Should the voting age be lowered?

[claire]

[Austin, Assistant Mod]

I'm gonna say no

[Isabelle]

I almost think it should be raised a few years

[Isabelle]

At the same time, that would mean a lot of folks who serve in the military wouldn't be able to vote, so 18 is probably best

[Austin, Assistant Mod]

I think there should be a military exception.

[Carina]

When I took speech in high school I had to write a speech about why the voting age should be lowered to 16. Even after doing the research for the paper, I still don’t think that as a general rule the voting age should be changed.

[[deleted user]]

16 year olds are stupid and they don't have the responsibility to know who is the best for the country. I think the drinking age (21) is when people should be able to start voting.

[[deleted user]]

I think 18 is a fine age to vote......

[[deleted user]]

18 year olds are not smart enough to know who should rule.

[Isabelle]

So then should an 18 year old in the military, fighting for his country, not be able to vote, or do you think there should be some sort of exception?

[Elizabeth L. (See Profile), (Elizabeth L. Other Acc) Assistant Mod ~ Music & Polls]

I think it's also irresponsible to let an 18 year old be in the military. I think that should be highered to 21 as well.

[Isabelle]

Why would it be irresponsible to let an 18 year old join the military?

[[deleted user]]

Isabelle wrote: "I almost think it should be raised a few years"

same.

[Elizabeth L. (See Profile), (Elizabeth L. Other Acc) Assistant Mod ~ Music & Polls]

Isabelle wrote: "Why would it be irresponsible to let an 18 year old join the military?"

Sometimes they might join to be with their buddies or, maybe for fun, or as a comeback to worry their parents. If they are ever in a serious situation they immediately fall apart and do something stupid. I would not want that kinda person protecting our country.

[[deleted user]]

i kinda agree with Elizabeth here. Sometimes they join just to be a "war hero" or to have "fun" and don't realize how serious it is.

[Carina]

I find it kind of funny that everyone on here is saying “16 year olds are stupid!” “18 year olds aren’t that smart!” when most of the people in this group are probably around that age range (or younger…) 😂

[[deleted user]]

XD RIGHT?

[[deleted user]]

Carsie Rose wrote: "I think if someone can die and risk their life fighting for our country, then they should be able to make decisions and vote for what happens to that country. So either the enlistment age needs to ..."

agreed

[Austin, Assistant Mod]

So this scene from 1917 the movie does a good job showing what bristish soldiers looked like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIriN...
They were kids usually of the age of 16, more than that the British like to form units of kids that were from the same area. So imagine all of the boys in your grade being drafted, fighting together and dying. Some boys even lied about their age to enlist, so there was the possibility of some of those kids being 15 or even 14. But they are ready and go kill and die in that horrible war.

[Austin, Assistant Mod]

I think out nice country and nice circumstances make people mature at later ages. Because those 16 year olds are more mature than some of our 20 year olds. at least in terms of mentality, obviously biology is a different story.

[Austin, Assistant Mod]

So what I was talking about was WW1 against the German empire not the Nazis. WW1 was the trench warfare and charging into machine guns. The Germans had no capacity at the time to even attempt to invade British isles.

[Isabelle]

A main reason younger men are joining now is for money, not comraderie and things. I mean, if they see it as a job then they should, could, and will treat it responsibly. There's also the fact that 8 to nearly 30% (depending on the branch) of new recruits fail basic training. If you're not cut out for it you'll be removed. About 70% of young adults are deemed ineligible to join the armed forces, anyway. It's not exactly something an irresponsible person does for the faint of heart, and if they do, the military will make them responsible.

[[deleted user]]

Carsie Rose wrote: "But Isabelle, if you can't drink alcohol until 21 because you're too young and your brain isn't developed enough to take it, then why can you go into battle? Being responsible doesn't mean it's goi..."

true

[Isabelle]

I'm fully aware of the existence of PTSD. I never said I agreed with the drinking age being 21. If you can serve your country, you can have beer, hun.

[Elizabeth L. (See Profile), (Elizabeth L. Other Acc) Assistant Mod ~ Music & Polls]

Well, you can still drink. You just have to lie about your age and have a fake ID.

[Isabelle]

I don't see how the responses you've given clear anything up that 18 is too young? Yes, alchohol definitely affects you mentally and physically, which is why you choose to indulge in it or not, and you are supposed to drink responsibly so you cause the least amount of damage as possible. No one makes 18-19 year olds serve in the US military unless we're in a time of war, but if that is what they want to do with their life, they should do it. It isn't like say, LGBT stuff where they say "follow your heart" and "love is love" and all that crazy. It's a noble and honorable decision which benefits many others, it's a respectable job.

[Isabelle]

Sure their brains aren't fully developed yet, but that doesn't mean they're absolute idiots until the day the hit twenty five. They're not some six year old playing with guns.

[Isabelle]

It would, you're right. Thankfully the Lord gave us the ability to reason.

[Elizabeth L. (See Profile), (Elizabeth L. Other Acc) Assistant Mod ~ Music & Polls]

Carsie Rose wrote: "It's a respectable, honorable job, I never said anything against it, but my point is, often 18-19 year olds are still super young to making decisions. And you don't get to choose to drink when you ..."

yeah

[Isabelle]

I'd even say that in a lot of cases it would be better for them to join the military than to attend college

[[deleted user]]

I'm just going to say that a lot of people who are in there 20's are just as stupid as 16 to 18 year old's>>>>>>

[[deleted user]]

deleted user wrote: "18 year olds are not smart enough to know who should rule."

so are you not going to vote till your older?????

[Austin, Assistant Mod]

well you should take advantage of the system while you have it. Vote when you can. Though if you turn 18 say in 2022 then you might at well vot at 20 if you intend on only voting for the pres.

[Elizabeth L. (See Profile), (Elizabeth L. Other Acc) Assistant Mod ~ Music & Polls]

⁓ Gracel ⁓ wrote: "deleted user wrote: "18 year olds are not smart enough to know who should rule."

so are you not going to vote till your older?????"

I probably won't. Unless it's someone I really want to win, i probably won't vote at all. Anyway, I want to move out of America ASAP

[Austin, Assistant Mod]

Elizabeth L. wrote: "⁓ Gracel ⁓ wrote: "deleted user wrote: "18 year olds are not smart enough to know who should rule."

so are you not going to vote till your older?????"

I probably won't. Unless it's someone I real..."

why do you want to leave america?

[Isabelle]

Where do you hope to go?

[Elizabeth L. (See Profile), (Elizabeth L. Other Acc) Assistant Mod ~ Music & Polls]

Isabelle wrote: "Where do you hope to go?"

probably Russia or England or Italy or greece.

[Elizabeth L. (See Profile), (Elizabeth L. Other Acc) Assistant Mod ~ Music & Polls]

Austin wrote: "why do you want to leave america?"

I don't like America. It kinda sucks.

[Austin, Assistant Mod]

Haha the UK is much worse off than the USA same with Greece and Italy

[[deleted user]]

Elizabeth L. wrote: "Isabelle wrote: "Where do you hope to go?"

probably Russia or England or Italy or greece."

I love Russian accents, but I wouldn't want to live there. Maybe visit, but defiantly not live.

[Elizabeth L. (See Profile), (Elizabeth L. Other Acc) Assistant Mod ~ Music & Polls]

Austin wrote: "Haha the UK is much worse off than the USA same with Greece and Italy"

at least it's a monarchy and they have cool accents. Plus my great-grandma and aunt live there.

[Lily, Assistant Mod ~ Politics and Social Issues]

America isn't perfect, but it is much better than many other countries! I'm thankful for that :)