which post was worse?

[Antonio the Sixth]

It's a generally accepted principle of the law in many countries that crimes against property cannot be punished if they were committed for the purpose of preserving one's own (or a loved one's) life. So yeah, someone who shoplifts because they're starving should not be punished or even blamed. The fault belongs to a society that gives people no other choice to avoid starving. You'd have to have the compassion of a Hugo or Dickens villain not to recognize that.

[Antonio the Sixth]

It's a generally accepted principle of the law in many countries that crimes against property cannot be punished if they were committed for the purpose of preserving one's own (or a loved one's) life. So yeah, someone who shoplifts because they're starving should not be punished or even blamed. The fault belongs to a society that gives people no other choice to avoid starving. You'd have to have the compassion of a Hugo or Dickens villain not to recognize that.

I 100% agree with you, but zero people in the West have to steal food to not die and that's not what the quoted post was asking for anyway

There are no homeless people who lack access to a shelter or a soup kitchen and aren't able to beg for money (possibly because many areas criminalize that too) in the West? Zero?? I wish I could believe you.

[Antonio the Sixth]

It's a generally accepted principle of the law in many countries that crimes against property cannot be punished if they were committed for the purpose of preserving one's own (or a loved one's) life. So yeah, someone who shoplifts because they're starving should not be punished or even blamed. The fault belongs to a society that gives people no other choice to avoid starving. You'd have to have the compassion of a Hugo or Dickens villain not to recognize that.

I 100% agree with you, but zero people in the West have to steal food to not die and that's not what the quoted post was asking for anyway

There are no homeless people who lack access to a shelter or a soup kitchen and aren't able to beg for money (possibly because many areas criminalize that too) in the West? Zero?? I wish I could believe you.

every big city has multiple food pantries that always have food, small towns have churches and good people who actually know the hungry person and won't let them die.  Yes, there millions of sad cases, shelters suck (because they are full of homeless people) and sometimes the pantries are low, sometimes the govt we elect shuts down people helping the poor and yes, sometimes the individuals stuck in this horrible situation know no better than to steal some food to make their tummy stop rumbling and those people should not be punished for such an act.


but to make it policy for "all people of certain incomes/disadvantaged backgrounds" is dumb

I mean "disadvantaged backgrounds" is vague enough that you could define it like we just did. Of course I'm sure PSLOL has a more extensive definition than that, and I'm not defending that, but the post in a vacuum doesn't bother me too much (certainly not as much as the pro-dogf**king one).