Poll | 2008-05-12: Is stealing (more) justified when ...

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	Poll for May 12, 2008

"Is stealing (more) justified when one's poor?"

Answers

Votes

1,604 (52.3 %)

yes

1,461 (47.7 %)

total votes : 3,065 | 33 reaction(s)

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Discussion
0 @ 12-05-2008 00:00 widadita
733 posts	no
+1 @ 12-05-2008 00:00 TheAnnoyance
44,317 posts	"one's" lol. well no, of course not. its just more likely..
0 @ 12-05-2008 00:02 JDolla
6,954 posts	not really
+1 @ 12-05-2008 00:03 Ryles
437 posts	What?! No! A "poor person" should work for what they have, just like any working class person should. We make do with what we can have, and when things get so bad one contemplates stealing, I would've thought they have family or friends to fall back on.
+1 @ 12-05-2008 00:03 indiechick_
8,674 posts	justifying it will never make it right.
0 @ 12-05-2008 00:04 Dagor
33,281 posts	not at all!
0 @ 12-05-2008 00:08 ieshie_
397 posts	of course not.
0 @ 12-05-2008 00:11 Olivia_Ka
3,103 posts	#56 No it isn't.
0 @ 12-05-2008 00:27 The_Demon_
271 posts	no. its not justified any way you put it.
+1 @ 12-05-2008 00:33 disco__rockster
711 posts	No, stealing is wrong fullstop.
0 @ 12-05-2008 00:53 OrangeIris
162 posts	no
+1 @ 12-05-2008 00:54 sitback_relax25
200 posts	No. Stealing is stealing. It's considered a crime no matter who commits it. Although, those who are poor are probably more likely to steal, I'd think. Not to generalize or offend. This does not make it justified, however.
-1 @ 12-05-2008 01:02 Lunacy
297 posts	probably, yea
+3 @ 12-05-2008 01:14 rotciv_00
454 posts	unfortunately a poor person is more punishable that a rich one... oh, and a poor person is not the same as someone who deosn't have any chance in life... sooooooooooo dunno
0 @ 12-05-2008 02:15 janeasaurus
1 posts	yes, of course it is. i am astounded at the naivety of all the other comments, particularly the one that says that poor people should just work harder. it's not as simple as that, sweetheart -- have you honestly never even heard the term, "the working poor?" do you honestly just not get it at all? hard work does not equate to success or prosperity. money is power, and the ones who have it have the ability to get more of it, while the ones who don't very likely never will.
0 @ 12-05-2008 02:17 R_K_O
376 posts	if a poor person steals, he won't be solving anything in the end, he's still poor
+4 @ 12-05-2008 02:19 jessieonfire
7 posts	i Agree with Janesaurus.. Have you people never heard of "mitigating factors" ? So according to everyone who said it can "never" be justified, if a poor man steals a loaf of bread to feed his family, he deserves the same PRISON SENTENCE or MONETARY fine as a wealthier man who steals a watch, just for the thrill? If you're stealing for necessity, you can't AFFORD to pay the same fine as someone else. OR, everyone who says no: you're saying that if your mother/brother/father/wife etc were dying from a snake bite, and the only antidote was inside a locked pharmasist's cabinet.. you wouldnt break it open and STEAL it to save their life? Stealing, is wrong. But there ARE such things as mitigating circumstances. Open your eyes.
+2 @ 12-05-2008 02:28 ieshie_
397 posts	if it will be justified stealing will be legal.
+2 @ 12-05-2008 02:54 BlindxAiko
212 posts	I think so, depending on the details. For example, I think stealing to feed yourself when starving, is 100% justified. But in that same situation, I think it's better to steal from somewhere that will have less direct effects on people. Meaning, stealing from Walmart is more acceptable than stealing from a struggling mom n pop store on the corner. Now... I don't think it's more justified if you're poor and you just want something, say, an expensive necklace you can't afford instead of the cheap knockoff. Just buy the knockoff or go without the necklace. Or steal it, I guess, but don't think it's justified. Hmm... I hope that makes sense. People say my morals are a little off, but I think they're sensible and fine.
+2 @ 12-05-2008 02:58 BlindxAiko
212 posts	Ryles, not everybody has family or friends to fall back on. Lots of people truly are alone. And even supposing you have family or friends, they may not be in a situation to help you out.
-4 @ 12-05-2008 03:37 singoutloud365
6 posts	Just think about it. Poor people are poor because they don't have a job or a job that pays low. If they were to try to make something better of themselves then they wouldn't need that excuse. Stealing is just a way to temporarily mask the pain they feel. If they were to redirect that energy into working harder maybe they wouldn't be so poor. So not it is not more justified.
+2 @ 12-05-2008 03:51 mebee4
349 posts	I'd just written what I guess you could term a mini-history essay to get my thoughts across - but I think I might just break it down to say this: In times where men (and women) are not equal in the world, the rich have all priority and control, and everyday people have no opportunity to better themselves - yes, stealing is more justified. Think of Robin Hood where people were unmercifully taxed under the reign of a tyrant, or if you prefer a real-life example - convicts sent all the way to Australia for stealing food because they simply were not able to get work back in England. I'm sure that situations akin to these still exist in the world today - in places which don't have all the same comforts and rights as we do. Generally - I don't agree with the concept of theft - but I live in a world where big thefts made by the wealthy are generally punished as much as the small ones made by the poor, and where said poor people have so much opportunity to better themselves through the help of organisations, etc. Not everyone has that - so not everyone should be condemned so harshly. * offtopic : Well this didn't turn out all that short either, did it?
+2 @ 12-05-2008 03:58 PunkRckr8
9,392 posts	I wonder how many of you who are so adamant about it being justified, or the "mitigating circumstance" (even those of you who incorrectly use the term ) validating the theft, would actually be so acceptant if your possessions were stolen
+1 @ 12-05-2008 04:57 Randomforlyfe
47 posts	My opinion is that stealing is wrong, even if you are stealing for good reasons (such as stealing something of value to pay for another's surgery which would save their life) Why should a person be able to steal to save another person, when they wouldn't steal to save a stranger halfway across the world? It doesn't mean that I wouldn't steal to save a loved one or friend, however...I would still accept the same consequences if needed...
+1 @ 12-05-2008 06:00 viper16
61 posts	I don't think that it's justifying to steal if you're poor... It's just worse if you dont really need it