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Mr. Funk E. Dude

Just a reminder,

If you ever see someone stealing baby formula or diapers...

No you didn't.

Once more for the people in the back.

@Mrfunkedude Is the Baby Formula used to prove the existence of, or create babies?

@IanAMartin No. To create a baby and then prove it's existence all you need is alcohol.

@Mrfunkedude @IanAMartin I thought to prove its existence you needed blue or pink powder, high explosives, and some very dry grasslands or woods.

@Mrfunkedude all I can think of right now is Nicholas Cage dodging bullets in Raising Arizona 😂😂😂

@debenore such a good movie. I've probably seen that movie about 20 times.

@Mrfunkedude I saw someone shoplifting food at Target last week… but no I didn’t.

@Mrfunkedude I've never seen anyone shoplift, ever. I think it's a fake problem made up by Big Capitalism to justify the jobs program for overgrown playground bullies that I'll call Big Policing.

@BendingUnit @Mrfunkedude I've seen teenage and young adult women wearing designer clothes and bags shoplift much more often than someone poor.

@Mrfunkedude this is what I do when I see anyone stealing anything

@Mrfunkedude What if they are stealing it from a baby?

@crenquis then call child welfare because someone’s abandoned a baby?

@Mrfunkedude my credit card was stolen and it resulted in a call from the credit card company. i asked what the charges were and it was diapers a stroller and a crib. not even the big ticket ones. like $200 (ten years ago).

i just said, “oh that was the baby shower in new york. i forgot. but let’s go ahead and cancel the card anyway.“

and the whole experience made me sad. deeply deeply sad for the world and capitalism in specific.

@isaiah you’re a good person. Thanks for sharing this.

@isaiah @Mrfunkedude What a profoundly humane response. That’s the kind of thing I would like to do in theory but probably wouldn’t occur to me until after the moment had passed.

@wintrymix @Mrfunkedude do not think i’m some saint. i’m not. at all. it’s easy to have empathy for something you’ve experienced yourself.
i grew up in poverty with teenaged parents. they did their best. it was hard.
when i see other broke parents trying to get by, i help out if i can. i wish i could afford to do more.

@Mrfunkedude
Of course not! And I *certainly* didn't tell them the phrase that the store uses to alert employees to a possible thief over the intercom, and the number of aisles that they offset the real site to watch for thieves by!

@Mrfunkedude our local supermarket has the toothpaste and toothbrushes locked up. Like. If people are stealing this stuff. LET THEM.

@Mrfunkedude Thank you. Our lives are more important than some corporation's profitability.

@Mrfunkedude it's gruesomely anti-social and morally depraved to snitch on anyone stealing anything from a Company. 100x moreso if it's a chain.

@GoAskAlice that's a good thing. It means you have empathy for others.

@Mrfunkedude what if they're just scalpers lol

@Mrfunkedude if you see anybody shoplifting in a chain store, you didn't.

@Mrfunkedude in some places cvs keeps formula locked behind the counter which says so much. Both that it is frequently stolen and that we need better systems to get food to babies.

@HonestlyMom Yep. I've seen that and the same thing with condoms. It's almost like they WANT hungry kids to exist.

@Mrfunkedude Had a conversation with my 8 y/o about this a few weeks ago. I've literally never in my life seen anyone steal food, formula, or diapers. I'm certain it just doesn't happen when I'm around.

@Mrfunkedude yesterday at the supermarket I noticed that they put anti theft devices on the baby formula tins. Not on anything else.

@Mrfunkedude THIS! But also: if you ever see someone stealing necessities of any kind, no you did not!

@Mrfunkedude I get the sentiment, but if they're stealing these things to resell on eBay for a profit then you're just helping criminals screw over vulnerable populations even more.

Add to that unprofitable-due-to-theft stores closing and you're now an accomplice to creating food deserts that also screw over vulnerable populations.

Social services in America aren't great, but between state, nonprofit, and religious orgs somebody will get these things to a person in need.

@SinbadTheSailor
And you don't think there are people out there taking advantage of nonprofits, religious orgs, government, etc ? There's an entire criminal industry built on doing just that.

And OBVIOUSLY I'm not talking about ALL theft. The OP was specifically talking about baby formula and diapers. Are there stores being closed from too many people stealing diapers and baby formula? If so, maybe the problem isn't the theft. Maybe the problem is the society that creates the need.

@Mrfunkedude Yes, that's my point. Benefits from the state/nonprofits/etc are so easy to get that there's no legitimate reason why someone would have to steal baby formula.

You're running an astroturf campaign for selfish criminals.

Also yes, good stores close because crime like the kind you support makes them unprofitable. Society fills the need through safety net programs. People that steal baby formula are just exploiting society and your naivety.

@SinbadTheSailor As I said before there is an entire criminal industry revolved around signing up for gov/nonprof handouts and then selling those things to people who don't want to be documented and for many other reasons. So saying there is no reason to steal baby formula shows your own ignorance.

Let me make this clear. If I am at a store and I see a mother stealing baby formula. I'm not saying shit. If you want to turn her in for "exploiting society" that's on you. I stand with the mother.