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Petty theft hardly feels petty to victims By Michael C. Guilmette Jr. Originally published on Sept. 14, 2006, in the Niles Daily Star. It only takes one small incident to bring out how you really feel about something.
Who knows what the reasons were. Perhaps this individual needed a new whip for his antenna and didn’t want to shell out the $40 to do so. Or perhaps it was some punk kid engaging in senseless vandalism, thinking it was fun. If it were someone upset with something I have written previously, I could at least gain some satisfaction knowing I can generate that kind of anger with my words. But again, I don’t know who did it, or why. Frankly, I don’t care why. The antenna was mine, and someone took it from me. In this civilized age, we call stealing items of lesser value ‘petty theft.’ Depending on the area, the thief, if caught, would likely face probation, fines, community service or, on the outside, a few days in jail. At the moment I discovered my antenna missing, however, I longed to hand down a far less civilized punishment on the deserving criminal. I wanted to be there when the deed was being done so I could introduce the thief to my tire iron. I also had these vivid thoughts of dispensing mob justice, all over a simple radio antenna. There’s a saying that says in essence, “a conservative is a liberal who has just been mugged,” demonstrating how quickly a person’s views may change after they have become a crime victim. Myself, I would normally say the specified punishments for petty theft are reasonable, but that’s speaking with a cool head. After being targeted, the normally barbaric punishment for theft seen in the Arab world — the amputation of the thief’s hand — begins to sound reasonable. This also goes to show why carjacking victims will attempt to fight off carjackers, even though law enforcement officials recommend simply giving up the vehicle. They tell us a car is a thing that can be replaced, and not worth risking injury or death. At that moment, a car becomes an extension of the person, and the theft is symbolic demonstration of superiority. Allowing the theft means admitting to being a victim, a weakling. In the battle between ego and safety, playing it safe should win out. Truthfully, these things can be replaced and are not worth dying for. Nor is it worth it to allow some punk to cause harm. Thieves are basically selfish cowards who are either lazy, greedy or who wrongly believe society owes it to them because they think they’ ve been dealt a bad hand in life. At the same time, if more thieves knew the amount of anger and resentment directed at them because of their acts, they may be less inclined to steal. Perhaps the thought of being kissed upside the cranium with a tire iron would make swiping an antenna a little less appealing. Either way, Mr. Thief, know this: You have earned my wrath. • Guilmette is managing editor of the Niles Daily Star. He may be contacted at mguilmette@leaderpub.com. |
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Copyright © 2006, Michael C. Guilmette Jr. |
Sometime during the last couple of days, some true credit to the human race ripped my CB antenna off the back of my car. This wasn’t a real expensive piece of equipment by any means, and truth be told, I have rarely used my radio in the past few years.
