Apr
2014
Blog Post #7- When is it appropriate to break the law? (EQ)
For this weeks post, I am addressing the question of when it is appropriate to break the law, and what is the role of civil disobedience and protest in our society. I narrowed the topic by looking specifically at this article on the New York Times website. It explores the possibility of wealthier people being treated with more leniency when involved in legal discrepancies than those that are not as well-off. This article references a sixteen-year-old from a wealthy family who killed four people in a drunk-driving crash but got off with a meager ten years of probation from the judge. The judge refused to give the suggested twenty years in prison to the teen despite Tarrant County prosecutors avid efforts. This begs the question of whether or not the outcome of this case would have changed if the offender was not in such a well-off financial position.
Personally, I believe that the outcome of this particular case would be different if the teen was not from a wealthy background, but not simply because of the fact that they are well-off. Inevitably, people that are wealthier are more inclined and capable of hiring a better acclaimed lawyer and/or legal team to support their case. With experts on their side, the chances of them getting off with a lesser punishment greatly increases. I believe that this was a contributing factor to this particular case, as it mentions in the article that the defense argued that the teen suffered from affluenza, which was described as a term that “dates at least to the 1980s to describe the psychological problems that can afflict children of privilege.” Although they made this claim, I do not believe that it is a valid point to make. Although I believe that wealth is more than capable of corrupting a person, it doesn’t regularly lead people to commit such serious crimes. Therefore, I think that the teens wealth cannot be used as an excuse for their behavior.
On the subject of civil disobedience, I believe that it is actually very important in our society to be able to express and protest about what we believe to be wrong or unjust. That is, as long as the act of pretesting stays civil. People are often quite passionate about what they believe to be right and wrong, what they like and don’t like, and it is quite easy to get carried away. I think that if you deem it necessary to display your thoughts on a subject, then you should do it in a civil manner, much like the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Acts like these are often necessary to make major changes and strives toward a a more peaceful society.
To look further into the role of civil disobedience in our society, I took a look at an article on the Tar Sands Action website. This group actively protests against the Keystone XL Pipeline. The article discussed how many people sat outside of the White House to protest the building of the Pipeline, but several people were arrested as a result, as shown in the picture below.
Although acts like this sometimes end in in such a way, I believe that acts of civil disobedience are still justified if they do, indeed, remain civil. This is because as Americans, we have a right to protest and express our opinions, even if others do not agree.
rosal214
April 25, 2014 at 1:41 am (10 years ago)I can agree with the point you make about how wealth cannot be an excuse for a persons behavior. No matter what color, race, and sex a person may be, their actions all depend on the people themselves. Not whether they have money or not. Another point I can agree on is the fact that people have the right to speak up for themselves. To be specific, I think that in this case, the teenage girl should be punished. Yes it has been said that alcohol and other drugs alter your perception and behavior, however, this is no excuse to get behind the wheel of a car. She shouldn’t have been drinking to begin with because that’s underage drinking. If a person chooses to take that path, be smart about it in order to stay out of trouble, as well as ending up in bad situations like this one. Not only did this teenager commit a crime but she killed four people, FOUR PEOPLE. There really isn’t much of a way around this case.
zainaa314
April 28, 2014 at 10:20 pm (10 years ago)I agree with you. People who are better off financially feel untouchable by the law. Ya they might get a slap on the wrist but they won’t face severe punishment as someone who isn’t wealthy would. I believe that this is wrong. It states in the Declaration of Independence that “All men are created equally.” Why do the wealthier part of society get away with crimes more easily than others? If all men are created equally, all men should be convicted the same way with no special treatment.
nimas314
April 29, 2014 at 8:29 pm (10 years ago)I agree with you, Becca. It is so easy for people who are financially unstable to commit crimes such as steeling bread for the grocery store, or doing whatever they can just to survive. However I don’t believe that breaking the law is an efficient way to handle this problem. There needs to be food banks implemented in every single low income neighborhood to prevent such crimes form being committed. I also agree with you on the fact that those who are more financially stable have an advantage when it comes to hiring the best of the best lawyers to plead their case in court. I agree with Zaina’s previous comment as well that punishment is punishment and should be the same across the board regardless of how much money you make! Great post, Becca!
juliep314
April 29, 2014 at 9:00 pm (10 years ago)Yep. I agree with you. The laws protect us, but also can protect us in wrong way too.
nadaf214
April 30, 2014 at 1:01 am (10 years ago)I very much agree with this post. To respond to your article, I feel that it is unfortunate that not everyone can afford to hire an amazing lawyer. In some ways it is almost unfair that people with more money may be able to get off easier with doing the same crime as someone that does not have enough money for a lawyer and is appointed one to them. Of course, any topics regarding any advantages to the wealthy create large controversy.
emmal314
April 30, 2014 at 2:51 am (10 years ago)Crime is crime, and when it is committed there should be consequences. Although, yes, it is more likely to be committed by people with less money, because they need stuff more and it is harder for them to obtain it. They do things like steal and other illegal ways to obtain money and possesions. This is an interesting and good post!!
jamesm2014
April 30, 2014 at 3:36 am (10 years ago)I believe it or not have seen this in the news alot too, with excused crimes and ridiculous claims by the higher powers to take advantage of their situation. One example was about a women driving a SUV into 4 kids who were biking on the road, and 2 were injured but one died soon after. Even after killing one of the kids she didn’t go to jail or even get fined. What EVEN worse is “she” the women who ran over the children is suing the families of the children for the TRAUMA… and PAIN they caused HER. I still am shocked to read about it. Other examples of the wealthy and more fortunate doing such is when a rich boy in Florida killed 4 people by running them over but was excused by the judge because he was rich and apparently got through the law..