Source it's based on:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ethan-couch-texas-quadruple-murderer--or-a-victim-of-affluenza-9004308.html
Reading this made me angry; actually I've found that article through a Youtube channel I just subscribed to which brings up some news in short form and I was surprised that it seemed so thoroughly researched.
And hearing what I've heard just shocked me so much, that I've written a status on Facebook about it which I have never(!) done in my life, that enraged I was.
But what is it about and how does all that look to me? Does anything there make sense?
The Kid and The Parents - Californication
Now using "Californication" in that sense, which is related to it: son wants fun and does shit, parents don't care and pay what he's done. That's how I imagine California is considering that rich people seem to like living there.
But to the main issue now: this kid called Ethan Couch, 16 years old, has drunk (0.24 per mille, in Germany it would be still legal till 0.5, don't know about the U.S. but he shouldn't drink under U.S. law anyways!) and was driving a pickup driving with 7 passengers including himself. When he was speeding way too high, he crashed into a car which had a flat tire (or tyre) on the side of the road and the 4 people which were gathered around that car, got killed. No one had seatbelts on! Two passengers got severe injuries but not the driver. They just stole some beer before driving.
The worst: he doesn't have to go to jail but 10 years on probation. Is that how much 4(!) lives are worth?!?!?!
Only typing and reading this makes me feel pretty moody, jeez. It's not only this accident but the fact that he was driving several times under alcohol influence and he was found once with an unconscious and undressed 14-year-old girl.
I've got several questions when reading all that:
1.: How the heck can he, Ethan, not tell that he shouldn't drive under alcohol influence?!
2.1-2.3.: What the heck did the parents do to stop their child from doing that? Why even defending him in this case? Do they care at all about how he is doing?
3.: That girl from an earlier incident was undressed and unconscious...hello?!~
4.: Why wasn't there any authority intervening with him if he has driven enough times under alcohol influence?
5.1/5.2: Are his friends really that dumb and drive with him? Why didn't they react when they possibly knew about Ethan's earlier actions?
All questions which have their legitimate reasons to be there. I think the parents and especially that boy need some serious cuts in their actions - no matter how young he is in the current time.
Psychology and Rich People - Can't Touch This
So, let's tackle the psychologist's side now: the diagnosis of affluenza. For those who don't know, it isn't related to influenza or viruses at all, it's described as "not being able to see the consequences because rich parents protected somebody from any harm or punishment due to one's actions". That pretty much says that he's legally insane and needs to visit a psychiatry or some sorts of that - in his case a luxury private "rehabilitation center" in Cali for $450,000 a year.
Now, affluenza would legitimize calling one insane. But "affluenza" isn't a registered illness, disease, disorder, syndrome etc.
It's even controversely discussed with the current heavy tendency being that it doesn't exist at all. I'm very split when talking about it as being a disorder: it can imagine it being one when you never suffer consequences and are spoiled without reaching behind the scenes for the most part; but even then it should be known that killing somebody is just wrong (take that, death penalty supporters!) and that everybody should know about it; everything else is just naivete.
"Affluenza" can exist but not influence him to such a degree that killing someone is beyond one's mind to think about consequences.
This psychologist is somehow fishy anyways: when that incident with that unconscious girl happened, he really recommended to not punish Ethan. If he suffers from affluenza, they should totally do that and punish him! Where's your sense, where's the logic, doc?!
Now that argument of "affluenza" is just ridiculous and sounds invented for the sake of bending the verdict. Ugh...
This case is not just a case of injustice and "Money can buy you out", it's really a case of how everything has failed. And my biggest complaint from that direction goes to the authorities.
The Court and The Authorities - Money, Money, Money
That is just sad. Main question of this case shall be: Has money blindsided the authorities or was it really only the certified diagnosis of affluenza? Corruption? Bribery?
I cannot answer that but both play a role, I think. The money especially seems to work with "low" authoritiy stages: local courts or the local police.
There always seems to be a way to buy yourself out from the police station and so it surely looked with Ethan, too: as long as the parents pay, he doesn't have to fear anything, even the state authorities.
The court has failed definitely. When only certain disorders and so on are registered and officially accepted, there must be "disorders" and so on which aren't officially accepted or totally bogus. That they haven't seen this as bogus is ridiculous to me. Even when giving him a punishment of 10 years on probation, it's really a shame. The victims' friends and family etc. have expected some sort of justice, apology or compensation for the loss of their dear people and then the judge doesn't give them anything. Even the parents don't get a punishment for their seemingly failed behaviour concerning Ethan.
"Money is power" is indeed true and that doesn't only apply to the relation of economy and politics on a big scale but also applies on a much smaller scale, that of the rich people and the law enforcers.
And this all is only the case being on court itself. The things before should have encouraged authorities to react much sooner with Ethan and could have prevented this tragic ending with the loss of 4 lives and 2 injured.
My condolences and feelings are with the dead's company.
And to the injured ones, while I hope they've learned of this incident, even if it had to be the hard way of learning something, my feelings are with them and their company, too.
P.S.: Thanks to this video, I was hinted at that incident and was the video I was talking about up there in the post:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naeeAEOBVJE
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