富贵病社会 (汉英）

[marrfei]

富貴病社會


為我們敞開大門的
是天堂般舒適的戒療中心
不是地獄般黑暗的牢房

我們信仰上帝
更信仰黄金


附注1: 美國德州16歲“富二代”庫奇因醉後駕車撞死4名路人，他的律師竟以“富貴病” (AFFLUENZA) 為由，說服法官，最終判他因被父母寵壞，不知自己行為的後果，免去監禁，改為進入昂貴的戒療中心的緩刑，引發美國社會的猛烈抨擊。(2013.12.12)
『我們信仰上帝』（In God We Trust）是印在美國鈔票上的國家格言。
附注2：美國聯邦法警局懸賞5000美元追捕潛逃的緩刑犯“富貴病少年”(2015.12.20)
附注3：美國“富貴病少年”同他的母親一起在墨西哥的一個度假區被逮 (2015.12.29)


THE AFFLUENZA SOCIETY


For us
the door is always wide open
to a heavenly rehab center
not a hellish prison cell

IN GOD WE TRUST
but
IN GOLD WE TRUST
even more


1. Accepting the defense's claim that “affluenza,” or the defective parenting by wealthy parents whose nurturing deprives their children of a sense of accountability for their misbehavior, a Texas judge sentenced a wealthy 16-year-old boy to 10 years of probation and a "time" of treatment in a $450,000 a year facility for his drunk driving spree that caused four deaths and additional injuries. (2013.12.12)
2. A $5K reward has been offered by the U.S. Marshals Service to find the infamous Texas 'affluenza teen' who is suspected of violating his probation and possibly fleeing the country. (2015.12.20)
3. US 'affluenza' teenager Ethan Couch arrested in Mexico - BBC News (2015.12.29)

[若爾。諾爾]

"Affluenza" is obviously a reference to the story about the teenage boy named Ethan Crouch in Texas recently in the news. The story was that he was drunk and plowed his car into a group of people, killing four of them.

His parents were wealthy (and white), and instead of being sent to prison by a judge, he was let off with a light sentence of probation, which he promptly violated by going to a party and drinking alcohol. This video was recorded and circulated so the police found out about his violation. The terms of his probation were also that he would be allowed to go to a rehab center which would cost $450,000 a year, something less affluent parents could not afford. The families and friends of his four dead victims were obviously upset and offended by the lack of punishment.

In order to protect him from going to jail for violating the terms of his probation, his mother took him across the border to Mexico, to avoid arrest again, and they lived in a resort under a false name until the authorities finally caught up to him and presently, he is fighting extradition. His mother faces some time in jail for abetting his crime. Even if he is eventually extradited, he was originally convicted not as an adult, but as a juvenile, meaning that he would end up in jail only until April, when he turns 19.

Ethan Crouch was dubbed “The Affluenza Teen”, a reference to the wealthy lifestyle of his family in helping him to avoid responsibility for his actions. Had he been poor and/or a minority, the story goes, he would most certainly have been tried as an adult, and possibly would have been in prison now for a very long time.

Thank you, Dr. Marr, for sharing this poem. It's so timely and I esp. like "In Gold we trust". I need that!!!

Wishing you a very fulfilling and productive 2016!

[marrfei]

"Affluenza" is obviously a reference to the story about the teenage boy named Ethan Crouch in Texas recently in the news. The story was that he was drunk and plowed his car into a group of people, killing four of them.

His parents were wealthy (and white), and instead of being sent to prison by a judge, he was let off with a light sentence of probation, which he promptly violated by going to a party and drinking alcohol. This video was recorded and circulated so the police found out about his violation. The terms of his probation were also that he would be allowed to go to a rehab center which would cost $450,000 a year, something less affluent parents could not afford. The families and friends of his four dead victims were obviously upset and offended by the lack of punishment.

In order to protect him from going to jail for violating the terms of his probation, his mother took him across the border to Mexico, to avoid arrest again, and they lived in a resort under a false name until the authorities finally caught up to him and presently, he is fighting extradition. His mother faces some time in jail for abetting his crime. Even if he is eventually extradited, he was originally convicted not as an adult, but as a juvenile, meaning that he would end up in jail only until April, when he turns 19.

Ethan Crouch was dubbed “The Affluenza Teen”, a reference to the wealthy lifestyle of his family in helping him to avoid responsibility for his actions. Had he been poor and/or a minority, the story goes, he would most certainly have been tried as an adult, and possibly would have been in prison now for a very long time.

Thank you, Dr. Marr, for sharing this poem. It's so timely and I esp. like "In Gold we trust". I need that!!!

Wishing you a very fulfilling and productive 2016!

謝謝諾爾的詳細解釋。也祝妳及大家有一個豐收愉快的2016年！