# Worthless shithead New Orleans looters. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 31, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379 "2005-08-31T02:46:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/41 "2005-08-31T11:45:38Z")
> [@BabaBooey](#): > > So be it, but I haven’t seen a single non black looting amongst the ~10 minutes of looting videos . I’ve just seen the first footages of the area half an hour ago (I don’t watch much TV) and I saw a number of non-black looting too. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/42 "2005-08-31T12:08:30Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > What would downtown Baghdad look like if it was completely flooded by the Tigris and the Euphrates? Muddy. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/43 "2005-08-31T12:14:14Z")
> [@Hentor the Barbarian](#): > > This thread, and the veiled and naked racism within it, make me sick. If it helps, I think the racism by the OP (who’s black) is really classism. Look at all the references to these unlucky people being “ignorant ghetto motherfuckers” “with a lack of restraint and self-control” and who are “too stupid” “to read.” The parting shot about good luck finding businesses to come back to the area and good luck finding jobs shows more concern for business entities than people who, as **hillybilly queen** reminds us, had few if any means to leave the city. I’ve been through a [hurricane](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Hugo) (largely unscathed) and lived through a flood. My family lost 70% of our possessions in the [Michigan flood of '86.](http://mi.water.usgs.gov/fdfloods.php) Shit’s no fun. Help came from the iman of our masjid and if he hadn’t, I’d have been desperate enough to loot food, clean clothes, medicine and some entertainment in a heartbeat, too – despite my mama’s fears – and lost not one wink of sleep over it. Survival mode. You grab what you can while the getting’s good. You do not always do things you’re proud of when your family’s best interests are at stake. **Belowjob2.0’s** whole “Shoot to kill, I’ll buy the bullets” thing makes me sick. All this discussion about the lack of white looters is silly. New Orleans is reportedly more than 2/3rds black and the black poor constitute most of who had to stay in the path of the storm. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/44 "2005-08-31T12:15:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Mike Franklin stood on the trolley tracks and watched the spectacle unfold. > > “To be honest with you, people who are oppressed all their lives, man, it’s an opportunity to get back at society,” he said. To be honest with you, I don’t believe this quote for one second. Call it the “Jayson Blair” syndrome running around my head, but I don’t believe it for one fucking second. Way too neat. Show me a guy say it on the TV and I’m there. I think he might have originally wrote, “To be honest with you, people who are oppressed all their lives, it’s an opportunity to get back at society,” and realized he had to “soul it up” so he added the ‘man’ in the middle of it. _Hmmm, now I gotta come up with a name. . .what’s a name where if they actually tried to find the source, there’s hundreds of 'em but it’s not John Smith?_ ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/45 "2005-08-31T12:19:04Z")
No argument here that media coverage of these kinds of situations is usually biased. Tim Wise has some good articles about it: [http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/1999-08/26wise.htm](http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/1999-08/26wise.htm) [http://www.alternet.org/story/12479/](http://www.alternet.org/story/12479/) But those people in New Orleans can do better. And they should. These events will be used as a justification for denying all kinds of resources to that community and similar ones across the US. ---
**Author:** ![Updike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@Updike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Updike)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/46 "2005-08-31T12:24:22Z")
> [@Monstre](#): > > Gosh, and should they just let all that jewelry rot, while it’s there for the grabbin? > A big hearty “fuck you” from me to the guy who says, “it’s an opportunity to get back at society” in one of those articles. Here’s the full quote from the AP: “To be honest with you, people who are oppressed all their lives, man, it’s an opportunity to get back at society.” That guy’s a douchebag. How has he been oppressed all his life? ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/47 "2005-08-31T12:39:09Z")
The looters are putting their own lives and health at much greater risk by going out in the dangerous conditions. No doubt, there are live power lines down in the water, not to mention the disease and sewage. At some point, the waters will recede, and the city will have to rebuild. The actions of the looters are making that job that much more difficult. There will be less work available. And less govt aid. I’m sick of the looters. I’m sicked of the messed up mentality and the fucked up behavior. And if bullets are what’s needed to back them off, bring it on. If a massive hurricane flooded Boston, I’m sure there’d be Irish from Charlestown and Southie looting the local shops. It’d still be way fucked up. And do the most damage to the people who actually lived in those communities. ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/48 "2005-08-31T12:41:43Z")
First, we’re dealing with idiots too stupid to get out of town when the getting was good. I know, I know, there are some decent folks too poor and maybe having other circumstances which didn’t allow them to leave town. Those people aren’t the looters. Snipers should be positioned on top of buildings around town and shoot these animal looters in the head… These pigs are the lowest of the low. I’m sure it could be easily justified by keeping order, or whatever. Too bad these pigs will probably get away with their looting. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/49 "2005-08-31T12:41:45Z")
If there was no looting, all those business owners would 100% honestly claim for just the stock and damage to their buildings. Nope, they are certainly not going to just write everything off and claim on everything. > [@](#): > > It will be rebuilt. Better than before unless they manage to rebuild it higher than sea level, it’ll happen again. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/50 "2005-08-31T13:10:51Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > I’ve just seen the first footages of the area half an hour ago (I don’t watch much TV) and I saw a number of non-black looting too. I can confirm this. Fox news has been showing a loop of blacks and whites stealing stuff. The whole situation is just sickening. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/51 "2005-08-31T13:43:16Z")
Well I don’t mind them looting a grocery store for food. The stuff in the store is going to rot long before the place can open. I bet if the store owners were there they would be giving the stuff away anyway. But non essential stuff, well, that’s just theft. Many people did try to leave town and couldn’t. The roads were just too jammed. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/52 "2005-08-31T15:24:23Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Well I don’t mind them looting a grocery store for food. The stuff in the store is going to rot long before the place can open. I bet if the store owners were there they would be giving the stuff away anyway. Relativism. So is it wrong for them to loot canned stuff? Stuff in vacuum-packed foil envelopes that won’t spoil? Jars of stuff? It’s either wrong or it isn’t. -Joe, 51% amoral ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/53 "2005-08-31T15:30:37Z")
Food that isn’t in those containers is probably all wet. If they need it to survive, let them take it. Yes it is Relativism. In this situation it is OK. ---
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/54 "2005-08-31T15:32:59Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Relativism. So is it wrong for them to loot canned stuff? Stuff in vacuum-packed foil envelopes that won’t spoil? Jars of stuff? > > It’s either wrong or it isn’t. > > -Joe, 51% amoral You think people should starve? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/55 "2005-08-31T15:36:50Z")
It’s easy to feel self-righteous from a distance but if any of us were in that situation we’d probably do the same thing.If I’ve got to feed my kids, I’m going to feed my kids. And as long as I’m feeding my kids I might as well grab a plasma TV. The stores are all going to write everything off as a total loss anyway, so the way I see it, these people are only taking garbage. I think it’s a victimless crime. None of this stuff was going to be salable anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/56 "2005-08-31T15:37:53Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Relativism. So is it wrong for them to loot canned stuff? Stuff in vacuum-packed foil envelopes that won’t spoil? Jars of stuff? > > It’s either wrong or it isn’t. > > -Joe, 51% amoral It isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/57 "2005-08-31T15:42:51Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > It’s easy to feel self-righteous from a distance but if any of us were in that situation we’d probably do the same thing.If I’ve got to feed my kids, I’m going to feed my kids. And as long as I’m feeding my kids I might as well grab a plasma TV. The stores are all going to write everything off as a total loss anyway, so the way I see it, these people are only taking garbage. I think it’s a victimless crime. None of this stuff was going to be salable anyway. I understand stealing foo and medicine, but TV’s? They are not necessary for survival in a flood. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/58 "2005-08-31T15:47:22Z")
Is it OK to go wander through your neighbor’s house and take stuff? Well, why not? It’s probably gonna be destroyed anyway. Bottom line: if the stuff belongs to somebody else…_don’t steal it_! These idiots had plenty of warning. Just because they were stupid enough to ignore all warnings does _not_ give them the right to steal stuff so they can “survive.” ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/59 "2005-08-31T15:47:59Z")
Poverty, combined with the trauma and despair that a natural disaster, is a really fucked up state to be in. I’m fortunate to have never lived through a natural disaster, though I have lived very near to places affected by [earthquakes](http://www.cisn.org/special/evt.03.12.22/) and [hurricanes](http://hurricaneville.com/historic.html) (Frederick, to be exact). I have friends and family affected by such events, and when they take place, I usually react with sympathy to those affected by the disaster. I suppress my occasional urge to condemn those who didn’t prepare or evacuate when warned, because being destitute usually means that having the ability to drop everything and go is quite complicated. I’ve got more to say but I’ve got to go… however, though I hope I would behave in the proper, law-abiding manner if I was in the same situation, I do think living in an unending cycle of poverty might make it more difficult to do so. **trunk** also makes a good point - sometimes reporters lie and exaggerate, so I’m not sure if I buy looters taking the time from their criminal activity to give a sound bite to the press… ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379/60 "2005-08-31T15:48:59Z")
No, it’s not necessary and it’s not exactly honorable, I just don’t think that in a situation like NO, that it does any more damage to the storeowners than what’s already been done. I think the stores are already writing off everything as a total loss, so it doesn’t matter what happens to it. The people taking shit they don’t need aren’t _good_, but I don’t think they’re hurting anybody any more than they’ve already been hurt. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worthless-shithead-new-orleans-looters/319379.md?page=4)