if you were hungry, would you steal food? what if your kids were hungry?i

[Anonymous]

I would first beg.

[Anonymous]

food stamp? are you kidding me? when you live in real poverty there's no stamp machine lady. YOU BEG! and there's always someone that will give ALWAYS.
There's no need to steal.

[Anonymous]

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been in hunger and poverty and I would never steal to eat or feed my children. There are so many options to be exhausted before that.

Whoever appeals to stealing has a character failure.

In my copy of the cookbook "Extending the Table" there is a sad story of a woman who was visiting a family living in desperate poverty in Bangladesh. The family had several children, and had so little food that they chose one daughter, a 2 year old, to not feed anymore, allowing her to waste away. That way they made their remaining food go father among the rest of the children.

If that family had stolen food, I would not say that they had a character flaw.

I guess it depends what you mean by "hungry".

Dear person who lived her entire life in a developed country,
The stories we read in the books are not always true. And when they sound absurd and very profound we should believe even less. Authors often use such stories to sell their books.
If you chose to believe please take in consideration the cultural aspect. Where I come from it's very common to start feeding from the eldest child and the youngest will eat only if there's food left often being fed of the meat left in the bones by the older siblings. It's not poverty, it's cultural.
And values like honor are also cultural. Some people would prefer to die in hunger over stealing something to feed their children. It's just their culture. Instead of judging them why don't we help them?

[Anonymous]

This question obviously has some layers to it.

If I were hungry, on an average Thursday, would I just up and steal food? No. If I were hungry as in malnourished, without sources of food, without any help, all other options exhausted? I'd hold out as long as I could, but then yes, I'd undoubtedly steal food, because my desire to live would be stronger than my desire to stay true to my moral compass. If my children were involved - after trying all legal or legitimate means of obtaining food, I would most certainly steal food for my children. This is not even a question. I would do whatever necessary to keep them safe and alive.

Anyone who says they wouldn't steal food - I think what you're really saying is you've never been desperate enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:food stamp? are you kidding me? when you live in real poverty there's no stamp machine lady. YOU BEG! and there's always someone that will give ALWAYS.
There's no need to steal.

Are you kidding? Nice dream world that you live in where there is ALWAYS someone available to help. I guess that's why no one in this whole wide world goes hungry or is malnourished or dies of starvation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been in hunger and poverty and I would never steal to eat or feed my children. There are so many options to be exhausted before that.

Whoever appeals to stealing has a character failure.

I doubt very seriously that you have experienced true hunger. And if you allowed your child to waste away from hunger because you deem yourself to righteous to steal and sacrifice for your child, you my dear are the one with the character flaw. Or perhaps its a mental flaw. Either way, there would be something truly lacking in you. JMHO and I stand by it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been in hunger and poverty and I would never steal to eat or feed my children. There are so many options to be exhausted before that.

Whoever appeals to stealing has a character failure.

In my copy of the cookbook "Extending the Table" there is a sad story of a woman who was visiting a family living in desperate poverty in Bangladesh. The family had several children, and had so little food that they chose one daughter, a 2 year old, to not feed anymore, allowing her to waste away. That way they made their remaining food go father among the rest of the children.

If that family had stolen food, I would not say that they had a character flaw.

I guess it depends what you mean by "hungry".

Dear person who lived her entire life in a developed country,
The stories we read in the books are not always true. And when they sound absurd and very profound we should believe even less. Authors often use such stories to sell their books.
If you chose to believe please take in consideration the cultural aspect. Where I come from it's very common to start feeding from the eldest child and the youngest will eat only if there's food left often being fed of the meat left in the bones by the older siblings. It's not poverty, it's cultural.
And values like honor are also cultural. Some people would prefer to die in hunger over stealing something to feed their children. It's just their culture. Instead of judging them why don't we help them?

I'm honestly not sure what your point is.

I'm not judging the desperately poor, starving people of Bangladesh or other countries. I'm saying I don't believe it would be a character flaw to steal under such conditions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:food stamp? are you kidding me? when you live in real poverty there's no stamp machine lady. YOU BEG! and there's always someone that will give ALWAYS.
There's no need to steal.

Are you kidding? Nice dream world that you live in where there is ALWAYS someone available to help. I guess that's why no one in this whole wide world goes hungry or is malnourished or dies of starvation.

If there's a food stamp system it means there are X many other options. Starvation deaths happen where there's no electricity or treated water!

Do you guys wanna discuss hunger here in the US where your church helps to feed people or in countries where there's no sewage, treated water or electricity?
Those are two very very different issues.

[Anonymous]

[
Dear person who lived her entire life in a developed country,
The stories we read in the books are not always true. And when they sound absurd and very profound we should believe even less. Authors often use such stories to sell their books.
If you chose to believe please take in consideration the cultural aspect. Where I come from it's very common to start feeding from the eldest child and the youngest will eat only if there's food left often being fed of the meat left in the bones by the older siblings. It's not poverty, it's cultural.
And values like honor are also cultural. Some people would prefer to die in hunger over stealing something to feed their children. It's just their culture. Instead of judging them why don't we help them?

Well i Just got back from Addis and there were people begging and no there was not someone always willing to give them help. And, yes values be damned, many stole to feed their babies. Others sold their bodies to feed their babies. Others abandoned or placed their babies in orphanages to feed their babies. Simply because you yourself is from a third world country does not mean that you experienced the hardships of others. One thing I have learned about third world countries, there are the very rich and the extremely, extremely very poor. If you are here in this country, I would highly doubt that you were among the poor and therefore have no real idea what it is like to see your child go without food for not one day, but multiple days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been in hunger and poverty and I would never steal to eat or feed my children. There are so many options to be exhausted before that.

Whoever appeals to stealing has a character failure.

I doubt very seriously that you have experienced true hunger. And if you allowed your child to waste away from hunger because you deem yourself to righteous to steal and sacrifice for your child, you my dear are the one with the character flaw. Or perhaps its a mental flaw. Either way, there would be something truly lacking in you. JMHO and I stand by it.

This is an anonymous forum and you can doubt or believe whatever you want. I'm not going to tell my story here, I don't need pity from people. My family faced starvation (not only once) and we never had to steal to feed anybody. By the way, we're all mentally healthy too.
I've explained the situation about letting the youngest child to starve. It's not about being mentally unstable or having a character flaw, it's CULTURAL! You should read a little more than your local news if you want to understand what goes on in the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[
Dear person who lived her entire life in a developed country,
The stories we read in the books are not always true. And when they sound absurd and very profound we should believe even less. Authors often use such stories to sell their books.
If you chose to believe please take in consideration the cultural aspect. Where I come from it's very common to start feeding from the eldest child and the youngest will eat only if there's food left often being fed of the meat left in the bones by the older siblings. It's not poverty, it's cultural.
And values like honor are also cultural. Some people would prefer to die in hunger over stealing something to feed their children. It's just their culture. Instead of judging them why don't we help them?

Well i Just got back from Addis and there were people begging and no there was not someone always willing to give them help. And, yes values be damned, many stole to feed their babies. Others sold their bodies to feed their babies. Others abandoned or placed their babies in orphanages to feed their babies. Simply because you yourself is from a third world country does not mean that you experienced the hardships of others. One thing I have learned about third world countries, there are the very rich and the extremely, extremely very poor. If you are here in this country, I would highly doubt that you were among the poor and therefore have no real idea what it is like to see your child go without food for not one day, but multiple days.

You have no idea who you're talking to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[
Dear person who lived her entire life in a developed country,
The stories we read in the books are not always true. And when they sound absurd and very profound we should believe even less. Authors often use such stories to sell their books.
If you chose to believe please take in consideration the cultural aspect. Where I come from it's very common to start feeding from the eldest child and the youngest will eat only if there's food left often being fed of the meat left in the bones by the older siblings. It's not poverty, it's cultural.
And values like honor are also cultural. Some people would prefer to die in hunger over stealing something to feed their children. It's just their culture. Instead of judging them why don't we help them?

Well i Just got back from Addis and there were people begging and no there was not someone always willing to give them help. And, yes values be damned, many stole to feed their babies. Others sold their bodies to feed their babies. Others abandoned or placed their babies in orphanages to feed their babies. Simply because you yourself is from a third world country does not mean that you experienced the hardships of others. One thing I have learned about third world countries, there are the very rich and the extremely, extremely very poor. If you are here in this country, I would highly doubt that you were among the poor and therefore have no real idea what it is like to see your child go without food for not one day, but multiple days.

You have no idea who you're talking to.[/quote

Ha, that's funny... I've seen extremely rich and extremely poor people here too. What a coincidence!!!

[Anonymous]

Yes, if the only other option was to die of starvation. I have to say that I wonder if there is ever a case where these are the only two options.

[Anonymous]

Depends, what how do you define "hungry" and how do you define "stealing".