Should the legal drinking limit be lowered? When teenagers can hold a hot gun but not a cold beer.

Saint Patrick’s Day is a holiday celebrated March 17^th characterized by wearing green attire, various public parades, the end of Lent and most importantly, massive binge drinking.

Although the drinking age in U.S. is higher than those in European countries, the United States has an increasing death rate from alcohol abuse. In the United Kingdom alcohol causes around 9,000 deaths per year, but in the United States over 75,000 deaths per year are attributed to alcohol abuse. Underage drinking has always been an issue regardless of the purchase of alcohol by anyone under the age of 21 being restricted by law in countries like ours.

The age limit in Michigan was raised to 21 in hopes of keeping alcohol out of high schools. According to County Wide Newspaper, Kalamazoo County ranked 7th in the state for underage drinking.  The state is attempting to fix this problem by creating more laws against underage drinking, but is it really working? It seems as though no matter how many new laws are formed, kids are going to continue to drink even though they know it is wrong.  When asked, many students tend to answer with sarcastic comments such as “Wait, I can go to war and die for my country but I can’t drink?” or young couples joke, “Let’s get married, but not be able to toast at our wedding”. At 18 we are considered age of majority, or adults, able to vote and go to war but we are forbidden to drink.

One must also ask the question, “How are underage kids able to obtain alcohol?” Networking has provided students connections with legal drinkers who supply them with alcohol. Some even go as far as asking them for their old I.D., to some extent considered stealing someone else’s identity, which is a bigger felony than underage drinking.  If students will go out of their way to buy alcohol, why not lower the drinking age to stop them from soliciting it to wrong or even dangerous people?  Since recent laws are found to cause more harm than good, then maybe it would be wise to take action and consider lowering the age limit or engage in more effective measures.

The state of Ohio recently instituted a law that allows individuals between the ages of 18 and 21 to consume alcohol in the presence of a legal guardian. As a result, Ohio has seen a dramatic decrease in alcohol related fatalities. If the national drinking age were lowered minors would become more familiar with the effects and dangers of alcohol consumption at a younger age. Also, bars provide a safe, public, supervised place to enjoy the intoxicating effects of alcohol. If minors were allowed to drink at bars bartenders would be able to monitor the amount of alcohol they consume, and the public setting would reduce the chance that an inebriated individual might be assaulted.

"If the age were lowered, at least
I would have been at home
and safe..."

 In an interview, student Alyshia Norris admitted to having drunk before her 21^st birthday.  She says she did it because it felt exciting to be breaking that rule.  “I was kind of a goodie goodie in high school.  I didn’t really do anything to try to break the rules.  Drinking early just felt exciting, and I did it to a good deal of excess for about a year around my birthday.  If the age were lowered, at least I would have been at home and safe instead of on my own and possibly putting myself in dangerous situations.” 

Does the current drinking age help or hinder the original goal of keeping alcohol out of underage hands? Students “pre-game” before leaving their house so they go out to parties already intoxicated and are exempted from drinking through the rest of the day. The worry of getting caught is pressuring them to drink in their homes and surpassing their physical alcoholic tolerance. By introducing individuals to the opportunity to consume alcohol at a younger, and more supervised age European countries have experienced fewer deaths related to alcohol consumption.  

Students pre-gaming in St. Patrick's Day,
also an example of reckless behavior.

Over 42 percent of American high school students have consumed alcohol, and that number is even higher for underage college students. Many choose to consume alcohol despite its illegality and consequences. By keeping the national drinking age at 21 years of age minors feel forced to consume alcohol secretively in unsupervised settings. This scenario can lead to alcohol poisoning or even rape because of a lack of supervision.

"...we are old enough to
make our own decisions,
and even drink responsibly."

Stephen Bus, a 19-year-old freshman at Western Michigan University, vehemently agrees that the age limit should be lowered. Many young students share his view, arguing that at 18, teenagers should be given the liberty to drink as they are much more mature at that age.  “I don’t see why one must be 18 and over for a lot of other things in this country, apart from the consumption of alcohol. I feel that at this age we are old enough to make our own decisions, and even drink responsibly.”

 MLive posted on its website and article titled “Roundup of St. Patrick's Day festivities across Michigan” http://www.mlive.com/st-patricks-day/index.ssf/2012/03/roundup_of_st_patricks_day_festivities_across_michigan.html, which provides us with photo galleries of the events that occurred during St. Patty’s. These activities were for people of all ages, but what we don’t see is the “younger” side of the holiday and what actually happens behind closed doors, or in this particular case, outdoors. The following video is a compilation of scenes that were shot at Campus Court’s pool party:

Edited by John Barrios and Sugel Gamal
 
Underage drinking is an unavoidable occurrence. The majority of the students who attended this event lived in the premises and were able to drink legally. Witnesses confirm that minors outside were arrested at the scene for trying to get into the party. Numerous students under the influence had had so much to drink they couldn’t behave politely in public, therefore authorities were forced to seize the party early. After viewing this video we can see that people who are legally able to drink do not go over their heads and have even more fun under conscientious drinking. Wouldn’t you consider it best to lower the drinking age and decrease the pressure placed upon those who are forbidden from and tempted to binge drink?

References

• http://www.metro.co.uk/news/810808-increase-in-alcohol-related-deaths
• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6089353/ns/health-addictions/t/alcohol-linked-us-deaths-year/#.T3K1O2Ct_8w

An emotional spectrum; A rainbow of emotions

No quisiera atribuir este sentimiento a alguien en específico pero espero que ya sea obvio que me gusta escribir cuando me inspiran, y definitivamente estoy inspirada. Confieso que voy a escribir los pensamientos más raros que he tenido y metáforas que ni yo logro comprender. Pero lo he dicho antes y lo vuelvo a decir, soy muy incoherente. (y no importa lo que diga la gente... y otras palabras que terminen en -ente)


¿Alguna vez te han hecho sentir que cada emoción en ti puede pintar tu cuerpo de un color? El ser se vuelve un espectro visible. Los sentimientos siempre han formado parte de nosotros, en nuestro interior, pero en un momento son obvios para cualquiera. El ojo humano sólo percibe los colores cuando la iluminación es abundante.  Como cuando sonríes y tu cara se ilumina. En un instante el sentimiento es visible. Tal vez por eso alguien puede notar cuando estás felíz y decirte "You're just glowing today!"


Hay muchos colores y de ellos cientos de variaciones. No pretendo explicarles lo que siento lléndome en una mencionando cada color existente o que se podría relacionar con una emoción. Pero bueno... aquí va.


A veces llevo la mente en blanco, saben? Ese sentimiento de que no hay preocupaciones y cualquier disparate te corre por la piel como agua. Te moja pero no lo absorbes. Mientras llueven los problemas yo siento que ando con mi sombrillita.  Me siento así cuando me lleno de optimismo. Como una página en blanco, serena, pero consciente de que todavía hay mucho por hacer y escribir. 


Si hay algo que últimamente he hecho mucho es dejarme maquillar. No me refiero a sentarme y ponerme siete libra' de blush y base (aunque admito que estos últimos días he recurrido a eso porque hay que andar bonitoso de vez en mes tu ve'?) Todo lo contrario. Estoy permitiendo que lo que siento se deje ver. Muchos no lo notan, pero cuando se va acercando mi pecho se va prendiendo en fuego, mi pulso se detiene y luego se dispara, y siento como mi cuello se calienta. Una ráfaga que va subiendo hacia mis buches hasta que por fin tengo la cara roja entera. No sé si será vergüenza... pero sé que no es por que me sucede que me pongo color tutti frutti (jaja que cura con esa palabra... díganla en voz alta a ver si se ríen un chin) sino por que me pregunto si tu te das cuenta en ese mismo instante de lo que está pasando. Probablemente si, y decides sonreírte orgullosamente. O inocentemente logras ignorarlo, pero sabes y yo sé que sabes (válgame, que cliché!)


Pero (por que todo en la vida tiene un pero) no crean que todo es color rosa. A veces me pongo verde de envidia cuando no tengo obtengo la atención que quiero. Cuando me hacen promesas y no las cumplen. Cuando me dicen mentiras yo sabiendo la verdad. Más aún cuando me traicionan o engañan. Y ver a una persona ponerse límites cuando e vez lo que le sale del forro de los cojones... ni Hulk puede conmigo. Me enferma enterarme que una persona está triste y aparenta ser felíz. Más verde que una Presidente me pongo cuando un individuo se convence de que puede aguantar más de una situación desfavorable, cuando ni yo ya la aguanto. Pero... no es conmigo ni es de mí, realmente.


Además, me pongo pilas de blue cuando me imagino que las cosas no saldrán como quiero. Soy una persona con bajas expectativas pero propensa caer fácilmente en una ilusión. Tampoco soy boba, pero me sé hacer mis pajitas mentales de vez en cuando. Lo niego a muerte realmente. ¿Acaso no somos todos así? Nos repetimos que tenemos los pies en la tierra pero realmente nos acostamos en el piso mirando hacia arriba. El cuerpo anclado y la mente flotando. Mirando el Sol y la Luna preguntándome cuándo se encontraran. Y al momento de toparse, no sólo saber de la presencia del otro, pero saber cuál confesará quien tenía más tiempo anhelando este encuentro. Me pone triste anhelar algo y no conseguirlo, pero ni siquiera mi intento de expresar pensamientos esotéricos me quita esta ilusión.


Con esto lo que quiero decir es que cada persona es un mundo de colores, y no soy excepción. Somos un arco iris ambulante. Depende de cada uno de nosotros apreciar nuestras diferentes tonalidades y estar seguros de no apagar la luz en los demás. Sin luz no podemos ver lo que hay en la oscuridad, no?  Pero creo que no tiene que estar soleado, ni haber buenas condiciones para ver un arco iris. 

Our true colors will always shine through. 

Tal vez la canción no tenga nada que ver, pero me gujta.

(Sálgase del blog si vino a criticar)