“It’s really the parent’s fault in the first place for not being in control of their kids…” I completely disagree with this statement. Although parental control may be a possible reason for the problems that have erupted regarding underage drinking, it is definitely not the primary cause. Every year, thousands of eighteen year olds graduate from high school and flee off to college. This is where the vast majority of underage drinking takes place, completely out of reach for most parents. Students may figure that they are far from home – who’s watching? In this instance, how can any parents be the ones put to blame? Being sent off to college suggests a spirit of independence, a rite of passage. It has been clearly misunderstood that this “rite of passage” should also include drinking.
Recently, a large sum of college presidents signed a statement urging politicians to lower the drinking age. If any mother from MADD (Mother’s Against Drunk Driving) were to express their grief and misery after the loss of a child due to a drunk driver, the arguments of any college presidents who signed the statement to lower the drinking age would be mute. Twenty four years ago, the federal government saved countless numbers of lives by rising the drinking age to 21 and now college presidents (of all people) want to lower it. Everyone argues that eighteen year olds who go off to war deserve a beer. If having a beer at eighteen is that big of a deal, then perhaps the military can provide some sort of supervised drinking for those enlisted. Otherwise, those students given the “legal right” to drink at 18 will inevitably be responsible for more alcohol-related deaths.