Have you ever heard the claim made that the problem with high-risk drinking by 20-somethings in the United States is a byproduct of our high age limit (21)? The proponent normally tries to contrast the drink-'til-you-puke mentality of American college-aged drinkers with the far more laid back attitude towards alcohol across in pond. We are led to believe that alcohol-related problems are much less pervasive in those cultures where the forbidden-fruit phenomenon is absent among young people.
Think again: it's not necessarily so. Have a look at this article from the New York Times last week. Loved this quote by Inspector Vaughn Clarke: "People in America don’t go out and get hammered in the same way." Actually, Inspector, they really do. Yobbish behavior at bar break in Britain sounds mighty familiar to the scene Lincoln police officers deal with in certain areas.
That yobbish behavior post, by the way, was quite early on in my blogging career. I must admit to a certain pride of authorship in the last sentence of the fifth paragraph. I worry even more today then I did in 2007 that stupid mistakes made by inebriated young people will hamper their careers and lives in ways they never imagined. Things that used to fade into the mists of time now live on forever on the Internet.
Monday, December 30, 2013
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That is one aspect of technology that wil the bane of some, rather than a boon; the fact that in this digital age, it is much easier to find out things about another person that would formerly have been hidden or forgotten by the passage of time.
As most all teenage boys do, I did some things in the past that I am not proud of and would just soon no one knew. In my case, few if any do know of my escapades, and those secrets are highly unlikely to become public knowledge at this point in my life. I don't think the same will be true for the misadventures, or misdeeds, of young people today.
This fact may, eventually, turn out to be a good thing, in that kids may learn to be more mindful of their behavior, knowing that it will follow them the rest of their lives.
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