*The names Evan, Seth and Jules have been used to protect the identities of sources in this article.
In the life of Clark County, an adventure unfolds involving a crashed party, a gas station robbery and a joy ride with two bizarre cops. This high school tale “Superbad” features Fogell’s unrealistic, but iconic fake ID, echoing the essence of teenage rebellion. Here at Kirkwood, teenagers have changed the storyline and have left McLovin’s amateur attempts in the 2000s.
One of those students, Evan, junior, purchased his fake ID this past summer. He said the main motivation for buying one was that he didn’t want to overpay anymore to get alcohol. Since having a fake ID, Evan said that it hadn’t made much of a significant impact on how others interact with him.
“Some people ask me to buy them [alcohol] which can be annoying sometimes,” Evan said. “But other than that it hasn’t really affected my social life.”
Evan said he believes his ID is realistic since he hasn’t gotten denied yet while using it. While aware of the possible repercussions of getting caught with a fake ID and acknowledging the fairness of them, Evan said he doesn’t plan on ever getting caught and his only regret was how long he actually waited to order one.
“I wish I could’ve bought [a fake ID] sooner, to be honest,” Evan said. “It’s been really helpful. I use it more than I probably should.”
It’s been really helpful. I use it more than I probably should.
— Evan
While Evan has managed to hold onto his fake ID, other teenagers have not. Seth, senior, had his taken away when he tried to use it at a dispensary. However, since his fake ID was very realistic and showed up in the system when it was scanned, he said he believes getting it taken was just a fluke.
“When I first got [my fake ID], [the people who made it] basically altered it to just be all my same information and just changed the name and the date of birth,” Seth said. “So, if you scanned it, I came up in the system.”
Seth said the other closest time he had ever come to being in trouble was when he returned home from an outdoor concert without realizing he dropped his wallet with his fake ID in it. The next day, a police officer showed up to his house with his wallet which also contained Seth’s KHS student ID, with an identical photo as his fake and clearly labeled that he’s a senior.
“[The cop] talked to my dad when he opened the door and my dad completely covered for me, saying I wasn’t home,” Seth said. “I was watching it all from the Ring camera when the cop returned my wallet and fake ID to my dad.”
Seth said he bought his fake ID a little earlier than he anticipated because he was friends with a lot of people who were going to college, so he felt it would make things easier. Although Seth said he doesn’t believe there’s a social pressure to get a fake ID, he does think drinking is becoming more normalized.
“I do think there is a pressure to drink once you get around that junior, senior age just because everyone does it,” Seth said. “It can get harder to avoid.”
I do think there is a pressure to drink once you get around that junior, senior age just because everyone does it.
— Seth
However, Seth said he and his friends don’t act that way or try to pressure each other because they don’t care. He said he hangs around people if he thinks they’re fun, not because they’re drinking.
“I don’t rely on alcohol to have a good time,” Seth said. “Having an ID just makes things easier sometimes. To me, it’s a convenience thing.”
Another senior, Jules, got her fake ID her sophomore year, but had it taken away by her parents a few months later. Jules said while she was aware that possessing a fake ID was illegal, she genuinely believed herself to be invincible and unable to get into trouble at that time. Jules said sophomore year was a different time in her life, as she started to drink and party more when she fell in with a new crowd of people.
“The drinking culture at Kirkwood and that particular time with that friend group did push me to get [a fake ID],” Jules said. “I would say the environment I was in definitely encouraged it.”
However, Jules said she believes it’s unrealistic for people to assume or pretend that teenagers don’t drink. She said it’s part of American high school culture for many students to party before college.
“Whether you think drinking is good or bad, it happens, it just does,” Jules said. “There are rules in place, but people find ways to get around those rules. And that’s part of life.”
Officer Jeremy Johnson, KHS’s school resource officer, said there is a wide range of possibilities of how police officers might deal with teenagers having a fake ID. Minors possessing a fake ID is a charge in itself and proving that they were buying alcohol also counts for a minor in possession. However, Johnson said the situation might be handled with trying to make it a learning lesson.
Whether you think drinking is good or bad, it happens, it just does.
— Jules
“We might talk to kids about what they’re doing and what trouble they can get into,” Johnson said. “We can conversate with the parents, but there’s a fine line in dealing with this kind of situation.”
While reflecting on her sophomore year, Jules said she would change things if she could. But, she said she believes it’s not fair to judge kids for the rest of their lives for something they did when they were younger.
“I can admit now that as a senior, I did dumb things as a 15- or 16-year-old,” Jules said. “I would not make the same decisions now that I did back then.”
