Thursday, April 19, 2007
On raising the drinking age, and a story about the Iowa of my youth
In the category of swinging pendulums, Glenn Reynolds links with apparent approval to various columns -- including one by George Will -- arguing that the drinking age should revert to 18. The arguments in favor are legion, but the political opportunity lies in the traditional place:
In the first four years of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 563 Americans under the age of 21 were killed in the line of duty. These citizen soldiers were old enough to vote, old enough to put on military uniforms, and old enough to die for their country: They were old enough to do just about anything, except drink a red-white-and-blue can of Budweiser.
This argument does not have quite the force it did in generations past, because even our teenaged soldiers and Marines are vastly more experienced, skilled, trained, mature and responsible than most of their peers who have chosen the repose of college life. One has the sense that the typical 18 year-old of the '40s, '50s, and even '60s was not nearly as sheltered and, yes, childish as he is today (for more on that tendentious subject, I highly recommend Glenn and Helen's interview of author-psychologist Robert Epstein). That said, I certainly agree that we should reduce the drinking age. Indeed, I first wrote about this issue 29 years ago, in the summer of 1978.
That year, I was 16 and quite mindful of Iowa Governor Robert Ray's earlier campaign promise not to raise the drinking age. By 1978 Ray had backtracked, and signed a law that moved it from 18 to 19. I was grandfathered, but my highly refined sense of justice spun me up into a state of outrage nonetheless. Not having a blog at the time I unburdened myself the traditional way: I wrote the governor a letter detailing the many stupidities and injustices in the new law and dropped it in the mail. I'm sure it was both persuasive and witty.
One Saturday morning a couple of weeks later I was sitting around indolently eating Captain Crunch when the phone rang.
A woman: "Can you spare a few minutes for Iowa's governor, Robert Ray."
Me (having completely forgotten the letter, and assuming that I was about to listen to some taped political message or other solicitation that would not actually involve Robert Ray): "Uh, sure."
A man: "TigerHawk*, I wanted to talk to you about the fine letter you wrote about raising the drinking age."
Me: "Governor Ray?"
Then ensued a delightful and mutually respectful 15 minute conversation about the wisdom and lack thereof in the raising of the drinking age, at the end of which we agreed to disagree, but take each other's ideas into account.
The most Iowa thing about the whole episode was not that the governor called me, a pimply high school student, at home to discuss a matter of public policy. At the time, I didn't even find it particularly surprising. No, the most Iowa thing was that the governor didn't turn it into a publicity moment. No reporter called to find out what it was like to talk to the governor, and Robert Ray never claimed credit for talking to the average voter off camera, one-on-one. It was just the way Iowa worked.
On the drinking age, I think the right answer is now and always will be obvious. Individuals should be able to purchase alchohol on their own account starting at age 19, which would liberalize the current law considerably and still allow for the policing of unsupervised drinking among high school students. In addition, teenagers older than, say, 15 should be able to drink in the company of their parents, either in private or in restaurants. Responsible drinking has to be taught. One can't help but believe that the current generation binges because it has had no opportunity to learn that responsibility from the people in the best position to teach it to them.
________________________________________
*Not my real name.
6 Comments:
By 
Miss Ladybug, at
Thu Apr 19, 10:06:00 PM:
When my dad was stationed in Germany my last two years of high school (and summers after my first two years of college), you could buy alcohol on base at the age of 18. Since you could go off base and drink at an even younger age, I guess it made sense... I never was a drinker (still not), but, growing up, I was occasionally allowed to partake - usually wine. I turned out fine.
By Catchy Pseudonym, at
Fri Apr 20, 09:12:00 AM:
I started at the age of four, drinking 40s mainly, moved on to Gin and Juice in Elementary school and really got into Whisky later on. Now I consume no more that a mere 4 Martinis during lunch. Outside of the occasional "blackouts" and greenish hue to my skin, I feel great.
By Charlottesvillain, at
Fri Apr 20, 10:33:00 AM:
TH, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you truncated the story and left out the best part:
Phone rings:
Mom: Hello? JJ its for you. Its the governor's office.
Dad: Hello? I see. Actually, I think you want to talk to my son...
By Purple Avenger, at
Sat Apr 21, 12:40:00 AM:
I woke up draped over a dorm toilet my junior year in college and don't remember how I got there.
That pretty much cured my desire to drink to excessive levels.
Not being in control is a feeling a have a very distinct dislike for.
By 
, at
Tue Apr 24, 03:08:00 PM:
I would go a but farther and lower the drinking age and make it mandatory and at the same time, raise the legal driving age. I know whereof I speak, I attended Wisconsin when the drinking age was 18 - and almost mandatory. Most people had one bad weekend (usually involving a nose to nose relationship with the thunder mug) and learned how to handle it. In those days it wasn't binge drinking.
By lowering one and raising the other, most people would acquire some experience with alcohol before driving. And some might learn to handle it. That said, we do have to find some way of getting repeat offenders off the highways -
By , at
Tue Apr 24, 10:16:00 PM:
TH - Two comments:
1) I love your Iowa recollections. I have similar ones and mine happened when I was in my 20's and 30's. I cannot think of a place where people are as genuine, and forthright good-natured as Iowan's. Having grown-up in the Northeast and having moved back from the Midwest, I still long for places like Iowa where people really want to know "how ya doing?"
2)The drinking age - I grew up in NY State where the drinking age was 18, actually more like 13 because there were virtually no controls put on access to booze for people younger then 18. I agree that taking away the mystery from drinking at home as my Irish father had saved me and my nine brothers and sisters many embarassing nights. However, controls have to be put on access to people who are younger then the legal age, as well as their ability to get behind a wheel. Unfortunately, I attended far too many funerals for drunk kids who did really stupid stuff behind a wheel.
