Is it okay to steal food?

[Azureth]

Do you think if you are starving and have no other recourse stealing food can be acceptable?

I think if there absolutely is no other way then yes, but again, as a LAST resort.

 

[Kenshin5]

Can the person not starving work to obtain their food like any other hard working person does? I don't see it justified, in most places their are churches and shelters willing to help people in need, and even food banks. So why would a person need to steal. A person should work for what they obtain not take what somebody else worked for.

 

[Brittani]

I agree with Kenshin. There is really no need to steal food when you can just ask. Everyone works for their food, so to steal food that someone has worked for is just wrong. Stealing is never o.k and there is no excuse for it.

 

[Oryx]

At least in my own country, no. My family has been poor enough that we've qualified for "food banks", which is basically free food (in fact we still do qualify, we just don't go as much now that my mom has a minimum-wage job since we don't need to get free food as much). Honestly, before we started going to food banks, we had very little food, and after we started taking advantage of what we were offered, we had freezers and fridges full of food. My family literally got 7 turkeys around Thanksgiving because every food bank gave one out. They feed you well if you don't have enough money.

So no, I don't think stealing food is justified.

 

[Masqueraine]

However, in Africa it's okay ;)

 

[Åzurε]

Nope. Not okay. There are too many other avenues to take to have to resort to unsavory methods of obtaining sustenance. If you can steal from somebody, you can ask nicely.

 

[Oryx]

However, in Africa it's okay ;)

I specified my country because I don't know how welfare and charities work in other countries, and only have experience with my own. I can't speak for any other country because I haven't experienced any other system than my own.

 

[Azureth]

Well, I was mainly thinking more about poor countries that really don't have such options.

 

[Dragonite's Wrath]

Totally. I've stolen food from my elementary school, high school, vending machines(without breaking it. you wont believe how easy that is) My brothers done the same. We've never been caught, so we do it when we need to.
I'd tell you guys how to steal from a vending machine, but I dont wanna corrupt the young minds in this place. I'm not all bad.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

There usually is another option, be it visiting food banks, soup kitchens, and other charitable organizations, or applying for food stamps or other forms of public assistance.

You might have a legal defense if you can prove that you had absolutely no other options in some places; but whether or not it is morally right is completely subjective.

 

[Aljam]

Totally. I've stolen food from my elementary school, high school, vending machines(without breaking it. you wont believe how easy that is) My brothers done the same. We've never been caught, so we do it when we need to.
I'd tell you guys how to steal from a vending machine, but I dont wanna corrupt the young minds in this place. I'm not all bad.

Did you use the 4231 password hack on the old coke machines? Because oh boy it was fun to do that when I was younger.

 

[Steven]

As long as there is another option for you, then it's not okay.

However, let's say the government completely collapsed and society was falling apart, leaving all aid halted and all stores closed, there isn't much you can do when you live in places that you can't really hunt it (i.e. New York City) so I think it would be okay then, but then again it wouldn't really be stealing since the money you have would become worthless and you'd be unable to buy anything.

Although the barter system would just take over..hm...

 

[Oryx]

Although looting without any recourse and survival of the fittest would just take over..hm...

Fixed it for you. :3 No way even a simple barter system would develop until after the entire city was picked clean.

 

[o3o]

In most cases, I don't think so. There's churches, charities and food banks that can help you if you're in dire need of being fed. However, if there was no access to welfare services, then it's still not okay, but if it meant keeping yourself/your family alive, you'd need to.

 

[Rogue planet]

If you're stealing from the store, then I don't think it really matters. If you're stealing from another individual, then it's wrong.

 

[Dragonite's Wrath]

If you're stealing from the store, then I don't think it really matters. If you're stealing from another individual, then it's wrong.

Vendak's right. In a store, everything on the shelf is up for grabs. First come, first serve. Same for vending machines. No one owned those 5 Kitkats, 3 Butterfingers, 3 Twix, 3 Twix Peanutbutter, 6 Hershey bars or can of Sprite I stole out of that machine. I'm not exaggerating. I saved the wrappers. And I'm going back tomorrow. If no one owns it, it doesnt matter.

 

[Åzurε]

If you're stealing from the store, then I don't think it really matters. If you're stealing from another individual, then it's wrong.

What makes it different? Somebody owns the store, and somebody who depends on the store for their income had to buy everything in the place to stock up.

 

[Alex]

If it's for survival, anything is okay by me. Especially if it's a last resort. Humans became what we are today by being selfish and looking out for themselves first. If you're starving, and have no means of getting food and no foreseeable food income, you're gonna have to take matters into your own hands.

The only thing that I wouldn't be okay with is stealing from those in your position. If someone else, in the same situation as you, has food coming in for him and his family once a week, don't steal that food and make the family unfortunate. Steal from those in abundance. They are much less likely to be concerned, or to even notice, if you steal food from them in order to survive. Plus you can probably justify yourself, so long as you don't steal too much.

 

[Steven]

What makes it different? Somebody owns the store, and somebody who depends on the store for their income had to buy everything in the place to stock up.

Well..

1. Stores just sell it. They don't eat it. People eat it.
2. I highly doubt anyone is going to buy an entire store, and I doubt one person stealing (even for a family) will make any difference at all.

 

[Åzurε]

Well..

1. Stores just sell it. They don't eat it. People eat it.
2. I highly doubt anyone is going to buy an entire store, and I doubt one person stealing (even for a family) will make any difference at all.

Stores don't sell it. People sell it from the stores. Are store owners not entitled to keep what they buy for their businesses?

In theory, I suppose I could see how its not all that bad. However, in an area where there would be a store to steal from, there would more than likely be another facility dedicated to providing people who can't pay with food, or the person who needs it could just explain himself and ask for it, or he could ask to work there as payment. Not to mention that if there was a person in that situation near this store, there are probably others
in the same situation or merely selfish dopes who would resort to doing the same thing, and while one person may not make that much difference on a store's inventory, four or five shoplifting regularly certainly would. In addition, people who shoplift are, wrong or not, putting themselves at risk by breaking the law.