On the Nature and Necessity of Fake I.D.’s

In college, it is not uncommon for many students to have fake Identification. In Legal terms, this is punished very strictly. The holder may receive up to 5 years in jail, and a $10,000 fine. “The majority of the court cases are thrown out,” says an official, yet it happened to a friend of mine. There is an inconsistency in this line of thought, however, when we look at the marketing industry. In a country where liquor adds target young adults, like this one, it is questionable whether these laws are justifiable.

I am a student, which significantly hurts my voice, cause now you all know I drink illegally. This and a few other factors highly hinder my argument; so let me attempt to refute them quickly. I’m underage, so unlike people who are not, I have immediate first hand experience in this area. Adults may say they have been there, but the ones past forty have forgotten, and the others are getting there slowly. Also, I am closer to being a child, and thus, closer to having a culturally unbiased view in this area. Despite what you may think, my voice does come from a bird’s eye view. Now that that is done, I will proceed to enter the conversation in a timely manner. Here are a few speculations I have regarding underage consumption.

1. 18-21 is about figuring it all out.

Take me for example. So I’m moved out. College has started. I’m learning things, both in and out of class. I’m learning to be punctual, to pace myself, and to schedule all my time. My parents don’t really help me financially, so I’m learning to budget, the hard way. I just got my first debit card, which I overdrew last week (ya it sucks, I definitely won’t do that again). but when it comes to alcohol, it is illegal to experiament. it almost gives experamenting a bad feel, which it shouldn't have. If you followed the law, you would be a stranger to the substance. The problem is that everyone else wouldn't be. You would be surrounded by people who knew what they were doing, and you would be clueless.

2. Interest in breaking the law negates the law's intention.

Obedience psychological studies aside, everyone loves to break the rules. It’s fun. Even if you don’t, it is socially encouraged. I’ve gotten way more girls by playing the wild, not caring, all around bad dude, than being the chi drinking book reader that I am. That’s just how it works. Accordingly, the illegality of underage drinking actually, imagine this, makes it more enticing. I’m guessing that was not the original intent of the law.

3. The culture we are born into promotes alcohol, yet laws prohibit it.

In my experience, many people grow up in the presence of alcohol. My parents had parties a couple times a year, and I learned quickly that the raised voices and nature of the conversation was a result of alcohol. It is commonly assumed that teenagers are targeted by alcohol advertisements. An American Academy of Family Physicians article says that the frogs used by Budweiser in 1996 were more recognizable to young children then “the Power Rangers, Tony the Tiger, or Smokey the Bear.”

These factors promote alcohol, yet it is not legal. This type of mixed message environment confuses, and is unfair.

4. Alcohol transforming into romantic necesity.

On a more serious note, I have seen this happen. The active role that alcohol plays in the social hierarchy, coupled with the inhibition that follows could cause some serious problems. In other words, the requirement of intoxication to speak to a girl. Although this takes pressure off the guy, it goes against our idolization of bravery, and suggests that one must be drunk all the time if this is to be successful.

Now, I’m not going to make the argument that alcohol is beneficial. They way us college students drink it; there is no question whether it is a detriment to the health. Yet, it is necessary on some level to experament, which should be encouraged, not shuned.

Solving The Issue of Crazy Underage Drinking Behavior, by Bandy Gomar

            Being in college has really been an eye opening experience in regards to the huge role that alcohol plays in student’s lives.  I had never imagined that drinking would be such a primary source of entertainment on college campuses.  Not only that, but it has also been very surprising to see how little some of these students know about drinking and the effect that this has on their judgment and their behavior.  That is why I think it is very important to understand what can be done to prevent bad circumstances as students first get into college. 

            I’ll take you back to my first week here at the University of Denver.  It was a time where everyone was just getting to know each other and my friends and I thought it would be fun to see what sort of parties we could find here in Denver.  We walked a few blocks and we got to a house that none of us had ever been to.  That, to start out, wasn’t really the smartest of choices, because going to a strangers home can be a bad situation to put yourself into.  We walked inside and from the moment we walked in, it was easy to distinguish which students were freshman; perhaps because they were the drunkest ones at the party. 

            There were many times during that night that I found myself amazed by the stupidity of some of the first year students that were there.  First off because it was clear that many of them had no idea how much was enough, and because of this reason many of them ended up throwing up in the yards nearby or making fools of themselves inside the house.  Another thing I found surprising was that most of the girls were drinking anything and everything that was given to them by strangers, which can be very dangerous.  There were also those that got lost in the way back to the residency hall, and very drunkenly found their way back after a few hours of walking in the dark.  All in all, it was a night that really went to show how little some of these students knew about drinking, which got me thinking about what could be possible ways of preventing small mistakes that could really turn out bad. 

            I realized that the only real way of preventing drunken mistakes made by students would be for them to be informed about alcohol and the situations they should stay away from.  Since my mother and I have always had a very open relationship, she has shared with me many stories that have increased my understanding on the subject; things such as knowing who to stay away from, making sure to get your own drink and also hints to let you know when you’ve had enough.  I believe that part of the problem in this country is that parents don’t communicate with their kids about alcohol like they should.  Most ignore the issue and pretend like it isn’t something worth discussing with their kids. 

            Looking at other countries in comparison to the United States, they don’t have to as close as many problems regarding underage drinking.  The reason is simple, they don’t look at alcohol as a means to get completely wasted, but more as a social activity that people take a part of from the time they are young.  As an article from the Daily Barometer points out, “Underage drinking is not a problem. The problematic situation here is over-consumption — a result of our society’s unhealthy relationship with alcohol.”  In my opinion, making alcohol seem like something so prohibited is what causes a lot of the crazy behavior from students first arriving at college.  If families were able to be at least somewhat open to talking to their kids about drinking –letting them know about drunk driving, introducing them to the things they must do if a friend is blackout drunk, making sure they know not to take drinks from strangers, etc- would really reduce the problems that happen concerning alcohol.                       

            Perhaps if parents were able to introduce their kids to the matters regarding alcohol before it becomes a problem would help students be a little more aware of their actions.  Maybe then, as statistics from the NCADD show, there would be less than the 1,700 estimated deaths of college students from alcohol related injuries, deaths that could have been prevented by just a little more communication.  

Fake Id's Help The Economy, by Allison Bostic

Fake Id’s are something that you can find almost anywhere on a college campus. Many students have them so they can buy alcohol underage. Right now the economy is not in the best position and all the college students who have fake ids helps it. Many students spend one hundred and fifty dollars on a good id that they can use anywhere. With these Id’s they go to bars and liquor stores and by doing that they spend lots of money on alcohol. Shopping.com shows a typical handle of vodka cost on average twenty five dollars and other types and brands being more expensive. A typical drink at a bar can costs $2.11 says David R. Francis. Also other students who don’t want to purchase these id’s also take part in using them. They tend to ask the students who have an id to buy them alcohol. With college students spending extra money on this type of stuff that they wouldn’t normally be able to, helps this economy. Without the purchases this economy wont improve.

I personally would never get one because I don’t want to risk the consequences if I get caught. I think it is a personal choice and that it is very handy to know someone who has one. Many times when students go to parties they like to start ahead of the time so that they are not the sober person at the party when they arrive. Also drinking the beer that they have at college parties is never good. They tend to buy the cheapest beers. Students tend to have pre-parties elsewhere that they use their fake id‘s for. Many of these students are not 21 yet so this is where the fake ids come in handy.

Most students know many people who make and sell fakes. With knowing this information it is not that hard to be able to get the id and then they can use it whenever they want to. Buying the Id helps the person who makes them get money fast. After the Id is made the economy is helped by that person underage using it to buy the alcohol that want for themselves and the other people who don’t feel the need to buy one or don’t want to. Even though these students don’t have an id they are still spending money on alcohol that they normally wouldn’t be able to.
This will always help the economy because many more students every year enter into college and are influenced by many others around them to have one. Many times when a student is in Greek Life they are influenced a little more because they always go out to bars and the only way to get in is a fake id. Bars really help the economy because drinks tend to be overpriced and once someone is in and able to buy the drink, they most likely will.

Other times, students just use them to use at liquor stores. These liquor stores help economy because people are purchasing a product. Many students use this way of buying alcohol because it is more reliable than a bar. When going to a liquor store, having an Id will help to not feel awkward in case they do check. Usually around campuses there is that one liquor store that never checks for Ids. Many students hear about this liquor store from other students that they know around campus. Also different types of alcohol also has different prices.

So no matter where a student goes to use their Id it will always help the economy. Many students will go out and buy an Id so that they can be out at social events. Many students are peer pressured into getting one. I know I have been asked a few times and people have tried talking me into getting one. They benefit many students so that they can go out and be social but also helps to benefit the economy. Especially with many more students every year going into college there will always be fakes being made and sold. Everyone using these fakes tend to spend all their money on alcohol from liquor stores and bars. In the end, having a fake benefits our economy with all the extra money going out and being spent. All the money that is going out in the economy will help boost it up since it is slowly going down. Fake id’s will benefit this country tremendously until we can help boost it up a different way.