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Otherwise law-abiding

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  1. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Off-topic, yet given our past discussions on our country's fine upstanding motoring population, somehow not.

    The Beeb reports on the proliferation—indeed the casual acceptance—of fake IDs amongst the young of America.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21976718

    "All the evidence suggests that acquiring phony identification is commonplace among huge swaths of otherwise law-abiding young American adults - especially those who have left home for the first time to study at university."

    Perhaps it's the remoteness to us of the behaviour that makes the phrase itself casually acceptable to use. Before you know it, they'll be trying to drive cars without a licence, too. Those young scallywags, eh!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. thewavecry
    Member

    Rather than implement more legislation and introduce complicated, costly technologies (that will inevitably be worked around) could they not legislate to lower the age limit on alcohol consumption? I am not trying to advocate under-aged drinking here, but it is clear that the law is not only not having the desired effect but is also introducing unintended consequences.

    I am sure I will sound like one of those liberal pinko commies but surely a bit of education to increase awareness of the effects and risks of alcohol combined with sensible licencing and pricing might get closer to achieving what the legislators want?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. ARobComp
    Member

    I think in America there is a feeling of - "I had to wait till I was 21 why should you be any different"

    I think there is a thing with that here with using mobiles while driving - Other than that they obey every law - classic example of a post office van using his mobile all the way down the A7 as I came poast him a few times. He was texting or reading directions - non the less his eyes were off the road for some time each time. He was an old dude as well. Not good to see.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. kaputnik
    Moderator

    could they not legislate to lower the age limit on alcohol consumption

    One of those idiosynchracies of the US, where you can own an assualt rifle and drive a car, but can't have buy a drink.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. Baldcyclist
    Member

    Did no one ever 'doctor' their student ID to make it look like they were 18 so they could get into clubs?

    MIne's was so badly doctored (2 changed to a 1), that most 'bouncers' were on it straight away, and always told me to get better id for the next time. I never did, and they kept saying it, and no one ever refused me entry because of my 'dodgy' id.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. Instography
    Member

    Fake ID's a new thing? That must make my older brothers pioneers - they were doing it 40 years ago.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. Uberuce
    Member

    I've given up on ever getting ID'd again, and instead am settling for the hope that if I get plenty of sleep the night before and moisturise like a boss, I might one day attract more than a cursory glance from the assistant at the self-service till before slapping the Customer Is Obviously Older Than 25 button.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. fimm
    Member

    I've never been ID'd in my life (for stuff like buying alcohol, I mean). I was far too law-abiding as a young person, and now I get the same treatment as Uberuce.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. wingpig
    Member

    I once had my age questioned in a Victoria Wine by someone who was in the year above me at school, was himself barely eighteen and therefore knew I was only seventeen. I started going grey at nineteen and can't remember have been questioned since.

    "...could they not legislate to lower the age limit on alcohol consumption?"

    Would that not just correspondingly lower the well-I'm-almost-old-enough-anyway age?

    "...surely a bit of education to increase awareness of the effects and risks of alcohol combined with sensible licencing and pricing might get closer to achieving what the legislators want?"

    We have that already. There was once even an advert aiming to combat GO-ON-JUST-n-MORE-YOU-[deprecatory epithet] peer-pressure-exacerbated-overindulgence.

    Wonder if anyone has ever seriously thought about (volume/frequency monitoring/restriction) licensing for consumers as well as vendors?

    Almost any sort of restriction or control is circumventable for the sufficiently determined but even a partial effect is good for something as damaging as alcohol.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I got IDed the day after my 30th birthday. I think the staff at Scotmid in Warrender Park have it in for me.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. cc
    Member

    Be grateful kaputnik, be grateful. You'll miss it when it's gone.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. HankChief
    Member

    I went into Halfrauds on Friday to pick up a bulb for my car. As I was on my bike without a lock I wheeled my bike inside and left it in front on the checkout.

    Wearing full hi-viz jacket, yellow helmet and glasses, I walked up to the counter to pa and was asked if I wanted it fitted.

    Not sure how I could have looked less like I came in a car. The sales assistant declined my offer of a backie to my house for her to fit it.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. sallyhinch
    Member

    There's an elderly checkout chap in Dumfries Tesco who always asks everyone if they're over 18 before scanning through the wine. I mention this for people who would like the little ego boost, long after they've stopped getting it anywhere else...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. ARobComp
    Member

    Last time I was asked for ID in tescos I just said "I'm 26 and don't carry ID" the guy panicked and pressed the "over 25" button on my machine and the machine of my clearly younger campadre. I felt a bit bad.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. wee folding bike
    Member

    Some American states used to have a lower limit. I went to NY when I was 18, turned 19 and became legal. Then I went to Florida and DC where I wasn't legal before returning to NY.

    I didn't drink then either but it did mean I had to sit in the car a few times.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. gembo
    Member

    I know a guy and of course so does Wee folds, who is an outlaw in New York State. Done for underage drinking on the eve of his 21st birthday, jumped bail and turfed up in California, very, very bizarrely at Jane Fonda's house where another guy we know had somehow been staying (maybe she only owned the house but the law abiding one did have a conversation with her in the house, this was in 1986).

    Posted 12 years ago #

  17. wee folding bike
    Member

    Wow.

    Hmmm, trying to think of who we both know, does one of them have the initials IH?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  18. gembo
    Member

    IH went to New York more recently and became married to GH without telling anyone. His pal PL is the fugitive from the Law. You will still be on holiday in the west? Edinburgh had very early Easter. The Masters not even started yet.

    A McK is the guy holding his nerve realising he is having a chat with Jane Fonda

    Posted 12 years ago #

  19. wee folding bike
    Member

    Ahhh, OK, I followed all those initials.

    Yes, still on holiday. I had a wee spin along the city branch of the Monklands/Forth and Clyde yesterday.

    I've been using NLS Georeferenced maps to see where things were. This allowed me to find a wee bit in front of Baird St Police Station which is now a ped underpass. I wouldn't have found the bridge on Castle St without the map.

    The left hand side allows you to choose the old layer, the right hand side the current map and the slider fades between them. The historical layer can be old maps or air recon photos. The URL is pretty horrible.

    http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=55.88066&lon=-4.33666&layers=00B0000000FFFFFFTFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

    Posted 12 years ago #

  20. AKen
    Member

    Attitudes to drinking seem to vary quite a lot in different parts of the States. The only place I have been ID'ed was in Texas, where a barman at a Rodeo (of all places) refused to serve me.

    However, I'd been happily drinking in California a few days beforehand with no challenges whatsoever - and then went on to New Orleans, which was much the same. At the time, I assumed that this was beacause Florida and Louisiana had lower drinking ages but it turned out that they were just less strict about checking things than Texas.

    I can also report that Houston is not the best city for cycling around. (I borrowed my cousin's bike.)

    Posted 12 years ago #

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