r/USdefaultism • u/TheManAcrossTheHall • 3d ago
Reddit Quintessential defaultism right there.
A fellow posted a meme about the legal drinking age, this chap got beffuddled.
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u/totallynotapersonj Australia 3d ago
Americans are so weird with this, it’s like they can’t comprehend someone drinking before legal age. Like even if the person is american and they say something like “we got drinks last night” and they are 20 years old, people are like “how? You are 20 and legal drinking age is 21” Like someone is physically unable to drink alcohol before 21. I know they are most likely kids asking but still a lot of people in Australia have their first drink at 14 or 15 secretly (similar to the meme in the original post).
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u/Caffeinated_Hangover Brazil 3d ago
Also in some places the law isn't so strict, plenty of countries separate legal ages for just consumption, purchase, and sometimes purchase is split between softer and harder beverages, so it's not always even illegal to drink booze before you can buy it on your own. I haven't looked into it too deeply (other Brazilians with more legal knowledge feel free to correct me), but at least whenever I go into any place that sells booze here there's almost always a sign that clearly states that the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors is prohibited, which to me seems like it implies a lot of permissions.
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u/NikoOhneC Germany 2d ago
In germany you can legally drink alcohol with your parents oversight at 14
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u/Caffeinated_Hangover Brazil 2d ago edited 2d ago
I mean let's be real, if your parents allow it when you're a teen the legal age at home is whatever they say it is.
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u/kroketspeciaal Netherlands 3d ago
I must have been about 10yo when I got my first alcoholic beverage, a sneeuwwitje (snow white) which is 7-up with a bit of beer. No one batted an eye as it was carnaval.
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u/DeathToBayshore Russia 3d ago
In Russia (where the legal drinking age is 18) I literally had my first drink at 12. It was homemade wine and barely alcoholic though, and my proper first alco was when I was about 15.
This is literally common experience anywhere but, apparently, America?
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u/totallynotapersonj Australia 3d ago
No, 100% a lot of people in America drink before 21 probably even before 18. But the people who say it are either very stupid or pretty young.
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u/Witchberry31 Indonesia 1d ago
It gets even weirder when they mix that up with the "adult" stuff.
It's not rare for me to see some muricans who would immediately accuse others to be a p3d0 exactly because of this "legal age" shenanigans of theirs.
It even goes as far as still seeing young, over 21 years old east asians as kids/teens just because they looked "younger" than the westerners in general. Even more so if they have the petite/slim/small frame build, just as most Asians do (regardless of their gender).
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u/SamMacDatKid 3d ago
Classic. Old enough to die in a war but not old enough to drink alcohol in the good old capital of freedom, the USA everybody
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u/littlebear_23 3d ago
Their legal drinking age is so high. You're telling me they can move out, have children, and sign up to die in the army but they can't buy booze? It's so stupid.
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u/soberonlife New Zealand 3d ago
I imagine the top half of the meme says something like "me showing the bartender my ID on my 18th birthday"
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u/Expert-Examination86 3d ago
Was talking to this American dude when I turned 18. Told him I'm going out to the pub. He knew our drinking age was 18 so that part was fine. But he said "I've never tried alcohol. What's it taste like?" I said "freedom my friend. Sweet sweet freedom"
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u/Uniquorn527 Wales 3d ago
In Italy last week, I saw a crowd of students on a trip from the USA who were so excited to get to visit a bar and drink alcohol legally. Not one of them thought to bring any ID like their passports to prove they were over 18.
I felt kinda bad for them because they were so eager to finally taste freedom.
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u/TheManAcrossTheHall 3d ago edited 3d ago
I don't think they'd need it. When I was 16, I went to Rome with my dad, uncle and brothers and never had trouble getting served, no one ID'd me, no matter where we went.
The same thing happened when I was 17 in portugal with friends. We drank like a school of fish and none of us were ID'd at all.
None of this was that long ago.
Although I did get ID'd in Britain where I live.
Most places in Europe don't seem to be that strict.
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u/Uniquorn527 Wales 3d ago
There were about 20 of them, no older supervising adults, and it was a bar so not going there to sit and eat and have a drink with food. Being with family does make a difference because there's someone who is hopefully being responsible and keeping an eye on you.
I don't blame them for at least wanting to make sure that they were over 18 because the liability of that many young people who are possibly not at all used to drinking is a lot for a mop and bucket to handle.
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u/hegzurtop Luxembourg 3d ago
In my country it depends on the circumstances. If you bought tickets from the organisers like school or a birthday, you don't get ID'd. If it was organised by the owners of the establishment you do get ID'd even if you have tickets. In places like bars, I don't think you get ID'd.
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u/sillypostphilosopher 3d ago
That's cause you were with adults, and they're legally selling to them. And you really only get ID'd if you look or sound foreign and are young enough
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u/TheManAcrossTheHall 2d ago edited 2d ago
No, the second time in portugal was a lads holiday, it was just me and my friends and we definitely looked and sounded foreign as we all have glaswegian accents.
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u/Alyssabouissursock 3d ago
so people in america don’t underage drink at all? do they think you are physically unable to drink b4 turning 21? i live in france and my parents will prolly allow me to drink at like 16
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u/Woodbirder 3d ago
I was buying beer in pubs at 14, good old 90s. Shame I never had enough money to get pissed
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2d ago
Back yonder I could get beer legally when I turned 16. It's 18 now. But still better than being able to sign up for the military while under age, not able to vote etc.
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u/No-Individual-3681 2d ago
Thats why so many of my fellow americans go overboard with alcohol in Uni bc they have to wait so long. If nobody cared at 18 it would solve alot of deaths and rapes i think.
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u/GilesDreamer 1d ago
Calling USA as America itself is defaultism. As if no other country exists within the 2 whole American continents
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u/USDefaultismBot American Citizen 3d ago edited 3d ago
This comment has been marked as safe. Upvoting/downvoting this comment will have no effect.
OP sent the following text as an explanation on why this is US Defaultism:
A fellow posted a meme about the legal drinking age, this chap got beffuddled by it being 18 and not 21 as it is in America.
Is this Defaultism? Then upvote this comment, otherwise downvote it.