Ah… must… read… all… posts… before posting.
I’ve heard this type of behaviour described as a “cry for help” also and I’ve always wondered what it’s supposed to mean.
The “cry for help” routine is usually applied to celebs, politicians, or the wealthy in these situations. Yet it’s just plain theft when regular folks do it.
Why do they choose these behaviours as a cry for help and why do I get the feeling that wouldn’t fly if it was say, me or you who chose to steal expensive jewellery?
Perhaps he was set up by two rich old men who intend to use him as part of a wager regarding the nature vs. nurture debate. Soon, a freewheeling black man will become an MP while Svend adjusts to life on the street.
I think what you’ve said is pretty true. Number one, there really aren’t a lot of right-wing Canadians in the sense that there are right-wing Conservatives in the US. And in Canada, we tend to internalize rather than sling mud.
This shocked me. Absolutely shocked me. I hope he hasn’t committed career suicide with this.
I suppose I could be considered a right-wing Canadian.
Well, sort of. Maybe a little.
I’m an Albertan, anyhow.
I think around here people are just used to Sven doing odd things. This is a different sort of attention, sure; but it’s not the first time he’s been in the news for doing something rather bizarre.
(and, for the record - I usually agree with what he is supporting, I just don’t always like the way he goes about it)
I think the politicians who run this fine country are starting to confuse the line between tax dollars and personal property. Sven might be a personal hero to many but holy fuck, the amount of rage I feel whenever hear about another politician screwing up or mismanaging (stealing) more of my hard earned tax money is becoming too much to bare.
Should I be surprised to find Dalton McGuinty drinking my beer when I get home after work?
My raged is contained but not for long…grrrrrrrrrrr!
All I have to say is that there is an offensive double standard at play when a public figure or a wealthy person steals a luxury object and is showered with forgiveness and understanding … whereas an unknown person or a poor person, who might actually need to steal, is given up to the cold hard workings of the law.
On a lighter note, I bet Arafat (famously hugged by Sven) is just now realizing where his wallet went … 
It’s this more than anything else that gets my goat. Oh, it was “mental illness” and a “Cry for help,” because his supporters just “can’t believe” he’d do this.
The absolute fact of the matter is that if I stole a tremendously expensive diamond ring I would be charged within twenty four hours of being recognized as the thief and upon conviction would go to jail. Nobody, including my own parents, would buy such a lame-ass excuse. I’m just as good at my job as Svend Robinson is at his, but that wouldn’t get me out of it. Robinson is being treated differently because he’s a celebrity, and it’s as wrong and as vile as if he were a pro hockey player or an actor.
Was this typical of his character? I don’t know. It is certainly possible it was a moment of stress. It’s still inexcusable and he should still be charged.
matt, I did read his statement prior to posting. IMHO, it’s simply not much of an apology. The sentence you quoted is a small part of a rather lengthy excuse that spends 75% of its words attempting to blame the theft on “stress” and “emotional consequences.” Furthermore, he attempts to excuse himself by claiming that he really wanted to bring it back but that various things prevented him from doing so until a point in time AFTER the cops already knew about it, a rather critical issue he leaves out of the statement. It is a mealy-mouthed apology wrapped in several hundred words of excuses and misdirections; he even avoids the verb “stole.” An excuse is not an apology.
I guess it’s asking too much of a politician to actually issue an apology, like:
Not that Robinson is any worse than any number of Parliamentary theives, but I for one always hoped he was better. He isn’t.
Come on, if you had dozens of character witnesses at your trial saying what a great guy you are and that this is completely out of character you too would probably get a slap on the wrist and an order for counselling.
Unless of course you’re Native, then you’re screwed.
For the same reason it wouldn’t work if it were one of most of the other 300 MPs in the House: you or I don’t have an immense reputation for extraordinary public service.
A small but crucial issue here – yes, at the time he returned the ring, the cops already knew about the theft, but he didn’t know that, because the police specifically told the auction house not to tell him that they had gone to the police. [cite]
Me, too. And, my parents subscribe to Alberta Report, and voted conservative in the 80s. I hope it’s not contagious.
In response:
If this were the only celeb/politician/public figure whom had been given a free pass- i.e. not even charged, not even probation, then I’d probably agree with you. But there’s a long history of preferential treatment for certain groups in society. And it still doesn’t answer for the man’s motivation in the first place. Maybe he really is stressed out…but so am I and so are you and so are a lot of people. And I honestly still really don’t get the whole “cry for help” idea. Does it mean that the person acted subconsciously, that they literally didn’t know what they were doing? That they actually suffered some sort of psychotic break with reality? It just doesn’t seem very likely.
When we’re doling out the preferential treatment, where does one draw the line?
Just a one comparison among many we could find if we wanted to look.
That doesn’t go very far towards demonstrating that wealthy or well-known people are more likely to get a “free pass” than anyone else. You just don’t hear about it when Joe Citizen gets a break, based on people’s assessment of their character. Why would you? Here’s a couple of other comparisons:
I’ve been in trouble twice. Once when I was barely into my teens, and had a jones for making small explosives that my part-time job didn’t fully accomodate. I was maybe fourteen, and got caught lifting what was obviously stuff to make a wee bomb from a local drug store. It was the second time I’d done it, within the space of about a month. (Before then I’d kept my fingers to myself.) The security guard pinched me and took me into the back. I was terrified, and I’m sure it showed. He asked me what the hell I thought I was doing, and I told him. Then he asked me some personal questions. In the course of the conversation, it came out that I’d recently applied for a job at the P.N.E. (local fair.) He told me to hang on, and then he called my home phone number (which I’d given him earlier.) My jaw dropped when my mum answered and the security guard said he was calling from the P.N.E., and asked if she knew that I’d applied there recently. Then he asked if she approved of me working there, and hung up. Looked at me and said, “You seem like a good kid. Don’t you know what kind of trouble something like this could make for you? You’ve been honest with me, so I’m going to let this go this once. I don’t want to see you pull any crap like this again, though. Good luck with that job.”
As you can imagine I never had the urge to take something out of a store without paying for it again.
Much later in life, I got stopped in a random traffic stop with quite a bit of fresh (and stinky) weed in the car, plus grow gear and waste that made it pretty clear we’d just come from a harvest. I was charged with possession, and when I made my court appearance, the judge looked at the evidence (I had pled guilty) and my lawyer pointed out that I’d been a good boy up till then and worked a steady job that I’d held for eight years. The judge said that, in consideration of my being an otherwise solid citizen, that she was going to give me a suspended sentence. That is to say, a free pass, provided I stayed out of trouble. And I have.
General character is usually considered in criminal matters, regardless of a person’s public profile or bank balance. When it’s not (as in the frequent disparity of treatment of minorities,) that’s when things are wrong.
As for another example of celebrity shoplifting, do you think Winona Ryder got special treatment for her shoplifting conviction? I’d bet 3 years probation, mandatory counselling, and fines/restitution is pretty much par for the course for a first offense.
I just wanted to say I’m going to miss him. I’ve had a chance to talk with him on a few occasions – gay rights events, NDP meetings – and even before I was involved in politics, he was an inspiration. He carried our party its worst times, and stuck by his beliefs on everything, even when his own party was against him. He did his community service for blocking a logging road at Clayoquot Sound, came out as gay before it was cool, stood up for Sue Rodriguez when she wanted a doctor-assisted suicide.
Now he’s lost his career and his good name, and people are saying he got off easy.
Who says he’s lost his career? He hasn’t said he won’t run in the next election, and he hasn’t resigned. That’s up to the voters.
And while they may or may kick him out if he runs, I would point out that serving as an MP isn’t a “career” you have a right to pursue. You serve at the whim of the voters and could be voted out for no good reason at all. After 25 years in the House, I imagine he’d do fine with his honkin’ big pension and commanding a pretty good dime on the lecture circuit.
I dunno about only “special” people getting preferential treatment in court. In my experiance it’s more luck of the draw and the judges mood.
Okay, personal example. WAAAAY back in '84 I got into an arguement with Mr zoogirl. At the time we had a kid in the hospital who was about two months old and was never going to come home courtesy of the brain damage he suffered during a botched delivery. (He died at six months.) Anyway, the stress had made a huge dent in the relationship, Mr zoogirl was drinking and this one night everything blew. The upshot was, I followed him over to his friend’s place and when they buzzed him into the apartment I tried to go in behind him. He got the lobby door shut. I was so mad I kicked it. To my utter shock, the 1/2 inch glass shattered under my running shoe.
I sat on the planter and waited for the cops. After spending the morning at the station, I was given a court date.
When I finally went to court the Crown Counsel presented my case, explaining the enormous stress and the fact that I had a hitherto spotless record. She also brought up my total cooperation and state of sobriaty at the time. The judge gave me restitution, which I expected, and a year’s probation which is now on my record for good. Even my probation officer said it was way too harsh. He wanted me to appeal.
OTOH, the older lady who appeared before me had stolen a bottle of perfume from Woodwards. Security nabbed her and she was arrested. Her counsel got up and claimed that she only stole the perfume because ladies liked to have nice things and she was on a pension. Excuse me?! And for this outright theft what did she get?
Nada
Squat
Pat on the hand and “Don’t do it again, dearie.”
While I’m stuck with a record for a door that also cost me nearly 200 Cdn. (Worth more than US back in '84).
See what I mean? It’s all purely the judges whim, IMHO.
Gee, I hope Svend doesn’t get him!
I won’t dispute that. But about this next bit…
I don’t know your parents, so I can’t say what they personally would do. But the world is full of people who make excuses for friends and relatives. Even if they’ve served hard time; even if they’ve fucked up every job they’ve ever had; even if they’ve fallen off the wagon multiple times and caused exponentially increasing damage. There are probably ten Pit threads about such people and their enablers.