STEALING IN THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY
There is hardly anything more irritating in the homeless community than all the stealing that goes on. (We are currently having a stealing issue, so that's why this post is happening.)
And the people who hate it the most are all the homeless people who are being stolen from.
But here's the thing... they will tell you they hate getting stolen from one minute, and then steal something from someone else the next.
Stealing is a foundational principle of nomadic and transient cultures. Roma, aka gypsies, have a long history of being accused of being thieves. You can often see Roma women in European countries milling around with tourists. They aren't doing it because they like expensive coffee.
The homeless community has a unique spin on this, though. Most homeless people will swear up and down they don't steal. And then you can watch them with your own eyes take a phone charger, a bike or a phone... none of which belong to them.
I believe that they don't think it is stealing.
Some homeless people differentiate stealing from taking. They will say that if they take something while you are watching, then it's not stealing. It's taking. I don't see much of that happening.
I'll give you an example...
A couple of weeks ago, I needed a toilet. I was just going to buy one, but a friend of mine said she knew where one was. She said it was in an abandoned house, and she could get it for me for $50. I said fine.
It turned out that the toilet was in MY abandoned house. And it was fully functional because there was still water in the house.
I literally paid $50 for my own stolen toilet.
I said to her: "But people were using that toilet." She said, "Screw those people."
She needed a toilet. She knew where a toilet was. That's not stealing to her. That's something else in her mind.
I think it has to do with when you need something. They don't see it as stealing. They need it, it's right there, I'm taking it.
This has to do with needing access to money. They need things to survive and to trade for things they want... like phones, battery charging, drugs, and cigarettes.
My point is that this is cultural. It happens because that's how this community has learned to get what they want and need.
I think getting more cash into the homeless community would help with these issues. That's a big reason I'm doing work projects like trash cleanup and bicycle repair. If we can get them money to just go buy their own stuff, they might have less motivation to steal from their friends.
There is hardly anything more irritating in the homeless community than all the stealing that goes on. (We are currently having a stealing issue, so that's why this post is happening.)
And the people who hate it the most are all the homeless people who are being stolen from.
But here's the thing... they will tell you they hate getting stolen from one minute, and then steal something from someone else the next.
Stealing is a foundational principle of nomadic and transient cultures. Roma, aka gypsies, have a long history of being accused of being thieves. You can often see Roma women in European countries milling around with tourists. They aren't doing it because they like expensive coffee.
The homeless community has a unique spin on this, though. Most homeless people will swear up and down they don't steal. And then you can watch them with your own eyes take a phone charger, a bike or a phone... none of which belong to them.
I believe that they don't think it is stealing.
Some homeless people differentiate stealing from taking. They will say that if they take something while you are watching, then it's not stealing. It's taking. I don't see much of that happening.
I'll give you an example...
A couple of weeks ago, I needed a toilet. I was just going to buy one, but a friend of mine said she knew where one was. She said it was in an abandoned house, and she could get it for me for $50. I said fine.
It turned out that the toilet was in MY abandoned house. And it was fully functional because there was still water in the house.
I literally paid $50 for my own stolen toilet.
I said to her: "But people were using that toilet." She said, "Screw those people."
She needed a toilet. She knew where a toilet was. That's not stealing to her. That's something else in her mind.
I think it has to do with when you need something. They don't see it as stealing. They need it, it's right there, I'm taking it.
This has to do with needing access to money. They need things to survive and to trade for things they want... like phones, battery charging, drugs, and cigarettes.
My point is that this is cultural. It happens because that's how this community has learned to get what they want and need.
I think getting more cash into the homeless community would help with these issues. That's a big reason I'm doing work projects like trash cleanup and bicycle repair. If we can get them money to just go buy their own stuff, they might have less motivation to steal from their friends.