This letter is written with a fairly reasonable assumption that people that sit directly across the street from our house (and were doing so when we left for work for a very short period of time yesterday) were the thieves. I want to print out a million and just throw them all over the damn park benches that give these giant unruly groups of people that congregate yards from our house every day an excuse to simply sit and observe.
SORRY TO ASSUME AND BE SUSPICIOUS OF ALL PEOPLE THAT SIT AT THIS BENCH EVERY DAY BUT YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND IF YOU READ BELOW:
Dear person that broke into a house extremely near here on Tuesday night,
How do you sleep at night? No, seriously, do you listen to your music on my desktop computer or on my girlfriends laptop as you lay in bed trying to swallow any shred of decency your mother may have tried to instill in you.
What combination of “narcissism”, “self pity” and “us vs. them” mentality did you have to mix in order to decide to break into the young couples apartment that you have undoubtedly sat and watched come home from work time and time again. You started off nice enough – just trying to enjoy days with your friends in the park but you see ONE shiny thing through the screen door of the people that actually reside and live their life at that spot and you steal it. You didn’t just steal their stuff but any sense of security, pride and trust we once had in our community or Grand Rapids. Not only can we not reasonably afford new things but now it feels like we aren’t even allowed to work for them; not allowed to own them without them being ripped away.
Because lets get this straight – you have nothing to feel self-righteous about. You have just stolen from two young people that have to save up for the next year to replace what you have just taken from us in a minute. The precedent you are setting for the world is “Fuck you, you’re not me”. Do any of the good things that happen to you in life come from that mentality? Oh, that computer did? What if the whole world worked off that mentality? Imagine a constant, perpetual world where you are stuck doing nothing other than guarding simple possessions and food. No trust for friendship – no time for family – just a constant battle between self security and threats. That’s the world that you are fighting for.
Why did you take the external hard drive? Those files mean nothing to you. I have years worth of videos and work backed up on that drive and now I have lost it all to someone who has absolutely no use for it. The large amount of loss I take by losing that device and my files compared to the very small gain on your part showcases the essence of greed in this world. There is no Robin Hood mentality here – you are just perpetuating the inner-city assumptions of shit that is ‘the poor stealing from the poor.’
When you find some bullshit way to forgive yourself and hopefully find a new life years down the line just remember that this moment – this simple quick action you have taken – may have slipped your mind or been one of many for you; but for us, a day hasn’t gone by where our actions aren’t a reflection of that day. You have snuffed out reasonability and trust in yet another facet of the world; a world that is already too low on all things reasonable. Because of you, two people will now have that much more disdain for the world from this moment forward.
If you want to save yourself a shred of your humanity you can do me a favor and offer me a few files back - email [email protected]. Make up a fake email account or something – just offer me a chance at my projects and life back.
Disclaimer: I recognize I will likely get lots of fake responses to this – if you do not try to verify that you really do have my stuff in some way, you should simply expect a non-response.
(For another anger filled, post theft 'note' - click here. This one's a fun side thought/story too -- I swear.)
SORRY TO ASSUME AND BE SUSPICIOUS OF ALL PEOPLE THAT SIT AT THIS BENCH EVERY DAY BUT YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND IF YOU READ BELOW:
Dear person that broke into a house extremely near here on Tuesday night,
How do you sleep at night? No, seriously, do you listen to your music on my desktop computer or on my girlfriends laptop as you lay in bed trying to swallow any shred of decency your mother may have tried to instill in you.
What combination of “narcissism”, “self pity” and “us vs. them” mentality did you have to mix in order to decide to break into the young couples apartment that you have undoubtedly sat and watched come home from work time and time again. You started off nice enough – just trying to enjoy days with your friends in the park but you see ONE shiny thing through the screen door of the people that actually reside and live their life at that spot and you steal it. You didn’t just steal their stuff but any sense of security, pride and trust we once had in our community or Grand Rapids. Not only can we not reasonably afford new things but now it feels like we aren’t even allowed to work for them; not allowed to own them without them being ripped away.
Because lets get this straight – you have nothing to feel self-righteous about. You have just stolen from two young people that have to save up for the next year to replace what you have just taken from us in a minute. The precedent you are setting for the world is “Fuck you, you’re not me”. Do any of the good things that happen to you in life come from that mentality? Oh, that computer did? What if the whole world worked off that mentality? Imagine a constant, perpetual world where you are stuck doing nothing other than guarding simple possessions and food. No trust for friendship – no time for family – just a constant battle between self security and threats. That’s the world that you are fighting for.
Why did you take the external hard drive? Those files mean nothing to you. I have years worth of videos and work backed up on that drive and now I have lost it all to someone who has absolutely no use for it. The large amount of loss I take by losing that device and my files compared to the very small gain on your part showcases the essence of greed in this world. There is no Robin Hood mentality here – you are just perpetuating the inner-city assumptions of shit that is ‘the poor stealing from the poor.’
When you find some bullshit way to forgive yourself and hopefully find a new life years down the line just remember that this moment – this simple quick action you have taken – may have slipped your mind or been one of many for you; but for us, a day hasn’t gone by where our actions aren’t a reflection of that day. You have snuffed out reasonability and trust in yet another facet of the world; a world that is already too low on all things reasonable. Because of you, two people will now have that much more disdain for the world from this moment forward.
If you want to save yourself a shred of your humanity you can do me a favor and offer me a few files back - email [email protected]. Make up a fake email account or something – just offer me a chance at my projects and life back.
Disclaimer: I recognize I will likely get lots of fake responses to this – if you do not try to verify that you really do have my stuff in some way, you should simply expect a non-response.
(For another anger filled, post theft 'note' - click here. This one's a fun side thought/story too -- I swear.)