TOW #25 (TEXT)- The Drinking Age Is Past Its Prime by Camille Paglia

Ever since the legalization of recreational marijuana in certain American states, the public eye has shifted from alcohol policy to that of pot. Following the public, many teens have also shifted from alcohol abuse to much harder drugs like "Molly", meth, etc. In her article, "The Drinking Age is Past its Prime" Camille Paglia discusses the bad effects of this shift and proposes that the drinking age of 21 in America should be reduced. In order to convince her audience that the drinking age should be changed, Paglia uses anecdotes, and the dangers of harder drugs in order to create a logical argument for the change in drinking age. Paglia refers to the fact that in other nations, drinking at 18 is normal because at this age, people are taught how to handle alcohol. She mentions how in her Italian-American culture, "children were given sips of my grandfather’s home-made wine. This civilized practice descends from antiquity," This personal anecdote shows readers how in other cultures, alcohol is not seen as complete taboo, but rather a part of growing up. In this way, Paglia tries to demonstrate how if children can sip wine, then 18 year olds should be able to drink responsibly. By using this anecdote, readers understand that alcohol is not as criminal as society has made it, and therefore we should reduce the age limit. One of the main arguments Paglia makes is the fact that with such an old age restriction on drinking, kids are starting to turn to much more harmful, untested drugs. She writes, " Club drugs — Ecstasy, methamphetamine, ketamine (a veterinary tranquilizer) — surged at raves for teenagers and on the gay male circuit scene." This quote shows that with the high alcohol age, kids are actually having a much worse effect on the "harmless" alcohol. I think that by showing the repercussions of the high alcohol age, the readers realize that the drinking age indeed has caused problems and therefore a change may be required. Overall, I think Paglia does a great job in forwarding her purpose in formulating a strong argument to change the drinking age from 21 to 18. By using anecdotes, and comparing alcohol usage to much harder drugs, Paglia appeals to the readers' sense of logos, and furthermore makes a valid argument.