‘Euphoria’ actress accused of shoplifting. What are the ethics of stealing just a little bit?
Maybe you hopped the turnstile in your local subway station. Maybe you ate a few pieces of colorful candy out of the dispenser before filling up a bag of sweets. Maybe you put in the code for bananas instead of apples at the self-checkout because they’re cheaper.
Or maybe you’re accused of stealing a $28 blouse, like “Euphoria” actress Chloe Cherry (which she has reportedly denied through a representative; USA TODAY has reached out for comment).
Stealing “just a little bit” isn’t a new phenomenon – but it’s very much against the law. And while legal consequences may vary, ethical questions loom. Is it ever OK?
Experts say that context matters and that situations are not always so black-and-white, even if the law paints them that way. This isn’t to say go ahead and break the law, of course, but to intellectually consider in certain situations whether the law best adheres to societal morality.
“People would like all actions to fall into the categories of ‘OK’ or ‘not OK,’ but a lot of life falls into an ethically gray area – some as the result of conscious actions, and some out of ignorance,” says Ellen Feder, a professor in the department of philosophy and religion
at American University.
Breaking down poverty, shoplifting statistics
First things first:
- Stealing is hardly uncommon. FBI data shows that there were 550,254 shoplifting incidents in the U.S. in 2021, but since many shoplifting incidents go unnoticed, the actual number is in the millions, says Brad Fulton, associate professor of management and social policy at the Indiana University – Bloomington.
- Nearly 38 million people lived in poverty in 2021, according to Census Bureau statistics.
- Someone may see stealing a loaf of bread, for example, as better than starving and therefore worth the risk of getting caught.
Structural inequality and racism are real, says Yasser Payne, associate professor in the department of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware.
“They’re stealing to meet their basic needs, and/or their immediate needs, while simultaneously or concurrently thinking that is also wrong to do so,” Payne says.
It’s “not obviously” morally wrong either, says Christian Miller, professor of philosophy at Wake Forest University. “It is breaking a rule against stealing, but it is also following a rule in favor of saving innocent lives,” he says.
The rationalizations we tell ourselves
It’s easy to avoid feeling bad about something if we feel like no one is watching and no one gets visibly hurt.
Take the examples of hopping a turnstile, eating not-paid-for candy and swapping produce codes. One can’t see the direct consequence of their action, unlike stealing something off of another person directly, like a handbag. “When behaviors clearly harm another person, then it’s easy for us to say, well, that’s unethical or immoral,” says Taya Cohen, associate professor of organizational behavior and business ethics at Carnegie Mellon University.
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