Anything? Something?

I’ll be the first to admit that most (if not all) of my recent topics in this section have been, to describe them charitably, optimistic in their expected discussion provoking potential. And this topic will be no different.

But I have to try something; the forum’s grip upon most of its members appears to be waning, and it was a tenuous grip to begin with: Trevor appears unable to find time in his busy schedule comprising one part ‘sculpting his guns’ and the other part ogling magazines advertising knives capable of exploding large predatory beasts to make it to the forum; for Glen I think there isn’t enough religious talk, or maybe there’s too much — I don’t know — whatever it is, it isn’t exactly the right amount of religious talk; Nick’s stumbled across a new toy which has kept him sufficiently distracted for long enough that now he’s forgotten where this site is and how to get back to it; Tom doesn’t visit because, by his own admission, it’s too much of a mental commando course to run in trying to wrap one’s mind around the inconceivable idea that the forum organises its posts by displaying the most recent posts after the ones that preceded it in time, instead of the other way around (...what?); Boden already knows too much about the inner workings of forum coding/web stuff to not be embarrassed by being vaguely associated with this forum, so he only deigns to pass by once or twice to completely flout the admittedly disorganised format that we’ve attempted to set out and create in random places his own isolated, self-contained, Boden-centred sub-topics polluted with a shameful amount of animated emoticons; Rohan, who I naturally assumed has taught himself to be omniscient, has no need to visit since he already knows all that has been said and... will... be said (wierd); Simmo!, true to everything that is Simmo!, unleashed the Ultimate in whirl-wind tours as he shot through the forum the other week: One post, One word, One Man, and who knows if he’ll ever return; Mr.Alex, the Ghettoest Mofo of all who have ever tried, is understandably beyond and above the forum and all the plebs that dwell within the forum, plus I think he was busy on his way to winning the Nobel Prize in the field of Sammich Innovation (I’m pretty sure it had raisin bread in it!); and I think Marc, who’s only outlet for the frustration that builds inside from the soon to be described situation is to make up pithy rank titles for members and then try beat his own record by creating a better one, is growing weary under the weight of knowing that he’s the only one left to respond to my tragically point-less posts and try to keep me from discovering the sad truth: that nobody actually wants to talk to me.

So here it is, you fuckers!

There seems to be talk, again, about raising the legal age limit for drinking alcohol, to 21.

I dun care, I'm 23! Bam!

Seriously though, why?

'Cause raising the age limit will mean kids won't drink until they're 21, and study instead. Duh.

Maybe they figure, hey, 15-year-old kids are drinking now, so if we raise the age limit to 21, kids won't drink til they're 18. It's the same reason we have 50 km speed zones - to slow people down to 60.

You is so right marc


See Andy, I contribute.

It wont make a difference. I was in the US of A just now and little Zachy's mates are just turning 18 and they've been drinking for a couple of years.

Where's my title Marc?

I think if they raise the drinking age to 18, they should by right raise the voting, and criminal law ages too- look at it this way:

i'm 18, i have to vote, i will be tried as an adult in a court of law (from the age of 16) but i am unable to purchase or consume an alchoholic beverage. Why? because i am seen to be too young or immature to handle that level of responsibility.

and yet- i AM mature enough to understand the consequences of say butchering Crevu with a butter knife, so mature in fact that they'll lock me up in the same institution as hardened 30yr old criminals.

I'm also seen as mature and responsible enough to decide who is best to lead this fine nation we live in and to declare this decision in a legally binding document.

in addition i am mature enough to be trained by the national armed forces to handle a weapon- and not just any weapon, anything from a bayonet through to a guided missile. i am in fact mature enough for our nation to send me into hostile situations in order to kill other human beings

but apparently not mature enough to handle drinking a beer to take my mind off my stressful responsibilities...

But like Marc said- i'm 26, let them limit drinking 'til you're over 25 for all i care.

One other consideration- with less legal drinkers, will the price of beer go up?

Good points. But what of the argument that it is conceivable that there need not be one level of 'restrictions' for all situations i.e. we restrict the age of alcohol consumption because we recognise that it is different to, say voting, in that poor decisions in voting are not nearly as harmful as poor decisions when it comes to alcohol? And likewise with the law thing. Perhaps, it could be argued, that all these things are sufficiently different to warrant different age restrictions? Though personally I usually did use the whole 'adult' argument as well... though I don't know how effective it is.

Oh, why the fuck not. We're not big on people taking responsibility for their own actions in this state. This is just another example.

Have you ever noticed how parents give their children responsibilities, so they'll grow up to be responsible? My argument is, if you take away too many of peoples choices, they'll gradually depend on other people more and more to make their choices for them. For fucks sake, we're big boys now. You can handle booze at 18.

About the price; I doubt it will increase if legal drinkers are fewer. Beer is already cheaper in the States than it is here, and they have a 21 drinking age (but less vigorous carding). And our prices are pretty much the same as Europe, where the drinking age goes up and down, depending on country, between 16 and 21.