Spoiled Or Mislead The Affluenza Defense - 1626 Words

Spoiled or Mislead? The Affluenza Defense In January of 2015, student athlete Brock Turner sexually assaulted an intoxicated, unconscious woman. In June of 2016, Turner was sentenced to a mere six months in prison. The reasoning of such a short sentence being it would have a â€Å"severe impact on him, [and his father argued that] a kid’s life shouldn’t be ruined†¦because of 20 minutes of action†(Dockterman 2). This argument is one that is often brought up in recent culture. Teens or young adults who are convicted of crimes such as sexual assault, driving under intoxication, or other similar types of crimes are often let off the hook. This defense used is known as â€Å"Affluenza†, or, as defined by Matt Gutman of ABC News, the idea of being â€Å"too spoiled by [one’s] parents to know right from wrong†(Gutman 2). The â€Å"Affluenza† defense is a greatly debated one. Those who argue in favor of the affluenza defense often make arguments along the lines of a spoiled lif e causing a child to not see consequences of their actions. Along these lines, they argue that if the children don’t see what their outcome may be, and they carry out negative, harmful, illegal action, their life shouldn’t be ruined based off of the one bad decision. Those who believe in affluenza think that these young people can be steered straight, and these moments can be used as teaching experiences. However, others do not agree in the validity of the Affluenza defense. Those with this perspective also make the argument