Again, regarding the tragedy where a "Greek" pledge at Penn State lost his life because nobody pulled out his cell phone and called 911, it strikes me that this is an understandable consequence of our Victorian** attitudes towards drinking. First of all, other fraternity members would know instinctively that since the pledges were largely under 21, that they would be in trouble as soon as the police and ambulance were called. This is especially the case when we consider that universities are prone to revoking fraternity charters when they get news of a party.
On a more basic level, the age 21 drinking age helped to kill this young man because it ensured that he learned about alcohol not from his family, but from his high school party friends and frat brothers.
Ending our Victorian attitudes towards liquor might not have kept him alive, but all in all, it would be more likely.
**I call these attitudes "Victorian" because Prohibition was a Victorian enterprise which the beer-drinking Puritans would have been puzzled by.
Hot Gear Friday: The Swiss Army Guitar
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The word “iconic” is overused these days. I try to avoid it. It’ll be hard
in this next bit. If you are not a guitar player, and someone says
“electric gui...
8 hours ago
2 comments:
Mark here, I discovered in Colorado that it is legal here to serve your children alcohol in your own home. I don't like the taste, but I'm strongly considering introducing my children to alcohol for those very reasons. I don't want it to be some taboo thing that they are ashamed about and feel like they can't ask for help if they find themselves in a bad situation.
You might do even better, if you've never been around the drinking scene, to ask a friend who drinks in moderation to walk your little ones through the ropes of how to handle alcohol safely. Maybe buy a little and give them a sip so they know what it tastes like, but the bigger thing IMO is that my parents, grandparents, and more taught me a LOT about how to handle it safely.
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