Criminal acts for long term Success, a Moral Dilemma.

If you had asked me three years ago what I thought of drug pushers years ago I would've given you a rant that lasted about an hour. My answer now is far more complex than it used to be. I am opposed to gangs and I think that the mindless, idiotic brutality expressed by "gangstas" is destroying the poor of the United States. However, gangs don't only deal in drugs, they handle prostitution, laundering and weapons sales. Hell, they even sell bootlegged DVDs and run illegal lottery schemes.

Drugs are just their best product in most places. A way to "cleanse" a shit-hole by adding some fragrance to the festering wound.  However, recently I've noticed how horribly corporate institutions treat customers and I can't help but feel some slight sympathy for some criminals. Stealing from a Walmart no longer feels as horrible as it used to.

I've started to wonder, are there any petty criminals out there that have "made it"? If I myself were to return to North Philadelphia and risk my career by selling bootleg DVDs or pot I grew myself I could easily fend off the risk of being homeless. My own values and fear of repercussions keep me from performing petty crime and instead I would find myself homeless if need be. However, I think it's come to a point where if a system is unfair as I've started in previous blog posts and you have a risky avenue to level the playing field I think it's quite morally correct to do so. I do not believe in violence or theft from others who suffer from the act (IE, the employee at Walmart has nothing to do with the execs). It's a challenging notion that now as I ageo I'm accepting petty crime like pot dealing and counterfeiting as acceptable if it helps you buy a house, move into safety and live a happy normal life. When the odds are rigged and everything is stacked against you is it wrong to cheat? Hard drugs are another matter, they often have their hands in cartels, gangs and destruction of lives. I don't think I'd ever support any involvement in those types of activities. What if I end up on the street tomorrow, would I revert to petty harmless crime to get back on my feet?

I honestly don't think I would, I'm too proud of being a "hard worker". But I've played societies game and it hasn't gotten me any closer to my goals so what do I know.