News Readers Can't Decide If Shoes Should Be Stolen

Subscribers to ExploreClarion and ExploreVenango seem to be divided on whether or not shoe thieves should be offered empathy for their crimes. Of course, it could be that people make assumptions based upon where the shoes are stolen from.

In a recent article, we mocked the comment section of an ExploreClarion story covering a woman who traded her shoes at a Goodwill store. The comment section was filled with people who assumed the woman was poor and needed the shoes. Because we all know that your grandmother, who saved for retirement, never shops at Goodwill.

Comments defending so plentiful, we can't even fit them in this collage.

Several of the commenters offered to buy the woman’s shoes in hopes that Goodwill would not press charges against her. Oddly, not a single commenter thought to offer the woman a job, which goes a long way in helping her buy more than just shoes. We were given no information on whether this woman even needed the shoes that she took. The article said she drove a car that had gas in it, but we all assumed she was some poor woman living on the streets—proving once again that people jump to conclusions without having their entire story backed up by facts.

Now, just a couple weeks later, the sister media outlet to ExploreClarion has reported that there is a boot bandit among us who robbed an expensive pair of boots in a retail store. In this case, however, people are treating it like a joking matter. Because we all know that a person who tries to steal an expensive pair of boots from a retail store with winter coming is not poor and living on the streets. Poor people only steal shoes from Goodwill. And they’re always sure to leave the ones that they’re wearing behind.

We love the jokes. But where are the empathizers?

Nobody in the comment section of ExploreVenango offered to buy this man’s pair of shoes. We aren’t sure why. I mean, Venango is just one county over. Does a few miles really separate the empathetic souls from the pricks? We don’t think so.

When you consider the value of each pair that was stolen, it makes more sense to suggest that the comment section of both ExploreClarion and ExploreVenango are cheap. “She stole a pair of used shoes priced at $3.99 from Goodwill? She must be poor. I’ll pay for them.” Contrast that with “He stole boots worth $119.99? Poor people never steal expensive things. Let’s just joke about it.” That’s right. People really don’t like to make sacrifices when it comes in sacrificial doses.