If trapped in absolute poverty, would you turn to crime?

[chuckman1]

Let's not get specific, ie "yeah I robbed 10 banks".
But if you were trapped in absolute destitute poverty (the poor kid from Honduras, child labor family in Indonesia, rural Cambodian from generations of poverty, etc.) Would you turn to petty crime to increase the standard of living for yourself? I would argue that some people who get in to prostitution and the drug business are morally justified if the only other option was starve in the street.

First, let's say you get one awful meal a day. Will you get involved in the light side of the underworld yet?
Now, let's make that bare minimum to live. Constant hunger pain gnaws at your soul and morals. Not enough?
Now you have children and your spouse has already died of hunger. Your kids are barely subsisting. Is it enough to forget the morals?

Also, is someone ever justified in turning to these things? What about theft?

I feel this could be an interesting discussion of philosophy and morals along with realism. I bet once you got involved in the lighter side of things, it'd become easier to move darker and darker in the underworld.
------------
Some rap music touches on the subject in a good way
(Idk how to embed but this is a Jay Rock song)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8UwUCOyiyo
"Losing weight every time that he wake up"

Also there's a quote from a bone thugs song.
"Ain't ate in days so it ain't no thang ***** *click click* give me your shit"

 

[Colour Scientist]

It's difficult to say when I've never been in a situation like that but I think it's likely that I would.

I don't think I'd be somehow morally superior than those who turn to crime under those circumstances.

If I didn't turn to it out of necessity, I probably would due to peer pressure or because that's just the norm.

Edit: Obviously, I'd like to think that I would somehow rise above it all but that's easy for me to say when I'm not starving.

 

[Erttheking]

Hard to say. Really you can only say what you would do when the chips are down if you've been there personally. People like to idealize what they'd do, but they rarely can keep up with those expectations.

 

[Thaluikhain]

If I say yes, the mods will mod me.

 

[lacktheknack]

I think most people would be surprised at how resilient against crime they would turn out to be. With a bit of know-how and fortitude, you can DIY survive in most "destitute countries" outside of Africa without having any real income. After all, Southeast Asia isn't a crime-ridden hellhole just because it's full of impoverished people (not moreso than any other country set, anyways).

My pansy-ass first-world self might have a hard time adjusting, but it's fully possible.

Besides, turning to prostitution/drug running is a good way to end up in pieces on a mortician's slab.

 

[Wasted]

I grew up in a poverty stricken and gang infested environment. Most of my family dropped out of high school and many entered the criminal lifestyle.

That life never attracted me. I remember even as a young child thinking how idiotic it was wanting to be a gang banger or ruining my life with drugs or alcohol like most of my family. Here I am as a 28-year-old man with my master's in psychology and hopefully accepted into a doctoral program soon.

Not surprisingly, this extended family is not very supportive. When I used to do well in high school I was called a loser nerd and when I entered college most told me I would assuredly drop out. People in my family still call me a loser because I don't have a "real job" as a counseling therapist since I sit around all day.

Go figure.

 

[Sleepy Sol]

I'd probably consider petty crimes, but I obviously don't really know what I'd do.

Maybe I'd just give up because I'm lazy. Except you specified I have children, so I don't feel like I could steal or give up.

At that point I guess I might get involved in less than scrupulous pursuits, but I'd try to keep it away from my kids.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Hard to say since I can easily see two outcome for me-

No to crime- Continue to exist in a painful experience and will eventaully rot away and died one away or another (starvation of disease etc).

Yes to crime- What's the worse can happened? Killed or sent to prison. Ok the cause of death can be worry some depending the cause of it (shot, drown or torture) and prison provide free meals and shealter with a bed. Granted the prison environment can be worry some too if it's has alot of threatening people inside or it is corrupt.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Lived on the street, didn't know where my next meal was coming from, no safe or warm or dry place to sleep. Choose crime or climb... well one way is easy and full of risk for rewards that are akin to instant powerups that only last x amount of time, and have severe drawbacks. The other way is extremely hard, full of even more risk because it isn't guaranteed to succeed either but the rewards are possibly more permanent and you actually get what amounts to real world achievements (if you will) in your mind/heart/soul.
I know thats an incredibly cheesy way to look at it but its kinda true in a sense, I can say I had a choice of taking an easy way out or not and chose the harder route, and while I'm still struggling, I'm happier for it and feel like I've accomplished more in life. I had other opportunities that could have been lucrative, but the risk was not worth the reward at all.
If you're too far gone to see consequences, then it won't matter at that point. You won't be able to feed your family from jail.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

I"ve been placed in this situation. Familial discords. The thing is that when you start seeing other people living as society says they ought to, and fails to take in your perspective on the matter, it does make one feel embittered. I never turned to crime, manly because I had avenues for which I could get onto social support systems. Which do far more to blunten the effects of poverty and the propensity for the innocent people to feel its sting of crime than simply having more police or a heavier hand by law enforcement in general.

The idea of 'absolute poverty' is something that is pretty hard to imagine, as in a society like Australia where there are at least social support systems in place to afford care and hospice to those wrongfully made homeless due to various prejudices, health concerns or violence, make it far more harder to tell. Because of said systems of control I could get a part-time job, continue highschool, etc. But in a place like latin America? Where politicians of various countries can, and often do, hire death squads to eliminate the poorest people in society? What avenue do you have other than resistance and crime? Where you'll get murdered by the State if you do nothing, and criminal activity is likely your only ticket off some hitlist ... so what's it gonna be?

If I was in a situation of 'absolute poverty', then the only picture I can summon up is some horrific Latin American barrio ... living in sewers and hunted by people who'll get $50 putting a bullet in the back of my head. Then fuck yeah I'll turn to crime. You literally have no choice ... crime or die.

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

To be honest, I'd quite happily get into some criminal* activities way before getting to what's considered the poverty line in my country, which is a hell of a long way off absolute poverty, and have done so in the past.

*though personally I have a mental separation between "criminal" and "illegal" activity, the former being something I consider immoral, that latter, not. So it might be more accurate to say "illegal" rather than "criminal".

 

[Story]

Yeah, I'd say so.
I can even assume this even while living a very comfortable life.

 

[Gigano]

Hardly.

Countries plagued by destitution tend to have prisons that can inflict considerably more suffering still upon transgressors. They have to. And in a world increasingly without borders, so do every other country soon enough.

Also, better to die a human than exist as a wretch.

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

Nah, I'd probably just take to wandering aimlessly, maybe find a nice wood to try and survive in (I live in Scotland, shouldn't be hard), before finally dying cold, hungry and alone.

 

[FPLOON]

Nope... but, either way, I'll end up in prison regardless...

But seriously, I would do my best to not go down that path deliberately...

 

[Parasondox]

Yeah. I wouldnt harm or kill anyone but make enough money to survive the day. Petty crimes though.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

If I had dependant children, probably. I'd probably try drug dealing or stealing from people's homes. I don't think I could hurt anyone directly with muggings or such, but if I had a child who needed food... Who knows what desperation could push me to.

If it was just me I'd probably try to get by off charity.