Young adults, who are between the ages of 18 and 19, have the right to fight and die for their country, yet they do not have the privilege to sit down and enjoy a beer with his or her family or friends legally. This is one of the most popular arguments spoken about when lowering the drinking age back to eighteen is brought up. In Dr. Ruth C. Engs essay “Why the drinking age should be lowered: An opinion based upon research,” she brings about very strong arguments that most people would not usually think of. Engs says that the drinking age should be lowered to 18 or 19.
In the essay, Engs believes that the drinking age should be lowered to 18 or 19. She makes the argument that most college students consume alcohol while they are under the age of 21 because they see it as an appealing way to rebel against authority. She believes that as long as the drinking is going on in a controlled environment, then everything should be okay. In this essay, Engs uses numerous statistics to show the negative effects that drinking can have on the youth. For example, the people who have been in fights after drinking rose from 12 to 17 percent when allowing the college age youth to drink.
She states that this happens because all of the drinking that transpires goes on behind closed doors without proper supervision. If the age becomes 18 or 19, then this would eliminate a lot of those problems. However, this may not always be the case. Further examination of this essay proves to show that Engs tends to be confused on her points. She starts off stating that she is for it, but towards the end of the essay she brings in facts that dissuade the reader as to why the drinking age should be lowered.
The Essay on Should The Drinking Age Be Lowered
Should the Drinking Age be lowered Many questions have been posed concerning the drinking age in all fifty states within the United States. Should it be lowered back to eighteen What will the consequences be Will there be more fatalities What will insurance companies think And, will it actually serve as a barrier to the underage consumers All of these questions and many more are only the beginning ...
This shows that Engs tends to be going hither and thither on her arguments. On the other hand, she presents a fair picture of both sides of the argument regarding lowering the drinking age. The main audience that this article reaches is the legislation of the states to push for the passing of a lower drinking age. The information provided by the author does not exactly help the point that she is trying to get across to her audience. For example, she brings up a fact that is as follows,
“…from 1982 until 1987 about 46% of students reported ‘vomiting after drinking’. This jumped to over 50% after the law changed. ” (Engs).
Therefore, this piece of information goes against her argument that the drinking age should be lowered. The facts that she presents make people under the age of 21 seem to undereducated and immature to be allowed to drink making her argument invalid. After reading this argumentative essay, I have come to understand that the points that Engs argues make clear and well-rounded statements on why the drinking age should be lowered.
The arguments that she creates provide a strong and intelligent opinion that can overall influence and persuade what the reader may think about lowering the drinking age. Before reading this essay, I did not believe that it should be lowered, but because Engs arguments are so strong, I began to rethink my thoughts. Although the opinions that she brings up are valid, I still do not think that it would be in the best interest for this country that the age be brought down to 18. There are too many risks that go along with it that may include, more drunk drivers and in turn create more fatalities due to inexperienced drivers.
