What Happened To Honesty? (1970)

[Music] [Music] [Music] Why are there so many ripoffs these days? [Music] Got it. [Music] >> Well, there's always been thieves. I guess there always will be some. [Music] Every society has had problems with stealing, haven't they? >> It seems to get worse and worse all the time. >> Ripoff seems to be the new national pastime. >> But you know, this growing ripoff business seems to make life rougher for all of us. What can you do about it? Put locks on everything? [Music] What a way to live. Locking things up. Does everybody have to steal? >> I'd like to think I wouldn't. I just wouldn't do it, that's all. >> Yeah. What if it was something that was laying around? Nobody watching it. And you knew. I mean, you really knew you could get away with it. >> I still wouldn't do it. >> Yes, but a lot of people do it. That's why there's so many locks and bars. >> Yeah. Some of these places look just like jail. >> No. Security is one thing, but jail is something else. >> Everything's behind bars in jail. Same thing out here. I've seen elves in the movies. They have guards all around. They even watch you on hidden TV cameras. The worst thing is nobody trusts you. I bet if you go to the shower, they watch to see that you don't steal the soap. >> Same thing out here. >> Hey, it is kind of like living in a big jail. You know, if everybody who stole something went to jail, I mean, if they caught them all and put them in jail, there wouldn't be near enough jails. They'd have to build a lot more. What's really happening is that the whole outside world is turning into a jail. What's the difference between a security guard and a prison guard? Their job's the same. You know, more ripoffs lead to more suspicion of all of us. >> Have you noticed how no one will lend you anything without a deposit or sign for it, even if you're in trouble? That's because someone's always ripping it off. That's no consolation if you're out of gas. Lots of times there's no towels at the swimming pool. [Music] >> They shouldn't take it out on everybody just because some people steal. Go on. I bet you have some of the towels at home. Everybody takes stuff. >> Well, just look what happens. The rest of us do without any towels. >> Well, you still have to be careful. You know, always lock up your bike. >> But a good lock and chain costs $15 to $20. >> Yeah. And you get tired of locking your bike every time you want to get off, especially if you're in a hurry for class. [Music] and they can still get it or at least part of it if they really want it. I know a guy who lost everything but the wheel >> rougher a thing like becomes a big >> That's why I say we've made the whole outside world like a jail. >> I don't buy that. At least we're free. >> Free? How free are we if we can't leave anything around? Have to lock it up, worry about it all the time. Everything has to be watched. People will steal anything that isn't nailed down. [Music] [Music] A friend of mine had skateboard ripped off a couple of weeks ago. Now his dad's mad because he didn't keep an eye on it and he won't buy him another one. >> Skateboard? That's nothing. Someone got away with my 10-speed. I worked all last summer for it, too. [Music] Sometimes it's even hard to spend your own money. They even lock up the cashiers. I don't care what it is, people will rip it off. I've even had my lunch stolen. That's really cheap. stealing your lunch. What about the supermarkets? There's so much stealing of food. The grocery store is beginning to look like San Quinton. Mirrors, monitors, one-way glass. I get tired of being watched. But I know some guys who think it's okay to steal anything that isn't being watched. Their shoplifting hurts all of us. You know who pays for everything that is stolen? You and me. The store raises the prices on everything. >> Is that all for you today? >> I guess the only thing left to do is to put guards all over the place. Homes, parking lots, schools. >> Can you imagine how much that would cost? It already costs a fortune for the security the stores have to use. And you know who pays for it? One on the west side. Is that the north or south alley? >> I don't know what side that is on. That will be the north alley. >> 10. I'll meet you there. >> Well, that doesn't make life any easier. If you have to hire a guard to watch every piece of property, >> huh? Maybe that's the way to solve the unemployment problem. Hire half the people to watch the other half. >> But who's going to watch the guards? They already spy on you. You may not know it, but they do. Close circuit TV. >> 539. Check the girl in the yellow sweater. She was seen putting a bottle of shampoo in her purse. >> They have to spy on people, otherwise they lose half the store. >> And what about the burglar alarms? With the ripoffs these days, you can't open a business without paying for a security system. It's like buying protection. [Music] How does it work? I don't know. But if a burglar trips the alarm, it is fed to a security center. This machine records the time of day and alerts the police. Equipment like that must sure cost a lot of money. Have you seen the bars people put on their houses? I bet that cost something. Ripoffs cost everyone a lot of money. >> And then there's the politicians and the big businessmen. They're all crooked and they get away with it, too. >> A come on. They aren't all crooked and they don't all get away with it. So big brother has to watch the executives as well as the little guys. It all adds up to the same thing. Everyone's under surveillance just like jail. >> You know, when you first started talking about it, I didn't go for it. But now that I think about it, >> just take a look around. Maybe we don't notice because it's gradual, but it's starting to get real heavy. locks, bars, guards, snoop systems. The more ripoffs we have, the more time we waste locking up property. We're asking for it as long as everybody thinks it's cool to rip off. >> It's gross. It's making the whole world around us gross. It's making us gross. [Music] We're sure making life rough for ourselves. >> Boy, I wonder how it'll all end up. I wonder how the world will look in a few years. [Music] >> I already told you, like a jail. >> One thing for sure, if they have to keep spending money to guard property, there won't be much left for good things like parks and playgrounds. I'd rather have more parks than guards. >> You're right. Swimming pools, camping grounds, tennis courts. >> Why do people rip off? They're making the whole world ugly. I resent all the locks and bars and restrictions. >> Well, it's our own fault. More ripoffs mean more restrictions. >> Everybody's suspicious. You can't trust anybody. Why do they do it? Are they sick? >> Just because some people steal doesn't make it okay. >> It seems to make life harder for everybody. But what can we do about it? >> Yeah. What are we going to do about it? [Music]