Monday, August 15, 2005

More of the War On Common Sense

For more brain dead information from our government on drugs and alcohol, check outThe Cool Spot: The Young Teen's Place For Information On Alcohol And Resisting Peer Pressure

It's such a stupid site, and I can't begin to describe how many problems I have with it. For one thing the little quiz question, designed to make kids think that most teenagers don't drink, is completely rigged. Of course, most 12 and 13 year olds don't drink. Throwing them into the same category as 17 year olds is bound to give you skewed results. If less than 2 out 10 12-17 year olds drink, what would that number be for 16 and 17 year olds I wonder.

Even more ridiculous is the example of "spoken peer pressure" :

Girl 1: Hey, come drink with us!

Girl 2: Yeah, it'll be more fun than sitting in the library. Don't be a loser and sit here reading.

God help all the raging alcoholics created by this and similar situations.

The problem with the website is two-fold.

1) It's a government website. A private organization with a ridiculous website is one thing, but the government .. well .. it's not that I expect the government to have more sense, it's just that it's always disturbing to find the government taking positions on social issues. Why is it okay for the government to tell us that all 17 year old drinking is wrong, but not okay for the government to tell us that homosexuality is wrong? The point is, in both cases it's stupid, and the government should butt out.

2) For those concerned about drug and alcohol abuse, this is the exact wrong way to go about things. Misinformation and propaganda are not the way to teach children anything. Be honest, and be clear about the difference between responsible use and abuse. What's crazy is how this distinction is ignored.

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