Rather than get into the whole mythos of drinking, which as a Canadian of British background, I'm legally mandated to do, it comes down to it being fun. Some people are fascinated by NASCAR, others watch wrestling, and some collect seashells. Every interest and enjoyment is different, like say, the fascination of some people in this school with ice cream.
As for the illegal part, the law is set by different countries and different states and regions within those countries based on what they feel is an acceptable age to handle it. Some people can handle it earlier, or some can't but try anyways. As long as you're willing to accept the consequences for getting caught, it's up to you to decide when you're ready to take that step, or whether or not you feel strongly enough about the law to restrict yourself to those guidelines. Because of the relatively subjective nature of the drinking age, especially in an internationally diverse body of people like you have at the school, it's often a point of contention, I'd guess.
For example, I wasn't much older than you my first summer bartending in Europe. So I was serving (and drinking) alcohol legally three years before I could do so legally in New York. Having that right in one place, and not having it in another often throws people, especially on a social law. In this case, it's hardly thrill seeking in terms of 'breaking the law'.
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Date: 2007-10-16 04:58 pm (UTC)As for the illegal part, the law is set by different countries and different states and regions within those countries based on what they feel is an acceptable age to handle it. Some people can handle it earlier, or some can't but try anyways. As long as you're willing to accept the consequences for getting caught, it's up to you to decide when you're ready to take that step, or whether or not you feel strongly enough about the law to restrict yourself to those guidelines. Because of the relatively subjective nature of the drinking age, especially in an internationally diverse body of people like you have at the school, it's often a point of contention, I'd guess.
For example, I wasn't much older than you my first summer bartending in Europe. So I was serving (and drinking) alcohol legally three years before I could do so legally in New York. Having that right in one place, and not having it in another often throws people, especially on a social law. In this case, it's hardly thrill seeking in terms of 'breaking the law'.