The Drinking Age: Revised Essay

The majority of countries around the world have made their drinking age 18. In the United States, the drinking age is strictly 21. It is very illogical that individuals in the United States can be seen mature enough to vote, fight in war and serve alcohol yet they are prohibited from drinking alcohol themselves. This problem is becoming more serious than intended because a restriction is not a limitation to those younger than the age of 21, it is a temptation. Giving in to this temptation leads to exceeding the appropriate and acceptable limit. By lowering the drinking age, this problem can be resolved.
Lowering the drinking age to 18 can be an effective approach to the problem of alcohol abuse. It can result in the attitude, “It’s legal. Whatever, it’s no big deal.” The fact that consuming alcohol is illegal makes drinking more appealing to the younger population. Peer pressure to drink excessively and the temptation to go over an appropriate amount of alcohol can potentially be limited.
Belgium, Greece, Germany, Spain, and Norway are five of the twelve countries that have a drinking age of 16 years old. Australia, Croatia, China, Nigeria and Israel are five of about eighty-three countries that have a drinking age of 18 years old. These countries are able to deal with the reality that teens, just like adults, drink. If by 18, or even 16 years old in some countries, you are treated as an adult, what is the major concern, if you have a drink or two? Becoming an adult comes with responsibility of knowing what is right or wrong. In the United States, 18 year olds can be viewed as full adults but when it comes to drinking, they are still minors.
In the United States, marriage is allowed at the age of 18. You can be mature enough to make the decision of getting married yet you can not consume a sip of alcohol? In addition, cigarettes can be purchased at the age of 18. In the long-run smoking is extremely harmful and leads to thousands of deaths every year. While 18 year olds are allowed to use something that is so deadly, they are unable to consume alcohol that actually may have fewer side effects. If the overall maturity age in the United States seems to be 18 years old, it should be consistent, including the drinking age as well. Drinking is thought of as being a dangerous and wrong thing to do in the United States, because of how the law makes it seem. It is of course wrong to abuse drinking, but it is not a fatal action to have just one drink.

Statistics show that 75% of high school students consume alcohol by the end of their senior year. 41% of students claim to have consumed alcohol by 8th grade. So, is this drinking age law really working? If anything, it is making matters worse. Why would students in junior high school drink? They may have casually had a drink with family or possibly at an event or gathering or, they may have drank purposely to fulfill their curiosity about drinking. Even children want to rebel against the law, not only teens.
There is a big flaw in the drinking age law. It is understandable that the country would want to decrease drunk driving accidents and other alcohol related misfortunes but just because the law says something does not mean people are going to follow it. The theory that everyone follows the law is not a reality, but a utopia. It is important to consider the real actions of people and obeying of the law. The temptation leading to illegal drinking is only caused by what the law states.

The Drinking Age in the United States

The majority of countries around the world have made their drinking age 18. In the United States, the drinking age is strictly 21. Is it really logical that individuals in the United States can be seen mature enough to vote, fight in war and serve alcohol meanwhile they are unable to consume alcohol themselves? This problem is becoming more serious than intended because a restriction is not a limitation to those younger than the age of 21, it is a temptation. Giving in to this temptation leads to exceeding the appropriate and acceptable limit. It is important to address this under-age drinking problem by lowering the drinking age moderately.
Lowering the drinking age can be an effective approach to the problem of alcohol abuse. It can result in the attitude, “It’s legal. Whatever, it’s no big deal.” The fact that consuming alcohol is illegal makes drinking more appealing to the younger population and this is why lowering the drinking age moderately is important. It is neither extreme nor intense for people to deal with. If the change is gradual and is lowered one year at a time over the span of ten years, until it gets to the steady age of 18, it will not be such a severe change in the law. It’ll create a balance between teens and drinking. Peer pressure to drink excessively and the temptation to go over an appropriate amount of alcohol can potentially be limited.
Belgium, Greece, Germany, Spain, and Norway are five of the twelve countries that have a drinking age of 16 years old. Australia, Croatia, China, Nigeria and Israel are five of about eighty-three countries that have a drinking age of 18 years old. These countries are able to deal with the reality that teens, just like adults, drink. If by 18, or even 16 years old in some countries, you are treated as an adult, what is the major concern, if you have a drink or two? Becoming an adult comes with responsibility of knowing what is right or wrong. In the United States, 18 year olds can be viewed as full adults but when it comes to drinking, they are still minors.
In the United States, marriage is allowed at the age of 18. You can be mature enough to make the decision of getting married yet you can not consume a sip of alcohol? These ideas do not make sense and almost sound ridiculous. If the overall maturity age in the United States seems to be 18 years old, it should be constant, including the drinking age as well. Drinking is thought of as being a dangerous and wrong thing to do in the United States, because of how the law makes it seem. It is of course wrong to abuse drinking, but it is not a bad thing to have just one drink and yes, it is true that in most cases you will not die if you take a sip of alcohol.
Statistics show that 75% of high school students consume alcohol by the end of their senior year. 41% of students claim to have consumed alcohol by 8th grade. So, is this drinking age law really working? Obviously, it is not. If anything it is making matters worse. Why would student in junior high school drink? It can be one of two reasons; they may have casually had a drink with family or possibly at an event or gathering or, they may have drank purposely to fulfill their curiosity about drinking. Even children want to rebel against the law, not only teens.
There is a big flaw in the drinking age law. It is understandable that the country would want to decrease drunk driving accidents and other alcohol related misfortunes but just because the law says something does not mean people are going to follow it. The theory that everyone follows the law is not reality, but a utopia. It is important to consider the real actions of people and obeying of the law. The temptation leading to drinking is only caused by what the law states.

The Drinking Age

The majority of countries around the world enforce laws that their drinking age is 18 or younger. In the United States, the drinking age is strictly 21. Is it really logical that individuals in the United States can be seen mature enough to vote, fight in war and serve alcohol meanwhile they are unable to consume alcohol themselves? This problem is becoming more serious than intended because a restriction is not a limitation to those younger than the age of 21, it is a temptation. Giving in to this temptation leads to exceeding the appropriate and acceptable limit. It is important to address this under-age drinking problem by lowering the drinking age moderately.
Lowering the drinking age can be an effective approach to the problem of alcohol abuse. It can result in the attitude, “It’s legal. Whatever, it’s no big deal.” The fact that consuming alcohol is illegal makes drinking more appealing to the younger population. This is why lowering the drinking age moderately is important. It is neither extreme nor intense for people to deal with. If the change is gradual and is lowered one year at time until it gets to the steady age of 18, it will not be such a severe change in the law. It’ll create a balance between teens and drinking. Peer pressure to drink excessively and the temptation to go over an appropriate amount of alcohol can potentially be limited.

Clive Thompson on the New Literacy

In this article, Clive Thompson brings up the idea that technology is to blame for the students’ inability to write properly, formally and intelligently. While this can be some people’s take on it, research done by Andrea Lunsford proves that technology is not to blame but instead, technology is simply creating new ways of writing. In other words, instead of limiting our writing abilities, it works on expanding our writing abilities. She supports this idea by mentioning the fact that young people today are writing more than any previous generation. This is due to the writing that is involved in technology and online, for example, texting, facebook, twitter, AIM etc.
Before the wide-spread use of the internet, people did not write much on their own. If they weren’t writing for school assignments, they weren’t writing at all. Technology has given a new interest to people because they are writing for a reason. In general, when there is a targeted audience to generate the form of writing, people are more enthused to write. When people express their own ideas and bring their own personality into writing, they are tempted to just keep writing.
It is essential to continue to teach formal writing however it is also important to realize that technology is not working against this formal way of writing. It is working with it, by encouraging more ways of writing and expanding different types of thinking.

New Media and the Slow Death of the Written Word

“New-media” is evolving rapidly, limiting the appreciation we have for our traditional written texts such as newspapers. According to Mark Zeltner, the disapproval of reading newspapers by individuals under 25, is because of the constant advancing of new-media. Reading an article online is much more appealing to me, personally, rather than picking up a newspaper. Zeltner does argue that it is not a positive aspect of our culture today that we are losing such interest in written media, however, he understands how the latest generation pays more attention to new-media. Even though so many people are engaged in reading online, it is almost impossible for traditional newspapers to die out because that appreciation, even if it is small, will still exist. I agree with Zeltner because I think it is essential to appreciate newspapers and understand them. Although I personally do not read newspapers on a daily basis, I come across a newspaper every so often and read the articles of my interest. I also agree because aside from the appreciation of newspapers having to live on, I think it is much more efficient to read online. My reasons for this are exactly explained by Zeltner in his ten rules. The new-media that exists today has so much to offer rather than just simple dull words with black and white photographs. Media online varies greatly, consisting of videos, audio clips, clear and high quality pictures, easy ways to research and navigate, etc. Compared to written media, new-media is much more open-minded.
Zeltner explains how in writing a traditional newspaper article, there are linear rules that writers may follow. I’m assuming these rules are similar to what we have been discussing in class. Newspapers have a certain tone to their writing making it pretty clear and evident that it is in fact a newspaper article that you are reading. These new-media rules he created are basic ways in which a text online can be efficient as well as effective to the reader. He clearly takes advantage of every possibility there is when using a computer. His first rule is to “write tight” or in other words, make it short and sweet. The writer should not beat around the bush but instead just get straight to the main point to avoid losing the reader’s interest. I think this rule is very logical, my reason being that I know when I read a long text on the computer, I get distracted and even tired from looking at the screen too much. It is to the writer’s advantage to keep things simple and efficient to keep the reader engaged.The second rule is that the text should be ordered and set up in a way to make sure that the reader will not lose interest. The “chunks” of the text should be broken down strategically. Frankly, I do not think that this really matters. It should definitely be organized in a certain way but I don’t that it takes away from the reader being interested. The third rule is to not write in a “linear organization” like writers do in traditional texts. It is important to stay on topic and stay organized for the reader to not lose track of the writer’s ideas. This connects to the previous rule. It is about organization, and while I do believe organization is important, it is not vital. The fourth rule is to use images which ties to the fifth five, to use audio clips. I think both add to the importance of any article online. It aids the writer in conveying his/her message much more clearly. It also makes the text much more presentable and pleasant to see/hear. I think these are two of the most important rules. It is helpful to use all that is available. The fact that the message of the writer is not delivered only through text helps readers comprehend better. Each individual has a different way of learning and being informed. Videos and audio clips give the opportunity for anyone to understand the writer’s point. I feel as if these rules are very important because it considers very member of the writer’s audience.
The seventh rule is basically saying to create links just like footnotes, to help the reader with understanding definitions. The eighth rule is to keep hyperlinks to a minimum. The writer wants the reader to focus of his/her ideas, not other ideas floating all around the web. The ninth rule is to create a sidebar so that more information, such as definitions and background information, can be added. The seventh, eighth and ninth rules are all a bit similar. It is about adding some outside information to your text for the comprehension of the reader, but not too much to lose the reader. The final rule is to add your own mood to the document. As a writer on the web, you are also a designer. It is vital to make your writing presentable and appealing to the reader. It has to attract the targeted audience by introducing the specific media the way it is planned. I think presentation plays an important role in media. Since there is such a wide-range of what is offered in new-media, an individual should work on making theirs unique, approachable, and entertaining as well as informative. Overall, Zeltner’s rules are clever and potentially effective. It extends traditional writing to an ongoing advancement.

Thesis Paragraphs

The majority of countries around the world enforce laws that their drinking age is 18 or younger. In the United States, the drinking age is strictly 21. Is it really logical that individuals in the United States can be seen mature enough to vote, fight in war and even serve alcohol meanwhile they are unable to consume alcohol? This problem is becoming more serious than intended because a restriction is not a limitation to those younger than the age of 21, it is a temptation. Giving in to this temptation leads to exceeding the appropriate and acceptable limit. It is important to address this under-age drinking problem by lowering the drinking age moderately.

It is almost impossible to walk down a street or take the subway in New York City without encountering a homeless individual. Homelessness is a result of many different aspects such as drugs, unemployment, health issues etc. This is preventing New York City from achieving a safe and clean environment. It is of the utmost importance for the government to assure the shelter and basic needs for homeless individuals to give them a home and a chance to start over with a clean slate, also giving a chance for the city to live up to a great expectation.

Many teens disregard the law that states cell-phone use is prohibited while driving, causing thousands of accidents each year. According to world-wide statistics, 95% of accidents occur because of poor driver performance which includes texting while driving. It is very essential to ban texting while driving by making the penalty more than the current $100. It is not only the driver who is in danger, but it is also the others in the car, the others on the road and the innocent pedestrians walking in the street. This is not a law to be taken lightly but as serious as a life or death matter.

In the first article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”, Nicholas Carr makes the argument that our minds are not going but they are in fact changing because of our increasing use of the internet. Simply reading a text is becoming more and more difficult due to a lack of focus. It is hard and almost impossible to read a text throughout without losing any concentration. Online research techniques, such as Google, are linked directly to this problem. Research without using internet would take a lot more time, having to search through actual books to find what was being searched. This idea almost seems crazy when you have such an efficient, fast and easy way to do your research. However, it has had a negative effect as well. Our brain is not being exercised as much as it would be if we didn’t have the internet. Our minds are not used to having to read long texts because the internet is able to do what we want it to do in just seconds. The brain will work the way it has been trained to work. It can forget old ways and develop new ways to think. “Our ability to interpret text, to make the rich mental connections that form when we read deeply and without distraction, remains largely disengaged.” Personally, I know I’ve come across many instances where I lost all focus in what I was reading. Why read when knowing how much easier it would be to just look up a summary online? This easy access to such an effective tool is at fault for people’s way of thinking. It is almost like our minds have become lazy, relying only on the internet. You don’t even need a computer to have such access. The majority of people with cell phones, do in fact have full access to internet on it. This idea may have been insane 50 years ago but it is possible now and extremely useful. If you need to Google something, you can do it in a second. The internet has destroyed the traditional way of using our minds to think.
In the article, “The Internet Is No Substitute for the Dying Newspaper Industry”, the argument is almost the opposite of the first article. Carr expresses how the internet can be viewed positively for the acceptance of direct and faster information although it does have its disadvantages as well. Hedges thinks that the internet is not an advantage to us at all. Chris Hedges believes that the internet is not equal in conveying what a newspaper can, yet the internet is taking over. In newspapers, writers fulfill the job of reporting, which bloggers or any other writers on the internet fail to do. “The majority of bloggers and Internet addicts, like the endless rows of talking heads on television, do not report. They are largely parasites who cling to traditional news outlets.” People who use the internet for any sort of writing are an annoyance to the world of reporting, according to Hedges. I strongly disagree with his ideas. The intention for any blogger or internet writer is not to replace newspapers, but just to simply express ideas. We use the newspaper to obtain a certain type of information and we use the internet for other information. The internet provides so much more that newspapers cannot, however a newspaper cannot be replaced because of its tradition and substance.

The Onion

On the surface, The Onion’s purpose is to mock current events for humor and entertainment. However, on a deeper level, the onion seems to try to make current events funny to bring out the exaggerated truth. The first story that I read was “George W. Bush Chuckles To Self Upon Thinking About How He Was President Of The United States For Almost A Decade”. Obviously this falls under the complicated category of politics, making it a very opinionated article. The title alone is humorous as the writer makes fun of George W. Bush and his presidency. Even the quotes of George Bush seem to be exaggerated, emphasizing the way people made fun of the way he talks. Throughout the article, Bush uses very short simple-worded responses, which fulfills the stereotype people gave him over his eight year presidency. It seems as though it is pretty easy to indirectly express an opinion through these funny stories. Making fun of an event in an intelligent way articulates an opinion. Even if the story is somewhat serious, the humor helps bring out a more laid-back feeling to current events.

personal story- news story

The sounds of all my surroundings were muted and all I was able to hear was the loud sound of my inner thoughts. I breathed heavily with a nervous smile on my face. "Everything will be just fine...as long as you don't trip and fall. Just keep that smile on your face and if you happen to mess up just act as if nothing happened", I advised myself. I felt the need for reassurance being that this was my first performance in such a public place. It was Greek night at Athens Square Park, where hundreds of people were gathered curiously, awaiting to see what's next. I heard the words I was dreading the whole day, "...and now welcome our next dance group, the Kolokotronei!". The dancing started and all I was able to see were hundreds of pairs of eyes watching my every move. The fear slowly faded away as we started to dance Stamna (a traditional Cypriot dance-The story told in this dance takes place in an old-time Cypriot village. It is about a young girl going to a fountain to get water and as she is there a guy comes to flirt with her and accidentally scares her, causing her to drop the vase of water she is holding, making it shatter into pieces). It was my turn to drop the vase and at that point exactly, every one of those pairs of eyes faded. They didn't matter anymore. What mattered was the music of the dance and the fact that I was dancing this for myself, not for the audience. The feeling I had was unexplainable which is exactly what makes it special to me. The place where my parents came from is what makes me who I am. The dancing reminds me of how I define my identity and how important it is to me. Everyone in that audience was just watching some kind of Greek dance, but to me it meant so much more. It is what makes me an individual. So, who am I? I'm a proud Greek-Cypriot American trying to keep my culture alive.


Culture Onstage
Astoria--- On August 10th, a culture night was held in Athens Square Park in Astoria, NY. It consisted of a variety of different cultures expressing themselves through performances, including a Greek dance group, the Kolokotronei, performing traditional Greek and Cypriot dances.
“Don’t be nervous and remember to smile”, said Mr. Demetri to his dance group right before they were prepared to approach the stage. The dancing soon began as hundreds of people gathered at the park curious and excited to see this distinctive performance. As the routine went on, the dance group performed a traditional Cypriot dance. In this specific dance, one of the girl dancers throws a vase onto the floor, breaking it as a result of her fright and shock when a boy tries to dance and flirt with her. This dance is representational of teenagers’ lives in villages of Cyprus from the past when relationships happened in secret.
Once that vase hit the pavement of the stage the crowd cheered, being that this was nothing they’ve ever seen before. Not only was this night intense in tradition and culture but it was also extremely powerful in sharing the Greek-Cypriot culture with the audience. “You can tell that the dancers’ hearts were in the dance”, said Stefani, an ecstatic member of the audience. “It was an amazing performance”, she added. The experimental culture night at Athens Square Park was a great success and will surely continue to be an annual event.

Blogging

Throughout this article, Michael Skube makes several points to distinguish between a blogger and a journalist. Journalists who get published in newspapers and magazines are considered to be writing for mainstream media. On the other hand, blogging is not fully thought of as mainstream media. Bloggers are overall free in their writing, being open to all opinions and ideas regardless of any censorship. Journalists are writers expressing their ideas but with “obligations” and restrictions. Skube makes a point that blogs are often for disputes and arguments. Bloggers’ intentions are to make a difference and speak out. The fact that blogging is such a free type of expression of ideas, Skube argues that they are just opinions and not evidence. It is purely a group of ideas that sometimes are not supported. Blogging is taking away from "reporting", which can be considered as the more formal way of sharing information.

In the article, “The Blogging Revolution”, Andrew Sullivan describes blogging as a job more than anything else and according to him, blogging can lead to a lucrative and successful job. In the article, “Blogs: All the noise that fits”, Michael Skube makes blogging seem the exact opposite of a job. He compares bloggers to journalists, leaning towards the idea that journalism is the more traditional job. Both can agree that blogging is effective being that it is on something so widespread, the internet. The free flow of ideas that blogs consist of, are nothing but the personal opinions of an individual. To Sullivan, the lack of censorship in blogs is a positive aspect. This allows direct information to be delivered to reader. The personal thoughts of the writer are expressed through blogs, giving the reader a sense of “the temper of their writer”. Contradicting this, Skube believes that blogs are not formal enough to have enough evidence to support any ideas. Blogs are only opinions yet journalism is well-thought out and appropriate to rely on for information.

I agree more with Sullivan’s ideas about blogging. Blogging gives everyone a fair chance to express their exact ideas without any restrictions or censors at all. Instead of being manipulative, like journalism is, blogging is real because it is clear that what is being read is solely the idea of some person. Factual information cannot be expected from blogs but more so the strong beliefs and viewpoints of an individual. Blogs allow people to make their own decisions and develop their own ideas. Journalism often sounds like factual information, not letting personal opinions be formulated. The openness of blogging gives the opportunity for someone to express themselves truthfully.

Me..

The sound of all my surroundings were muted and all I was able to hear was the loud sound of my inner thoughts. I breathed heavily with a nervous smile on my face. "Everything will be just fine...as long as you don't trip and fall. Just keep that smile on your face and if you happen to mess up just act as if nothing happened", I advised myself. I felt the need for reassurance being that this was my first performance in such a public place. It was Greek night at Athens Square Park, where hundreds of people were gathered curiously, awaiting to see what's next. I heard the words I was dreading the whole day, "...and now welcome our next dance group, the Kolokotronei!". The dancing started and all I was able to see were hundreds of pairs of eyes watching my every move. The fear slowly faded away as we started to dance Stamna (a traditional Cypriot dance-The story told in this dance takes place in a old-time Cypriot village. It is about a young girl going to a fountain to get water and as she is there a guy comes to flirt with her and accidentally scares her, causing her to drop the vase of water she is holding, making it shatter into pieces). It was my turn to drop the vase and at that point exactly, every one of those pairs of eyes faded. They didn't matter anymore. What mattered was the music of the dance and the fact that I was dancing this for myself, not for the audience. The feeling I had was unexplainable which is exactly what makes it special to me. The place where my parents came from is what makes me who I am. The dancing reminds me of how I define my identity and how important it is to me. Everyone in that audience was just watching some kind of Greek dance, but to me it meant so much more. It is what makes me an individual. So, who am I? I'm a proud Greek-Cypriot American trying to keep my culture alive.

"The Astoria Idea"

The immediate idea a person has when hearing of the town of Astoria is none other than just one word, “Greek”. To a great extent this word holds a lot of truth; however Astoria has come to have a diverse society. The population of Greeks as well as Italians in Astoria is enormous for such a small area yet just a brief walk down 30^th avenue will prove this to be wrong. Yes, there is a continuous strip of Greek cafes, restaurants and stores but it is easy to find people a different ethnicity. Astoria is loaded with Greeks but consists of Albanians, Indians, African Americans, Croatians, Mexicans, etc.

Astoria acts like a puzzle, each piece representing a different identity. Ditmars Boulevard is probably the most Greek it can get. It is highly impossible to live anywhere in that area without having at least three of your neighbors from a Greek background. Most of the Greek Orthodox churches are located in that area as well as Greek schools and halls for Greek associations. 30^th avenue, also known as the heart of Astoria, gets a bit more diverse as far as ethnicities go. Next is Broadway, where everything changes. Years ago, all of Astoria could have been considered simply Greek and Italian. Broadway distinguishes the merely Greek from the diverse variety. It is slowly transforming into a little-Manhattan. The majority of the inhabitants near the Broadway area do in fact work in the city. Many even moved there from the city because of the convenience of the N train in addition to the cheaper rents. This resulted in an obvious cultural diffusion among the town of Astoria.

Going further into Astoria, past Broadway, you can possibly encounter a famous actor shooting a soon-to-be best film of the year. Around 36^th avenue exists the infamous Kaufman Studios where many movies and TV shows are made. Because of the location of the studios, the streets of Astoria are often used for films to be shot. Have you heard of a Bronx Tale? Most of that movie was shot in, of course, Astoria.

Generally, whether you want to visit the Greek-town or hang around Astoria Park for a nice city-view, Astoria has plenty to offer.