Thelton Henderson E-Mail Exchange: Connecting Students to the World; Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley
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What are the rights for young adults? Why don't teenagers have the right to vote? Why can't teenagers go to clubs? Why do 16-year-olds need parents to be in the car with them while their driving, when 18-year-olds can drive by themselves and they're just two years older?
Young adults have fewer civil rights than adults because our society, through our legislators, feels that young adults have not yet reached sufficient maturity to exercise all the rights that are exercised by adults. That is why there are limits on their driving rights, their rights to drink alcohol, and their right to vote. It is felt that they have to grow into these kinds of rights, although I personally believe that the age of 18 is a fairly arbitrary age that has been chosen for the exercise of most of these rights.
Do you think there are going to be more rights for teenagers in the future? How?
No, there will not be more rights for teenagers in the future. If I had to guess, I would say there will be fewer rights for teenagers in the future. Every time you have something like the teenagers who shot their teacher in Arkansas, you have people who want to begin limiting the rights of teenagers and you also have people who want to begin treating teenagers like adults in court. Similarly, every time a teenager has an automobile accident in which people are killed or hurt badly you have legislators who want to make tougher laws regarding teenage drinking -- despite the fact that adults have these problems and much more.
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