I was recently downtown in Platteville. While passing a bar, I saw a bicycle that looked familiar. It was a green Coast King belonging to my roommate, despite the fact that he was not in town and I last saw the bike on my front porch when I left the house. Someone had obviously gone onto my porch that evening and stolen it.

Some of you reading this know what I am talking about; you or someone you know steals things when drunk. Not always bikes; some steal lawn furniture, toys, snow shovels or anything they can find outside someone’s home. A lot of people who steal when they are drunk don’t do it when they are sober, because they know it is wrong. Why does having a few drinks make it acceptable to steal?

Being ridiculously drunk does not give you a free pass to commit crimes. Imagine how that excuse would hold up in court. You are still at fault for what you did, and if this is something you do only when you are blackout drunk, maybe you should stop drinking that much.

There is also the feeble reasoning that people who do not want things stolen should not leave them outside; that is unacceptable. You still went on to somebody else’s property, essentially trespassing,  and took their possessions.  That is two crimes rolled into one drunken act.
I have also heard people bragging about something they stole, but causing someone else pain or dismay is nothing to brag about. It is especially pathetic when people brag about stealing toys from children. How miserable of a human can you be to take pride in that? When the child wakes up the next day, they will be heartbroken. Is making a small, defenseless child cry really your idea of a good time?

Stupid acts like this are yet another reason why the community hates college kids who drink, and it sheds us all in a negative light to some. These people, who indulge in reckless, moronic behavior because they think they are cool when they are too hammered to walk or think straight, totally wreck the reputation of the college community. Next time you are drunk and about to do something stupid like steal something from someone’s lawn, first think if you would like it to happen to you.