Apparently, you just don’t get it. Yes, you. The one who broke into Carver Hall. The one who broke into Charles P. Adam and professors’ offices. The one who breaks into the cars on campus just because.
You just don’t get how lucky you are. You are out of high school and in college, a place you didn’t have to be. Yet, you chose to come here and get an education that will lead you to a positive career, not a negative one.
Granted, college isn’t for everyone, but don’t take out your frustrations on others. You thieves think that it’s cool to steal, huh? Yes, you may get a quick payoff, but that payoff is not worth going to jail for.
Check out the statistics. Blacks are six times more likely to go to prison than whites. Whites have a 4.4 percent chance of going to prison; Blacks have a 28.5 percent.
If you are here, you are lucky. Blacks have an estimated 7.9 percent chance of going to prison by 20, and a 21.4 percent chance by 30, compared to whites.
So, if you are here and haven’t been to prison, you need to thank your lucky stars, because nowadays, you can go to jail for anything.
These days, you can get as little as 3 months to life for stealing. Breaking a federal law is much worse and has steeper penalties. Don’t forget that they can also force you to pay fines.
The government can also stop you from getting one of those nice cushy salaries that we all long for.
Plus, do you think your parents would be happy seeing you in one of those orange jumpsuits cleaning up trash along the freeway?
But, it seems as if some of you just don’t care, so I think you are being selfish, only caring for yourself, no matter who you hurt.
Is stealing still worth the price of some quick bucks? Yes? How is it worth losing your life?
Did you know that if you went on anybody’s property with the intent to harm or steal that they can kill you and not be punished? It happens everyday.
Let’s not forget the Bible. One of the commandments does say, "Thou shalt not steal." Breaking the eighth commandment is easy, but the price of breaking it is not easy to pay.
While a high percentage of Blacks end up enrolling in college, not many make it out. Only a dismal 39 percent actually finish college. At this rate, not many of our fellow classmates will graduate.
You’ve probably noticed that some faces you saw last year aren’t here this year. Now, I’m not saying they dropped out or that they stole, but stealing does help you become one of those statistics.
Some of you probably think that just because you got away with it that it’s OK. It’s not OK, because it’ll eventually come back to bite you in the you-know-where.
So, what I’m saying to you is STOP STEALING STUPID! Use those skills and that time for doing something positive. You made it this far; don’t mess up now.
Simply put, don’t become another statistic.
Darryl Smith is a senior mass communication major from Monroe.