The Psychology of Looting?

I finally got to watch some of the footage of the looting last night and observed cops pointing guns at people making them drop what they were carrying. Some of it was food and clothing which really made me wonder how we are to differentiate between despirate survival and gangland robbery. Food and clothing that has been through this storm will not be sold commercially and the owners will likely have to pay for disposal so the more of that they take, the less the clean-up will be for store owners.

If I were calling the shots down there, poor people taking food would be something I think I'd be glad to see. because the more they can get on their own, the less apt they are to need that much more medical attention once the city is drained.

My beef is with the thugs stealing guns, jewelry, electronics and medicine and running it like a gangland. No one needs these people right now. They are neither needed nor wanted. If they could just sit this one out without adding their influence to an already bad enough situation, the whole country would be grateful.

I say let the poor have the food and clothing. Get the guard in there and mow down the gangs of thugs. Its a good time and excuse to get rid of some more trash. From what the mayor said, its already underway.

Honestly, I'm sure many of you are correct in "why"... but I also beleive it can be summed up rather quickly:

Let's be honest, these are hardened souls down there, what do they have to lose by looting? (they already lost most everything).

I haven't walked in their shoes... have you? Who are we to speculate and judge.

Peace



[edit on 1-9-2005 by Serum39]

People think "Screw this, I went through a natural disaster, I should get a TV."
or "Screw this, no one's looking, I could use a TV."
Or in some cases it's just to stay alive. Unfortunately this could be managed more efficiently if people made a sort of community distribution thing, but people are selfish sometimes.

[edit on 9/1/2005 by Lifeadventurer]

I was in NYC when the lights went out in 2001...I don't remember any looting....I think it's just a couple *SNIP RUDE COMMENT* taking advantage of a very bad situation........."can't we all just get along?" Rodney King


Mod: See Above.

[edit on 1-9-2005 by ZeddicusZulZorander]

Originally posted by Lifeadventurer
People think "Screw this, I went through a natural disaster, I should get a TV."
or "Screw this, no one's looking, I could use a TV."
Or in some cases it's just to stay alive. Unfortunately this could be managed more efficiently if people made a sort of community distribution thing, but people are selfish sometimes.

[edit on 9/1/2005 by Lifeadventurer]

Thats just it. A TV or any appliance is of no use right now. These people are theives. The food should be taken and used because it will be no good by the time this is over and will cost for disposal. The authrities were the first ones to break in and take food and clothing and begin distributing it. Why leave this stock there if people can use it. It will be declared a total loss anyway.

Looting private homes, jewelry stores, and just getting stuff to see is the problem. I heard Bill O'really say that the guard was going in last night to clean up these thugs because for some reason, they were trying to stop the evacuation of hospital patients. This sounds more like its turned into some sort of gangland turf mob rule situation but I got news for em'. That crap is coming to a screetching halt if it kills them. If they had sense and were healthy enough to form a gang army, they should drop those weapons and start trying to help those who aren't healthy. We have numerous young strong males who need to be leaders and set examples for their fellow citizens and be there for them through this. This is the time to step up and prove one's strength by resisting the urge to personally profit and do the right thing. Its a test of character for these boys and they are failing. They are weaker than the most feeble old lady.

The sad thing is, some people who have never broken a law in their life do it when they think no one cares. It means that they'd give up all that law-biding-citizen's life to get a TV. It means they've lied to themselves all their life.

I guess I am closest in agreement with Astro
The media would not touch this story with a ten foot pole, but Robert Tracinski says it all.
We are seeing the failure of the Welfare State. In most disasters, folks help each other to
survive because of our personal values. The strangeness we are observing now is what happens
when folks do not have hard earned personal value systems.

Ref:

An Unnatural Disaster: A Hurricane Exposes the Man-Made Disaster of the Welfare State

by Robert Tracinski
Sep 02, 2005

Originally posted by nightwing
I A Hurricane Exposes the Man-Made Disaster of the Welfare State

Well, as dissapointed as I have been with the lack of aid and help by an agency whos supposed to be trained to handle such things, I have to agree that there is some truth in that as well. The difference in this culture's reaction and some others we have seen can only be explained by the "entitled" ideology. Living where I do, I know several people who also exhibit such behavior. People who continually stay angry when someone else succeeds even if its just a minor success. These are usually the people everyone else breaks their back to help, me included but who wouldn't take the time to wet on someone who was on fire. They are constant downers but never ever try anything to better their own situation. I think many like those stealing TVs in N.O. eventually develop an addiction to pity they once got and that turns to anger once others just get tired of dealing with their crap and give up. The thought never enters their mind that there may be someone weaker that they could help out. Certainly if they have enough food and water to steal a TV, they could be helping an elderly or sick person with the basics. The thought never occurs to some.

from what I have read, the first thing the looters went for wasn't tv's and electronics. it was guns. that to me is more frightening than a bunch of morons grabbing plasma tv's with no chance of electricity for weeks or longer.

you are not dealing with a highly educated group down there. if they had brains they would have been grabbing food, water etc or getting out of there. instead they wreaked havoc on the city and made it harder for others to find safe refuge.

one thing I noticed, which might have just been a coincidence but the evacuees from areas other than New Orleans generally had very little in terms of belongings. Many were barefoot, torn clothing, one woman even laughed and said she walked for miles in waist deep water in two left sneakers.

then you see the new orleans crew. many of them were waiting for the bus out with 3 suitcases. clean shoes, clothes looking rather good for 4 days in nasty filthy waters.

Yeah, I saw footage of a familly taking a box of food and clothes before being told to drop them into the water.

Looting will always follow in times of panic.

I'd say embrace it

As the water rises, take all you need untill it gets all soggy.