Categories: uncategorized
Date: 30 November 2007 16:02:38
I was accused of theft.
It was a fairly minor theft, concerning only small amounts of money. The accusation this person made was that I was charging people for something that somebody other than me was paying for. The accusation was simply false - I was paying for the stuff and then charging people to recoup the money I'd spent, all very dull but above board and correct. So I was quite annoyed to be accused of such a crime.
But what quickly became clear was that the accuser didn't think of it as much of a crime - he considered it entirely normal, and the sort of thing that everyone does. In fact he took my defence to be the sort of tongue in cheek cover-up that one makes when found committing a totally trivial misdemeanour. `What, me, spill water on the carpet? No, never.'
It was utterly impossible to get him to accept that I was genuinely denying the accusation or that I viewed it rather more seriously than he did. To him such theft was normal and he couldn't believe anybody else would think otherwise. At the time I thought this marked him out as utterly immoral and unprincipled (which, to be fair, he'd shown himself to be on numerous other occasions). And I bridled at his casual assumption that I was as low as him. But I realize now that it is going to be a rare person who commits crimes while acknowledging and accepting that they are crimes. Most people do what they do because they think it is normal. A burglar views his thefts as the normal way of getting what he needs. Someone who attempts to murder people by driving above the speed limit views that as an entirely commonplace and legitimate activity. One who kills people for a living thinks he is normal if not noble in doing so.
How do you convince someone otherwise? Actually as I write this I'm watching just such a discussion going on electronically where one person has acknowledged performing one act which he states as normal behaviour. Dozens of people are now responding with their views that his behaviour is absolutely not normal, nor acceptable. I don't know if he'll be persuaded, but it seems the only chance. Only when the silent majority get up and say clearly that something is unacceptable will the message get through. And silent majorities tend, by their nature, not to speak up.