5 ms·

You wrote "You do what you need to do to survive". That seems to imply he needed or needs to steal to survive.

by ALittleLight 5y ago

mcguire 5y ago
Is food the only thing you need to survive?
- ALittleLight 5y ago
  I suppose you also need water, shelter, healthcare, and clothes - but these things are all provided free to people who can't afford them. I think people who blame "the system" are basically ignorant and harmful. They are ignorant because they ignore all the services, benefits, and charities that currently exist and remove the "I had to steal to survive" defense. They are harmful because they distract well intentioned people who believe their nonsense into not solving the problem and they leave the drug addicted and mentally ill to decay in the streets causing problems for the rest of us.
131012 5y ago
You need status. A place in a criminal hierarchy gives that.
- ALittleLight 5y ago
  If you get status from being a drug addicted vagrant reselling stolen merchandise and living off of charity then I suspect you could get "status" from a wide variety of things - many of which are legal and preferable. I don't believe there is a "criminal hierarchy" here. It's not like this guy is a level 2 fence working a theft team. I assume it's a loose association of drug addicts, drug dealers, petty thieves, dumpster divers, and resellers with lots of overlap on every category.
- RobertMiller 5y ago
  He may want status, but nobody is entitled to it. Some people are born into circumstances that gives them undeserved status, which is unfortunate. But for those born without status, earn it if you want it. You aren't owed status by society.
aperrien 5y ago
A 14 year old is a child. Children are not known for coming up with well thought out long term plans, especially in trying circumstances.
amatecha 5y ago
I wrote that in reference to "if I [grew up] homeless and poor". You're making a straw-man argument against two unrelated statements I wrote about different things. "I grew up pretty privileged and never felt the need to steal things and steal them. However, I can easily determine that if I was homeless and poor I absolutely would have. There's no question. You do what you need to do to survive." I wasn't talking about Andre.
- ALittleLight 5y ago
  Oh, I see. You were just making a completely unrelated comment about what you personally would do if you were in Andre's situation. You never meant that to be read as a justification for Andre's actions - of course. If you didn't mean to defend or justify Andre's behavior, or minimize his guilt and responsibility for his crimes, then you and I are on the same page. He is a criminal who should be held responsible for his crimes. If you disagree with that then I suggest that's a more meaningful disagreement between us than whether or not you meant to say that Andre had to steal to survive.

You wrote "You do what you need to do to survive". That seems to imply he needed or needs to steal to survive.

mcguire 5y ago

Is food the only thing you need to survive?

ALittleLight 5y ago
I suppose you also need water, shelter, healthcare, and clothes - but these things are all provided free to people who can't afford them. I think people who blame "the system" are basically ignorant and harmful. They are ignorant because they ignore all the services, benefits, and charities that currently exist and remove the "I had to steal to survive" defense. They are harmful because they distract well intentioned people who believe their nonsense into not solving the problem and they leave the drug addicted and mentally ill to decay in the streets causing problems for the rest of us.

131012 5y ago

You need status. A place in a criminal hierarchy gives that.

ALittleLight 5y ago
If you get status from being a drug addicted vagrant reselling stolen merchandise and living off of charity then I suspect you could get "status" from a wide variety of things - many of which are legal and preferable. I don't believe there is a "criminal hierarchy" here. It's not like this guy is a level 2 fence working a theft team. I assume it's a loose association of drug addicts, drug dealers, petty thieves, dumpster divers, and resellers with lots of overlap on every category.
RobertMiller 5y ago
He may want status, but nobody is entitled to it. Some people are born into circumstances that gives them undeserved status, which is unfortunate. But for those born without status, earn it if you want it. You aren't owed status by society.

aperrien 5y ago

A 14 year old is a child. Children are not known for coming up with well thought out long term plans, especially in trying circumstances.

amatecha 5y ago

I wrote that in reference to "if I [grew up] homeless and poor". You're making a straw-man argument against two unrelated statements I wrote about different things. "I grew up pretty privileged and never felt the need to steal things and steal them. However, I can easily determine that if I was homeless and poor I absolutely would have. There's no question. You do what you need to do to survive." I wasn't talking about Andre.

ALittleLight 5y ago
Oh, I see. You were just making a completely unrelated comment about what you personally would do if you were in Andre's situation. You never meant that to be read as a justification for Andre's actions - of course. If you didn't mean to defend or justify Andre's behavior, or minimize his guilt and responsibility for his crimes, then you and I are on the same page. He is a criminal who should be held responsible for his crimes. If you disagree with that then I suggest that's a more meaningful disagreement between us than whether or not you meant to say that Andre had to steal to survive.