At least it’s better than setting Teslas on fire. That’s the half-joking rationale behind a growing movement of people who are rationalizing shoplifting from Whole Foods, fudging Amazon returns, and quietly justifying petty theft as a form of protest against billionaires like Jeff Bezos. Emily Stewart’s recent Business Insider article, “The Rise of the Anti-Amazon Avengers,” captures the phenomenon in sharp detail: everyday, often middle-class professionals are committing low-level economic larceny in the name of justice, or simply frustration with the system. Underneath the headlines and moral gymnastics something is going on deeper — and more troubling: the steady erosion of any shared sense of right and wrong.
“Lee insists he’s “famously” a very good Catholic. He’s a moral person — his mother raised him right. And by his internal calculation, it’s OK to shoplift from Whole Foods. Why? Because of Jeff Bezos.” That’s the opening to Emily Stewart’s Business Insider article and it’s both absurd and revealing. Lee is one of many disillusioned professionals who rationalize small acts of theft — cheating a grocery scale, faking an Amazon return — as moral payback against billionaires. In their minds, it’s not stealing; it’s justice.
There lies the problem. Lee, a very good Catholic according only to himself, doesn’t have a clue what justice means. For Catholics, justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give God and neighbor their due. (Catechism of the Catholic Church). The Catholic Church further defines justice as:
“Commutative Justice which obliges respect for the rights of the other, is required by the 7th commandment. Commutative justice obliges strictly; it requires safeguarding property rights, paying debts, and fulfilling obligations freely contracted. Without commutative justice, no other form of justice is possible. One distinguishes commutative justice from legal justice which concerns what the citizen owes in fairness to the community, and from distributive justice which regulates what the community owes its citizens in proportion to their contributions and needs. In virtue of commutative justice, reparation for injustice committed requires the restitution of stolen goods to their owner.” CCC 2411, 2412)
Re-read the Catholic Church’s definition of justice. Justice cuts both ways. It’s not just applicable for the little guy. Bezo’s, Musk et al are also on the hook to work in a just manner in their business dealings as are those who buy (not steal) from them.
"Justice cuts both ways."
In short – true justice flows from love. Stealing, larceny, and destruction is the domain of the devil – no matter how much “Lee” or anyone else wants to rationalize their actions. Justice is true for everyone. This erosion of moral clarity, the rise of self-centered rationalization, and the abandonment of virtue as a compass for life should deeply concern us as Catholics.
"Justice flows from love; love of God and love of neighbor."
The article showcases likely middle-class, college-educated professionals including “Lee” who claims to be a good Catholic who have easily justified unethical behavior in the name of protest, frustration, anger or entitlement. The thinking seems to go that if the system is corrupt, I don’t have to play fair either. It also reveals a societal self-centeredness and a deep lack of understanding about business in general and how slim margins can be for many businesses, how personal risk and failure work in entrepreneurship, the massive effort it takes to become successful, and that wealth accumulation is more complex than “rich guy is bad”. It doesn’t help matters when “rich guys” retire and then announce they are going to “give back” to society in some form, generally philanthropy. The term giving back has always bothered me. It connotes – that the person giving back took something that wasn’t theirs in the first place which only helps justify the actions of people like Lee.
What gets overlooked in this kind of “micro-rebellion” is who actually gets hurt. Small business owners selling through Amazon. Entry-level employees demoralized by rising theft. Honest customers now forced to jump through hoops and who have to bear the rising costs to cover theft – companies pass the costs of their business to the consumer – always. This post doesn’t even cover all types of fraud including insurance fraud and government fraud, waste and inefficiency (a form of stealing) now being exposed by DOGE. When our society normalizes “bending the rules” to serve ourselves, we contribute to the creation of a culture of true injustice we claim to oppose.
Many today, including some in our own Catholic community, have grown up in a culture that avoids clear moral lines. Instead of objective right and wrong, we’re taught to follow what “feels fair,” or worse, what works in our own favor. But morality isn’t about convenience — it’s about truth.
It’s about choosing the good, even when it costs you. Especially when it costs you.
This is the quiet crisis underneath stories like Lee’s. It’s not about Jeff Bezos. It’s about what happens when we stop forming people — especially young leaders — to be men and women of character, humility, and true moral courage.
The article concludes with “If people want to hurt Amazon with their pocketbooks, the best thing they can probably do is just not shop there. But that would require effort, planning, and forgoing the luxuries of on-demand shopping, which many people don’t seem so willing to do.
“That would be a moral response,” said Stuart Green, a Rutgers law professor who focuses on the moral theory underlying laws. “I don’t think you can steal things that you like and then say you’re doing it because you don’t like the company.” At least it’s better than setting Teslas on fire.”
The irony……
Photo by: Felipe Tofani
We are quickly becoming a society that is OK with stealing in order to “get my share”, that kills business leaders such as Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare motivated by anger with US health insurance companies and yes, is now OK with setting Tesla’s on fire. None of these are OK and are sinful acts that grieve God.
We Catholic leaders have the answers to this troubling and growing societal problem. Are we ready to stand up and point the way?
