Lee insists he’s “famously” a very good Catholic.
He’s a moral person his mother raised him right.
And by his internal calculation, it’s OK toshoplift from Whole Foods.
Lee has never shoplifted from anywhere else not Safeway, not a local store.
Lee has weighed the ethics of what he’s doing.
At one point, the guilt got to be so much that he confessed his misdeeds to his mother.
Maybe yourstocks are down, but you’re still a billionaire, so it’s fine.
In terms of public perception, however, the superrich have seen better days.
Americans arevandalizing Teslasto get back atElon Musk.
Mark Zuckerberg’s “Zuckermoon” is over.
They’re sticking it to The Man, who in this case is one specific individual.
But the justifications people offer are just that justifications.
And they could be causing unintended harm to the non-Bezoses of the world, as in, everyone else.
Many retailers have put items behind glass cases to combat theft, which is a headache for everybody.
In the realm ofretail theft, middle-class consumers and opportunist thieves are a growing group of culprits.
Carson isn’t just extracting his purported payback through Whole Foods.
Reporting for this story, I heard the same sentiment over and over from shoplifters and less-than-honest Amazon shoppers.
“My lack of remorse for any of this is it’s a big corporation.
They have so much money,eggs are $10, screw them,” they said.
When I asked whether they felt any sense of regret, the answer was succinct: “F no.
He’s the most successful entrepreneur alive.”
Still, he’s not losing sleep over it.
“We know how much money that company makes.
They’re not going to be worried about that $70,” he says.
“I feel like the Batman of returns.
I choose my targets.”
Amazon’s e-commerce practices arebad for the environment.
To be sure, Bezos has also given people plenty to be happy about.
It’s super convenient to have stuff delivered to your door at the drop of a hat.
Whole Foods is, for the most part, a lovely shopping experience.
There are a handful of guys in popular culture who epitomize the enormous gap between haves and have-nots.
Bezos is one of them.
It’s a bit of a stretch to think the answer to that one is yes.
He told me there are likely three broad categories of thinking going on here.
“That’s what allows them these sorts of moral gymnastics.”
After all, it feels like they’re pulling one over on us all the time.
He doesn’t really blame people for doing this.
Roman even understands the get-back-at-Bezos stuff, given how the ultrawealthy are viewed.
I would say probably not," Arun Sundaram, an analyst at CFRA Research, said.
Amazon declined to comment for this story.
Jeff Bezos did not respond to a request for comment.
Attitudes are generally more removed and hazy.
“I don’t know who I’m hurting,” Lee said.
Everything’s getting more expensive, but corporate profits are still going up.
People feel like they have to be on guard against business trickery and slights.
People feel like big businesshas broken the social contract, so they can break it back.
At least it’s better thansetting Teslas on fire.
Do you have a story to share about the small ways you take out frustrations on corporate America?
Contact this reporter atestewart@businessinsider.com.
Emily Stewartis a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.
