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?

[boracay]

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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?

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the question is not served in the best way.
the reason is simple: governments/public/teens, everybody accept that teenager becomes an adult at age of 18. at that time he/she should be responsible for all his acts. this include (and is not limited to):
- voting
- gambling
- drinking alcohol (in several countries that is lower; 15 or 16) + when kid caught drunk that is not a crime of course
- driving licence (18 in most countries, somewhere at lower, but only under supervision)
- hunting licence (18)
- joining army (18)
- lethal weapon permits (18)
- going into jail (18)

IMO those rules are good. it's not that our kids are smarter or more responsible than yours, but when we think it's time for them to become fully responsible for their life/acts.

can't imagine the situation when our goverments would raise an alcohol drinking age (or gambling age) to 21, when our kids are joining army (= getting leathal weapons in control or even going into war) at 18 or when they have 7 years of legal sex experiences already. where do you need more responsibility? that would sound funny here.

[Copernicus]

The internet, without which there would be no web, has its genesis in packet switching techology invented by the Rand Corp., and adapted by the DoD (ARPA, the Advanced Research Projects Agency) into a 4 node network called ARPANET designed to maintain computer control of defense resources in the event of a nuclear attack.

[top13]

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can't imagine the situation when our goverments would raise an alcohol drinking age (or gambling age) to 21, when our kids are joining army (= getting leathal weapons in control or even going into war) at 18 or when they have 7 years of legal sex experiences already. where do you need more responsibility? that would sound funny here.

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[govman6767]

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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.

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I would think it's more like : In America if you get nailed with underage drinking your parents yell at you. And you lose your Drivers Licence for a while.

In Europe the Polezi and other police groups would just beat the living hell out of you. Good Deterrent

[samsonite2100]

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[ QUOTE ]
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.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would think it's more like : In America if you get nailed with underage drinking your parents yell at you. And you lose your Drivers Licence for a while.

In Europe the Polezi and other police groups would just beat the living hell out of you. Good Deterrent

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You seem to have a very strange view of what Europe is like.

[Mickey Brausch]

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In America if you get nailed with underage drinking your parents yell at you. And you lose your Drivers Licence for a while.

In Europe the Polizei and other police groups would just beat the living hell out of you. Good Deterrent.

[/ QUOTE ]European police are not usually simply beating up drunkards. They arrest them if they are DUI or "causing a distrubrance". If they get violent, they get smacked, yes. From what I know and have seen, the police in Europe are like the American police, only with a much less violent record, e.g. the rules about the Polizei shooting at people are generally more strict in Europe.

Mickey Brausch