What Should the Voting Age Be?

[Winston]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
18. That should also stay the age of majority, where kids take on adult responsibilities as well as getting adult privledges. I think, at least (since there is no way the drinking age will be banned), the drinking age should correspond to the age of majority.

Maturity. You don't major in adulthood, you mature into it.

[Imran Siddiqui]

But its called the age of majority, no matter what you assign to it .

[Winston]

Well, it ought to be changed then. Let's have a poll!

[Berzerker]

whats age of majority? sounds made up

[Dis]

Originally posted by BlackCat
Why not let it follow the beer buying age ? It makes sense that people first get voting rights when they are able to drink a beer.

21 sounds good to me. 18 was good at one point in time. But since we insist on treating people like kids all the way into their college years and not giving them responsibility, it should be raised to 22. As most parents sadly pay for all their kids bills all the way through college. They obviously don't have the responsibility to be voting.

[JohnT]

God, it just about kills me to admit it, but Imran is correct in his use of "majority."

Naw... that wasn't worth it. I agree: he's wrong.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by JohnT
God, it just about kills me to admit it, but Imran is correct in his use of "majority."

Naw... that wasn't worth it. I agree: he's wrong.

Do you want me to go to Apolycon, or not?!

[OzzyKP]

The term "age of majority" is quite interesting actually. Especially when paired with "minor" or "minority".

It betrays quite plainly the real reason for the voting age or any other age restriction like that. The same reason behind oppressing other minorities like women or blacks. Simply that of increasing the power of the majority, and elevating their priviledge, power, and status.

[Combat Ingrid]

Only angry people should be allowed to vote. Age is irrelevant.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Simply that of increasing the power of the majority, and elevating their priviledge, power, and status.

Not to get in the way of an uninformed rant, but you do know that 'major' and 'minor' have other definitions than which is more, right?

[OzzyKP]

Of course, which is why "women" as a class may not have been numerically less than men, but still were considered "minors" in the sense of the power afforded to them. Or blacks in South Africa while being a majority of the population still were, in this sense, a "minority" because of their status in society.

Likewise with age, numbers are irrelevant, but status is what major and minor refer to. And what I was refering to.

Or if you prefer, "major" can mean on top of "minors" on the bottom. Its just heirarchy.

[Winston]

How about they raise it to 30 and rename it age of colonelity.

[Lorizael]

Only people who have a clear understanding of the political system can vote. I don't care what age. But then that sounds awfully similar to Jim Crow laws.

[josefstalin]

I'm too young to vote in this poll anyway

[Odin]

17, you can vote before your 17 if you have passed a US government class.