Sense of entitlement or what?
By TheRealDawn
@dawnald (85137)
Shingle Springs, California
January 24, 2011 6:34pm CST
This is a true story. The name of the politician in question has been omitted in case there is any chance I might end up getting sued for libel. lol
My husband used to work at LA airport. Specifically, he worked for the company that ran the bars and restaurants (also the gift shops before they were spun off). You run into a lot of people, including some famous people, at airports.
His company used to sell a brand of San Francisco sourdough bread for customers to take home. I suppose if you're coming to California, getting San Francisco bread in Los Angeles is better than not getting any.
Anyway...
One day a tall, elderly, balding man in a very expensive suit was observed picking up a loaf of bread and leaving the restaurant without paying for it. R went after him and said "excuse me", and the man turned around, gave him a "you got me" look, handed him the bread, turned around, and went to catch his flight.
To his surprise, he recognized the man as being one of our US Senators. Yep, a long time elected official shoplifting bread...
What motivated him, one wonders? A sense of entitlement? Kleptomania? The thrill of it? All politicians are crooks?
What would you have done? Would it have mattered if you had supported the person? Hated their politics?
5 people like this
21 responses
@GardenGerty (169477)
• United States
25 Jan 11
Wow, I do not know what I would have done. I think it may be a sense of entitlement. If it was someone I really did not like I would have reported them, or leaked it to the news. I guess this is like the stereotype of a cop helping himself at the fruit stand. I think I like my Kansas sourdough bread better. I did not have to steal it. Grew my own. LOL
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (169477)
• United States
25 Jan 11
Misleading statement, I grew my own starter, so I have Kansas sourdough bread. I learned how to do it online, and I am just really enjoying my first experience of making bread from scratch with a sourdough starter.
3 people like this
@LaDeBoheme (2004)
• United States
25 Jan 11
OK, I know you are not supposed to answer a question with a question, but I just have to know! So this senator was allowed to just blithely hand the bread back and go on his merry way?!
Maybe that's why he did it, because he knew he could! What's the worst that could happen? You get caught. You hand it back. You go on your merry way...or flight, as the case may be.
Hmmm...somehow I don't think that would work if I did it.
@LaDeBoheme (2004)
• United States
25 Jan 11
I guess it is a sort of delicate situation. I mean, what do you say? "Um, excuse me senator, but I am going to have to insist you stay while I call the police."
Must be some sort of domestic diplomatic immunity ...or something. 
3 people like this
@celticeagle (189874)
• Boise, Idaho
25 Jan 11
It would have been very sad if it happened to a politician that I supported. I would feel sad. This person might have kleptomania. Maybe he needed help. Sometimes these type of people slide under the radar for many years, some never get caught. They may need help but because of who they are they are never prosecuted or have never gotten into any embarrasing situations. I have heard of some rich people who are kleptos. Just the thrill of it. And looked like respectible people too.
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Jan 11
I wasn't there, so I have to go with what R said, which is that it appeared he picked it up on his way out, so how could he forget to pay? Unless maybe he thought he had to pay the flight attendant once he boarded or something. 
2 people like this
@bigal3 (1231)
• Thailand
26 Jan 11
If the bread was near the door he probably saw it when he went into the store. Therefore I feel he planned to walk out with the bread "OR" he bought something else, told the sales clerk he also was getting a loaf of bread and had already paid for it. What do you think?1 person likes this
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
25 Jan 11
Based on your discussion I tend to believe that yes he did feel a sense of entitlement and expected to have it simply take it and have it forgiven, as he was stopped by R he felt a bit ashamed, so rather then pay he handed it back with hopes that no further discussion of the occurrence would be spoken of. As standing near the register meant further interaction.
Come on you two, he didn't pick it up when he walked into the store and if he changed his mind when he was leaving the store, being a "RESPONSIBLE" lawmaker and citizen he would have walked back to the clerk and paid for it don't you think?@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
26 Jan 11
Ok, dawn if I am reading your discussion you said he did not pay for it, he handed it back to R, right, but not until R tap him as to where he was gong without paying. So what am I missing??
2 people like this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Jan 11
I guess in principle he should have called the police. I can just see the headline...
@mr_pearl (5018)
• India
25 Jan 11
I guess, he wanted to experience the thrill of being a thief (unless, he is suffering from Kleptomania!!!)...) In my country, a politician would never have to do this, even if he wants to experience the thrill... His gang (the followers, I meant) would go and pick anything for him without paying anything... And the matter will pass as 'routine' or 'normal' thing... Even the shopkeeper wouldn't think any wrong of it... Hopeless politicians and helpless us!!!
)...) In my country, a politician would never have to do this, even if he wants to experience the thrill... His gang (the followers, I meant) would go and pick anything for him without paying anything... And the matter will pass as 'routine' or 'normal' thing... Even the shopkeeper wouldn't think any wrong of it... Hopeless politicians and helpless us!!! 1 person likes this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Jan 11
Interesting. Over here it would be called shoplifting and there would be a big scandal about it, and the person would probably have to resign.
@laglen (19759)
• United States
25 Jan 11
I feel safe in saying that it IS a sense of entitlement. I find this very prevalent among politicians. The feel powerful and superior. This is what happens with career politicians. Its sick. This is a good indicator that this man needs to go back to being Joe Citizen.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
25 Jan 11
How weird. I wonder how much stuff he did get away with stealing. I probably would have assumed it was a sense of entitlement. I think they get power hungry! It would certainly make me think less of him, even if I had supported him. I just need to know though.. was he a democrat?
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Jan 11
He had been in office a long time too. Yep, actually he was a democrat. Does that prove some theory of yours? :D
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
25 Jan 11
No, I don't really have a theory.. just figured it was more a characteristic of a Democrat.
1 person likes this
@Anora_Eldorath (6028)
• United States
25 Jan 11
Dawn-
A loaf of bread in a Restaurant? Was it a bakery or something? Or did he just take a bread stick from a table? Sorry, I'm just trying to understand what happened. The way I read this the bread was there for the customers to take home, so if this man had lunch there, paid for the lunch why could he not have the loaf of bread? Please tell me if I'm missing something because as of now I don't see any wrong doing.
Namaste-Anora
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Jan 11
It was a cafeteria. They have items that you can purchase to go, as well as whatever food and drinks you put on your tray. In this case, it was packaged sourdough that they sold in addition to the food and drinks that were served to be eaten there.
2 people like this
@Anora_Eldorath (6028)
• United States
25 Jan 11
Ah! Thank you for the clarification. In that case I think he was out of line. It is difficult to say how the store should handle shop lifting. It seems that each store has its own policies and procedures. I know at one place I worked for we very rarely prosecuted first time offenders regardless of who they were. It was more a slap on the wrist and hope we didn't see them again. Again, each store has its own set of policies, but I don't think anyone regardless of "rank" or "status" should simply think they are allowed to take things.
Namaste-Anora
2 people like this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
27 Jan 11
Had I seen what your husband had seen, I think I would have done the same thing that he had done. That said, I will never understand what it is that possesses people to try to take things that don't belong to them. I see that there are people that take all kinds of things from stores and it really doesn't make any sense to me. Perhaps taking food for your family if they were starving would be acceptable, but to take things that you really don't even need has never and will never make sense to me.
1 person likes this
@gladys46 (1205)
• United States
25 Jan 11
Trying this again dawnald ... my first response with the same wording somehow dissapeared!
I find your husband's response a very humanitarian one ... to allow this politian after he was caught to give back the item and go on about his business, in my mind was good of your husband. I've heard of many folks in the act of thefts, attempted thefts being arrested, tried and convicted and sentenced to extreme periods of incarcerations ... yes, and some committing those acts that reaped as little as the sum of a loaf of bread.
If, I experienced such an act by any pol that I supported, I'd be totally disappointed ... I mean, whatever happened to the adherence to ethics canons .. even the "appearance of impropriety" ??
1 person likes this
@gladys46 (1205)
• United States
25 Jan 11
Wow dawnald ... in allowing this politician to leave this scene and go on about his business was a real humantarian thing your husband did, IMO! I've heard of ordinary citizens being arrested, tried and covicted of thefts the value of that loaf of bread and sentenced to years of incarcerations!
I guess, your story tells "me" that "we" maybe go into some stage of shock to actually witness someone who is expected to be of high character act so obviously criminal. It would matter very much to me, if any pol that I supported acted in this manner ... I mean, whatever happened to the ethics canon ... "appearance of impropriety"
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Jan 11
I guess I should ask him if he would have let anybody go if they gave the bread back. Not sure....
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
25 Jan 11
I think he knew he would get away with it because of who he was and he did so of course he will do it again until someone reports him for shoplifting
I guess these Politicians seem to think that they can get away with everything
@jillhill (37353)
• United States
25 Jan 11
Sometimes I do think they have a sense of entitlement...I have ran into a few. I was in a restaurant a couple of years ago when some politicians came in for some sort of rally or whatever....well the main man who was running for office and his aide ordered coffee and something else....then left without paying. I heard the waitress telling the boss that they didn't pay...the guys just strolled out of the restaurant like nothing happened. I don't know what they did to recover their money or whatever...but I thought it was just plain rude!
1 person likes this
@mysticmaggie (2498)
• United States
26 Jan 11
First of all, you have a remarkable husband because he didn't decide to grab five minutes of fame by taking pics and turning it over to a news station.
I think he handled it correctly. It sounds as though the senator is a kleptomaniac.
Had I been in your husband's place, I would have done the same whether it was a senator or an every day Joe. The bread was given back. However, I think I would have ask the person not to ever return to that shop.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
26 Jan 11
He didn't have any way to take pics, this was long before cell phone cameras were common. But I don't think he would have done that even so.
@bounce58 (17380)
• Canada
26 Jan 11
I just watched the movie 'Takers'.
Maybe being in office for a long time has gotten him so used to his ways of just taking whatever he wants without ever thinking of consequences, or paying for it(I'm talking about corruption here
).
Maybe the lines betweeen in office and the real world is so blurry, but the sense of entitlement is always clear.
).
Maybe the lines betweeen in office and the real world is so blurry, but the sense of entitlement is always clear.1 person likes this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
26 Jan 11
Or he's just used to being given anything he wants...
@bigal3 (1231)
• Thailand
26 Jan 11
Hi "dawnald",
Somehow that does not surprise me. In today's political climate it seems our government representives feel they are "ALL" above the law. In the past ten years I have observed more illegal acts comitted by members of government both at the local and national levels. Some of the offenses were rather serious and if you or I did them we would be imprisoned. Having been a police officer in my younger days I think I would hve approached him and "politely" ask him if he "forgot" to pay for it. This would have probably embarassed him to the point that he would have gone back and paid for it. 1 person likes this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
26 Jan 11
This was longer ago than 10 years, but clearly (unless he was really absent minded, which I doubt) there was something going on there....
@fannitia (2167)
• Bulgaria
25 Jan 11
I would chose "All politicians are crooks". But not because I think that he was a thief. We can't be sure of his real intention. Maybe he was so absent minded that he picked up the bread and the next minute he forgot to pay for it.
But I think that the politicians are not the decent people that they want us believe they are. Maybe in this case the senator was innocent but what about other, more serious cases that we don't know?
1 person likes this
