[YankBastard]

So smoking indoors, now a drinking age? What's next? No more mass protests?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29641891/

PARIS - A spot of Calvados, the apple brandy, in the bottle to help baby sleep. Champagne for all at the family fete. And wine anytime, well, because we're French.

[guignol]

an anti-solution to a non-problem. comme d'hab avec sarko!

there was an article in time a couple of years ago, and another i read in courrier international last year (believe it was from el pais) showing france is the country that has the least problem with teenage drinking. certainly much less than california where even 40-year-olds get carded to prove they're over 21!

the calva in the baby bottle and the wine at table for children are out of date clichés. but the general laissez-faire attitude about alcohol is probably the reason why french teens don't feel compelled to swill beer or calimacho (it's not only northern countries that have it bad, the situation in spain is catastrophic) all saturday night. there's nothing rebellious about having a drink.

[Nanbawan]

Originally Posted by guignol

the calva in the baby bottle and the wine at table for children are out of date clichés.

Out of date clichés : official providers of articles about France for the anglo-saxon press since... Since like ever !

but the general laissez-faire attitude about alcohol is probably the reason why french teens don't feel compelled to swill beer or calimacho (it's not only northern countries that have it bad, the situation in spain is catastrophic) all saturday night. there's nothing rebellious about having a drink.

Well, although the situation is far from being the same as the Brits binge drinking, the current trend is still somewhat causing some concern. I really hope we won't reach that point. The obligatory "I must roll on the floor or puke my guts out to have fun" sessions are becoming more and more common, even for 14 y.o. kids. I understrand there's something of an ordalic behaviour, but still.

Now, the issue is certainly more about the way you consume alcohol than the sheer fact of consuming some of it. But I agree, it's already too complex a topic to have a serious political debate about ; let's just do another ill-adapted blanket law that can hardly be enforced and that has hardly some impact on the matter like they always do !