Do you have an I.D.?  With the passing of so many civil rights and equality protests, wouldn’t you think everyone no matter what race, gender, or age would have the same rights?  But that’s not the case.  Age requirements exist everywhere and yet no one has protested these requirements as discrimination.  If “adults” have the right to smoke, buy alcohol and lottery tickets, then why can’t teenagers?  Two words: age discrimination.

            In most cases, 16 year-olds can get their licenses and not only put their lives in danger, but also the lives of others in their car and on the road.  But they’re not allowed to smoke, buy tobacco products, gamble, or buy lottery tickets.  Then when you turn 18 you can buy tobacco products but not alcohol or gamble.

            Driving is more of a responsibility than drinking, smoking, or gambling.  In gambling you can lose all of your money, but some adults aren’t responsible enough to gamble and not lose their whole life savings.  Smoking and drinking is a choice that one makes and one knows the results and consequences.  Smoking and drinking is by far less harmful to everyone than taking the wheel and driving. 

            In the past, discrimination was fought against with protests and riots.  If there were any hints of gender or race discrimination, you better believe that there was at least one or two groups right there in a second to pick a fight.  But what about age discrimination?  Are teenagers not part of the general pubic which should give us the same rights as every adult out there?  If adults have certain rights with no exceptions to color, race, or opinion, then age should not be a factor.  We should receive this right because everyone else has it.

The reason that teenagers have these restrictions is because the public feels that they are not old enough or mature enough to make their own logical decisions.  Many adults aren’t capable of making rational choices, so why because of a number, can they have certain rights that teenagers aren’t allowed?  There are many levelheaded teenagers in the world that are way more responsible than many adults.  These age requirements are completely outrageous and should be fought against.  Many don’t realize it, but every time teens are asked to show their I.D. they are being discriminated against and they shouldn’t just sit back and take it.

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