Responsibility

[andrewducker]

This is inspired by the comment here, where ladysysiphus says "If you have consumed enough alcohol to impair your judgement, I believe you then have to take at least some responsibility for putting yourself in a position where something like this might happen."

[Poll #619684]

Comments

[channelpenguin.livejournal.com]

if Andy, in his drunken state, offered the MP3 player to a passer-by, his appropriation of it can theoretically still constitute a theft.

Nope don't see that. It's not theft. It's really stupid of Andy, and the person taking it isn't particularly nice or kind but nor are they all that evil.

If you can't take people at their expressed word (as it is here) things are awfulyl tricky. I'll extend that to wordless action too - not all communication is verbal. Repeatedly forcing the player into the passerby's hands and refusing to take it back woudl work too, for example.

Don't do stuff you don't mean (mild tact allowed, I suppose, but it does make this more tricky to define). Accept that in altered states you may mean different things. If that bothers you, avoid such states.

[missedith01.livejournal.com]

Nope don't see that. It's not theft.

It could be theft, under the law as it stands. Theft is the dishonest appropriation of property belonging to another, with the intention to permanently deprive the other of it. A person appropriates when they assume any of the rights of the owner.

Appropriation with consent is definitely appropriation, without doubt.

A gift is an appropriation (or sometimes it's not, depending on which case law you prefer).

It's really stupid of Andy

Yup. :-)

and the person taking it isn't particularly nice or kind but nor are they all that evil.

Does one have to be evil to be an offender?

[channelpenguin.livejournal.com]

like Andy, I am not interested in legal defintions or rules, more in sense...


Does one have to be evil to be an offender?

sloppy turn of phrase. As a concept, I don't personally subscribe.

[missedith01.livejournal.com]

I am not interested in legal defintions or rules, more in sense...

Ah, well, can't help you there. Too short myself at the mo. ;-)