There is an overwhelming sort of honor culture in America that acquiring wealth is not based on actual code right or wrong. It is more or less based on skill rather than right vs wrong. If you can achieve success by cheating good for you. But if you were clumsy enough to get caught, are you capable of accepting the consequences with grace?
This social bandit Robin Hood kind of attitude permeates America. It is not just in the movies. It is in full operation in most all areas of American life. You beat the system stacked against you so it’s OK.
Some think it’s OK except someone is actually the loser. When it’s an institution like an insurance company, the social bandit attitude is in full mode. Insurance companies biggest problem is fraud, but they have a lot of wealth and they take advantage of people. On the other end of this right/wrong are higher insurance rates, just like shoplifting raises consumer prices. Kind of fits with the expression; ‘There is no free lunch’.
The social bandit attitude can be somewhat dependent on who you stole from. Did you steal from an institution or rob some old lady’s savings? Nonetheless, the social bandit attitude is in full display here in America. However it does not work the same for everyone.
As a non-citizen, don’t you dare commit a misdemeanor sneaking into the country, have a family and continue to work here,. All while paying into Social Security taxes receiving nothing back from social security but basically contributing to our economy.
If you do that, we’ll kill ya! Even though they beat the system, probably two systems. Ours and probably a tougher one from where they came from. I guess the people who run the sanctuaries are the social bandits here.
Folk heroes come in a variety of units. Some, perhaps many are defective. If a higher civilization planted DNA here as an experiment, they would probably be very confused. Why do they do that?
I don’t know but people can be petty. I grew up in Detroit played hockey as a youth where parents had to drive you all over the state and Canada. Parents took turns and one time another couple drove myself and there son to a game in Windsor Ontario right across the Detroit river. Some things were cheaper in Canada like liquor and apparently ham. This trip the kids parents bought a ham. They did not want to declare it going through customs so they hid the ham under the car.
They got through customers alright but upon returning home they forgot the ham under the car for too long. The neighborhood dogs found it and had a nice raw meat meal. Sometimes fate has a way of paying you back for being petty. My Grandmother had an expression, ‘every dog has it’s day’. I don’t think these dogs is what she was referencing.
Tom Flash