Letter to Anderson Cooper

To Anderson Cooper in reaction to his story about that rich kid who got drunk and  drove, killed four people and paralyzed another -  The word on the street according to a few head shrinkers is that he suffers from Affluenza....

Afflu - What?

So much is wrong with this picture....

The father suffers from the disorder Stupidenza - I made that up, you can do that.  The judge, who sentenced the boy with probation, and approved the half a million dollar luxury rehab stint in Sunny California - call a spade a spade - she is an idiot.

Children  and young adults with recognized mental illness, like paranoid schizophrenia, who commit murder, may not  end up in jail, but typically, despite demographics and family income, are locked up in mental health facilities - not fancy ones -  for real life treatment (not always pretty - rarely fun or comfortable - i.e. no racquetball games or spa days) to protect themselves and others from further harm.

There is also the nature-nurture factor to consider.  Clearly, for this boy, appropriate nurture was lacking, but as for nature, well, we are who we are, and we do what we do...

To conclude, the boy would be better served with Immersion Therapy - I kinda made this one up too -

In the South Side of LA without dough re me, a weapon or communication device, to spend some time with the Bloods and the Crips.

Best,

A Ramsey Sutherland

Coalition for Common Sense in America,  Executive Director

Center for Reality Therapy,  Director of the Board