By Pavan Rane
Questions
- Basic facts about the incident: who, what, when, where, why?
- How did the teenagers obtain the illegal substance?
- Were any figures of authority involved?
- Was the situation monitored?
When it comes to the topic of underage substance abuse, I believe that the
blame lies with the individuals who commit the offence. Although the argument
exists that an underage consumer would likely be influenced or enabled by
others (for instance, faced with peer pressure supplied or with the substance
by a figure of authority), the fact remains that a person must make a conscious
decision to act illegally. Motivation from others can only go so far; no one
can force a person to make a
decision. Furthermore, the reason why I believe that teenagers should be held
responsible for their own actions, even if they are minors, is because they are
at an age where they are intelligent enough to make proper decisions. Education
about alcohol and drugs through schooling, parental teachings, and other
sources of media is sufficient to provide teenagers with enough information
about drugs and alcohol in order to make informed decisions. There exists
little to no distinction between the cognitive process of a person in their teenage
years and their early twenties, a fact validated by the inconsistencies in
legal drinking ages in different countries (16 in Italy, 21 in the US). The
reason why drinking is permitted in Canada for those aged 18/19 and older is
because of biological development – studies done in Canada show that the brain
often finishes developing when a person is in their late teens, and the use of
alcohol and drugs can impede proper development. The argument also exists that
teens have a rebellious nature, though this argument is not concrete and furthermore
still puts the teenager at fault over any other party.
URL to the first news article:
The story is about a 17-year old boy named Chris Skinner who died due to
alcohol poisoning. Chris, already intoxicated, attended a friend’s house party
where he smoked marijuana and engaged in heavy drinking eventually leading up
to his death that night. It is revealed that he had consumed 5 times the legal
amount of alcohol. His friend’s parents were at home and fully aware of the
situation. In their defense, they stated that the teenagers would drink and
smoke regardless of where the party was held, so it would be better if they did
it in the safety of their home. The article states that even after the
incident, his friend, Kyle, continues to party and drink with friends in a
similar fashion today, even to the point of passing out.
In this article, it is clear that Chris made all the wrong decisions.
While his consumption of alcohol was illegal in Canada, it would have been
permitted had he been living in a country like Italy. He was less than 2 years
away from the legal drinking age in Hamilton, Ontario, (his home city) and less
than 1 year away from the legal drinking age in other parts of the country, so
one cannot make the argument that he was too young to make proper decisions.
While he could have interpreted the acceptance of drinking/smoking from Kyle’s
parents as an approval, it does not justify him acting in such a way. In the
end, he made the decision to drink and smoke, and the fact that Kyle and his
friends continue to act similarly today is proof that the acceptance by Kyle’s
parents in this one instance was not a determining factor.
URL for the second news article:
The article states that a teenager from Port Moody who had been drinking
on a party bus was hospitalized due to a dangerously high level of
intoxication, and no word has been released yet on his condition. This event
happened one week after the death of Ernest Azoadam, who died from over-drinking
on a party bus as well. The death of the 17-year-old Azoadam stirred much
controversy as to who was responsible and how the alcohol got on the party bus
in the first place. The driver of the party bus stated that he had no knowledge
of the alcohol and that it was possible for the teenagers to sneak it onto the
vehicle.
One can argue that in both scenarios involving the party buses, the
circumstances were in favour of the teenagers if they wanted to drink; they
were isolated and it would have been easy to sneak the alcohol onto the party
bus. However, the fact remains that they still made the conscious decision to
violate the rules of boarding and consuming alcohol, and for that reason they
are at fault. While others are to blame
for not doing their job properly and allowing alcohol to reach the children,
they are not the ones who made the children drink.
I really liked the strong introduction in this post. I found that it got a lot of questions flowing in my mind. The only suggestion I have at all would be to try to incorporate the initial questions into the post rather than listing them. Aside from that I also really liked how the conclusion came together perfectly in the end.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alan's comment, but I would like to add to his comment that next time it should put the title of the article with the URL. It was nice to see simple question to be analyzed in dept while reading the article. Good job!
ReplyDeletePavan - Thinking Like A Lawyer / Rights & Freedoms
ReplyDeleteFirst off, good job Pavan! I like how you have included an additional self-opinionated explanation of the topic to which it gives the reader a sense of your views and position. Through understanding your opinion, you have also provided a plot summary of the article that you have chosen. This is particularly convenient since it outlines the basic understanding of the news article as well as outlining what you are about to talk about in your analysis paragraph. These two paragraphs are well linked and there were no particular errors that were noticeable hence, it flowed nicely. Your analysis paragraph gives me the impression that you understand the topic well and this is demonstrated through your ability to depict several meaningful insights. These insights rose up key questions that I had not thought of before. The only thing I would be cautious about is being repetitive in your self-opinionated and plot summary paragraphs, like stating the same things. Overall, I like your writing and good job!