The Robin Hood Of 2010 Is In Shackles: Does He Deserve To Be A Legend?
Futureman
2010/07/13 19:34:40
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19 votes
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21 votes
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He is known by his thousands of followers as The Barefoot Bandit, but his name is Colton Harris-Moore, and he's just a 19 year-old kid from Camano Island, Washington. Just recently, after two years living as a fugitive, Colton was taken into custody in the Bahamas where he was finally found. He is led by the police with shackles around his wrists and ankles - he wears no shoes.
What's so remarkable about this kid is how he evaded the law, dodging even the FBI, and lived for so long with his only profession being a thief. He stole food and water, cars, boats, identifications, and even planes. Harris-Moore reportedly stole up to five planes and flew them with no former flight training. All these amazing things he did, he taught himself how to do. And there's a kind of brilliance in that.
Still, Colton broke the law, many, many times. He is now being prosecuted in the Bahamas where he could face up to three months in jail and then deported to the United States where he could face up to 13 years in jail. And despite the fact that he has almost 100,000 followers on facebook, T-shirts with his face on them, and songs written about him; being a criminal means you're a bad person. Right?
His mother, who upon hearing that her son may have stolen planes and flew them in order to flee the police, said, "I hope to hell he stole those airplanes - I would be so proud...But put in there that I want him to wear a parachute next time.”
Colton's Mom, Pam Kohler, is now being represented by O. Yale Lewis, the same attorney who handles the business affairs of Courtney Love and Jimi Hendrix's estate. They're talking movie rights.
My question now, after visiting The Barefoot Bandit's official fan club web page, is should we glorify this kid for being a criminal? In his defense, he never hurt anyone directly, and he grew up in an abusive situation - his step-father was a violent drug-user. And based on the remarkable feats of crime that Harris-Moore was able to perform, it makes you think that perhaps in another life, he could have been a real life James Bond. But Colton isn't James Bond, he's a thief. Should we really be turning him into a legend?
Tags: colton harris-moore, the barefoot bandit, criminal, custody, 2010, july, pam kohler, movie rights, legend, stolen, planes, bahamas, nassau, washington, thief.
What's so remarkable about this kid is how he evaded the law, dodging even the FBI, and lived for so long with his only profession being a thief. He stole food and water, cars, boats, identifications, and even planes. Harris-Moore reportedly stole up to five planes and flew them with no former flight training. All these amazing things he did, he taught himself how to do. And there's a kind of brilliance in that.
Still, Colton broke the law, many, many times. He is now being prosecuted in the Bahamas where he could face up to three months in jail and then deported to the United States where he could face up to 13 years in jail. And despite the fact that he has almost 100,000 followers on facebook, T-shirts with his face on them, and songs written about him; being a criminal means you're a bad person. Right?
His mother, who upon hearing that her son may have stolen planes and flew them in order to flee the police, said, "I hope to hell he stole those airplanes - I would be so proud...But put in there that I want him to wear a parachute next time.”
Colton's Mom, Pam Kohler, is now being represented by O. Yale Lewis, the same attorney who handles the business affairs of Courtney Love and Jimi Hendrix's estate. They're talking movie rights.
My question now, after visiting The Barefoot Bandit's official fan club web page, is should we glorify this kid for being a criminal? In his defense, he never hurt anyone directly, and he grew up in an abusive situation - his step-father was a violent drug-user. And based on the remarkable feats of crime that Harris-Moore was able to perform, it makes you think that perhaps in another life, he could have been a real life James Bond. But Colton isn't James Bond, he's a thief. Should we really be turning him into a legend?
Tags: colton harris-moore, the barefoot bandit, criminal, custody, 2010, july, pam kohler, movie rights, legend, stolen, planes, bahamas, nassau, washington, thief.
Top Opinion
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+velouria+ 2010/07/15 20:39:37Yes, what The Barefoot Bandit did was incredible! He deserves the legend stat...
+6wow all of you honestly make me so sick. you are typical uninspired people. you live just on the surface of humanity. you are shallow and simple minded fools. did you even look to read his biography. the law is the law blah blah blah. this kid had a horrible life. his mother never took care of him he didnt have a father. she is a total leach. anyways this kid is incredible to me. he stands for self preservation and what intelligence really can help you to achieve. The kid has done pretty mind blowing things over 80 % of us can't even dream about. not only that but did you know he is 6ft 5 '' this says a lot about this kid. that his strong will to live has had such an effect on him that he was also able to physically and mentally grow. this kid is amazing. you all are lame
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Hooray for robbery! Huzzah!
When you steal personal property from someone, that IS DIRECTLY hurting them. So he was a victim of bad parenting, so are lots of people... he chose his path, and it was a path of crime. I hope he doesn't spend 13 years in prison, but he needs to be punished, not celebrated.
For all of you out there calling him a legend, think for two seconds, if you can manage it, and put yourselves in the shoes of those people whose homes he robbed. Or whose property he stole. Or maybe think about how horrible it must have been to find your identity compromised: do you realize how much red tape and paper work a person has to go through to get that back? What did he achieve other than notoriety for selfish reasons? What did he stand for that makes him such a hero?
Just because he was brilliant and came from a shady background doesn't excuse his behavior or make him a hero. It may make him interesting, but so are most of the serial killers and crime spree enthusiasts on Crime Library. It doesn't change what they did. Bonnie and Clyde were interesting too: they still robbed banks and shot innocents. Many people come from crappy homes and don't turn into criminals. This boy has no excuse for what he did and I hope he spends a decent amount of time in jail for it.
Now, I'm in no way likening the notoriety of Harris-Moore to that of Hitler, nor am I justifying the crimes of either, but...it's the same general vibe. Sure, it's not a heartfelt story or one of just moral values...but a good story regardless.
:P