To think that it is not acceptable to steal under any circumstances?

[electra]

Recently when I visited a friend of mine he had a very nice, expensive looking clock on his wall. He told me that he had stolen it when drunk - it had been delivered to a shop but was outside in its packaging. I thought this was truly awful but because he was drunk he seems to think that reduces the whole thing to a joke.

He went on to say 'well it's ok to steal to protect your family' er, no it isn't!!

Oh, Plato was one to talk! All those drunken symposiums he went to, the hypocrite. He probably wrote that whilst drunk!

I think I would steal to feed my starving family so disagree that it's wrong under any circumstances, Nicking someone's clock isn't quite in that league though!

The cow was stolen after a drinking session yes. He managed to direct the cow, with a stick, for about half a mile, in a fairly urban area. Until he was pulled over (?) by the police. Fortunately (depending on your view), he is a pleasant sort, and he and the policemen walked it back to his field, and was not charged. He wanted to take it home and look after it ( he is a veggie sort)

BTW the cow was most compliant and was not harmed in any way by the event

Stealing food to stop you children starving is not so bad, stealing a clock cause he was drunk is horrid.

Well I was rather disappointed in him - when I saw the clock I thought 'oh good, he has bought something decent' until I found out that actually he had stolen it!

clock - no way! Is he bonkers?

But as to it never being ok to steal - I disagree. If you were in a situation where you had NO food for your children, and no way to get anything (I know that is highly unlikely in the UK, but less unlikely in other places in the world) then I for one would have no problem whatsoever, with stealing to feed them. You do whatever you have to, to survive.

DH tried to steal a tank once, when he was very drunk on southern comfort (he was 18 IIRC).

there was an air show near his house (his parents live by an airport), and there were tanks there too, and he and his mates were walking home past said tanks, and they figured it would be funny to try and get one........WHAT they thought they could do with it I have no idea.......not as tho a tank is easily camaflaged(sp?) is it.

He has never since drunk southern comfort tho.......he was VERY ILL after said incident.......altho I find the story very funny

as for stealing under any circumstance......I agree with hecate, there are times when I would condone it, hell, even do it!

My BIL went through a stage when he was young and immature and had no responsiblities of stealing the drive-in sign at a McDonalds .

He did it several times, and got taken to court.

Rather than ending up with any sort of criminal record, let alone a jail sentence, he was able to talk the the owner into giving him a glowing reference!!!!!

I've had parcels stolen from outside the front of a previous house and it was bloody annoying.

I'm sure it's extremely funny for the thief and wonderfully convenient to get all these free goods that they don't have to pay for...

... someone has to pay for them though.

Yes, I agree rubberduck.

When I was at university, I remember a guy in our hall of residence getting a caution for stealing the massive Coca-Cola polar bear from Tesco Extra. He was so drunk he didn't realise / care that security were clearly going to see him doing it!

I had a pot plant stolen from my front door step recently. I daresay the thief was drunk. I can't imagine that they actually wanted my pot plant. But I was really upset as I had nurtured it from a cutting and was looking forward to seeing it in the spring. I bet the thief just chucked it out when they woke up in the morning or smashed it on the way home. They probably thought it was hillarious.

I laughed too, but he should have taken it back.

I'm not perfect. I've had something sent to me by mistake and kept it. It feels less bad since it was from a huge company, but it's still wrong I know.

If we're being picky it's NOT ok to steal to feed your starving family because the person you're stealing it from has to feed his kids too.

I'd do it of course, but it only makes it understandable - not right.

Sorry to hear that Pigleto
Some people are just arses.

I had a mattress delivered three times by M&S when I hadn't paid for it (cancelled order). I would have kept it to spite the buggers, as it was infuriating and they insisted I give it house room for a week till they could pick it up.
But I didn't dare!

I did however keep a free radio that was sent by Argos last year when I ordered another one. It was a website glitch. In fact I ordered two more free ones to see if it worked but I took those back to the shop
They thought I was a nutter.

Expat, would you feel the same if someone stole something of yours that you had just bought with your hard earned money?

I'm surprised at the "it's only a clock" comments. Who knows how expensive the clock was (the OP doesn't say) but what if that clock had been bought by someone? What about the shop owner who now has to factor in that theft into his accounts. Oh, he's insured? Great, so his premiums go up so he's still out of pocket. And if we all steal clocks/other "it's only a..." stuff then what happens?

I don't think it's justifiable. So he was pissed? Does your moral compass evaporate when you are pissed? Mine doesn't, but if it does, drink less.

To illustrate my point here are some of the things that have been stolen/trashed that belong to me. Probably by pissed people. The replacement of/mending of all came from out of my pocket, but presumably that's okay because the people who stole it were pissed. It's only a clock, after all.... Yes, but it's MY/THEIR clock!

Car - keyed on both sides
Car - windscreen wiper bent
Car - aerial snapped off
Car - car 'badge' levered off bonnet with (presumably) a screwdriver

Christmas wreath - stolen from my front door in spite of being wired on
Olive tree in a pot - stolen from outside my front door. It was a wedding present. I've replaced it and chained it to the wall.
Bracelet - left on a changing room bench in a gym and gone back for two minutes later when realised my glaring error.

Baby blanket - taken from my babies' pram during a playgroup. Was inside the buggy snuggle and wasn't there when we got back. A newborn present and the one of the blankets my twins came home from hospital in.

Mont Blanc pen (present from my husband when I wrote my first article) - left on my desk at work when I went to a meeting....gone when I got back.

I could go on. None of these things look particularly significant. It's just an anonymous car/clock/blanket right? No, it's not. All these things meant something. And maybe that stolen clock meant something too.

Stealing sucks. And people who think it's okay suck too. It isn't okay. It's a shitty thing to do, pissed or sober. Unless you or your family are dying of hunger/in do-or-death dire straits (in which case you are welcome to the contents of my fridge/medicine cabinet) it's stealing. It's taking things from other people that don't belong to you. And however you justify it and dress it up and laugh about it, it's a shitty thing to do to people.

I hate stealing. Can you tell?

agree Kitstwins, If only things were only stolen from people who think it's ok or even funny to steal.

kitstwins - some of those you cite are awful. Who would have thought that people are even on the look out for things to pinch when they're at a baby group?

I think I have had a few incidences where I was lucky to get things back. Once, on a night out I left my hand bag on a loo door. It had quite a lot of cash, my mobile and all my Chanel make up in it. Somebody handed it in and it all came back exactly as I left in. Another time I left an expensive Ted Baker jacket in a bar and somebody handed that in too.

Of course it is not right to steal. Am quite shocked that so many people think that "it's only a clock" means it is accetable.

Stealing food to feed your family to keep them alove, if in a very desperate situation - well I can see that, yes, and I probably would do too. But there can't really be very many people in such a dire situation in the UK that this is necessary. In some countries yes, but the UK has other means on the whole.

But the OP definitely does not fit into that category.

To steal something when drunk = acceptable and/or funny Not in my eyes.

To steal something material that doesn't belong to yuo is never going to be right. Someone has been deprived as a result of that action. What happens if that person was you?

Some of the comments on here are way too similar to those I heard from my clients who were in prison for my liking TBH. Heard the excuses all before. i don't buy them.

Stealing is wrong, simple as.

Don't care if that makes me judgemental, without a sense of humour, or moralistic - it is the way I was brought up, and I will bring DD in the same way I hope.

Am totally that expat says there is no such thing as Karma

Well yes - my point was always that stealing is wrong. Of course if someone were starving it would be understandable then, but still wrong.

The thing with the clock was that most of my friends would certainly not share the same sentiments as this friend and wouldn't dream of stealing something from the street. So I guess I am uncomfortable having a friend with this view - that stealing is some kind of sport. The friend also said that now Christmas is over it's ok to 'rob' again.

My ex-husband had a long argument with a friend of his one night - because he was trying to make him see that stealing things from cars is wrong. This person would go into a shop and buy a few things and then steal a few too. I think it is bizarre, myself. I wouldn't even be tempted to steal, ever - I would not feel good about having something that does not belong to me.

But electra you're probably onto a losing argument because presumably thieves don't believe its wrong or they wouldn't do it.

They obviously haven't been brought up with the concept of right and wrong, or have decided to dish it along the way.

i'd agree that stealing is stealing regardless. and while i wouldn't get too worked up about it i do get annoyed at peole who try to moralise or justify their theft "it's only 20p/it's big chain store/i was drunk" and think that this does not make it proper stealing.
just admit that it was far easier to steal the thing than to pay for it or that you weiged up the consequences in your mind and decided that the chances of you getting caught was zero so you just took it.

Thing is, we all have to pay more for everything because of thieves - retailers have to factor in shrinkage due to shoplifting.

Have you seen new legislation which means people who steal to support a drug habit will be getting off more lightly