Have you heard the horror story about the 16-year-old boy from Texas arrested for DUI? He was well over the legal limit - not to mention under age - when he plowed into a group of people going 30 mph over the limit killing 4 and injuring 7. The judge sentenced him to ten year's probation but a year prior threw the book at a younger drunk driver. The difference is that this is the last year on the bench for the judge coupled with the defense that the child suffered from "affluenza" (affluence) and did not know the consequences of his actions. That unbelieveable statement was accepted in a court of law and the excuse isn't even a real word.
This kid not only didn't "know how to process", he had access to alcholol and a vehicle. (My kids learned that driving was a privilege, not a right and turning any age number did not qualify them as a driving candidate. It's their character that counts first.) Who lets someone that unaware get behind the wheel of a car and encounter the lives of many other innocent people??
Apparently, this rich kid's parents did. The attorney they hired to get him off even invented a new word and convinced a judge that it's crippling to have money which therefore made this poor kid unable to comprehend consequences of his actions. Affluenza.
Oh really. He's unable to realize what happens next?
Did this kid understand the "consequences" of his new haircut or clothes? That eating takes away hunger pains? Or inserting his parents' ATM card churns out a bunch of green? What about slapping a mosquito as it bites your leg?
Oh he knew what "consequences" were alright - just not ones that don't spare him from reality. He was pampered and coddled and protected from just about anything a non-rich kid who is better parented experiences.
To further protect this unfazed boy, the family hired some professional to deem him mentally only the age of twelve. Oh really? Then why oh why was he allowed behind the wheel in the first place?
Where is the parent public comment grieving over what their son caused? Where are their condolences to the victims and families? And what about their 12/16-year-old's apology? Do they even care about the lives lost or destroyed since they prevailed in court?
Just because a court has made a ruling does not mean justice has been served and this case is the perfect illustration. It only points more sharply to parenting without conscience. Yes, the boy committed the act, but his parents gave him the support in order to behave the way he did. Oh yes they did.
They "supported" him by the actions they did or did not take. By being too busy to parent, overlooking behaviors or paying for legal eagles to create a new word to defend their guilty son is indeed supporting him. Doing something, ignoring something or doing nothing are all actions. And this "action" in whatever form it took enabled their minor child to continue to think he is exempt from routine behaviors necessary to become a functional solid citizen in the world.
As a long-time child advocate, I am disgusted that parents poorly influenced their son before, during and after this trial. Worse yet, lives were lost! That is the real headline. Families and friends have been tragically impacted. Other victims suffered life-long injuries. The circle of influence for this one act has a huge radius that extends far into the future.
Not only does the causer of this horrible accident apparently have no moral conscience (remember, he has legally been declared to lack the ability to be aware of consequences), his parents, a judge and a defense lawyer have conspired to excuse him and sweep it under the rug.
Funny thing about reality though. You can't pretend it didn't happen.
Prayers for eyes to open and hearts to acknowledge what really happened and why. Most of all, that articulate excuses are no replacement for justice.
This is a huge scale example of what happens all the time on a smaller scale when parents fight kids' battles, argue with coaches, do their homework or cajole. If parents cared enough to equip their kids in the first place and not fix their failures, we wouldn't hear about these horror stories in the first place.
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