Are Europeans smarter/ more responsible than Americans?

[bkholdem]

Although I have never been to Europe, I have heard that several contries have a lower legal drinking age than in the US. I have also heard that there is less alcohol abuse in those contries.

Is this because they are more intelligent than US citizens? More responsible than US?

[jokerthief]

I think this has more to do with variance than anything else.

[Pudge714]

It's not the case that European are smarter or more responsible with alcohol so they have a low drinking age.

It's since they have a low drinking age people are more responsible with alcohol.

[bkholdem]

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It's since they have a low drinking age people are more responsible with alcohol.

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So are they smarter than us and/or more responsible than us for having a low drinking age? If not, how else do you explain it?

[Barcalounger]

Everybody knew that guy in high school who had the early curfew and was in bed by the time all the fun things came out at parties that then dropped out of college because he was too busy smoking pot on his couch all day. Or getting drunk. Or the virgin girl with the overprotective parents that does the entire college football squad. It really comes down to psychology, and if something is banned it makes it more attractive. Then they go too far with it because they were never taught responsiblity, and haven't had adequate time to find acceptable levels on their own. They just jump head first into something and often overdo a good thing.

Banning is the easy way, because you don't have to have nuanced discussions with kids about acceptable levels, tolerance, learning your body, etc when you can just say "it's evil, you can't do it until you're some arbitrary age". Something about a country founded by puritans makes it more likely to ban, instead of teaching responsibility.

Anyways, IMHO a culture that doesn't preach "the evils of alcohol", but instead allows a kid to have a couple glasses of wine inside the home and treats it as no big deal will have less cases of abuse.

[Borodog]

It has to do with social norms. In many European countries, wine and beer is served with dinner from a young age, often the early teens. It never has a chance to gain the mystique of the illicit.

[Nielsio]

What's a 'European'?

[hmkpoker]

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What's a 'European'?

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A citizen of the nation of Europe.

[TheRock69]

Inventions is what you got to go by. The inventions that matter to me is techonlogy so...

Computer Technology that would be USA (intel, IBM, Sun & microsoft). Electronics Japan. (sony toshiba motorola sanyo....)

What is a high tech thing that an European invented and is used world wide?

[tomdemaine]

I know I am. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]