Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 5:22 pm Post subject: Legal drinking age in America
WTF??? I'm old enough to go to Iraq and kill people, and yet I'm not old enough to have an alcoholic beverage, legally. That just doesn't make sense. I'm deemed responsible enough to carry a rifle around and police a war-torn state half the world away, but I'm not allowed by law to purchase a drink. _________________ Operation Northwoods - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods
Favorite languages = English/Spanish
Followed by Italian/French/Dutch
So are you not allowed to drink alcohol even in your own home if you're under 21 in the US? Here, although you have to be 18 to buy alcohol yourself or drink it in a bar, you can drink in your own home at any age, and you can drink with a meal in a restaurant at 14.
It will be weird when I go to America later this month and will sort of not be considered completely an adult anymore whilst I'm there.
So are you not allowed to drink alcohol even in your own home if you're under 21 in the US? Here, although you have to be 18 to buy alcohol yourself or drink it in a bar, you can drink in your own home at any age, and you can drink with a meal in a restaurant at 14.
It will be weird when I go to America later this month and will sort of not be considered completely an adult anymore whilst I'm there.
As far as I know, no. My relatives let me drink at home, but my mother doesn't usually allow me to except when we're celebrating something. And you're not, under any circumstances, allowed to drink at a restaurant, even under parental supervision. _________________ Operation Northwoods - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods
Favorite languages = English/Spanish
Followed by Italian/French/Dutch
Location: El Pueblo de Nuestra Seńora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:23 pm Post subject: Re: Legal drinking age in America
Porthos wrote:
WTF??? I'm old enough to go to Iraq and kill people, and yet I'm not old enough to have an alcoholic beverage, legally. That just doesn't make sense. I'm deemed responsible enough to carry a rifle around and police a war-torn state half the world away, but I'm not allowed by law to purchase a drink.
That's so you won't show up slobbering drunk when the government sends you off to "liberate" sovereign countries.
The legal age for drinking is 18 here. However, we are not allowed to watch any films that would offend our delicate and juvenile sensibilities until we turn 21 -viz films which are slapped with the 'R' rating.
But you speak of you hypothetically carrying arms. All of us carry arms here with a large bulk of the boys opting for early enlistment at 16.5 years old. Some of them might have been tank commanders; many are simply riflemen or gunners; most of us have participated in live firing exercises where caution is paramount. However, all of us below 21 are not mature enough to appreciate the naked beauty of screen goddesses. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
The legal age for drinking is 18 here, but the vast majority of people violate the rule occassionally or regularly. It is allowed in most of the families for "children" to drink a glass of wine or just taste the home-made chocolate liquor a bit.
The same thing applies to smoking and watching R-rated films (they are colloquially referred to as "adult films" here, the term which I shouldn't use here since it has a totally different connotation in English). Some parents let their children watch these films at home, whereas almost all the parents (smokers, too) inveigh against allowing children to smoke, even if they are quasi-adults (i.e. older than 18).
These rules are usually very easy to violate. If you look more mature than your age, you can easily buy alcoholic drinks and cigarettes, or tickets for, say, horror films. Most of the shop assistants here can't be bothered to ask for your ID. At the same time, it might happen to you that you are in your twenties, but you can't buy drinks or fags because shop assistants are positive that you are under 18, and they don't care much about your ID, either.
Mind you, I'm one of the very few people who didn't drink, smoke and watch R-rated films under the age of 18. But after that... _________________ Az alvástól megéhezem. Az evéstől elálmosodom. Az élet szép.
.....you rapidly made up for lost time, I presume.
Not that rapidly...just a bit, and I don't mind not having tried those things earlier. _________________ Az alvástól megéhezem. Az evéstől elálmosodom. Az élet szép.
A few months ago, after I'd been playing clarinet in the orchestra in Fiddler on the Roof, I ended up in the company of a group of people who were all either 16 or 17, because I'd been helping with their French exchange visit. They wanted to go and by alcohol, and they all took out fake IDs — which were accepted.
So yes, it's certainly very easy to get around it. I'll admit to having bought alcoholic drinks for people slightly underage — which is technically illegal, but in practice no-one would know.
They wanted to go and by alcohol, and they all took out fake IDs — which were accepted.
Whaaat? Fake IDs? Not many people are that creative here. However, you might become quite creative or innovative in need. Frankly, I was totally indifferent to the fact that I couldn't buy alcohol that time. _________________ Az alvástól megéhezem. Az evéstől elálmosodom. Az élet szép.
At the same time, it might happen to you that you are in your twenties, but you can't buy drinks or fags because shop assistants are positive that you are under 18, and they don't care much about your ID, either.
What? Even if you show them ID that proves that you're over 18?
What? Even if you show them ID that proves that you're over 18?
They simply don't ask for it... Or if you happen to have your ID with you...they finally, albeit willy-nilly do.
There are two extremes: the ones who don't care and those who think you *must* have a false ID, the first ones being more prevalent. _________________ Az alvástól megéhezem. Az evéstől elálmosodom. Az élet szép.
What? Even if you show them ID that proves that you're over 18?
They simply don't ask for it... Or if you happen to have your ID with you...they finally, albeit willy-nilly do.
There are two extremes: the ones who don't care and those who think you *must* have a false ID, the first ones being more prevalent.
Here they always ask for ID if they suspect that you're under 18. Yesterday I had to show ID when I bought a regular 6-pack (3,5%) in the grocery store...
Here, we can't drink alcohol before 18, but many people do it before. In the supermarkets, it's written that people under 18 are not allowed to buy alcohol, but this law isn't respected. It's unbelievable to see the number of people who are under age and who buy packs of beers without being asked their age. It's rather easy to drink where and when you want (as long as you don't drink in front of policemen!) _________________ Karout hep bezań karet
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Here they always ask for ID if they suspect that you're under 18. Yesterday I had to show ID when I bought a regular 6-pack (3,5%) in the grocery store...
Then you must look very young! It will be a great advantage when you grow older... _________________ Az alvástól megéhezem. Az evéstől elálmosodom. Az élet szép.
Here they always ask for ID if they suspect that you're under 18. Yesterday I had to show ID when I bought a regular 6-pack (3,5%) in the grocery store...
Then you must look very young! It will be a great advantage when you grow older...
I hope so! Really, I don't look that young. But sometimes when I have to show ID the slight absurdity of it all almost makes it hilarious rather than frustrating. And once they've asked me for ID I really want them to look at it and see how wrong they were.
It's not easy for under-aged kids to buy alcohol and tobacco in stores, but it's not hard for them to get hold of it. There's always somebody who'll buy it for you. So it's not like drunk ravaging kids is an uncommon sight.
I hope so! Really, I don't look that young. But sometimes when I have to show ID the slight absurdity of it all almost makes it hilarious rather than frustrating. And once they've asked me for ID I really want them to look at it and see how wrong they were.
I know the feeling. I was asked in the library at the age of 21 (about a year ago) if I was a primary school pupil. The librarian was almost positive that I was that young: "You go to primary school, I presume."
It was also funny when my granddad had to show his ID at the age of 70 a couple of years ago on the bus. The conductor couldn't believe his eyes. (FYI, in Hungary people who are older than 65 can use public transport freely.) _________________ Az alvástól megéhezem. Az evéstől elálmosodom. Az élet szép.
Here they always ask for ID if they suspect that you're under 18. Yesterday I had to show ID when I bought a regular 6-pack (3,5%) in the grocery store...
Then you must look very young! It will be a great advantage when you grow older...
Few years ago, I seemed older. When I was 15, I entered clubs whereas the legal age was 18. One of my boyfriends came out with me because he thought I was 19 whereas I was only 15 (he was 21). I liked to look older. Unfortunately, now I just look my age. And for the first time in my whole life, I've been asked my ID not a long time ago. _________________ Karout hep bezań karet
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When you are young, especially an adolescent, it's quite natural that you want to look older. As you grow older, it changes. (I'm talking as if I was very old.)
Unfortunately, I've always looked younger or my age at best. Or rather, it wasn't really me who looked younger but lots of other girls who looked older. If I had had dyed red or bottle blonde perm hair, thick make-up on my face and had been wearing stilettos, I would definitely have looked older. _________________ Az alvástól megéhezem. Az evéstől elálmosodom. Az élet szép.
When you are young, especially an adolescent, it's quite natural that you want to look older. As you grow older, it changes. (I'm talking as if I was very old.)
Well, as I was saying before, I wanted to look older till I'm 23 and then, look my age for 2 years and after, look younger!
Quote:
If I had had dyed red or bottle blonde perm hair, thick make-up on my face and had been wearing stilettos, I would definitely have looked older.
I've never dyed my hair nor put thich make-up. But well, I've always had stilettos (or at least, heels). I like being feminine.
_________________ Karout hep bezań karet
A zo kriz ha kalet
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I hope so! Really, I don't look 
