why is the american drinking age 21?

I don't understand why it would be 21, I think 18-19 is old enough. I guess it's really just a matter of responsibility though. Are Americans responsible enough? I'd think soo

The majority of teenagers in America are incredibly irresponsible, lol
I swear at least half of the women in my graduating class are now knocked up...and its only been 3 years.
It's probably the government trying to have some control over their youth.

^I support the above statement. The majority of the youth in America think they know responsibility, but they have no clue what it really entails.

Because you're old enough to die for your country at 18, but not to enjoy it. ;p

It's rather silly, but overall safe in regard to the huge issue of kids drinking and driving young.

Old enough to die for your country and vote for the the ones running it! but nope, still not old enough to enjoy a cold one

100% agreed...

I'm 20, live in Texas, I'm a borderline alcoholic. The drinking laws are there for stupid people. It's not like they really care what age you're drinking so long as you're not being retarded.

First and foremost, I don't think the drinking age should ever be 18 or under. You would have stupid kids buying beer for the young, and it would just be a giant shitshow. I hate to admit it, but the US is far more immature to handle that kind of thing, we aren't like other countries where drinking is taught to be more casual. Sure, some places do that in the US, but for the most part if you are under 21, you are most likely drinking to get fucked up. Again, their are exceptions (I live in Texas, I know their are exceptions).

Back to my first statement, the cops really don't give a damn what age you are drinking so long as you are smart about it in most places. Meaning:
Not drinking in public.
Not driving.
Not being an obnoxious prick.

For the bar scene, I never want to see anyone there 18 and under anyways. Could you imagine how ridiculous it would get? I mean really.

It would be more of a social experiment to lower the drinking age in America. A lot of people argue that, if lowered, kids would learn to be more responsible with it as they grow up. Personally, I think kids are stupid as shit, I know I was back in High School, and would be more willing to take stupid risks while still at the rebellious age. Kids think they are invincible, and alcohol doesn't help that situation. If I were to lower the drinking age to anything, I would make it 19. Why you ask?

For one, freshman in college could drink legally, which would solve a lot of American campus problems, and they wouldn't buy beer for high schoolers, because no one likes high schoolers once you're out. As for the serve for your country thing, you should be able to drink if you are actually in the military service, and you should get a special ID stating as such. Note that alot of military bases allow anyone under 21 on a military base to drink. I think serving your country proves your maturity and responsibility. It shouldn't be "If I CAN" it should be "If I DO".

MADD make it that why.

Yeah, especially since you can go and get killed in a war at 18. Shouldn't the ages be switched?

Personally I dont drink anyway cause I have a high alcohol tolerance, it tastes bad, and I dont really see the point anyway. On the rare occasions I DO drink Id have to buy insane amounts of liquor, then proceed to chug it down as fast as I can and HOPE I get a kickback, THEN if I get lucky and it does take effect early, then I have a bunch of useless liquor lying around and by obligation I have to drink it all, which MAY lead to me getting fucked up eventually. Thats too much damn work and its too damn expensive to pursue, beyond that if I do drink I likely have to usually just end up with the option of having a hangover the next day. Fuck it.

Btw lol the legal drinking age is an illusion. I had a friend that started drinking at 7.

Thats fair enough man it's your perspective but it's a bit of an aquired taste not everyone likes it the first time they have it but it grows on you like sour lolies and coffee

I've been drinking since I was fourteen and I enjoy it throughly but because it is no longer new and exciting, I feel that there is no need to drink when I need to drive home because I can have fun without it (driving and drinking legal at 18)

It's more of a responsibility issue. They feel you are responsible enough at the age of 21 to be incoherent and stupid which is hillarious. I think I am the only person in America that actually waited until they were 21 to drink.

Sour loli mmmm~.
But yeah, many people dont like coffee when they start to drink it, they just drink it for the caffeine and then little by little start to like the taste too.
I tried drinking coffee once so I would get my caffeine without having to drink energy drinks or taking caffeine tabs. But the taste was too awful to me, I tried many times, but every time I swallowed a mouthful it felt like its gonna come back up any second. So I gave up.
And the same thing with alcohol too nowdays. I drank when I was 16 and I drank almost every weekend. Then I puked and havent drank since. Even those drinks that taste like soda and not alcohol at all, I cant drink them. Swallowing them is hard and I start to feel really ill before I'm even a little bit drunk. But its really better that way, alcohol is really expensive here + I have my own ways of having fun :)

I have the same problem with vodka, jim beam bourbon and white wine one sip of any of those and I feel like I could munt right away.

Where are you from? alcohols fairly expensive here too (Australia).

Finland. Stronger alcohol drinks are only sold in one store here and thats Alko and because there is only one store that sells them, they can sell them for what ever price they want, no other stores to compete with.
But for years many people have bought their liquour from Estonia. A ship there costs almost nothing and compared to our prices liquor there is cheap.

Well this made for an interesting read finland's alcohol is quite highly regulated, aside from fines for public intoxication, purchasing for minors and taxes, I like to think our system is fairly good.

The drinking age in America is 21, because of how every little thing is regulated (sorta). The government just looks at all the people and looks at all the complaints people have, look at scientific facts, and decide. They decided that 21 is appropriate because we learned that the brain stops "growing" after the age of 21. We used to be able to drink when we turned 18, but that was before the prohibition of liquor in the 1920s. And we freaking get to learn how to drive a vehicle at such a younger age, because at that age we can finally go and find some work. And parents in America don't want to have to drive their children to work every single time. I think it is also to teach them more responsibility, as in two years they turn into adults (by law) and the parents can kick them out of the house if they so wish it. Me, I learned to drive when I was 18. I'm 21, and I freaking know how to drive better than more than half the Americans out there on the roads today.

It was raised to 21 in the early 80's with the help of MADD. It was lowered briefly to 18 by FDR, and MADD cited statistics about the increased number of teen drunk driving fatalities and that was that.

Before that, to my knowledge it was a matter of common law. 21 you were considered an adult and before that, still a child.

FUCKING TRUTH

Because anti-alcohol lobbies convinced the government that it was a good idea to decrease highway funding for states that set their drinking age below 21.