(no subject)
The other night I, for some reason, remembered the first time I stole something. I was young, maybe ten or younger, and I was in a cabin my family owns in upstate New York. Usually just a family went up at a time but this time we had three families, as well as some friends of my grandmothers. Now, I can remember taking this ring that one of her friends had. In fact, I can remember calculating it in my mind; a lost ring? On a vacation in the woods? A lost ring is hardly something odd. I remember thinking that he would probably assume he'd lost it outside.
After a day or so, .. I had to ditch it. And so I needed a scrape goat. I stuffed it in my brothers pillow. LO-and-behold, it was found by my brother and returned to my parents, who immediately blamed me. I'm unsure if it was my disposition about the ring when it was brought to me that gave it away, or the fact that my brother has been a kind of mature adult since he was two and that he would never steal. Either way, I was caught out. And my parents made me return the ring. He didn't yell at me, .. he gave me the disappointment speech (something I've grown used to, now) and he asked why I took it. He asked if I wanted it or what. And no, I didn't want it. I was ten. And it was a college ring or something. I took it mainly because I could. I didn't want the ring itself, .. I just wanted to take it.
Yes, yes, .. I know stealing is wrong. It's been hammered into my mind all my life. Despite what advocates say against television it's done a marvelous job of showing that such things are a no-no. News and Cops aside, I grew up watching Rocky and Bullwinkle, Pokemon, Inspector Gadget, .. all the cartoons we all watched. In them, you would have the bad guy trying to steal something and then the good guy saving the day. The next episode, the same thing would happen. If there's anything I respect more than the good guys in those stories, .. it was the bad guys. Team Rocket is beaten pretty much every episode. They come up with some crazy scheme, build/buy some complicated robot, dress up in outrageous costumes, and suffer getting "blasted off again" on a daily basis. In some episodes, twice. But they always come back. And why? Pikachu. Sure, they go after other Pokemon but their main goal .. is one electric rodent that you can get in Viridian City.
While Ash and co. are praised for being the good guys and Ash looked up upon for always working hard and never giving up, trying to be a Pokemon Master, Team Rocket is busting their ass. They don't have monumental dreams and aspirations like being the best in the world at something. All they want is Pikachu. They have spanned the globe, chasing after one, small dream. They never give up. They never just .. quit. And they never will quit, until their dream is reached. Now that is a good role model.
Despite how I know that stealing is wrong, that taking away a product of somebody's hard work is immoral and unjust, .. I'm still going to do it. I'm not going to sneak into their house or anything. And I'm not going to mug somebody, either. I do know the line and when not to cross it. But I have no misgivings about shoplifitting. That may sound weird coming from, you know, a security guard. The one meant to stop these guys. And I do. Beautifully. It's a game of cat and mouse that I love playing both sides, depending on the day. To me, stealing from a company, and not a person, is hardly that much of a crime. Now, if it's a small mom-and-pop shop, .. no. That isn't cool. But if I steal from, say, Target? I could steal fifty TV's. You know what that would do to the store? According to their policy? Nothing. It's not like they'd get a slap on the wrist or a fine. The manager would go, "That sucks.", then the exec's would go, "Huh? That's it?" and the day would go on like nothing happened. I'm not trying to be all, "Big business blah blah blah" because I love big business. Hell, I love capitalism. It isn't perfect but it's working at the moment. More-so than many other countries way of doing things. So, don't get me wrong when I talk about stealing from companies. I'm not like my brother. I'm not an anarchist. So I don't want to topple the government and burn down Walmart. However, they do have more money than they could ever deal with. It would be like stealing an X-Box from Microsoft. It's literally worth nothing to them.
But it is worth something to me.
Now, if I could only find a 360 to steal, ..
After a day or so, .. I had to ditch it. And so I needed a scrape goat. I stuffed it in my brothers pillow. LO-and-behold, it was found by my brother and returned to my parents, who immediately blamed me. I'm unsure if it was my disposition about the ring when it was brought to me that gave it away, or the fact that my brother has been a kind of mature adult since he was two and that he would never steal. Either way, I was caught out. And my parents made me return the ring. He didn't yell at me, .. he gave me the disappointment speech (something I've grown used to, now) and he asked why I took it. He asked if I wanted it or what. And no, I didn't want it. I was ten. And it was a college ring or something. I took it mainly because I could. I didn't want the ring itself, .. I just wanted to take it.
Yes, yes, .. I know stealing is wrong. It's been hammered into my mind all my life. Despite what advocates say against television it's done a marvelous job of showing that such things are a no-no. News and Cops aside, I grew up watching Rocky and Bullwinkle, Pokemon, Inspector Gadget, .. all the cartoons we all watched. In them, you would have the bad guy trying to steal something and then the good guy saving the day. The next episode, the same thing would happen. If there's anything I respect more than the good guys in those stories, .. it was the bad guys. Team Rocket is beaten pretty much every episode. They come up with some crazy scheme, build/buy some complicated robot, dress up in outrageous costumes, and suffer getting "blasted off again" on a daily basis. In some episodes, twice. But they always come back. And why? Pikachu. Sure, they go after other Pokemon but their main goal .. is one electric rodent that you can get in Viridian City.
While Ash and co. are praised for being the good guys and Ash looked up upon for always working hard and never giving up, trying to be a Pokemon Master, Team Rocket is busting their ass. They don't have monumental dreams and aspirations like being the best in the world at something. All they want is Pikachu. They have spanned the globe, chasing after one, small dream. They never give up. They never just .. quit. And they never will quit, until their dream is reached. Now that is a good role model.
Despite how I know that stealing is wrong, that taking away a product of somebody's hard work is immoral and unjust, .. I'm still going to do it. I'm not going to sneak into their house or anything. And I'm not going to mug somebody, either. I do know the line and when not to cross it. But I have no misgivings about shoplifitting. That may sound weird coming from, you know, a security guard. The one meant to stop these guys. And I do. Beautifully. It's a game of cat and mouse that I love playing both sides, depending on the day. To me, stealing from a company, and not a person, is hardly that much of a crime. Now, if it's a small mom-and-pop shop, .. no. That isn't cool. But if I steal from, say, Target? I could steal fifty TV's. You know what that would do to the store? According to their policy? Nothing. It's not like they'd get a slap on the wrist or a fine. The manager would go, "That sucks.", then the exec's would go, "Huh? That's it?" and the day would go on like nothing happened. I'm not trying to be all, "Big business blah blah blah" because I love big business. Hell, I love capitalism. It isn't perfect but it's working at the moment. More-so than many other countries way of doing things. So, don't get me wrong when I talk about stealing from companies. I'm not like my brother. I'm not an anarchist. So I don't want to topple the government and burn down Walmart. However, they do have more money than they could ever deal with. It would be like stealing an X-Box from Microsoft. It's literally worth nothing to them.
But it is worth something to me.
Now, if I could only find a 360 to steal, ..