Lawbreaking is never insignificant

On Saturday, a truck carrying apples overturned on a highway in Nanyang, Henan province, and people nearby rushed to pick up the apples scattered on the ground, instead of helping the driver. Within three hours, 20 tons of apples were snatched up by passers-by. A similar thing happened on Sunday, when villagers gathered beverages scattered in a truck accident on a highway in Sichuan province instead of lending a hand. These are not isolated incidents, such "looting" has been reported in other provinces recently.

We might say these looters are villagers who lack education and money, but it is clear that such thefts take place irrespective of the region or the value of the goods, and they are not restricted to any age, gender and occupation. Most of the people involved in such looting are ordinary people, they are not the typical "bad guys", and some of them undoubtedly consider themselves to be good, law-abiding citizens.

Some might say, what's the big deal if I pick up an apple or two, or a can of soda? They argue the universality of such looting, for it happens in all countries, just reflects human nature. It is reported that on March 24, 2010 in Ohio, the US, a cash transport vehicle's back door suddenly opened. Several piles of notes valued $100,000 have been scattered on the street, which have immediately been snatched up by the passers-by. But while many people are unable to resist the temptation of getting things for free, that doesn't mean they don't realize what they have done is wrong.

In Fuzhou, Fujian province on Thursday, the wind caught the bag of a migrant worker cleaning windows on the eighth floor of a building, scattering the 6,000 yuan ($987) she had saved for her son's tuition on the street below; her desperate pleas failed to stop passers-by from taking the money, with only 300 yuan returned at scene. However, when her story was reported on TV, she received a total donation of 110,000 yuan from people.

The poor window cleaner's experience indicates that the society is not necessary morally degenerate as there are still so many people who are ready to help others. The frequent looting cases are actually a manifestation of the broken window theory.