Quote: (08-20-2016 01:14 PM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:
But the people who shoplift at Walmart do it because they're scum, not because Walmart has supposedly made it easy for them (and evidently it's not easy at all, because as the article mentions they have tons of surveillance and catch almost everyone).
Counterpoint to that: OPPORTUNITY itself also creates crime. There's a reason we not just build walls for houses, but also put in doors, lock them, and then maybe surround the house with a fence and better yet, person-high hedges to block the view of the house. It's a simple measure of reducing temptation and opportunity for easy gains with no costs and low chance of getting caught.
You might have a perfectly morally fine person who wouldn't ever dream of stealing anything. But if you park your car in front of his window, leave the door open and a smartphone or money lying on the seat and he sees it, well, the mere thought of such an easy snag of money will be burning a hole in his mind. That is a petty small crime that is easily prevented from not just occuring, but also from being formed as an idea in someone's mind by the simple measure of just not presenting an opportunity.