<p>Would you steal from Whole Foods to make a statement?</p>
<p>Some Democrats answer that question with a resounding yes, but it leads one to wonder what happens to a society when the most basic forms of morality are at stake.</p>
<p>In a recent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/opinion/shoplifting-political-protest-microlooting-whole-foods.html">episode</a> of The New York Times podcast “The Opinions,” leftist streamer Hasan Piker and New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino joined Times opinion editor Nadja Spiegelman to discuss a new kind of public expression — “Why petty theft might be the new political protest.”</p>
<p>The conversation began with a quick exercise on their moral code, in which Spiegelman asked questions such as “Would you dine and dash from your local diner?” and “Would you steal a book from the library?”</p>
<p>To these, Piker and Tolentino both responded “No.”</p>
<p>When asked, “Would you steal from the Louvre?” Piker said he thinks it&#8217;s &#8220;cool,&#8221; and that &#8220;we’ve got to get back to cool crimes like that: bank robberies, stealing priceless artifacts, things of that nature.”</p>
<p>From there, the conversation pivoted to the kind of growing socialist rhetoric where actions that used to be widely considered wrong are now justifiable: &#8220;Because the rich don’t play by the rules, so why should I?&#8221;</p>
<p>When Spiegelman asked, “Would you steal from Whole Foods?” the duo was almost gleeful in declaring that they had no reservations about doing so.</p>
<p>Tolentino proudly said she would, and admitted she regularly had, “I think that stealing from a big-box store — I’ll just state my platform — it’s neither very significant as a moral wrong, &#8230; But I didn’t feel bad about it at all,” she added. This is the same Tolentino who <a href="https://x.com/Daily_MailUS/status/2047050858055995511">owns</a> a $2 million house in Brooklyn.</p>
<p>Piker agreed, declaring he is “pro stealing from big corporations, because they steal quite a bit more from their own workers.” His defense is that stores already inflate prices with inevitable robbery in mind and still &#8220;end up having increased profit margins.&#8221;</p>
<p>The anti-capitalist who praises Hamas and believes America deserved 9/11 is also a millionaire who owns a nearly $3 million house in Los Angeles.</p>
<p>Though Piker admitted he himself does not steal, he added, “if someone needs the food, they should absolutely steal it.”</p>
<p>But when pressed whether the same mindset would apply to a Zohran Mamdani-run, city-owned grocery store with lower prices, apparently, the sentiment is markedly different.</p>
<p>&#8220;No, I would not, because I feel like that’s taxpayer-funded, it’s union labor, and the prices are also adjusted regardless,&#8221; Piker admitted.</p>
<p>Spiegelman further questioned the root of the new protest — anger at the wealthy. &#8220;What I’m seeing on TikTok and social media is people saying that they’re stealing from Whole Foods not just for the thrill of it, but out of a feeling of anger and moral justification.&#8221;</p>
<p class="css-ac37hb evys1bk0">&#8220;I feel part of what I’m seeing around me is that people feel like the laws are immoral. The rich don’t play by the rules. We live in a society where there are billionaires; where the top 1% holds 32% of the net worth and the bottom 50% holds 2.5%.&#8221;</p>
<p class="css-ac37hb evys1bk0">&#8220;So, at some point, if the laws don’t feel moral, do you start to question your own sense of having to abide by them?&#8221; Spiegelman asked.</p>
<p>To which Tolentino responded, &#8220;Of course.&#8221;</p>

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Socialists Have Made A New Crime Into A Form Of ‘Protest’

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Socialists Have Made A New Crime Into A Form Of ‘Protest’