They believe, as this group of young men did, that if they break the law they will be entitled to get away with it, since they are "special." All too often, moreover, that is exactly what happens. The main feeling that I have from reading Chapter 2, then, and from reading this whole book, is one of enormous indignation and outrage.
This case of these young men of Glen Ridge reminded me in some respects of the murder by the then-teenaged Michael Skakel (the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy's widow's nephew), of a girl in his own upper-crust New England neighborhood. After that killing Michael Skakel was protected by his wealthy family, for years, following his murder of this girl with a golf club when he was 15 years old. And the wealth and privilege of the family made it entirely possible for Michael's crime to be covered up. Only as a result of his own bragging to someone, as an adult, about how he had gotten away with murder because of his family connections, was Michael Skakel ever brought to justice for this crime. People like this are sometimes so arrogant that they feel they can even brag about committing crimes and remain scot-free, while poorer people, sometimes even those who did not commit crimes, go to prison for lack of a pricey defense in court.
This chapter made me feels angry about the sharp divisions among privileged and more ordinary citizens, when it comes to criminal justice. The successful Glen Ridge parents...
I was also disgusted by the jocks' inattention to their grades (or anything, for that matter, of serious importance - i.e., do any of these "special" adolescents ever so much as read a book; help a friend (with no "hidden agenda"); or volunteer community service? Of course not: they're all far too busy either indulging themselves; being indulged; and messing up other people's clubs; homes, and lives). Kevin Schertzer and
Adolescent Substance Use Screening Instruments: 10-Year Critical Review of the Research Literature Over ten million teenagers in the United States admit in a national survey that they drink alcohol, although it is illegal under the age of 21 in all states. In some studies, nearly one-quarter of school-age children both smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol. Over four thousand adolescents every day try marijuana for the first time. The dangers of use,
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