from Ben's mom
We recently viewed Friday Night Lights. The film is well-made and has some positive messages. But there were even more disturbing elements--the overglorification of sports and the special allowances made to athletes; premarital sex, especially casual sex; and underage drinking. I could say a lot on each, but for this post, I will stick to my frustration with the latter.
Underage drinking is presented in the film as normal, run-of-the-mill behavior. At points it seems almost encouraged by adults in the film: Coach Gaines tells the team to go celebrate and he doesn't seem entirely in the dark about how they do so. The washed up members of the town all act like this is the last chance these guys will ever have to have fun and that seems to imply the party scene and all that goes with it.
While I'm not of the opinion that alcohol is evil incarnate, it seems to me that we either need to change the legal drinking age or develop some healthy respect for the law. I remember sitting in traffic court, astonished that I received a harsher penalty for not wearing my seat belt than did a host of students (from nearby Oregon State) who had been found guilty of underage drinking. They were given a mere slap on the wrist (I believe it was community service and a $15 fine) for their behavior.
At my Christian college, underage drinking was pretty much accepted behavior and while it was a dry campus, student life staff (students and professionals) looked the other way when underage students were seen wandering the resident halls in a drunken stupor. A friend of mine at another "Christian college" had trouble finding friends who didn't drink and reported that the college had an annual "run" in which participants in this school-sponsored event were all known to run drunk. The typical college age student is between the ages of 18 and 23; half (or more) of those years they are not supposed to be drinking. Two preacher's kids at my college rented a house just off campus and threw parties for underclassmen where they charged them to drink--they bought it and supplied it and you just had to show, pay your money to get in the house, and drink. I could go on....
Back in the Viet Nam era, the question was why we would have a draft at 18 and not allow these "men" to drink until 3 years later? It is a good question, and while the draft is a moot point now, there are 18-yr old soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan who are risking their lives for us who do not have the legal right to a beer. It does seem incongruous.
What we have currently is a situation where culturally people have long ago accepted that people much younger than 21 will drink and have decided that it doesn't bother them all that much. Most are a little more disturbed by high school drinking (e.g. "Friday Night Lights") than college-aged imbibing.
It is time we either change the law or try to develop some respect for it.
Every law maker, cop, college administrator, and parent in this country knows that underage drinking is going on in every college in this country (oh, and don't think the BJU's and PHC's of the world are exempt). And for the most part, they really don't care. If underage drinking were attacked the way former NYC mayor Rudy Guiliani instructed his cops to attack even petty crime, and students understood that they would be seriously penalized, something would change. Yes, it would be a little invasive to have cops hanging out around college campuses and frat houses Thursday-Sunday nights (Thursday was the big party night at my school) and as a culture, I don't think it is something we would tolerate. So make it 18. But at least get honest about it. And don't belittle the law in the eyes of younger people, who are the same people we need to have the healthiest respect for it.
6 comments:
I wholeheartedly agree. Either respect the law or change it. (Although I may be lecturing myself here when it comes to speed limit laws.) :P
Rachelle, you make me laugh. Lots of people rant about underage drinking, but not too many suggest that we just lower the age. :) I agree with your points... although wouldn't it just be caving into lawlessness to legalize underage drinkers? -- SJ
The inner attorney in me must point out that the act of "underage drinking" is not per se illegal in most states. It's usually not the drinking that gets these people in legal trouble but rather "possession" of alcohol. Virginia for instance expressly allows parents to serve alcohol to minors in their homes. The law makes a distinction between locations, allowing drinking at home where the minors are assumed to be under parental control while prohibiting it in locations where they are deemed on their own.
Yes, you are right. But what is commonly happening today is one set of parents allowing a party at their house where alcohol is served to other parents children. And, of course, college campuses where parents are not present being common drinking centers. I like the rule about parents having the right to serve their children--I may introduce my child to a glass of wine at Christmas (when he is MUCH OLDER but not yet 21). But I don't have the right to decide it is ok to serve your (hypothetical) children.-rlr
The libertarian in me says that even if there are people who do not know how to conduct themselves responsibly, ain't none of the government's business to tell me when I can or cannot drink.
-mjr
Oh, this IS gonna generate a lot of responses. I'll continue the momentum with a little digression as well.
First, to "mjr" of the previous post. If you are who I think you are, YOU should know the law. And the government DOES have the right to tell you when you can and cannot drink (age-wise). IT'S THE LAW! Libertarians!
Next, to the subject of "Christian colleges". Colleges who call themselves "Christian" and then turn a blind eye to the blatant sin that is being done on campuses, are shameful, naive or both. In many of these colleges, there is virtually no difference between them and a state run university. You know, I think we need to come up with a different nomenclature for the students who attend these colleges, because a lot of young people today ages 18 to 28 who call themselves Christians (and I said a lot, not all) do not live by the principles, instructions and commands of Christ. They make a mockery out of them by their behavior. They set their own rules, live their lives with little regard for other people and justify sin as personal choice.
Underage drinking is against the law. Period. You may think it's a bad law, but it's the law. How can we we expect our young people to respect God ordained authorities when they buck the rules and think they apply to everyone else but them? And we let them get away with things like underage drinking. Why? Why have rules if they're going to be violated? Because without boundaries, you will have anarchy.
I bet most readers didn't know that if you are a 21 year old college student and you give a 20 year old college student, especially a female one, alcohol - you could go to jail for that! And that would mean a criminal record. And that wouldn't look good for those who have high aspirations of powerful positions - especially in government.
But underage drinking is only one problem that daunts colleges today - especially "Christian" colleges. What would happen to some place like Patrick Henry College for example, if it was discovered that many of their students not only drink, but smoke, are into pornography and have sex just like secular college students do? And suppose that students were hiding tobacco or drug products or alcohol in their dorm rooms? What would happen to them if they were found out? Maybe they have a "cool RA" who turns their head and no one knows or they cover for them or alert them to when "something's going down"? Or maybe some one that lives in their wing has seen their stash or seen them drunk, but is afraid to say anything because they would be ex-communicated by their peers or worse?! What if the president of the college and the board of trustees found out? And what if it was true? What then? What do you think would happen to the school's and students' reputation, not to mention Christ's since it is He that makes a college "Christian"? What if these colleges acquiesce and become like every other school? Think it can't happen?
It already has.
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