# To Czarcasm, fyi **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 24, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264 "2004-08-24T14:06:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/121 "2004-08-26T20:45:46Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > It’s not at all unreasonable for **Indygrrl** to consider the inside of her purse to be that 100% safe location. Not her fault her coworker is a thieving junkie, and not her fault if the coworker takes something that makes her sick. On the contrary, although it WAS reasonable, it no longer is- as she now has knowledge it **isn’t**. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/122 "2004-08-27T03:10:05Z")
In general… I think \*\*Czarcasm \*\*made a (rare) bad call on this one. A simple warning/reminder would have sufficed, IMO. There was enough useful discourse in the closed thread (continuing, I will note, in this one, with no sign of closure) to make it useful. And at the risk of being accused of piling on… **Zabali\_Clawbane** , you are acting like a hysterical bitch. \*\*Indygrrl \*\*is being repeatedly robbed, she is attempting to find a way to deal with it, she considered doing a bad thing but decided against it. Spinning out of control and flinging accusations of poisoning just makes you look insane. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/123 "2004-08-27T06:29:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > On the contrary, although it WAS reasonable, it no longer is- as she now has knowledge it **isn’t**. :dubious: So what if this girl was breaking into her house and stealing her medicine? Would it be unreasonable for her to continue to keep her medicines at home? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/124 "2004-08-27T07:48:20Z")
But that isn’t the case here is it? What about if the OP was really a alien monster in disguise who was really feeding her victims “extra-super-tasty” pills so that they’d taste better when she ate them later? Would it be OK then? Huh? Huh? :rolleyes: In the present case she is doing something very foolish, maybe dangerous, which appears to be mean spirited and revengeful on someone who is just sick and needs help. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/125 "2004-08-27T07:55:52Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > someone who is just\*\* sick and needs help\*\* Yeah, the thief needs to be put in a drug addiction program. The boss should by all rights be working to bring this about, either through the court system via an arrest and drug charge, or through a work program, or maybe both. It would’t be harmful in the long run for this person to get arrested, it could be what helps them recover from this addiction. I hope she gets the help she needs, and that the thefts are stopped. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/126 "2004-08-27T11:19:47Z")
> [@](#): > > **DrDeth** said: > In the present case she is doing something very foolish, maybe dangerous, which appears to be mean spirited and revengeful on someone who is just sick and needs help. She’s keeping her medicine in a medicine bottle in her purse. There is nothing ‘foolish’ or ‘dangerous’ about that. What is convenient to **Indygrr** should not be assumed by you to be ‘revenge’. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with her continuing to keep her medication in a place that is convenient for her. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/127 "2004-08-27T12:15:58Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > She’s keeping her medicine in a medicine bottle in her purse. There is nothing ‘foolish’ or ‘dangerous’ about that. What is convenient to **Indygrr** should not be assumed by you to be ‘revenge’. > > There is nothing whatsoever wrong with her continuing to keep her medication in a place that is convenient for her. Under normal circumastances… These aint. She knows who’s taking them and when. If you kept having your coffee money stolen from your desk drawer would you continue to keep it there or would you attempt to avoid the situation by locking the drawer or putting the money in a different place? I think you would be stupid to keep ‘allowing’ it to get stolen. That doesn’t mean it’s your fault that the thefts occur, but once you realize that someones taking advantage of you you need to react. Once the other person breaks the rules, it’s no longer a fair fight. ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/128 "2004-08-27T12:38:22Z")
She does indeed know that her pills are being stolen, and I can see that many would feel it is reasonable to place the burden of correct behavior on her given that circumstance – IOW, she should not try to poison the thief with other medications. However, I think it was reasonable for \*\*Indygrrl \*\*to assume that the thing at risk was her prescription meds, not any pill in that location. Operating under the assumption that the thief is looking for specific pills, not any pill, she took the at-risk ones out of the bottle and left others (presumably not at risk) in it, as that is her operating practice. They disappeared, and she wished bad things on the person continuing to plague her. Not a nice thing, but does not, IMO, rise to “poisoning.” This does leave the prior “I’ll try to trap her by swapping in different but similar-looking pills.” I’m giving \*\*Indygrrl \*\*the benefit of the doubt here and assuming (I did not check the references she supplied earlier) that the stolen non-Vicodin pills did not look like Vicodin, and thus were not (in her opinion) going to be stolen. Judging from the tone of her post, she was surprised that the non-Vicodin pills were stolen. Thus, my conclusion: \*\*Indygrrl \*\*is the one being wronged, and does not deserve the castigation she is getting. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/129 "2004-08-27T13:00:12Z")
Well, this really doesn’t seem to be getting us anywhere. I agree that **Indygrrl** is not responsible for providing only thief-friendly drugs in the usual location, but I acknowledge that there are those who disagree with this. No matter how many times I restate my argument, no matter how many examples I give to illustrate the point that it is not the victim’s responsibility if the theif gets injured, _those folks who believe she IS responsible are not going to change their minds._ Period. End of story. I’ve really been interested in finding out what happens to the thief, but this back-and-forth is never going to be resolved and I wish we could just move on. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/130 "2004-08-27T13:45:55Z")
If **Indygrrl** ’s co-worker is taking these pills recreationally, she needs to stop now, before she really does get addicted and it’s a nightmare to stop. Getting caught in the act might be just the scare she needs to quit now. She’s lucky she’s dealing with a person who (mostly) still cares about her. Good luck, **Indygrrl**. And if she’s really in some kind of pain that her doctor won’t help her with (and I wouldn’t be surprised at this, either, in and of itself, since I know that doctors are extremely reluctant to prescribe opioids for extended or chronic pain … her stealing of pills a couple at a time makes me doubt it, though, but _if_ she is …) then she still needs to stop stealing medication. Perhaps she could go to a methadone clinic instead. She’ll have plenty of company – one survey said that 10% of the patients at methadone clinics are actually chronic pain patients, and my own research puts it at more like 12.5%. Yeah, it may be humiliating and whatnot, but if she’s really in pain she won’t care, and it will be legal instead of putting her at risk for losing friends, losing her job, losing her freedom… ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/131 "2004-08-27T14:12:02Z")
> [@](#): > > **Uncommon Sense** said: > Once the other person breaks the rules, it’s no longer a fair fight. Nope, it’s not. And if someone did steal my coffee money out of my desk, you can bet your ass I’d be hoping they burn the shit out of themselves on that coffee. Thing is, if **Indygrrl** moves her pills, it’s for _her benefit_, not a duty on her to prevent injury to the thief. It is not, IMO, incumbent upon **Indygrrl** to make sure that the thief doesn’t get sick from the pills. The smart thing would be to keep the pills where they won’t get stolen, but only because then those pills will still be available to **Indygrrl** , who actually needs them. Fuck the thief. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/132 "2004-08-27T14:23:40Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > Nope, it’s not. And if someone did steal my coffee money out of my desk, you can bet your ass I’d be hoping they burn the shit out of themselves on that coffee. > > Thing is, if **Indygrrl** moves her pills, it’s for _her benefit_, not a duty on her to prevent injury to the thief. > > It is not, IMO, incumbent upon **Indygrrl** to make sure that the thief doesn’t get sick from the pills. The smart thing would be to keep the pills where they won’t get stolen, but only because then those pills will still be available to **Indygrrl** , who actually needs them. > > Fuck the thief. Complete agreement from me. I mentioned nothing about injury to the thief, cause I could care less if she gets ill from them. I agree with you too **lorene**. Short of malice, of course, on the part of the OP - but you already know that. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/133 "2004-08-27T18:16:16Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > In the present case she is doing something very foolish, maybe dangerous, which appears to be mean spirited and revengeful on someone who is just sick and needs help. Obviously you haven’t read all of my posts or you’d know that I am not doing anything at all, let alone anything “foolish” or “dangerous.” I am keeping my medication in my pocket now. I stated this earlier. As for my pill bottle, I will continue to use it for whatever medication I might need in any given day. I am not baiting anyone by doing this, but keeping something I need on hand. I am trying to remember to lock my purse up, but I do occasionally forget. In no way am I trying to get this person to take any pills. I would really prefer she just leave my stuff alone, but if she happens to take prescription pills out of my purse and get sick from them it is not my responsibility. I’m trying to be as careful as I can with my stuff, but like I said, I do sometimes forget to keep it under lock and key. As for whether or not she needs to be arrested, go to treatment, etc., that isn’t for me to decide. I’m not calling the police so they can come in here and disrupt the office, resulting in a bunch of gossip and drama around here. None of us needs that. I have personally been sick, and I might have to take time off soon. I don’t want to cause unnecessary problems around here, lest they decide to replace me when I take a month off for surgery. I have more to think about than getting a few pills stolen. I am not going to be responsible for getting someone fired or arrested. I just don’t feel like I could live with myself if I did that. Some of you may disagree with how I’ve chosen to handle it, but it is my problem and after thinking long and hard about it I decided I’m just going to be more careful instead of trying to get her in trouble. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/134 "2004-10-13T20:10:18Z")
Any chance of an update **Indygrrl**? ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264/135 "2004-10-13T20:48:27Z")
Sure, I was wondering why this thread popped up. I’ve been keeping the pills in my pocket since the incident and that’s all that has happened. I’m in line for a promotion soon, so I didn’t think it would be to my benefit to make a big deal over the theft. HR knows about it, so I did what I could to resolve the issue. Plus, I’m feeling better so I don’t require meds every day like I used to. Thanks for asking, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-czarcasm-fyi/261264.md?page=6)