"Wallet Test" in Illinois

[Tigger]

"These people" being those I was referring to, race being the only word I could think of. Skin color has little to do with it, other than what is shown. I am not a racist, nor a black apologist. I did not say it was any more acceptable for people of one skin color to commit a crime versus people of another skin color. I said it is more likely to happen given the circumstances that said people live in. Given the area that this was tested in, the results are going to be skewed. The area I live in has very little in the way of blacks - so the number of blacks returning the wallet is going to be smaller because there are fewer of them to return it in the first place!

Oh whatever...no matter what I try to say you're just going to skew it to mean what you want anyways just like you do with anyone who tries to say something you might possibly have a reason to disagree with. I tried to say what I meant. The results do not surprise me in the least.

[Deacon]

I said it is more likely to happen given the circumstances that said people live in.

As compared to white people in the same circumstances?

Given the area that this was tested in, the results are going to be skewed.

How so? Is this an area where the white people are rich and the black people are only there if they work as a servant, or something?

The area I live in has very little in the way of blacks - so the number of blacks returning the wallet is going to be smaller because there are fewer of them to return it in the first place!

They gave the specific number of blacks and whites involved in the whole thing, not just a percentage. Please pay attention.

Oh whatever...no matter what I try to say you're just going to skew it to mean what you want anyways just like you do with anyone who tries to say something you might possibly have a reason to disagree with. I tried to say what I meant. The results do not surprise me in the least.

It's why the results don't surprise me that is the difference, though no matter what I say you're just going to skew it as me being mean and brush it off in order to not have to think about it just like you do with anyone who tries to say something you might possibly have a reason to disagree with.

[Blaze]

These results don't shock me, though I'm a little saddened to see that men in general were more dishonest. I found $50 in the bookstore a few weeks ago, no ID or anything, and I turned it in to see if anyone would claim it. Got it for myself when nobody did.

[spikegirl7]

I don't find much to be surprised about.

I am not surprised at how many people kept the wallets. I do not think it has to do with a lack of altruism, I think it has to do with a lack of .... (head to page translation becoming fuzzy) .... self-respect? Dignity?

I would not keep the wallet because that is stealing, and I am not a thief. I will not allow myself to be classified as such.

Something we learned in Sociology my first year: While it may be true that blacks tend to commit more crime than others, you have to bear in mind the area they come from. There are more poor blacks than there are poor whites...on average. It's going to be more likely, then, that the blacks who commit crimes are doing it more out of desperation than anything else. They NEED that money, it's there for the taking, it's expected that they will steal it (due to stereotyping) so why shouldn't they?

I wonder if it's our inherent selfishness that lead to humanity's incredible ability to rationalize wrong, especially when we get more cavalier with what qualifies as a need. That entire paragraph made me want to vomit in a projectile manner. Thanks for that. By the way, I would encourage you to understand that one's culture and (resulting) moral code has far more to do with one's action than the number of luxuries one may or may not be forgoing at the moment.

/agree with Deacon. Very much so.

[Blaze]

Not only what Deacon pointed out, but furthermore, these tests were conducted in one area. Let it be known that income, economic class, and background consistently show much more in common with location than with race. If a black man in a rough neighborhood needs money, chances are almost 100% his white neighbor does too. If a white man lives in a rich neighborhood, the black man at his neighborhood market probably isn't living in a box.

[FireAza]

I'm surprised so many people were honest. One thing they really needed to include in the test was if people would first take any cash that's in it before they return the wallet, I have a feeling that more people would return the wallet sans-cash than would steal the entire thing.

[Deacon]

I am not surprised at how many people kept the wallets. I do not think it has to do with a lack of altruism, I think it has to do with a lack of .... (head to page translation becoming fuzzy) .... self-respect? Dignity?

Integrity?

[Blaze]

This test raises an interesting point though. Even for me, as a Christian, I'm not sure why we should expect altruism. These people are certainly welcome to reason that "finders' keepers" applies. After all, there's litte if any chance of restitution if they take out their own time and energy to attempt to return the wallet. One could call that work, or one could call that a favor. Most people are okay with doing favors for someone they don't know, but would you actually hold it against them if you randomly called up somebody down the street, asked them to come down for 10 minutes to help you with something, and they said no? How could you really expect that of them? It would be more like work. Unpaid work.

So, while clearly our morals tell us, or at least most of us, that they should return it, logic says they're under zero responsibility to. Then again, that raises the issue that they already did work by finding it and picking it up, since they were also under zero responsibility to do that.

[Deacon]

By your logic, there should also be a result for "people who just left the wallet alone and went on their way" right?

[Binks]

By your logic, there should also be a result for "people who just left the wallet alone and went on their way" right?

Had the test been administered by me I might or might not have fallen in that category myself, depending on time, so I'd say it would be nice to know.

[spikegirl7]

I am not surprised at how many people kept the wallets. I do not think it has to do with a lack of altruism, I think it has to do with a lack of .... (head to page translation becoming fuzzy) .... self-respect? Dignity?

Integrity?

Your grasp of the English language surpasses mine many a time.

Also I have been thinking and would like to know about the "just left it and went on their way" option. Was this taken? Was it not a factor?

[BigGunn]

I forwarded this to my Sociology professor, he found it very interesting and said something about checking further into it and maybe doing a similar experiment here.

[amlthrawn]

If the same test were done in Chicago, however, the results would be different.

WTF are you trying to say, here?

[adciv]

Probably that people would be afraid to take the money, given who runs the city.

[Smaointe]

Once I found a shetland pony foal and I pushed it back through the fence to its mother. Now, I COULD have tucked it under my arm, bundled it into my hatchback and taken it home with me, but I decided to do the right thing.

It was real tempting though.. he was such a cutey...