"I do not think theft is a good idea. Especially dumb shit like makeup."
Expand on that, king. (asked sincerely)
Having been inundated with the "shoplifting is fucking awesome" attitude of Tumblr for so many years, I'd like to hear your perspective.
I’m in a pretty privileged situation in that very few of my necessities are so inaccessible that I HAVE to steal, but knowing how easy it is to get caught and not know it until it’s too late and knowing how goddamn hard it is to get a job with a criminal record in my part of the world, I genuinely do not think it is a good idea to risk a criminal record for, say, lip gloss, or Cheetos, or a bottle of Diet Coke.
If you’re literally starving, or have kids you’re raising without support, or are on disability, and you get caught stealing food or medicine or school supplies, AT LEAST if you get caught and get sent to court you can say “I needed these things, I was desperate” and, seeing that you have no history and otherwise abide by the law, the judge MAY choose not to go forwards and drop charges and let you go with a warning.
If you go to court and a judge reads the evidence and says “you repeatedly stole potato chips and mascara”, what are you gonna say? “I wanted it?” When they see homeless people and addicts and single parents and felons and abuse survivors all day? They’re going to think you’re a hooligan and an idiot and if you DON’T act remorseful there’s a good chance they’re going to think you need a lesson.
or- OR- say you have a record for stealing small shit. And you get a warning. And then one day you REALLY REALLY DO need something desperately and you break the law. You’ve used up your warning, and you’re fucked.
It just… forget big business, forget capitalism, and just look at how the system operates. Big stores spend MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to catch shoplifters. They WILL SPOT YOU EVENTUALLY, and they might not even arrest you straight away (see Target’s MO, Jesus Christ).
So yeah, no, from a purely practical perspective? It seems dumb as hell to pocket shit I do not need and risk my entire future on… what, $10?
It’s like going to a party in the peak of health and just choosing to do heroin for the fun of it.