The rationalisation of theft: YOMANGO

Would you ever steal? Why? Revenge, necessity, impulse, discontent, injustice...? But before doing so, would you think about the possible consequences, or would they take a back seat because the benefit (personal satisfaction, money, status...) is greater than the cost?

These questions are merely an exercise in how you might rationalise the criminal opportunities that might arise in your routine. D. Cressey proposed in 1961 that for a criminal and/or fraudulent situation to materialise, three elements must coincide: motivation, opportunity and rationalisation.

Cressey also said that such situations "arise when a person has high standards of morality, he probably has difficulty in moral questioning when he is committing fraud. Those who are unprincipled simply find an excuse and justify themselves by saying there is nothing wrong with what they are doing".

Consequently, the final decision on whether to steal or defraud will depend on our own justifications, which will be aligned with our code of ethics.

We can all steal, but will our arguments for doing so be enough to have a clear conscience? The organisers and members of the now defunct YOMANGO movement are clear, they would answer YES.

In the early 2000s, the YOMANGO movement emerged, whose aim was to fight against capitalism by stealing from large multinationals, pretending to be a movement of civil disobedience, but it was never recognised as such. At first their actions took place in Barcelona, but over the years they spread throughout Latin America until 2012, when their actions were no longer recorded.

They defined themselves as "An anti-brand, an experimental Research-Action-Participation, tools for action, a strategy of daily civil disobedience, a recognition that shoplifting is not new, nor original, although we wish to undo the image of theft as something hidden and isolated, proposing to introduce it as one more activity of the "original and novel" SCCPP, and not to offer it as an ideal proposal for the future, but as another bridge and a resistance to capital".

They published two books, "The Red Book" and "The Purple Book", using as representatives of their movement Mao Zedong, former president of the Republic of China and top leader of the Communist Party, and Winona Ryder, an American actress who in 2002 stole almost five thousand dollars worth of clothes and accessories giving her the title of Hollywood kleptocrat. Both books are signed under the pseudonym "Sabotage Against Capitalism Having Fun (SCCPP)". 

In these two humorous manuals published with the support of the Madrid City Council, they explain why the movement exists, its philosophy, its objective, what the profile of its members should be and provide tools to steal in shopping centres or shops without being detected. They also give advice on what to do if you have been detected and arrested by the Security Forces and other artistic activities to promote the movement itself.

But why was this movement so successful and why did it encourage many of its followers to rob establishments?

They were supported by certain social groups, and the way in which they invited theft was perceived as a game that helped to improve the world and create a more equitable society. 

As we have seen previously, in order for us to defraud or steal, the reasoning behind our actions must be in accordance with our ethical or moral code, YOMANGO's philosophy is not applicable to everyone, because it only empathises with the needs of certain segments of the population who are unhappy with the economic system of capitalism. Furthermore, in the book itself it sets out the "10 keys to a YOMANGO lifestyle", defining what the profile of its members should be.

With this movement, these groups see an effective response and a real action to confront capitalism, without being frowned upon by society itself, because at the end of the day, the YOMANGO movement is also defined as an artistic movement.

Nevertheless, this activist action has been used as a perfect argument by those people who, although they do conform to the system itself, find a valid justification for their actions, without feeling judged by society and included and respected in it.

Likewise, in "The Red Book" itself, they set out the reasons and objectives of their movement so that they are not seen as a criminal group, but as activists:

• "To bring new and complementary forms of struggle and to open debates, questioning, antagonisms....
• To be proactive, enthusiastic, exciting, easy-going and close. To work from the local to the global, uniting the islands that connect underneath, creating social fabric and mutual support between the different "islands" of social movements. 
• Attacking the balls of capitalism: rethinking the needs, desires and other anchors of Consumption.
• Because we want bread, but also roses... and sausages, chocolate, new boots and a bottle of Negrita rum".

Adding which are the methods to achieve it:

• "Stealing: tools, tips, accessories, tricks, anecdotes, amateur diets...
• Spreading the word: videos, RAP SESSIONS, cards, misrepresented shop brochures, posters, T-shirts, saboteur cards, wall stencils, website, workshops, actions,...".

YOMANGO achieves through these principles that stealing is justified and supported, through good marketing (using typography and logos of already known brands) a clear objective and providing the necessary tools to its followers to carry it out. 

It even tries to corrupt as many people as possible and to make them overcome their morals, through the method "The Anchovy Diet", in "The Purple Book"¸ invites the reader that "If you are one of those that thinks "I find it all very interesting, but I will surely get caught" or "I would like to, but I would get blushing so they would see me coming like a stuffed tomato", then don't get frustrated any more. Don't get frustrated any more: at YoManGo we've thought of you and we've prepared the Anchovy Diet for you. Eliminating any kind of reasoning that goes against stealing, forcing you to see it as something positive and feasible, without fearing the negative consequences of it.
We have already seen what is a clear example of the use of reasoning to justify stealing, but how can we counteract it and prevent its actions? How can we deal with collective thinking?

1. In shops themselves, by investing in security systems and plans appropriate to the cost-benefit.
2. Education within the company (employees) and indirectly to the customers themselves.
3. Strengthening business ethics, through transparency campaigns about the organisation.

Stealing from a shop does not mean that you are fighting against capitalism, but rather that you are harming the employees who work there, not only because they lose products, but also because this type of action can generate insecurities within the shops, decreasing the productivity of the employees and scaring away customers because they start to consider it a dangerous place. This translates into more layoffs and the development of breeding grounds for crime that will affect the entire area, whether commercial or residential.

Understanding why theft or fraudulent acts occur is necessary to develop specific tools to help us prevent them, so supporting criminological research on these types of behaviours will help us understand them and develop appropriate prevention plans.

Begoña Romero/ Criminologist specialising in corporate security/Coordinator of the Criminology area of  Sec2Crime.

References:

• Moreno, W. L., & Ríos, J. S. (2012). The Fraud Triangle. In FORUM EMPRESARIAL. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/268240166.pdf.
• Mysler, G. (2019, June 24). The fraud triangle: How do we psychologically justify theft, fraud and corruption? Retrieved April 20, 2021, from Com.ar website: https://100seguro.com.ar/el-triangulo-del-fraude-como-justificamos-psicologicamente-el-robo-el-fraude-y-la-corrupcion/
• acfe. (n.d.). Fraud Triangle. Revised 20 April, 2021, from Acfe-spain.com website: https://acfe-spain.com/recursos-contra-fraude/que-es-el-fraude/triangulo-del-fraude
• Stretched, L. (2018, April 25). The club of celebrities caught stealing. Revised 24 April 2021, from El Periódico website: https://www.elperiodico.com/es/extra/20180425/famosos-cleptomanos-pillados-robando-6783235
• Sabotage Against Capital by Passing it PIPA (2002). The YOMANGO Red Book. Revised 20 April, 2021 from http://animalario.tv/PorcoArchivo/Biblioteca/5.%20El%20libro%20rojo%20-%20Yomango.pdf
• "Sabotage Against Capitalism Having Fun" (2004). The Purple Book YOMANGO. Revised 20 April, 2021, http://www.animalario.tv/PorcoArchivo/Biblioteca/13.%20copyleft%20libro_morao_yomango.pdf
• yomango.info -. (n.d.). Revised 20 April, 2021, from Yomango.info website: http://yomango.info/