• Neato@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Petty theft and similar crimes are almost always borne out of desperation. When you can’t feed your family, have zero job prospects, or feel like the world won’t allow you more than the barest subsistence, people turn to crime.

    Vast majority of people aren’t going to start mugging strangers when they are doing OK just because they want more. Personal risk of harm is just too great. Those types of thieves generally perpetrate white-collar and financial crimes.

    Bottom left yellow person would be swayed if his initial motives were real. But the last motive shows yellow person is actually desperate, so while increasing guilt, is unlikely to fix the core issue and sway them.

    • Sotuanduso@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      There are also people who are desperate because they’re addicted to drugs, and safety net programs aren’t gonna do much about that. Not really a counterargument, just a sidebar.