Ethically speaking: teenage drinking

[KillerMuffin]

Sunday night a 17 year old girl and her 18 year old female friend went to a frat house party. The purpose of the part was to engage in a drinking game or two. That night the 17 year old girl was put into the hospital for alcohol poisoning.

The girl voluntarily participated in the drinking game and was appearing to have fun until she became so intoxicated that she faded out f consciousness and was eventually hospitalized. Her blood alcohol level was over 0.2.

Campus Greek Affairs, campus police, the city police, the national chapter of the fraternity are doing a full investigation. Charges of endangering a child, contributing to a child's misconduct, and furnishing intoxicants to a child are pending investigation.

They're trying to figure out who is responsible.


And this begs the question, who is responsible for this girl's behavior? She's 17 and anyone who has ever dealt with a 17 year old girl knows that they think they know everything. You can't tell a 17 year old what to do, let alone what not to do at a party where they want to be cool and attractive to what must be high school girl heaven--a frat house.

How responsible is she for her own behavior? How much responsiblity should she be accorded in this by authorities? Or is she blameless as the law implies?

 

[Guru]

 

[Guru]

 

[Mia62]

Would she have had access to that much alcohol at a regular highschool party? What the hell were her parents thinking letting her go to a frat party?? Where was her friend in this??

Those are all the questions that came to my mind immediately.

But...ultimately, she could have said no...or not gone in the first place. She needs a huge chunk of responsibility placed on her.

As my mother always said to me...and god forbid I use it on my own teens...If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?

Each person is responsible for their own actions. Unfortunately for everyone involved...supposed "adults" provided a link for this girl to make the wrong choice in actions.

 

[sunstruck]

She's to blame, but it's really no different than pressing charges against a bar for not catching a fake ID. You serve underage you're busted.

 

[Jim_Henson]

She's responsible, but as per usual, that dont mean shit in lawyerspeak.

The question is who do you blame?

 

[Guru]

 

[Nora]

In my opinion, 17-year-olds are adults in every sense, except legally. They are very independent, and can be self-reliant.

However, I would go to prison for a very long time if I had sex with a 17-year-old. And for shorter time if I supplied him/her with alcohol.

What a world, eh?

Yes, the point however is that legally they are not adults. Should you have sex with a 17 year old you will deserve to go to prison because no matter what you happen to think, the law is the law and you would be responsible for your own actions/violations.

It might be funny to see a bunch of dirty old men out picketing for a reduction in the age of consent, however. I'd laugh and point.

As to the original question, my opinion is that the law is written for the protection of all children not of the age of majority. It's not written to punish nitwit 17 yr olds and the nitwit 21 yr olds who furnish them alcohol. It's designed to protect the younger ones and punish the older ones who'd happily exploit them. The nitwits get caught in the net, however, because that's just the way child protective laws are written.

Personally, I think that "adults" (legally, if not mentally) are responsible for their own actions. If they break the law, they're responsible for that. I don't think there's any college student (or high school student, for that matter) who knows that it is indeed illegal for them to drink or for someone of legal age to provide alcohol to them. Both parties have a responsibility to the law. The 17 yr old's choice to break the law doesn't absolve the "adults" from their own responsibility to act in a legal manner.

 

[Johnny Mayberry]

I say they nail every damned one of them to the wall, girls, fratboys, parents, everyone...I've got the nailgun, who's got the nails?

 

[curious2c]

I find it hard to believe that any teenager goes out drinking, why when I was a teenager, ten bazillion years ago...uh...well...back then...see...


Okay, okay...i might have had a few before I was 18. Allright...16...but all my friends were doing it. I mean...come on...what can it hurt? A few drinks and a good time, maybe a hangover in the morning?


I may be an old man at forty-five but I still remember going out and partying on weekends. It was part peer pressure, part seeking excitement, and part of that so familiar teenage angst.
What she did was wrong. That older kids, who should have been olde enough to know better allowed and probably encouraged it makes it worse. And as mentioned by some...where were the parents and what were they thinking?

I have teenage boys and rasied a girl through those years also. I maintain a pretty good check and idea on their whereabouts, and even do a bit of checking up on them at various times. I am no a paranoid parent or a prying parent, just one that has been there and done that. I know what to look for and how one acts when they are being 'bad', since I did it so much myself when I was that age. My boys claim that I am a warlock or physcic (sp).

Kids want to have fun and be cool with their friends, it is natural. Parents job is to keep them in hand and to a dull roar. Friends should be known and phone numbers be stated and times, where you'll be's and all that stuff that comes with being a parent.

Colleges should have a bit more...well...control on the frat houses, it has been known since I was a child that the parties in those places get out of hand constantly.

Bottom line? RESPONSIBILITY.
It needs to be taught to children, at colleges and evidently, to adults as well.

personally, She should be in trouble, the kids at the party in trouble and the parents in trouble and also the administration at the school in trouble also. This is one of those things that should have been prevented from the start to begin with.

She was lucky all she got was alcohol poisoning. Some girls (and boys) get raped, beaten and worse at parties, not only at frat houses, but at private houses too.

 

[Johnny Mayberry]

If this little chicky gets away without some serious legal punishment, what lesson does that teach her?

 

[SINthysist]

When I was growing up, her parents would have been held accountable.

Then, somewhere along the way, children, minors, somehow became emancipated and gained the rights of an adult, so she would have been held accountable.

But, even more recently, we have moral relativism, absolving the individual of any responsibility, hence,

It's the fault of BIG ALCHOHOL...

 

[SINthysist]

If this little chicky gets away without some serious legal punishment, what lesson does that teach her?

The same lesson that our society currently gives it's youth.

You are the Paragon of Mankind.

 

[Temptress_1960]

If there is a way to stop 17 year olds from making stupid decisions, I'd love to know what it is.

The college should have drilled it into the heads of the frat boys that if you supply liquor to underage people, your ass will be toast - consequences from the fraternity itself, the school, the community, and the legal system.

Times have changed. When I was a teenager, the drinking age was 18. Now it's 21. If you were caught with booze, and underage, the police used to just take it from you and give you a warning - unless, of course, you were driving. Now it's a much more serious issue. Is that good or bad? I don't know. Same with smoking pot. They used to just take it away and warn you. Now that same offense can ruin your life.

The 17 year old should have known better. The 18 year old should have known better. Those frat boys should have known better. The college should have better monitored the frat house. In a perfect world, the parents should have known where the girls were going and put a stop to it.

There have been a lot of liability issues with college drinking, and fraternities over the last 20 years. Unless you live in a cave, that can't be news to you.

And the drinking age is not a big secret either.

 

[bluespoke]

No problem with the drink or the sex over here.

Although it is illegal to sell alcohol to someone under eighteen it is not illegal for then to drink it.

Similarly the age of sexual consent is sixteen for heterosexual sex.

 

[Gord]

as long as grass is green 17 year olds will get drunk.

Just be grateful it was just booze and not heroin she was experimenting with

and for gods sake I cant believe the people that think she should be legaly punished ............jesus , the fact she ended up in hospital getting her stomach pumped is punishment enough. She will have learned her lesson , and I bet she wont be rushing to get pissed in the near future

I cant believe that lawyer are trying to sue somebody !! Teenagers drink , they also experiment with sex and might have the odd ciggarette too - its what they do

My old man gave us a glass of wine at dinner from the age of 14 and I would have the odd beer with him at home from 15/16 onwards - its to do with education and trying to steer your kids in the right direction. Sure I still got way too pissed at times , but never to the extent of going to hospital.

 

[Gord]

I remember the first time I drank too much was at a restaurant with parents and loads of people - just sort of slid under the table !!

Ok the old man took me home and laughed a bit , but he rather I was with him and not on my own

When I reached Uni I at least knew my limits and I could handle alcohol , whereas kids where it was viewed as evil and had never drunk before were the worst - they were like kids in a sweet shop honest - they were the ones who caused all the shit got so drunk and regularly ended up in trouble

 

[Lancecastor]

Teenage boys and grrls have been getting drunk and nearly killing themselves for centuries. No story there.

But frat houses are special....because the underage teenage grrl can not only get served without ID, she can also get drugged and raped!

Every frat house has old men with money on some "alumni board".

They're the guys that talk to the banks, cops and university when "those boys" get up to their "hijinx".

I'd like to see the adults running the national operations for the frats become the subject of a serious investigation.

A child porn site would receive full FBI attention.

Frat houses in the USA have been Sexual Assault & Drug Supply Centers for decades.

I say shut 'em all down.

Lance

 

[zipman]

Teenage boys and grrls have been getting drunk and nearly killing themselves for centuries. No story there.

But frat houses are special....because the underage teenage grrl can not only get served without ID, she can also get drugged and raped!

Every frat house has old men with money on some "alumni board".

They're the guys that talk to the banks, cops and university when "those boys" get up to their "hijinx".

I'd like to see the adults running the national operations for the frats become the subject of a serious investigation.

A child porn site would receive full FBI attention.

Frat houses in the USA have been Sexual Assault & Drug Supply Centers for decades.

I say shut 'em all down.

Lance

I agree with this post. While I definitely think the 17 year old girl bears a lot of responsibility for her decision to drink and participate, the drinking laws exist for a reason. Was she mature enough to know when she had enough. Obviously not.

Frat houses definitely exploit this atmosphere and use these parties to take advantage of younger girls. In this case, the Frat house should be closed, permanently.

 

[Calamity Jane]

The college should have drilled it into the heads of the frat boys that if you supply liquor to underage people, your ass will be toast - consequences from the fraternity itself, the school, the community, and the legal system.

Everyone is assuming that this girl is a high school student, and she may well be... but bear in mind that some of us are 17 when we enter college. I'd already been living on my own for 6 months, and my parents had no clue what I was up to because they were 100 miles away.

That said, I think the girl should be charged with minor n possession and minor in consumption. Both would result in a slap on the wrist, but maybe as sick as she was, she'll learn something. Trying to figure out who at the frat house is responsible seems nearly impossible... I'd imagine the house mother will be charged with contributing, and the house will be fined by the school.

There's no doubt the girl was responsible for her own behavior, but some responsibility lies with the older people at the party. It's their job to protect themselves. Part of that protection is making sure the people you're serving are of age.

 

[brokenbrainwave]

At some point, in hopefully the not to distant future, we as a nation will be foreced to demand people be held accountable for their own actions. Both the girl and the frat house serve equally responsible for her having access to the booze. To punish one and not the other is only acting as an enabler, serving to fuel an "I can do anything I want, it will not be MY fault" that is rampant in todays society.

Niether side deserves jail time, but a trip through the local morgue might serve as an reminder....

 

[Tranquility]

Who's Guilty

Well there is this word I drill into my 14 yr old sons head all the time "Accountablity". Yes the frat boys were guilty as sin for letting her be there especially if they knew she was 17 and the min she said "high school" a light shoulda went off in their head. Her parents yeah they are to blame also I mean come on where the hell were they when she was going out partying on a sun night,I mean HELLO there is school on mondays. But the young lady is question should be held accountable along with her lil friend that was out partying with her. If she is allowed to get away with this and they lay the blame off on someone else then what lesson is she gonna learn NOTHING except hey I was 17 and I got drunk the lawyers didn't do anything to me and everyone was else was held accountable. This is just of course my humble opion,take it or leave it

 

[Johnny Mayberry]

America is a country that seeks to try 12 year olds as adults for some crimes. America is a country that uses the death penalty on severely retarded people. Yet, while 12 yeaar olds and mentally disabled people are personally responsible for their actions, there is a whole other section of society which is not. The rich and powerful, and their children. Celebrities and their celebrity lawyers. Professional atheletes. And, of course, anyone who has a little money and can find a shady lawyer.
I guess I'm liberal on certain issues, but I'm not one of those 'pussy liberals' who thinks wishing makes it so. If this 'child' is not responsible, then her parents are. Who can say she didn't have a fake ID, which would fool anyone including a drunk guy at a frat party. She chose to drink so much, no one held a gun to her head. If she is not responsible, then who is, the frat guys? None of them forced her to go to the party, no one forced her to drink. Ultimately, it is her fault, but let's by all means nail her parents too. They should have known where she was, should have taught her better. If more parents were held responsible to some extent, maybe more parents would take their responsibility more seriously.

If it had been me, I would have chalked it up to experience and got some help with the drinking. I wouldn't look for someone else to blame.

 

[Temptress_1960]

I agree that the girl should be held responsible for her own actions.

But, remember, at least in most states, the traditional college student is ages 18-22, and at least half of those people are not legally old enough to drink.

And at least here in Vermont, there has been enough negative publicity over social houses that a bit of extra caution from the adult and student leaders of these houses should be expected.

 

[Gilly Bean]

I think that there should be a level of account held by everyone involved in it.

I'm sure that the people in the frat were aware that she was underage.

She knew what she was doing was wrong.



I've only been to two frat parties, but at both of them, they asked me my age. The didn't check id's, and they laughed when I paused, wondering what I should say. The guy checking ages just laughed and said it was to cover thier own asses in case the party got broken up. I said I was underage (I was 19 at the time).

They did check my hand for a big black X when they were asking people if they wanted anything to drink, as well.

Not all frat's do that, but I know around here, that counts for the frat's liability with minor's drinking.