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No, it was never possible to get away with a heist, and it never will be. The question of the authorities catching you is actually the least interesting part o

No, it was never possible to get away with a heist, and it never will be. The question of the authorities catching you is actually the least interesting part of the question. Suppose you weren't caught by the police following your heist: How would you have any confidence in yourself in your ability to make it on your own? How could you help but wonder if you'd be able to live by way of producing or providing something of value the way honest people do? What would happen to your curiosity about the world? There would be whole swaths of things that would be mentally off-limits, lest they remind you of anything to do with the danger of being caught for the heist you pulled. (Think all of the things that fall under forensic or other evidence!) As a secondary consideration, your relations with other people would also be terrible. Where are you going to go where you won't have to weave a web of lies about where you got your money from? How happy will you be living a life where you are constantly in fear of getting caught? What kind of life is it to know that your continued existence depends on others not knowing certain facts about the world? (Facts that they have every right to know about you...) If someone wrongs you, or does something unjust to someone or some thing you care about, how could you work up the courage to rectify that? Your own hypocrisy would likely stifle any such impulse, before you ever spoke a word of it.

ryandrake 11y ago
Each of your questions require a sufficiently large sum of money and/or a sufficiently low sum of ethics/scruples to answer.
- maxharris 11y ago
  Where would that money come from?! Show me how any sum of money could answer the points I raise, without digging deeper and making things worse. We're not talking about a person with an enormous ability to create wealth, and their actions would only further decimate their ability to do so.
  - ryandrake 11y ago
    Let's assume I have no moral compass and managed to steal $100MM. >How would you have any confidence in yourself in your ability to make it on your own? Doesn't matter. I don't need to make it on my own. I have $100MM. > How could you help but wonder if you'd be able to live by way of producing or providing something of value the way honest people do? Doesn't matter. I will never have to produce something or provide value. See above. > What would happen to your curiosity about the world? There would be whole swaths of things that would be mentally off-limits, lest they remind you of anything to do with the danger of being caught for the heist you pulled. I don't think there's much of the world that's off-limits with a stack of money $100MM tall. > Where are you going to go where you won't have to weave a web of lies about where you got your money from? Assuming I got away with the heist, I don't have to explain my wealth to anyone. I can tell nosey people that I got it as an inheritance and that's that. > How happy will you be living a life where you are constantly in fear of getting caught? This is probably the most difficult problem you face with $100MM of ill-gotten gains. You can probably mitigate much of the risk by moving somewhere physically that does not have extradition agreements with wherever you got away with the heist. Of course with that much money, you'd have the means to move anywhere on earth. > What kind of life is it to know that your continued existence depends on others not knowing certain facts about the world? (Facts that they have every right to know about you...) If someone wrongs you, or does something unjust to someone or some thing you care about, how could you work up the courage to rectify that? Your own hypocrisy would likely stifle any such impulse, before you ever spoke a word of it. All of these problems are solved by having a sufficiently sociopathic disposition.
    - maxharris 11y ago
      First, you're confusing psychopaths and sociopaths: http://www.diffen.com/difference/Psychopath_vs_Sociopath http://www.diffen.com/difference/Psychopath_vs_Sociopath The earlier tends "to participate in schemes and take calculated risks to minimize evidence or exposure," while the latter tends "to leave clues and act on impulse." While psychopaths are without conscience, sociopaths have one (albeit weaker.) Are you operating under the assumption that people living with either of these mental disorders are happy? What does happiness mean to you? I bet it doesn't mean this: http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/psychotic-affective-disorders/hidden-suffering-psychopath http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/psychotic-affective-disorder... http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15850/1/Characteristics-of-a-Sociopath.html http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15850/1/Characteristics-... No matter if you have a mental disorder or not, crime will not make you happy, nor will it get you any closer to being whole again -- not if your standard is a virtuous (good, long, just, prosperous) life. I don't think there's much of the world that's off-limits with a stack of money $100MM tall. Except for self-esteem, a successful romantic partnership, freedom from boredom punctuated by bouts of extreme fear? Assuming I got away with the heist, I don't have to explain my wealth to anyone. I can tell nosey [sic] people that I got it as an inheritance and that's that. Where is this fantasy island where you can live without talking to anyone? Do you really think that no one would bother to ask questions about a stranger that just moved in next door? Or that they wouldn't do a Google search? Even if they didn't, their friends, neighbors or children might.
s_q_b 11y ago
None of these factors would matter to a high-functioning sociopath, or for that matter a sufficiently desperate individual. But the game is not really to make theft impossible. It's to make theft so difficult that all the people intelligent enough to pull it off go into other occupations.
- maxharris 11y ago
  First, I didn't say the act of theft was impossible (this interpretation of my comment is possible only if you stop reading my comment after the first sentence, ignoring completely the words that follow it.) With regard to your comments on sociopaths, please see my reply to ryandrake immediately below.
davidgay 11y ago
The article itself contradicts your first statement. It lists: - two heists were the perpetrators were not caught and the money not recovered - five were some or all of the money was not recovered
- maxharris 11y ago
  You took the first sentence of my comment out of context, and ran with it. I wish you had bothered to read my whole comment, once in a charitable way, and a second time critically, before replying.
HoHoHoNowIHaveA 11y ago
Am a sociopath and have been subjected to numerous psychological assessments. Can tell you none of your points apply. Whether cheating on a spouse, an exam or stealing none of your points matter a jot. You couldn't even imagine the emotional void through which I view the world. Almost every smile and kind word is purely to gain some advantage. Every apology is merely an attempt to continue the activities. True story. Any time I am not stealing/manipulating/cheating is purely because of a cost-benefit calculation not because of any empathy.
marincounty 11y ago
When you get older you will realize a few things: So many people are not morally honest. No, they don't wake up , and break laws, but they will bend laws, take advantage of those they can. So many people believe, "Hay, it's legal?". I'll take a honest sociopath over these scumbags. I have run across sociopaths with strong moral compasses. Very few people really produce someting of value, or add to society. America has become a selfish mess. Most of us just work for for the slightly corrupt Man. As you age; you will be dissalusioned by so many people, and professions. The truth is ugly. It leaves a distaste on my mouth even thinking about the frauds I run across daily. Most wear suits, and have perfect credit.
- maxharris 11y ago
  When you get older I'm 35 - how old are you?
bbcbasic 11y ago
I think you are putting the cart before the horse, in that the heist somehow will negatively change the mindset of the criminal. But I'd guess people who do heists are of a certain mindset already and that doing the heist won't lose them anything mentally or spiritually. But they may get away with some serious cash to spend. The risk for the criminal is even with all the money in the world the thrill of doing it and winning will be a lure to try again and alas get caught.

ryandrake 11y ago

Each of your questions require a sufficiently large sum of money and/or a sufficiently low sum of ethics/scruples to answer.

maxharris 11y ago
Where would that money come from?! Show me how any sum of money could answer the points I raise, without digging deeper and making things worse. We're not talking about a person with an enormous ability to create wealth, and their actions would only further decimate their ability to do so.
- ryandrake 11y ago
  Let's assume I have no moral compass and managed to steal $100MM. >How would you have any confidence in yourself in your ability to make it on your own? Doesn't matter. I don't need to make it on my own. I have $100MM. > How could you help but wonder if you'd be able to live by way of producing or providing something of value the way honest people do? Doesn't matter. I will never have to produce something or provide value. See above. > What would happen to your curiosity about the world? There would be whole swaths of things that would be mentally off-limits, lest they remind you of anything to do with the danger of being caught for the heist you pulled. I don't think there's much of the world that's off-limits with a stack of money $100MM tall. > Where are you going to go where you won't have to weave a web of lies about where you got your money from? Assuming I got away with the heist, I don't have to explain my wealth to anyone. I can tell nosey people that I got it as an inheritance and that's that. > How happy will you be living a life where you are constantly in fear of getting caught? This is probably the most difficult problem you face with $100MM of ill-gotten gains. You can probably mitigate much of the risk by moving somewhere physically that does not have extradition agreements with wherever you got away with the heist. Of course with that much money, you'd have the means to move anywhere on earth. > What kind of life is it to know that your continued existence depends on others not knowing certain facts about the world? (Facts that they have every right to know about you...) If someone wrongs you, or does something unjust to someone or some thing you care about, how could you work up the courage to rectify that? Your own hypocrisy would likely stifle any such impulse, before you ever spoke a word of it. All of these problems are solved by having a sufficiently sociopathic disposition.
  - maxharris 11y ago
    First, you're confusing psychopaths and sociopaths: http://www.diffen.com/difference/Psychopath_vs_Sociopath http://www.diffen.com/difference/Psychopath_vs_Sociopath The earlier tends "to participate in schemes and take calculated risks to minimize evidence or exposure," while the latter tends "to leave clues and act on impulse." While psychopaths are without conscience, sociopaths have one (albeit weaker.) Are you operating under the assumption that people living with either of these mental disorders are happy? What does happiness mean to you? I bet it doesn't mean this: http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/psychotic-affective-disorders/hidden-suffering-psychopath http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/psychotic-affective-disorder... http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15850/1/Characteristics-of-a-Sociopath.html http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15850/1/Characteristics-... No matter if you have a mental disorder or not, crime will not make you happy, nor will it get you any closer to being whole again -- not if your standard is a virtuous (good, long, just, prosperous) life. I don't think there's much of the world that's off-limits with a stack of money $100MM tall. Except for self-esteem, a successful romantic partnership, freedom from boredom punctuated by bouts of extreme fear? Assuming I got away with the heist, I don't have to explain my wealth to anyone. I can tell nosey [sic] people that I got it as an inheritance and that's that. Where is this fantasy island where you can live without talking to anyone? Do you really think that no one would bother to ask questions about a stranger that just moved in next door? Or that they wouldn't do a Google search? Even if they didn't, their friends, neighbors or children might.

s_q_b 11y ago

None of these factors would matter to a high-functioning sociopath, or for that matter a sufficiently desperate individual. But the game is not really to make theft impossible. It's to make theft so difficult that all the people intelligent enough to pull it off go into other occupations.

maxharris 11y ago
First, I didn't say the act of theft was impossible (this interpretation of my comment is possible only if you stop reading my comment after the first sentence, ignoring completely the words that follow it.) With regard to your comments on sociopaths, please see my reply to ryandrake immediately below.

davidgay 11y ago

The article itself contradicts your first statement. It lists: - two heists were the perpetrators were not caught and the money not recovered - five were some or all of the money was not recovered

maxharris 11y ago
You took the first sentence of my comment out of context, and ran with it. I wish you had bothered to read my whole comment, once in a charitable way, and a second time critically, before replying.

HoHoHoNowIHaveA 11y ago

Am a sociopath and have been subjected to numerous psychological assessments. Can tell you none of your points apply. Whether cheating on a spouse, an exam or stealing none of your points matter a jot. You couldn't even imagine the emotional void through which I view the world. Almost every smile and kind word is purely to gain some advantage. Every apology is merely an attempt to continue the activities. True story. Any time I am not stealing/manipulating/cheating is purely because of a cost-benefit calculation not because of any empathy.

marincounty 11y ago

When you get older you will realize a few things: So many people are not morally honest. No, they don't wake up , and break laws, but they will bend laws, take advantage of those they can. So many people believe, "Hay, it's legal?". I'll take a honest sociopath over these scumbags. I have run across sociopaths with strong moral compasses. Very few people really produce someting of value, or add to society. America has become a selfish mess. Most of us just work for for the slightly corrupt Man. As you age; you will be dissalusioned by so many people, and professions. The truth is ugly. It leaves a distaste on my mouth even thinking about the frauds I run across daily. Most wear suits, and have perfect credit.

maxharris 11y ago
When you get older I'm 35 - how old are you?

bbcbasic 11y ago

I think you are putting the cart before the horse, in that the heist somehow will negatively change the mindset of the criminal. But I'd guess people who do heists are of a certain mindset already and that doing the heist won't lose them anything mentally or spiritually. But they may get away with some serious cash to spend. The risk for the criminal is even with all the money in the world the thrill of doing it and winning will be a lure to try again and alas get caught.