why is the american drinking age 21?

That just seems like so long to wait I feel so sorry for americans.

Just because its at 21 that doesn't mean most teenagers are going to wait until 21. At the age of 21 that is when you are legally considered a adult.

And why can (at least some americans) get a driving lisence at the age of 16. Thats almost like letting a 10 years old drive a car D:

In Finland the legal drinking age is 18, but you can buy stronger liquors (22% or more) only after the age of 20 or 21.

I always thought 18 was most acceptable.

I got my driver's license at 16yrs old, you jelly? But to drive alone you have to be 18yrs old.

I don't mind it being twenty-one, but I do agree with the sentimentality that if I am old enough to serve, and die for my country, I'm old enough to drink.

Either legal adult age (signing up for selective service included) should be twenty-one or the drinking age moved to eighteen.

20 years old, and I don't drink. Tried it, hated it. I don't plan on drinking just because it's "legal" when I'm 21 either. I don't see how you people stomach such vile and bitter concoctions.

I find it pretty funny that Americans get to drive pretty early (wich seems like a huge responsibility, considering you can easily kill yourself and another person with a car), but they can't consume alcohol 'till really late.

If anything, it should be switched. Drinking as young as 16 but you can't get behind the wheel of a 2-ton weapon until you're 21.

Down here it's 16 for drinking and 18 for driving, wich seems pretty reasonable to me. :)

I can see the reasoning behind the current American laws. If they're going to let kids drive a car, they want them to know better and have more self control than to drink and drive, thus an increased age is SUPPOSED to prevent that.
-snickers-
Yep. We see how well that works.

Well in my high school the school forced the students to take an alcohol and drug class because too many students were high and drunk during school so the drug person told us the reason why the drinking age is 21 is because the brain is usually finished developing around that age.

I kind of get the reasoning, but on the other hand; Maybe you should teach them to drink responsibly first, and make sure it's not fun anymore just because it's new. Before you let them drive that is.

But ah well. :')

Eh. Like I stated above, it never was fun for me. I don't like hanging around constant drinkers either. It's all bitter and nasty to me. If I ever have children I'll probably try to instill the same values.



I'm sure there are legitimate health concerns, but in my opinion it's rooted in the fact that younger children are more easily addicted to substances and the aforementioned development of common sense.

you should drink the "fruity/girly" drinks smirnoff and mikes taste like fuckn' candy. dont know how people could drink other stuff

lol?
I am a girly, and it still tastes awful. I think I might have some defect with my taste buds, as coffee has the same awful bitter taste, no matter what is done to it. I think I recall that being some type of mutation of the taste buds somewhere, as they share common chemicals.

[font=Tahoma]It really makes no difference in America. If someone underage wants to drink that badly, they will find a way around it.
Its very easy.
And actually, its kind of pointless to have the drinking age be 21 because of that.[/font]

This really applies to any and all laws though, in any country.

[font=Tahoma]Okay? lol
I was just explaining that it's really not thaaaat much of an issue.[/font]

that sucks, but if you do drink mike's hard black cherry lemonade is fuckn' bomb XD