This is a reply to a discussion board thread in my online English 1102 class on weather to allow teenagers to drink...ignore the first part about logic.
I love the fact that you put logic as one of the most important parts of any arguments, as I wholeheartedly agree. It doesn't matter how you present yourself if your argument has no logical fact. The part that I disagree on is still the underage drinking. I should have been clearer in my post, in that I don't agree that people under the age of 18 should be allowed to drink, rather that I think it should be lowered to 18. At the age of 18, one can legally vote, buy cigarettes, and serve this country in the Armed Forces. I don't agree with the fact that at the age of 18, I can sign up, get shipped off and die for my country, see things that no human should have to in the form of war, and still cannot go to the bar and have a beer. I believe that if you are mature enough to die in the name of the USA, then you should be considered mature enough to drink. I tend to take this subject very personally for many reasons. I myself am 20 years old, and am a Nationally Registered EMT-Paramedic, the equivalent of an RN, with the exception that I work in the field, in my ambulance, pulling people out of wrecked cars and being there at the worst moments of their lives. I have been a Paramedic for over a year now, and I am considered by the States of Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, and Kentucky, along with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, mature enough to literally have someones life in my hands. A vast majority of the time, their mortality rests on my shoulders, with my skills and knowledge as a Paramedic the only thing keeping them alive, however I am not mature enough to drink a beer? The government grants me control of Class IV Controlled Substances - Morphine, Fentanyl, Valium, and Demerol, all dangerous narcotics - but I do not have the maturity level to drink a Captain and Coke? I understand that not every person my age has a situation like this, but it should be kept in mind when arguing this point. Hopefully I've given a new perspective some of you haven't had before on this.
