<p>There are many ways to speculate as to the hows, whys and whens of this.</p>
<p>If you or your child have ever been in involved in upper level sports, there is a very specific elitist “Lord of the Flies” survival of the fittest mindset. Colleges look the other way ALL the time with top athletes and their behavior. But although rarely required to face the consequences of their acts does that empower the “special” athlete to ignore that those consequences do/can exist. Are they just given a free pass to do as they please or do they not have some responsibility for themselves.</p>
<p>As a society we routinely look the other way at the transgressions of sports figures. They seem to just operate by a separate set of rules, there is no question about it. But is the sports page not filled with those brought to justice that somewhere it should seep in that there are consequences to your actions.</p>
<p>Here you have a young man, clearly of a privileged background with a history of violence and bad behavior that went ignored, went unchecked because come Saturdays he was a star for UVA. But so is he excused from personal responsibility because those around him failed to act for him. At 22 doesn’t HE know right from wrong. Are others required to make him act appropriately at that age. He’s 22, not 2.</p>
<p>He attacked a police officer in the past. Had an altercation with his father. He does not bother to care about consequences as he has never been made to face them. But not caring and not knowing are too different things. Cetainly he knows, but apparently doesn’t care.</p>
<p>You put him up against this poor victim, a seemingly strong, independent female that was pretty clearly telling him no, she was not seeing him anymore and this boy doesn’t like hearing “no”, doesn’t accept “no” those are the choices he makes and so he threw the ultimate temper tantrum, broke into this woman’s home (a felony) beat her to death with his bare hands and stole her computer (another felonious act). </p>
<p>Once confronted by the police his complete and total arrogance and chosen disregard that he could ever face consequences due to his unchecked notion of self-importance, leads him to immediately confess and why not, there is no conception on his part that he can ever be held accountable because he never has been held accountable, he always works things to get his way, the choice he always makes. He’s a star, he’s “royalty” and he skates on to the next escapade in his mind because he chooses not to accept anything else as a possibility. HE makes that choice in assessing his risks, i.e. he can get away with what he wants. HE execercises that freedom of choice.</p>
<p>With all this said, are all these other people and institutions to blame, are they enablers or is the concept of personal responsibility just simply lost in today’s world. What I see is a spoiled rotten brat, an elitist little pig but one old enough to know right from wrong and he chose wrong, but he and he alone, fully armed with the knowledge of right and wrong, made his choice and he must face the consequences of his actions without excuse, without deep analysis of what brought him to this. </p>
<p>At 22 years old, whether from the depths of the worst ghetto or the heights of the most elite of communities you know right from wrong regardless of all these other factors and you make the choice as to how you wish to act by weighing the risks of your acts. He made his choice. Confronted with not getting his way, he was willing to do whatever it took to get his way even if it meant beating this poor young woman to death. Getting his way was more important than any consequence he might face. He made his choice and there is no excuse for him not paying the price.</p>