Maybe, maybe not. I don’t think there is any reason to believe one way or the other. He might teach her that petty theft from a corporation is ok but advise her not to steal things that will get her into trouble. You never know. You’re extrapolating a whole lot of assumptions from a small vignette.
Such bullshit nonsense. Lots of people I know who would steal from a corporation would never steal from individuals.
Yes, it must work like that; like pot leads to heroin, like a beer leads to alcoholism.
And you’re quite right, the average person cannot distinguish between absurd levels of wealth that no one will ever own or spend in any real sense, and stealing from “familty members”.
Well, where do we draw the line? Is Barnes and Noble really going to be hurt by someone stealing a paperback book once in a while? Probably not, but would you be okay with it if a friend of yours did it?
I’d be more okay with it than if he stole it from an individual, just the same way I’d be more upset if someone killed my friend than if someone killed a random person half way across the world. Both acts are wrong, but it’s hard to muster the same outrage.
But would it be okay? I mean, I’d definitely trust them a little less.
By that rationale, it’s more “okay” to steal from a very rich individual than a very poor one. I mean, that is true but I think anyone who steals from an individual is wrong, even if the theft means very little monetarily.
The dad is stealing from individuals. Any business that sells something expects a certain level of theft and adjusts the cost of their merchandise accordingly to cover for the loss. The results is I have to pay slightly more for a soda than I should have to. The customer, always, always gets the bill in the end.
Yes and no, they are generally hiding all sorts of hidden costs and profit potentials in the sale of soda in the first place. The markup is staggering. You’re essentially paying 2 for 0.10 worth of soda.
Yes, soda is a complete rip off. I never actually buy it. That their are other hidden costs as well does not change the fact that you are still having to pay more for it to subsidize those that feel it is OK to steal.
It simply amazes me how many people think it’s ok to steal from businesses. I was at a bar halloween night and a girl stole a six pack of beer. (they had left the stock room door unlocked for a moment) The whole group thought it was funny/the most awesome thing ever and got pissed with me for suggesting that she put it back. Then they got really pissed with me when I told the bartender what had happened.
I guess I just don’t understand that mentality.
I’m just not sure it’s that much of a factor. Like sometimes I go to McDonald’s and get a breakfast and it comes out to 5 even with the orange juice. I know they are overcharging by a ridiculous amount for orange juice from concentrate, but what's more important to them getting a few more sense or being able to price it at exactly 5? Basically what I’m getting at, and I could be totally wrong, is that the markup is to high that I doubt that theft accounts for a markup of even a single-cent per soft-drink.
And it’s okay, because these corporations are all not-for-profit organizations that are founded, run, and staffed by robots.
Perhaps your machine-raging friends gained their sense of entitlement when someone tried to school them (at age four) in the intricacies of when it was and wasn’t acceptable to take what didn’t belong to them, instead of simply saying “stealing is wrong.”
People want things, and generally they want those things for the cheapest price possible. Free is the cheapest price possible, and stealing is usually involved with that. It’s easy to justify in your head that it’s OK to steal from a corporation because you don’t witness anybody getting hurt by it. There’s no emotional guilt required in the act, you can simply convince yourself that it’s not going to effect them, they earn tons of money anyway etc.
It is the exact same mentality behind stealing music, video games or any media. People know the actors aren’t struggling, and they know that they need that money to get their hair done, which isn’t a service you can easily steal, so they go ahead and save their money that way. Again, no guilt is required. Most don’t truly understand the ramifications of their actions, because they’re not immediate.
There is a huge psychological difference between taking money from your mothers purse and downloading a song or filling a drink from a fast food place for free.
There’s no ethical difference in my opinion, but someone had the bright idea to kill off god, so people can easily rationalise that it’s OK without feeling cosmically guilty for it, since they don’t see or experience anybody getting hurt from their actions.
Nobody said that.
Nah, usually they are bourgie hippies from upper-middle-class homes whose parents taught them that it’s not ok, or people who don’t have a lot of money and believe that stealing from a big corporation is ok because it is a negligible loss for them. I am sure that a certain percentage of them learned that petty theft is no big deal from their parents, but I think people are over-estimating the importance of such a lesson.
There are plenty of things my parents did that I have rejected as an adult.
But we’re not discussing just petty theft; we’re talking about a guy teaching his child to be a thief.
So what?
Is it that easy to justify? I guess it must be for some people, as evidenced by this thread and the things a number of us have seen happen.
It would be same mentality, I still don’t understand it because I wouldn’t do those things either. Theft is theft.
It really sucks that so many people need a god to keep them from stealing. What is wrong with people that they can’t do the right thing without the threat of supernatural punishment hanging over them?
My point is hidden right up front as the central thesis of the posts I’ve been making. That the negligible losses of product as a pass-through to other customers is likely in the fraction of a cent range. I’m not talking about whether it’s right or wrong but about its relative social ramifications. I think people are over-estimating the importance of this encounter. I am not arguing that it’s ok. I wouldn’t teach my daughter that it’s ok. Though I do intend to teach my daughter to pick a lock eventually. Not because I want her to steal but because I want to teach her how locks work both socially and physically.
A bit of a hijack here, but I get tired of people calling copyright infringement stealing. It’s not stealing. That’s why there’s a separate word for it. A good rule of thumb: When you steal something from someone they don’t have it anymore.
Fake Tales of San Francisco You actually make a poor point there. For the most part when you steal a film/music the actors and the musicians ARE struggling. It is often difficult to get a movie made because they are very expensive to make and it’s difficult to get the total budget that you need. You’re just pretty much wrong. Regardless of the position one holds in the entertainment industry from business and marketing to talent, most people are being underpaid for their work.
Well, I often ask for a cup for water for my children, who are now 5.5 yrs old. They don’t need the sugar in the soda, and it does add to the cost.
And when we go to fill it, they’ve occasionally asked for soda. And I say very clearly, “No, we did not purchase soda so we are not taking soda. We have a cup for some water so that’s what we are getting. We don’t take what we did not buy.”
Because that’s the kind of person I want them to be. Someone who does not take what they do not buy. That is our family identity.
When I was a teenager I skirted trouble while some friends dove in head-first. Knowing my family, having a sense of identity, helped keep me away from their choices. There are plenty of things one simply does not do.