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The Age Of Responsibility Alan Greenblatt Summary

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Political writer and author, Alan Greenblatt, in his thoughtful article “What is the Age of Responsibility?” argues that “...the point of laws regulating the behavior of young people should not be to restrict them. It's to begin educating them in the ways of responsible adulthood.”. The age of responsibility, when one is legally allowed to do things like live alone, obtain a paying job and a driving license, consume alcohol, get a tattoo, etc., as of today varies and contradicts itself in our country. The current system that determines the legal age of responsibility in our country is outdated and made up of arbitrary numbers. The age of responsibility should be taken into deeper consideration. Although the legal age of adulthood in this country is a controversial issue, the current system in place for determining the age of responsibility for minors somewhat makes sense with …show more content…

While it is true that your prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for making decisions and planning behavior) is not usually developed until around age twenty-five, each individual is different. Childhood trauma, culture, personal mentality, and even gender all play a role on an individual’s maturity correspondingly. However, by the time an adolescent is eighteen, they will have graduated or be close to graduation and will begin to be exposed to either a “real world” adult job or college regardless of maturity. They are not going to be required to consume alcohol just because they are allowed to, it is a personal choice. It is not possible for laws to cater to the brain development of each and every individual, however we must have a set age that allows young adults to have a start in learning

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