If you truly are between the rock and a hard place described in your hypothetical(?) situation, I wouldn't judge. I specifically said, "This is ONLY a legit exc

If you truly are between the rock and a hard place described in your hypothetical(?) situation, I wouldn't judge. I specifically said, "This is ONLY a legit excuse for people who are genuinely struggling to survive." I am not "dismissing entirely" the reality that some people face. I'm all for regulations. I was taking issue with you putting all the burden on law rather than personal responsibility and morality. Even in cases of survival, there are lines. Would you buy a kidney to save your child from a poor person in China or India who's selling it to pay their rent or their daughter's dowery, who's being exploited by the middleman who's taking most of what you pay? I agree there are often conflicting moral pulls that must be weighed. But my overall point is that that is not what usually is happening. People in SV can afford to have less income; they'd just not be as comfy or materialistically bountiful. We don't need to have cars if we live in an urban location; but saving 60 minutes on one's commute and not having to sit next to strangers is more important than the environment or rejecting the ethics of the company that is paying you the salary that affords you the car. > nobody ever stole an apple because they were starving I actually have no ethical issue with this. I believe, frankly, the current system is incredibly unjust. > I'm glad things have always apparently been sunshine and rainbows for you, some of us weren't so lucky. That's exactly my point. People who's sunshine and rainbows come courtesy of high SV salaries from companies that profit off of unethical behavior and unethical system dynamics (e.g. Google and Facebook profiting off advertising and privacy violation) are precisely the people I'm talking about. BTW, I gave up a my high 6-figure salary 7 years ago and now work with underserved children and minimum wage, am writing about social justice issues, and am working on tech-based educational tools to wake people up to the harmful system dynamics they contribute to.