right. I see the issue as a subculture that would never have existed but for the imposed separation of the underaged which has (d)evolved over time. when we were both 18, my German friend who was visiting couldn’t understand our laws and told me “if you can walk up to a bar and ask for a beer, you’ll be served” in Germany (though I think this has changed since '93?) You could get beer in vending machines. point being, the abuse and “bad behavior” seems to stem partially from having to engage in sneaky, underhanded means just to obtain any alcohol at that age. (I’m told there was no organized crime in the US until prohibition, either, which seems like parallel behavior) There are no role models present to establish the merits of moderation. everyone is an unseasoned drinker with a body that is at it’s most tolerant to any abuse you might throw at it (I never even got hangovers until I was 25) and the drinking must be done at a clandestine location after obtaining the booze illegally. fast forward X years since the establishment of the legal age. is there any doubt about the outcome? every chance to drink becomes a full-blown bacchanal, that’s just how the risk vs return games out.
I have a lot of great memories of underaged drinking. The fact that none of them involved strolling to the pub and sitting in a controlled environment is what turned it into an adventure.
[I’d posit that because kids aren’t allowed to do fuck-all anymore, it makes them up the ante when they finally do cut loose, but that’s an even less scientific argument than the one I’m trying to make.]
