No Such Thing

I've been recording some thoughts and questions in my journal over the last few days...

There is no such thing as a looter.

• There are criminals taking television sets.
• Young mothers taking diapers
• Senior citizens taking medical supplies

To lump them all together as "looters" is itself a crime and a great injustice. At the risk of sounding like a relativist, perhaps this is a consequence of creating a world where right is right and wrong is wrong , and there's no room for discussion.

PS. Please keep those suggestions coming. The Washington Post has a good summary out this morning, which starts to hint at some of the issues of bureaucracy.

Comments

[Sue]

It is relative. To lump everyone together as "looters", and then make that the focus, instead of looking at the social circumstances that motivate the behaviour is secondary victimization. And unjust. It's easy to pass judgement from the comfort of our homes. None of us know what we would really do in response to unfathomable trauma, fear, desperation and the face of a terrified and hungry child.

[wilsonian]

It seems to be the next logical outcome though, for those who demonize the poor and marginalized. "They're lazy, they're just using the system...".

If you can't find love in your heart for the poor and marginalized, making their plight more tragic will not change your opinion of them... just solidify it.

[Steve]

I couldn't agree more. I thought about what I'd do if it were me in that situation with my family. Truth is I'd be lumped in as a looter as well. While I wouldn't take a life & would try not to be disagreeable with others in the same situation, I know that desperate times call for desperate measures. A lot of these people have taken desperate measures to care for people they love. I can't fault them on that.

[robert]

I'm with Steve. I would not hesitate to do whatever it took to feed my family. Even those with the TV sets and VCRs under their arms have to be seen in context, I think. In a vaccuum, when one might sense society as a whole has failed you, deserted you, it is hard to say what thoughts might go through one's mind. I find it hard to judge anyone in that position.
Though I've noticed how some are calling for a moratorium on judgement on the government's response to this crisis until a more appropriate time. Many of these same people have chosen this time to criticize the looters. Ironic.