# Stealing bread for the family
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-bread-for-the-family/470447
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [October 31, 2008, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-bread-for-the-family/470447 "2008-10-31T16:08:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-bread-for-the-family/470447/21 "2008-11-01T00:32:05Z")
That’s a dumb question. Who, in the modern US, has to steal bread to feed the family? I would be very inclined to answer exactly that.
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### Author:  [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-bread-for-the-family/470447/22 "2008-11-01T00:48:07Z")
As an interviewee, I would assume that the correct answer to this question was “yes”, and if it turned out that that was not the case and I was canned on the basis of that answer, I would consider that I had dodged a bullet.
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### Author:  [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-bread-for-the-family/470447/23 "2008-11-01T00:58:24Z")
These kinds of questions never cease to amaze me that there are people who believe there aren’t a gradation or heiarchy of choices. For example, just because you believe you might steal a loaf of bread to feed your starving family, doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily steal anything else for any other reason. Geez, that’s why motive matters, right?
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### Author:  [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-bread-for-the-family/470447/24 "2008-11-01T01:47:35Z")
> [@faithfool](#):
>
> These kinds of questions never cease to amaze me that there are people who believe there aren’t a gradation or heiarchy of choices.
You’ve missed the whole pont.
Somewhere some head shrink/ mathematician designed this boiler plate question, not to test our potential to steal but to test our willingness to lie, or our courage to stand up for the truth, or our intelligence.
If you respond to the question as no, you can be seen as either
1. . an idiot. This guy will let his family starve to death
2. a liar. You lie once you’ll lie again
3. guttless afraid to be up front
4. an idiot. Who does he think he’s kidding
5. an idiot. he wants to work for a company that would expect their employees to make choices in favour of his family starving?
When you work out all the options, there just is no upside to saying No. If you do, you are an idiot.
This is a brilliant question for job applications. Any one who answers yes can immediately go to the bottom of the list.
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### Author:  [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-bread-for-the-family/470447/25 "2008-11-01T01:48:30Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#):
>
> Would it make a difference if you steal a black forest cake to feed your family?
Um, _they_ get the bread, _I_ get the cake.
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### Author:  [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-bread-for-the-family/470447/26 "2008-11-01T02:36:55Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#):
>
> You’ve missed the whole pont.
Actually, I understand the premise just fine but decided to throw in what I didn’t realize was such a non-sequitor. That there are people who believe, for instance, that if you lie you are then capable of anything. They think this, without realizing that everyone lies but not everyone, say, steals. Or that you may feel it’s ethical to lie to save Anne Frank, but that it’s not okay to cheat on your taxes.
And to me, that’s what these sort of questions exemplify. Yes, they might be a starting off point (if one can’t make any other), but overall I feel they are either dishonest, show poorly on those who buy into this ideaology hook, line and sinker or both. That was my point and I apologize if it was obscured or too terribly off-topic. 🙂
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-bread-for-the-family/470447/27 "2008-11-01T05:19:08Z")
> [@atomicbadgerrace](#):
>
> I can’t imagine a situation where a family member would be in a life or death predicament if they didn’t get an iPod.
Not so fast.
Two years ago I was hiking through Horseshoe Canyon in Utah. I was suffering from heat exhaustion and other things, and was having a really hard time hiking back up the 800 vertical feet out of the canyon. Unfortunately it was getting dark and I was having trouble following the trail. Then I remembered that my iPod lights up for 10 seconds when turned on. Instant flashlight.
If it weren’t for my iPod I would have been lost in the dark, possibly preyed upon by rattlesnakes or other nasties.
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