Spring Break
Drinking: an option for adults of any age
The Traveler Editorial Board
Issue date: 8/29/08 Section: Opinion
This is a triumph for those students - but only for those students - who have proven themselves, either by abstinence or responsible drinking - to be adults.
For those students who abuse alcohol, this directional shift in the drinking debate represents only the extent of the exasperation adults feel when their hard-earned wisdom is ignored - because the Amethyst Initiative signatories are still patronizing over-drinkers by implying that legal recourse is necessary to dampen the allure of the illegality of drinking.
And over-drinkers repeatedly show that they deserve to be patronized because they insist on engaging in a behavior that has been shown to not be in their best interest.
Adults, whether they are 18 or 80, uniformly take responsibility for themselves. Central to the experience of being drunk is the blissful impossibility of taking responsibility.
Being an adult should be its own reward. But it's still nice that the highly-regarded individuals who comprise the Amethyst Initiative think those of us who act our age should be able to reward ourselves with a glass of wine at the end of a long, hard day.
For those students who abuse alcohol, this directional shift in the drinking debate represents only the extent of the exasperation adults feel when their hard-earned wisdom is ignored - because the Amethyst Initiative signatories are still patronizing over-drinkers by implying that legal recourse is necessary to dampen the allure of the illegality of drinking.
And over-drinkers repeatedly show that they deserve to be patronized because they insist on engaging in a behavior that has been shown to not be in their best interest.
Adults, whether they are 18 or 80, uniformly take responsibility for themselves. Central to the experience of being drunk is the blissful impossibility of taking responsibility.
Being an adult should be its own reward. But it's still nice that the highly-regarded individuals who comprise the Amethyst Initiative think those of us who act our age should be able to reward ourselves with a glass of wine at the end of a long, hard day.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
LeeWood
posted 8/29/08 @ 4:54 PM CST
This seems like a way for colleges to get out from under any lawsuits that stem from underage drinking.
If the legal drinking age is lowered to 18, the university will have far fewer incidents, and liabilities, to contend with in regards to underage drinking and their (the university's) responsibility to help uphold the law. (Continued…)
toni
posted 9/03/08 @ 11:59 AM CST
Maybe Dr. McMath is right, and 18 year old students should be treated as immature children who need to be protected of their own bad judgment, who cannot be trusted with a glass of beer. (Continued…)
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