In December of 2013 Ethan Couch, a 16 year old
from Texas, was sentenced to rehab and 10 years probation. Not a big deal,
until you realize that this is his punishment for driving drunk, from alcohol
he stole, and then smashing his car into four people, killing all of them. How did he get such an extremely, almost
unbelievable, light sentence? His severe case of Affluenza. The book “Affluenza : The All-Consuming
Epidemic” describes the affluenza diagnosis as “a painful, contagious, socially
transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.” This
was applied to Ethan in the sense that he had been coddled his whole life,
never getting disciplined, always given what he wanted, and as a result his
judgment was impaired. His defense
claimed that he couldn’t be held responsible for his actions because of it, and
somehow, someway, the judge bought it. If
his parents are so incapable of raising a decent human being by not punishing
him, wouldn’t it make more sense for society to step in and do so. I believe it
would be a more reasonable response to give him the harshest punishment, so
that the consequences of his actions could sink in a little bit for once,
instead of the opposite.
Blogger
Jessica Ann Mitchel responded to Ethan’s case, with the Diagnosis of
Povertenza. Her explanation of
Povertenza is that it’s an illness that those from poor socioeconomic
backgrounds suffer from. They weren’t
able to get a quality education or employment.
The result being that they’re development is stunted, their judgment
impaired, and can’t be held responsible for their actions either. To me, this seems like a more practical
defense then affluenza. In an underprivileged
area, peoples options and futures are restricted, whereas Ethan had a huge
amount of paths he could have taken. His
parents wealth could pretty much take him anywhere he wanted. But of course, no
court would buy povertenza as excuse for breaking a law. In fact, youth from poor areas usually get
handed the toughest sentences possible.
Mitchel says,” Essentially, the poor are expected to be more accountable
for their actions while the wealthy are viewed as inherently respectable
(especially if they're white).”
Am
I taking away some depth of understanding to Ethan Couch by telling this one single
story? Possibly. But what about another
story of his that his defense lawyer shared in court to help, surprisingly
enough, his case. When Ethan was 15 he
was found alone in a car, with an unconscious, naked, 14-year-old girl. I feel
like it would be a favor if no more stories were shared about Ethan’s past.
My
game is meant to represent the two sides of povertenza and affluenza. In the first level, you are one of the
affluent, given everything you need to succeed.
In the end, when you kill the monster, you win the game. The second level is the opposite. You’re
faced with a bunch of challenges, given little, and when you kill the monster,
you’re punished, and there’s no way to win (hopefully.) You get trapped in the
jail cell, unable to get out. Is that justice? No, I don’t think so. All I’m saying is if our justice system is
going to rehabilitate the rich white kid, they need to do the same for the poor
black kid as well.
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