Whether too young or too old age restrictions have been around for centuries, that’s a fact, but still there are age restrictions all around the world that just don’t make any sense. Age restrictions vary from drinking age and voting to how old you have to be to buy an “m” rated video game.
 

It’s always been a dream of mine to become a doctor for the air force or at least as long as I can remember but just a week ago I made the sudden realization that while we are old enough to enlist in the military to defend our country by both killing and getting killed, we still aren’t old enough to make the decision to take a drink of alcohol until till we’re 21. Meaning there are people in the world that will never get to experience the subtle taste of wine or have a blast drinking a beer with their dad. It’s outrageous for the law to say we’re old enough to die but not to drink, and if I’m being completely honest its one of the big flaws I see in the US government. My sister just barely 18, not old enough to enjoy a drink but old enough to join the marines and ship out to marine boot camp on January 22. That dreadful day where I lose my sister for three months and even the time after she will still be 18 and while she’s old enough for aviation mechanics, and to live on base, she still won’t be trusted to have a drink. I understand that not all jobs in the military require you to go out on the battle field and fight but being out on base alone is enough to put you at risk. Let’s look at how many jobs do require you to fight and how many don’t, of the 41 jobs in the Marine Corps. About half of them are meant for war and another ten can bring you into the war if necessary. My sister who is going to be a mechanic can still be told to grab the m-15 and defend her country at any given time by a simple order of her platoon commander.

Voting at 18 seems a little rash mainly because while at 8 they deem children at “the age of reason” and at 16 you can both be tried as an adult and drop out of high school. So here is my question if we can be in war, be tried as an adult, drop out of high school, all major life decisions, why is it we can’t vote? By sixteen we have the knowledge to distinguish what we like and or dislike about a person so why is it they don’t allow us to give our opinion on a public matter such as voting, after all it is public. I understand the fact that yes people would be peer pressured, but isn’t that what all of the government campaigning is doing, pushing us to vote one way or the other. But then stop and think would every sixteen year old in the US really vote. Of course not! Not even all “adults” vote, my sister and my dad didn’t vote last election, of course they had an idea of who to vote for, but they couldn’t make up their mind and so they didn’t do it. They didn’t want to vote for someone that they didn’t fully agree with, and the same goes to most sixteen year olds not everyone will vote and those of us that do will most likely have the knowledge and reason to do so. It’s these kinds of laws that make teenagers into children

Last but not least is a video game restrictions. I don’t understand why we can drive a, let’s say 3000 pound vehicle across the country being at risk of killing people around the streets, but not old enough buy a video game because it has guns in it. Children all over the world see people dying, children themselves die, and some even kill, for gods sakes look at Kony’s LRA, child soldiers all over Uganda killing in the name of the lord? I don’t see why we can drive and be tried as an adult and get married and even drop out of high school but sorry you need to be 18 to buy left4dead it has blood in it and I know that no 15 year old knows what blood is, how it works, and what happens if you lose too much and god forbid we find out. I do see why adults may not want their kids and teens playing these games I mean yes they are violent, I don’t think every 15 year old teen in the US should be playing but as far as I’m concerned unless you have a mental condition like schizophrenia that would probably put you at risk for doing something out of hand, I don’t see why we can’t shoot a zombie or a demon or whatever really I mean if 8 is the age of reason I don’t see why we aren’t reasonable enough to buy a video game with guns in it.

 Whether buying a video game or trying to vote, age restrictions inhibit us from becoming mature independent young adults. We need to take a stand. Let’s face it times change the drinking age was increased in the 20th century I think most teens have enough knowledge on alcohol abuse not to make the idiotic decision to drink and drive, and buying a video game with guns in it doesn’t mean teens will take over the world we just live for the adrenaline and accomplishments. In these ways by giving us common rights I feel you will be giving us the most windows into becoming independent.