February 25th, 2008
Is stealing ever okay?
It’s getting pretty crazy in Kosovo. Ever since that country declared independence last week, their former country, Serbia, has been in chaos. The latest is a bunch of rioting and looting. Some are even saying the looting is patriotic and helping to defend their country; this is from a USA Today story:
Two women who took part in the Belgrade riots to protest Kosovo’s independence seem to think the two go hand in hand.
A video clip now on the Internet — entitled ” Kosovo for Sneakers” — shows two girls going from shop to shop with armfuls of looted items. Goods drip from their overburdened arms. They drop a sweater, but pick up a box of chocolates — and on and on.
“We came to Belgrade to defend Kosovo,” one of the girls, her face blurred to protect identity and identified only as Maja, told B92 television. “We started looting when they all did.”
The story goes on:
Rioters set the U.S. Embassy on fire and smashed several other Western missions before police chased them away. But they moved on, destroying and looting shops in the capital city’s shopping area.
“We looted because we are poor, not because we are rich,” Maja said.
“It was too much to issue a warrant for our arrest — as if we killed someone,” Jovana told B92.
So, according to these girls, I guess it’s okay to steal and loot if you are
- “defending” your country
- everyone else is doing it
- you are poor, not rich
Plus, it’s not like they killed anyone, that would be really bad.
So, do you agree with these girls? Do you think what they did was right? Did they have their reasons? Post some comments and let everyone know how you feel. Don’t forget to read the USA Today story and you can watch the YouTube clip from home.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:49 am
I’m not sure that these girls are even poor. They say they are, but I’m not sure if I believe them. Check out the video; they have cell phones! Plus, look at their clothes. Do you think they are even “poor” like they say?
February 25th, 2008 at 10:53 am
I’m not sure if they’re really poor.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:54 am
@Paige
Yeah, who are they trying to kid. They are just being selfish and stealing, and then using the excuse that they are poor. Now they are lying, too.
February 25th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
@Paige- I agree with you and Mr.Howd they shouldn’t steal even if they were poor, and they can’t be poor because as Mr.Howd said they had cell phones and very nice clothes.
February 25th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Those girls don’t look poor because if they were poor they would be begging for money.
February 25th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
@Mr. Howd,
But do you think the girls just stole the cellphones?
February 25th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
@Brad
That is a good point, but if they stole the phones, I don’t think they could be talking on them. If you look at the video clip at the end, they are chatting on the phones. Most of the people in that video don’t look poor, just greedy.
@Hannah
You’re right. There is no excuse to steal, even if you are really poor. Plus, look what they are stealing: shoes and chocolates. If they were really in need, would they be talking chocolates?
February 25th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
@Mr.Howd
That is pretty weird Mr.Howd.I mean stealing CHOCOLATES?I’m going to checkout the video right now to see what you’re talking about the cell phones and the nice clothes?I really gotta see this and what’s going on in this video!Oh yea!And I’m going to read what is going on and what “loot” is
Bye Mr.Howd!Do your or a snow dance!
Paige
February 26th, 2008 at 9:23 am
When I saw the video, their clothes make them look like they aren’t poor and maybe even rich. At the end of the video I saw that they did have cell phones.They took alot of stuff.I hope they get caught for what they did. I think it is bad for people to steal because there will be bad consequences.
February 26th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
@Mr.Howd
I agree that they are poor because cell phones and nice clothes cost a lot of money .
February 26th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
@Brad
I also agree with you they could have stoled the cell phones!!
February 26th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
@Emily
They sure don’t look poor. They don’t even look like they are worried about what they are doing. At some points in the video, they are laughing. They must not think stealing is a big deal, since in the article they say it’s not like they killed anyone. How can they say they are defending their country?
February 26th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
@The Whole Class!:)
I just watched the video and they are totally not poor.I saw their clothes and I saw their cell phones and they couldn’t have stole them because they were talking on them and you probably would have seen them on camera opening the boxes that their cell phones came in.Reply if you agree or disagree because if you disagree I want to know why!
February 26th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
they are not because they have phones and phones cost alot and they are being greedy,selfish and stealing from store i hope they got caught for what they did
February 26th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
they are rich because sell phones cost alot and why did they steal cholate for and they sould be in jail for what they did
February 27th, 2008 at 9:16 am
@Paige- I watched the movie to; they are totally not poor.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
@malich-i totally watched the movie your right they cant be poor because they have cell phones i dont know any poor people that have cell phones or cloths like they did do you !!!!!!!
February 27th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
@Mr.Howd,
I don’t think they are poor.
February 27th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
@Mr. Howd,
Your right,
they are talking on a cell phone,
if they were poor they probably wouldn’t know how to talk on a cell phone.
February 27th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
@Mr.Howd
Mr.Howd, who is Anonymous? Is Anonymous a person from a different place?Unless someone in our class changed their name, but it would be pretty stupid if someone changed their name because they don’t want you to see who they are.But then you would probably find out who it is.
Bye Mr.Howd!See you tom.
February 27th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
NO! Commandment #8; You shall not steal!
February 28th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
@Mr.Howd
Mr.Howd, Are the people we don’t know people from another place?
February 28th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
@the hole class
I don’t think they are poor because did you see her tatoo?
They should be in jail.
February 29th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
@Mr.Howd there not poor they have brand new purses there thier
rich so rich they have hundreds of dollars for stealing from malls.I say got jail 4 life
justice c
February 29th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Stealing is never okay! It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, it’s wrong.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
@Katie
She had a tattoo? I gotta watch the video again!
February 29th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
@Katie
OMG! She did have a tattoo! It’s a big one too!
March 2nd, 2008 at 7:11 pm
The video is a perfect example of group think or better yet group action. Wonderful things can happen when groups of people work together for common good or wonderfully bad things can happen when groups act selfishly as in the video (stealing is never justisfied). What influence could the people of Kosovo make on the country if they banded together to work for the good of all people in the region? How would the rest of the world respond if they saw a people united to create positive change?
March 2nd, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Great comments, everyone. It looks like no one really bought the idea that those girls had good reasons for doing what they did. Like Mr. T said, they were just following the group. They had a chance to show their courage and do what was right, and they failed. They were making excuses for their bad choices, trying to justify that they had real reasons for their bad actions. Let’s never follow their example by trying to convince others that it was okay to do something wrong. Be courageous and always do the right thing!
Thanks to Beth and Mr. T for being our parent commentors for this week. Feel free to keep commenting on this post and keep the conversation going. But also look for the latest post to share your ideas!
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:31 am
@mr.Howd your right mr.howd thy are good comments.
March 29th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Mr.Howd I agree and that tatoo that the girl had must have been expensive because it was really detailed so the girls aren’t poor at all.