Comments by "cchris874" (@cchris874) on "Dad Of Teen Accused In Michigan Highway Rock-Throwing Death Speaks Out" video.

Edward Stevenette Not always true. Sometimes kids are just rotten at the core despite parents' good intentions.
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I think it was excuse-like, but I believe the father is in some denial about it. He genuinely believes his son is a good kid at heart. Since I think the father is suffering too, I wouldn't be too harsh. Like he said, it's total devastation. Sometimes, as in the Brock Turner case, you don't know your child's dark side until he actually does the bad deed. What parent wouldn't defend his son if he's convinced he's good at heart? Is it possible to be good at heart and do something like this at age 16? I wouldn't be too sure of the answer.
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@ebnftl2272 It's absolutely true. Dr. Phil used to be less sensational. Now it's clear his $65 million salary and going for the most shocking attention-getting words reveals ever more dramatically what was always obvious. This man is motivated mainly by ego reputation and money. Desire to help might rank as a distant 4th.
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@darrellusa1 They did deserve jail time, and they all got jail time. IMO the ringleader, the one that threw the deadly rock, should still be in jail. It's screwed up that he's been freed on probation while 3 of the others remain locked up with no trial date in sight. That cannot be right.
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@edivimaro1975 Since I'm against the criminalization of drugs, I would give black teenagers a pass too.
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@missmew3499 Thank you for your strong reply. Not denying the father of Turner was pretty bad and made excuses. My point is mainly to show how parents have a tendency to see their children as good kids at heart no matter how lousy or wonderful they or their kids may be. As to the punishment, I in no way condone their actions or say they shouldn't get a harsh punishment. At the same time, I might have a bit more sympathy than some people. As a teenager I had some pretty awful ideas, and on two occasions acted them out. Fortunately they did not progress to anyone being hurt, but they might have. So I had to ask myself, was I a bad kid? Doubtful. I was never arrested, never hung out with the wrong crowd, never did drugs or alcohol. And today I consider myself a keenly moral person who constantly reviews his actions and asks at the end of the day, what could I have done better? This helped me realize that teenagers can stray from what should be obvious lapses of empathy more readily than some may realize. They have absolutely terrible judgement, and their lapses, even the good kids, are a blind spot to many, IMO. I believe therefore the punishment should be a balancing act. The look on the teens' parents faces in court that first day was almost as heartbreaking to me. White's sister also stated, despite her outrage and hurt, that "I don't want these kids locked away for life. . ."
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@edivimaro1975 Don't worry, I didn't take it as an attack. :) As a rule that may be true, but that is not always the case. It was pointed out during the Brock Turner trial, for example, that a black teen in a similar case was not sentenced to ANY jail time for his rape. So it's not always as certain as is often asserted. I do believe it's very possible in this case that because these kids are clean cut, white and good looking, that white folk will feel more sympathy than if they were black. That's a problem, and maybe also an example of unconscious racism.
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@edivimaro1975 Agree completely. Adult prisons are a perfect place to train for being a hardened criminal. So for teenagers, it may be counterproductive to send them there. In this case the judge is rightly angry, and right to give them more than just probation or a few years. But I don't think his insistence on trying them as adults is a good idea necessarily. Right now, the kid who was the ring leader, and threw the fatal rock, is free on probation after just 3 or so years. Meanwhile, three of the other four are languishing in detention with no trial date in sight. There has to be something very wrong with that.
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@edivimaro1975 I agree in general, but at the same time sometimes these claims com off as too absolute. And interesting case is that of Sam Ukwuachu, of Baylor University. The case has dragged on and I have lost track of the current status, but initially he was found guilty of sexual assault and the judge sentenced him to 6 months, which was less than Turner's 1 year sentence. Don't know the judges race here, but his university also initially stood by him.
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