When Is Adulthood Reached?

Back in the 1960s during the Vietnam War, hundreds of thousands of America's youth were conscripted into the armed forces, trained in combat, and then sent to the other side of the world into an alien and very hostile environment to put their lives and futures on the line as the political leaders of the time saw fit. But most of them were under 21, so they couldn't even vote for or against the political leaders who sent them there! This injustice was finally remedied in the 1970s when the national voting age was lowered to 18.

Eighteen years of age marks a generally recognized milestone into adulthood. Seventeen-year-olds are presumed to be minors and, legally-speaking, are incapable of having consensual sexual relations. But once they became eighteen, then they are presumed to be adults regarding sexual behavior. Being 18 means one can enlist in the armed forces and go off into combat. Once someone becomes eighteen and is charged with a crime, (s)he is subject to being prosecuted as a full adult. And yes, being 18 now does allow one to vote.

But across this country, the minimum legal age for purchasing or publicly possessing alcoholic beverages is 21! You may have already voted for nearly three years, be legally recognized as an adult regarding sexual matters or criminal prosecution, be a father or mother with the responsibility for caring for a child, and be in the armed forces putting your life on the line for your country. But you can't buy a Miller Lite at your local grocer!

There are those who feel that young people are not responsible enough to drink, due to the fact that the human brain is not fully developed until the mid-twenties. But it's apparently O.K. to recognize them as adults in all of the other aforementioned critically important areas!