Framing Exercise

Framing Exercise

1. ‘Affluenza vs. Vehicular Manslaughter: Sarah Smith, Anfernee Bonds, Joshua Cantrell, Alexandra Williams

1. a.) Sarah Smith, b.) “The Sad Lessons of the “Affluenza” Teen,” c.) The New Yorker, d.) www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-sad-lessons-of-the-affluenza-teen

a.) Sarah Smith, b.) “Ethan Couch: Why People Might Be Too Quick to Dismiss ‘Affluenza.’ “ c.) Independent, d.) www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ethan-couch-why-people-might-be-too-quick-to-dismiss-affluenza-a6801271.html

a.) Sarah Smith, b.) “The Worst Parents Ever,” c.) dmagazine.com, d.) www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2015/may/affluenza-the-worst-parents-ever-ethan-couch/

a.) Sarah Smith, b.) “No jail for ‘affluenza’ teen in fatal crash draws outrage,” c.) USA Today, d.) www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/05/no-jail-for-teen/5242173/

1. (a) Anfernee Bonds, (b) “'Affluenza': Is it real?” (c) CNN (d) http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/12/health/affluenza-youth/index.html

2. (a) Anfernee Bonds, (b) “What psychiatrists think of the "affluenza" defense” (c) CBS (d) http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-psychologists-think-of-the-affluenza-defense/

3. (a) Anfernee Bonds, (b) “Floyd: Pity for Ethan Couch” (c) The Scoop Blog (d) http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2016/01/floyd-pity-for-ethan-couch.html

4. (a) Anfernee Bonds, (b) “Teen Kills 4; Judge LITERALLY Lets Him Off Because He is Rich” (c) DAILY KOS (d) http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/11/1262005/-Teen-Kills-4-Judge-LITERALLY-Lets-Him-Off-Because-He-is-Rich

1.     (a) Joshua Cantrell (b) “Drink-Drive Killer Ethan Couch is 'Affluenza Victim', Rules US Judge” (c) International Business Times (d) http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ethan-couch-prison-texas-teen-killed-4-529720

2.     (a) Joshua Cantrell (b) “Ethan Couch, Teen Drink Driver, Spared Jail Due To ‘Affluenza’ After Killing Four People” (c) The Huffington Post (d) http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/12/14/ethan-couch-teen-drink-driver-spared-jail-affluenza-_n_4443971.html

3.     (a) Joshua Cantrell (b) “Novice teenaged driver who struck and killed motorcyclist sentenced” (c) The Denver Post (d) http://www.denverpost.com/2015/04/03/novice-teenaged-driver-who-struck-and-killed-motorcyclist-sentenced/

4.     (a) Joshua Cantrell (b) “Man gets 4 years in fatal New Hyde Park Crash” (c) Long Island News 12 (d) http://longisland.news12.com/news/man-gets-4-years-in-fatal-new-hyde-park-crash-1.12078655

a) Alexandra Williams b) California Lawmaker Mike Gatto Introduces Bill Banning ‘Affluenza’ Defense c) The Huffington Post d)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/16/mike-gatto-affluenza-bill_n_4610945.html

a) Alexandra Williams b) ‘Affluenza’ and the Miscarriage of Justice c) The Huffington Post d)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-al-sharpton/affluenza-and-the-miscarriage-of-justice_b_4455301.html

a) Alexandra Williams b) Believe it or not, there are challenges to growing up wealthy c) CNN d)http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/08/health/affluenza-parenting-challenges-wealthy-households/

1. Alexandra Williams b) The Culture of Affluence: Psychological Costs of Material Wealth c)NCBI d) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1950124/

3.) The most common supportive evidence on the defense and prosecution side, was the fact that the parents were neglectful, abusive, and reluctant to enforce discipline on Ethan Couch. 

4.) Out of the 6 ways to influence people, authority was prevalent in the majority of the articles. Several articles used psychiatrist’s opinions on ‘affluenza,’ either supporting the condition as a legitimate defense or disproving it as a viable defense. 

5.) Each side is viewing this issue in a different light. One is insisting that because Ethan Couch’s young age and the fact that he had never been punished prior to this tragedy,  he shouldn’t be held accountable for his crimes. However, the other side is insisting that lack of punishment and discipline in the Couch household is what led him to commit these crimes. In essence, the two sides differ in who should be held accountable for Ethan Couch’s actions. 

6.) A neutral frame would be an unbiased article detailing exactly what happened that night of the accident. The sides of the prosecution and the defense should be equally presented within the article to keep the article neutral.