Theft

Theft occupies a complex space in moral and political life, oscillating between a universally condemned crime and a sometimes-justified act of survival or resistance. While individual shoplifting often triggers pathologizing diagnoses like kleptomania—historically used to marginalize women—the broader concept of theft serves as a critical lens for examining power structures. Feudalism and capitalism rely on original acts of dispossession, where sovereign or corporate entities seize resources under the guise of the common good. This dynamic is particularly evident in settler colonialism, where the imposition of private property law facilitates the theft of Indigenous land. Furthermore, the evolution of heist films into grift docudramas reflects a shift in contemporary capitalism, moving from collective, utopian portrayals of resistance against powerful bureaucracies to individualistic, self-interested narratives that mirror the predatory nature of modern private equity.