learned an important lesson the hard way.
Zach Johnson-
The problem that comes with drinking when you are under the legal age is the fact that most of the time you have to hide it or sneak drinking from parents or authorities. This makes young adults that are under the age of 21 develop poor drinking habits which then can cause them to make bad discussions when they are under the influence of alcohol. This is a social problem because thousands of people are killed and injured in drunk driving accidents each year so it is affecting society in a major way. In looking at this social problem through the scope of a functionalist mind set one can see that our society almost sets themselves up for having these kinds of problem with young adults and binge drinking or underage drink. I feel that as a whole our society does not address the correct way to drink responsibly. most parents just say dont drink until you are 21 which causes many young adults to develop irresponsible drinking habits. which in turn causes a rise in drunk driving which is dangerous for our whole society. a solution that i propose would not to lower the drinking age but to instead focus more on educating teens and young adults on ways to drink more responsibly if they are going to infact drink. the fact is that it is near impossible to stop teens from drinking at all so the next best thing to do is to make it safe for them if they are going to do so. implementing more "Safe-Ride" programs would keep people under the legal age off the road while drinking which would make it safer for our entire society.
Davy P.
Lowering the legal age for drinking will not solve the problem for underage drinking, but only more problems to come. As stated in this article that many young adults are already drinking below the legal age, so why not lower the legal age for drinking alcohol? Young adults that are below 21 drink because they are influenced by their friends or surroundings. If the legal age for drinking is reduced then wouldn’t the people below that age be influence to drink as well? Lowering the drinking age would result more teenagers to drink and this will not stop more of them from drinking. As stated in the article that in New Zealand they lowered the drinking age and this increased drunk driving and car crashed. An interactionist would say that the result of underage drinking would be due to their surroundings like from their parents as lack of discipline, friends that are 21 or above can influenced them, or as stated in the article that most college students that are below 21 drink as well; creating a culture of underage drinking. I think the best solution would be parents teaching their children about the dysfunctions and affections of alcohol. Letting them know that it is not okay to drink alcohol for any reason, to never look at alcohol as a solution or comfort. Having to know about alcohol and knowing that this is not the best result should reduce underage from drinking.
Vazgen M.
I agree with Zach about the real issue of drinking underage. He claims that the problem arises because you have to hide it from authority and do it in secret. This in turn builds bad drinking habits throughout ones life. I choose to comment on this because I have had the exact same experience when I was underage. I think he hit the nail right on the head. These bad habits once build end up hurting everyone in a verity of ways. They force young adults into awful decisions and when this becomes wide spread as it is now a social issue is born. A conflict theorist would say that not allowing underage teens to drink is a form of social control set up by the adults. The only reason underage drinking happens is because it is a way for teens to fight this social control. It is a conflict between the adults who have unlimited access to alcohol and the young adults who have no legal access whatsoever. I also think Zack has a fantastic solution that is very realistic and doable. By educating kids about alcohol and implementing "safe ride" programs we can lower the incident rates but I don't think it would lower it significantly enough. As long as alcohol stays a forbidden fruit in the eyes of young adults they are going to want to try it in secret. My solution would be to implement what Zack said but to also lower the drinking age to 18. If allowed to drink more openly with adults, teens can learn a thing or two about responsible drinking. We consider an eighteen year old as an adult in every other form so why not allow them to drink. Like we used to say in the Marine Corps "If I'm old enough to die for my country then I'm old enough to drink a beer."
I agree with David, in which changing the legal age of alcohol consumption not solving the problem but I believe that even when educating the individual it will not reduce the the number of underage people from consuming the alcohol. But, I do not agree with only educating younger adults about alcohol. David's comment really hit the problem right on the nail's head, and definitely looked at it through the interactionist lens in which the individual must be educated rather than society as a whole.
but, how many times have we been educated on not smoking and drinking as teenagers, and yet the first thing we do is smoke and drink to fit in?
I believe the consumption of alcohol by minors is inevitable. In fact I view it through the functionalist lens. The consumption of alcohol and other types of drugs serves as a way to fit in, and communicate with other people of a similar age, as well as an escape from the changes underaged people are experiencing. Drugs and alcohol will always be there, so in a way I don't believe that just knowing of alcohol will work. Although, if the alcohol and drugs are being over abused it can become a disfunction causing a lot of deaths which have been the result throughout the years.
My proposed solution is for underaged drinkers to be educated on the precautions to take when out and about, wether they are the drinkers and smokers or just the drivers. Another solution that can be proposed is to teach young drinkers to know their limit, and when to seek help if they are in dangerous circumstances.
Jennifer Torres
I agree with with Davy, lowering the legal drinking age is not the solution but in fact will cause even more problems. Even with the legal age being 21 there are numerous of teens drinking and being able to buy alcohol. Interactionist will view this as a consequence of teens interacting with people that are bad influence for them. Teens re in the stage of life where they want to experiment or follow the crowd. The environment of a person has an influence on a person and i they are raised seeing alcohol around there are more possibilities of them trying alcohol. I agree with the solution Davy provides,talking to children and informing them of the risks that drinking alcohol can cause. i don't think underage drinking will be abolish but i do believe that informing kids with facts and real life stories of deaths and illness cause by alcohol will help the thin twice before drinking.
Kimberly G.
I agree with Peter, because drinking alcohol under the age of twenty-one has become the new phenomenon throughout young adults in the United States and around the world. Young adults believe that drinking under the age of twenty-one does not have consequences. Most individuals that drink underage often do not make right choices. As portrayed in Peter’s assignment #1 when he states that drinking under the age of twenty-one, “leads those individuals to poor decision making, such as drinking and getting behind the wheel of a car”. To add to his opinion, many teenagers that drink alcohol usually drink without their parent’s permission. I chose to comment on Peter’s comment because he depicts, how drinking underage has become a social problem among young individuals. He illustrates some examples of the consequences of drinking alcohol underage. In addition, I believe that drinking underage is becoming more common nowadays. This is affecting many teenagers and their surroundings because they put themselves and their community at risk. It has become a social problem because getting drunk among teenagers who are usually not responsible faces many negative consequences. Furthermore, I believe that many individuals who drink underage learn it from their surroundings. For instance, adults may introduce teenagers to beer, wine, or other alcoholic beverages at home during dinnertime. This leads many underage individuals to be interested in drinking.
Moreover, looking at this social problem in a conflict perspective, underage individuals usually think different than adults, which cause conflict. A Conflict theorist would depict that teenagers who drink are often surrounded with young individuals who also drink. However, there are many parents who surround themselves with other parents who would like to ban underage drinking. These two groups that have different point of views tend to be in conflict with each other and try to gain power by demonstrating the opposite side that they can accomplish their desires. For example, individuals who drink underage get away with drinking by hiding it from adults, and parents tend to get to punish their children because they are the authority. I think that Peter’s solution is great because informing teenagers about the negative consequences drinking underage has, they would think about them before they decide to drink illegally. His solution can be possible and realistic because schools can provide with vital information about the consequences about drinking underage. My solution for this social problem would include educating our young individuals like Peter portrayed in his comment, but also provide workshops or senior seminars with individuals that are willing to share their negative experiences from drinking underage. This would help seniors reflect on the dangers that drinking underage can cause, especially because most young individuals do not think about it when they are about to graduate from high school. For example, I recall that my last week during my senior year adults came to talk to us about their negative experiences they had gone through after high school. Many of those individuals who shared their experiences have lost a loved one who was drinking underage. After listening to those sad stories, one can reflect one it and would think that drinking underage is not a right choice. There is always time for everything, and I believe that waiting to drink legally/responsible and preventing harm is the best choice.
Kristina S.
According to David, reducing he age limit for drinking would not be a great success, and I absolutely agree with that. I do not see the any positive outcome for that besides the fact that it would eliminate teens from illegally drinking. Unfortunately, if the age was reduced, I believe it would only increase the act of irresponsible drinking excessively which adds onto the alarming number of DUIs and deaths from car accidents each year. This social problem can potentially affect the lives of every civilian because majority of the population engage in driving for transportation. Drunk driving is clearly a major issue that accounts for many innocent lives. I chose to comment because many of my peers and dear friends have passed away from being involved in vehicle collisions or pedestrian hit and runs by a drunk driver.
Although I see how an interactionist would focus on this subject, a functionalist can offer different insight on the matter. A functionalist would state that underage drinking serves as a function to society by providing consumerism for the economy. Also, it offers an escape from the reality of adolescent stress. Young teens need to relieve their desires to socialize, fit in, and experience the rebellious stage to aid with finding their sense of self or identity in this world. In one way or another, it serves as indirect therapy.
Furthermore, I agree with David's proposal about informing individuals about the dangers in drinking irresponsibly in educational settings and parental guidance. However, I don't think it would make a significant impact because many parents an teachers do express their concerns about it, but young adolescents tend to prioritize things differently. Another solution could be to implement stricter laws involving underage drinking and driving under the influence. These laws should be taught at schools, and the government could be more active in promoting awareness by providing more museums, programs, advertisements, and assemblies focusing on the issue.
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