Ethan CouchEthan Couch• is an American teenager given 10 years probation in juvenile

court, on 4 counts of intoxication manslaughter, for recklessly driving drunk on June 15, 2013 in Burleson, Texas.

• He was illegally driving on a restricted license and speeding, lost control, plowed into a group of people standing near a disabled SUV and struck a parked vehicle there to assist.

• Four people were killed in the collision; two passengers in Couch's truck suffered serious bodily injury and a total of nine people were injured.

• Couch had been partying with friends the night of June 15, 2013 when he decided to take a friend to the store, although other friends urged him not to drive.

• With seven passengers in his Ford F-350 pickup, the drunken Couch was speeding down Burleson-Retta Road when he came on a group of people trying to help a stranded motorist.

• Killed were Breanna Mitchell, 24, of Lillian, whose car had broken down; Hollie Boyles, 52, and Shelby Boyles, 21, who lived nearby and had come outside to help Mitchell; and Burleson youth minister Brian Jennings, 41, a passer-by who had also stopped to help.

• Couch, who also had traces of Valium in his system, was arrested.

• Prosecutors chose to seek a determinate sentence and to try Couch as a juvenile.

• That meant that Couch could start a prison sentence in a youth facility and, after age 19, complete it in an adult prison.

• Prosecutors asked for Couch to be sentenced to 20 years in a state lockup, but defense attorneys argued that he would be better served in a rehabilitation facility.

• During the trial, defense attorneys said Couch came from a wealthy but dysfunctional family. One of the defense witnesses, a psychologist, suggested that the teen was a victim of “affluenza, “ or a mental state of irresponsible and reckless behavior brought on by wealth.

• During Couch's sentencing, a psychologist hired by the defense testified that the teen was a product of "affluenza" -- a term he used to describe Couch's irresponsible lifestyle associated with his affluent upbringing -- and that irresponsible parenting had "strongly enabled" the accident.

• The judge ruled this even though Couch had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit on the night of the crash.

• Couch punishment was 10 years probation with NO jail time because of affluenza.

What was his Probation?What was his Probation?• Intensive therapy• Do not leave the United States• Do not drink or do drugs• Do not break the law.

Couch’s appearance in Couch’s appearance in court court

What is Affluenza?What is Affluenza?• a psychological disease supposedly

affecting wealthy young people, symptoms of which include a lack of motivation, feelings of guilt, and a sense of isolation

Facts….Facts….• Ethan’s father owns Cleburne Sheet

Metal, valued at approximately $15 million.

• Ethan was no stranger to breaking laws before his accident:

• He drove himself to school when he was just 13-years-old (the legal driving age in Texas is 16), and when the head of his school brought it to his parents’ attention, his dad threatened to buy the school rather than punish his son!

• When he was 15, Ethan was cited for “minor in consumption of alcohol” after he was found passed out drunk in his pickup truck with a naked 14-year-old girl.

• He was beyond wasted when he plowed into a stalled vehicle and those trying to help the driver:

• Three hours after his June 15, 2013 incident, he still had a blood alcohol content of 0.24, three times the legal limit for adult drivers in Texas. He struck a stalled car along with people trying to help the driver, killing four victims.

•  The judge who gave him his light sentence retired before she could be recalled.

• Despite demands for a recall, Judge Jean Boyd retired shortly after handing down Ethan’s sentence.

• Why his lawyers called Ethan’s case an “affluenza” defense:

• A psychologist hired as an expert by the defense testified in court that the teen was a product of “affluenza” and was unable to equate his bad behavior with consequences because his parents taught him that wealth buys privilege.

20/20 Video

• The smug teen was caught on video playing beer pong — a clear violation of his probation terms — and as a result went on the run with his mom’s help.

• The U.S. Marshal’s Service even put out a wanted poster for the pair as well as a $5,000 reward for information leading to their capture.

• Now that they’ve been taken into custody in Puerta Vallerta, Mexico, he could finally end up in prison as he deserved for taking so many innocent lives.

What do you think?What do you think?• Was this the right decision made by the

judge?

AffluenzaAffluenza

Are you a victim?Test your materialism

knowledge!

AffluenzaAffluenza1. Which of the following is comparable

to the size of a typical three-car garage?

a. A basketball courtb. A McDonald’s restaurantc. An RVd. The average home in the 1950s

AffluenzaAffluenza1. Answer:

D. On average, a three-car garage occupies 900 square feet, which is the average size of an entire home in the 1950s. Many people use the extra garage space to store things they own and seldom use.

AffluenzaAffluenza2. How much time does the average

American spend watching television commercials?

a. 6 monthsb. 3 monthsc. 1 yeard. 1.5 years

AffluenzaAffluenza2. Answer:

C. In addition, by the age of twenty, the average American has seen more than one million different commercial messages. Advertising accounts for two-thirds of the space in newspapers and forty percent of our mail.In contrast, Americans on average spend only forty minutes a week playing with their children, and members of working couples talk with one another on average only twelve minutes a day.

AffluenzaAffluenza3. True or false? Americans carry $1

billion in personal debt, not including real estate and mortgages.

AffluenzaAffluenza3. Answer:

False. Americans carry $1 trillion in personal debt – approximately $4,000 for every man, woman, and child, not including real estate and mortgages.

On average, Americans save only four percent of their income. The Japanese average is sixteen percent.

AffluenzaAffluenza4. Since 1950, Americans alone have

used more resources than:a. Everyone who ever lived before themb. The combined third world populationsc. The Romans at the height of the Roman Empired. All of the above

AffluenzaAffluenza4. Answer:

D. All of the above. Since 1950, Americans alone have used more resources than everyone who ever lived before them. Each American uses up to twenty tons of basic raw materials annually. Americans throw away seven million cars a year, two million plastic bottles an hour and enough aluminum cans annually to make six thousand DC-10 airplanes.

AffluenzaAffluenza

Af-flu-en-za (n):1. The sluggish, unfulfilled feeling that

results from trying to keep up with what everyone else seems to have.

2. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth and material possessions.

3. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste, and debt in pursuit of having “more.”

AffluenzaAffluenza

Are you a victim? Complete this simple true/false test to find out.

AffluenzaAffluenza

1. I’m willing to pay more for a shirt if it comes from a specific store or has a specific brand on it.

AffluenzaAffluenza

2. There are more than 3000 songs on my iTunes.

AffluenzaAffluenza

3. If I’m cold, I would rather turn up the heat in my house than put on a sweatshirt.

AffluenzaAffluenza

4. I’m willing to work forty years at a job I dislike so I can live “comfortably.”

AffluenzaAffluenza

5. Whenever I’m feeling down, I like to go shopping or out to eat to treat myself.

AffluenzaAffluenza

6. I want to drive an S.U.V., although I rarely drive in conditions that warrant having one.

AffluenzaAffluenza

7. Most of the things my friends and family and I enjoy doing together are free.

AffluenzaAffluenza

8. I only buy things if they are on sale.

AffluenzaAffluenza

9. It is important to have a cell phone with music ring-tones.

AffluenzaAffluenza

10.To get to school, I walk, ride my bike, or ride the bus.

AffluenzaAffluenza

11.I never judge people based on what they are wearing.

AffluenzaAffluenza

12.I can’t imagine what life was like without OnDemand, DVR/TiVo, and FaceBook.

AffluenzaAffluenza

13.It is difficult for me to hang out with my friends without spending money.

AffluenzaAffluenza

14.I have more than ten pairs of shoes.

AffluenzaAffluenza

15.I worry about the effects of advertising on children.

AffluenzaAffluenza• For questions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, and 14 give

yourself 2 points for every “True” answer, and 1 point for every “False” answer.

• For questions 7, 8, 10, 11, and 15 give yourself 0 points for every “True” and 2 points for every “False” answer.

• If you scored: – 10-15: No dangerous signs of Affluenza at this

time.– 16-22: Warning: you suffer from mild Affluenza.– 23-30: Cut up your credit cards and call a doctor!

AffluenzaAffluenzaIn a notebook, reflect on the American

Affluenza epidemic and on the results of the quiz you just took.

Questions to consider in your response:– When do you have money to spend? How do you earn the

money you spend?– What kinds of things would you save your money for?– How do you differentiate between what you “want” and

what you “need”?– Do you buy things only when you need them?– Do you have time to yourself? How do you spend it?– What is your attitude about having material possessions?

Is it better to have more or to have less? Why do you feel this way?

Ethan CouchEthan CouchWhat is happening today regarding his case?•Find an article about where he is today and what legal challenges he faces.•Fill out the worksheet answering the questions using the article you found.

HomeworkHomeworkWrite a reflection including:

– Facts about the teen and the event that happened.

– Judge’s decision– How did Couch violate his probation?– What will happen to Couch?– MLA format; Typed– What do you think should be the punishment for

Couch?– Do you agree with the original affluenza verdict?– Include evidence from articles to support your

claim.