Sunday, October 11

#41 - crime


An envelope arrives for you in the mail one day bearing no return address. The envelope seems to contain something relatively heavy, and upon opening it, you find a thin sheet of metal, engraved and embossed.

Actually, it looks exactly like a "get out of jail free" card from the board game Monopoly (and a comparison you carry out later in the day confirms this). Your full legal name is on the back of the card.

That night, a story on these cards leads the nightly national news. Many other individuals have apparently received envelopes just like yours. The cards, around a thousand, began appearing all over the nation earlier in the week, and apparently at least one has already been put to use.

Two days ago, a North Carolina man was arrested while trying to hold up a bank at gunpoint. He had a card similar to yours, and when he presented it to the authorities while in custody, the police were inexplicably forced to drop all charges.

So, you now have in your possession a card that could avert any legal consequences stemming from the perpetration of a single crime. It cannot be used by anyone else, so giving it away or selling it would be pointless. How would you use the "get out of jail free" card? Would you use it? Would it have any impact on your life?

5 comments:

Evan said...

Very little of what I want to do in my life am I kept from doing by actual laws.

I mean, I'd assuredly keep it, occasionally consider some crimes.

It'd be even better if my being let off would then set a legal precedent. Then what I'd do would be something like:
1) Start a company
2) Build it into a million dollar enterprise, go public
3) Make some major decision that represents placing some priority above investor profit, such as say, product quality, environment, etc. Get sued by investors.

etc, etc.

Mike said...

In some ways, I think maybe I would destroy the get out of jail free card. I don't THINK I'd ever willingly commit a crime (other than like, speeding). But in some ways I wonder if the consequences of jail help keep me in check?

Then again, maybe I'd just steal a big screen TV from Best Buy. And if I got away with it, continue to steal those big ticket tech items I want until I get caught.

Seriously tho, if I decied to keep it, I think I'd just keep it in my back pocket in case I was ever wrongly accused of a crime. That is one of my fears, going to jail for something I never did.

Holly said...

I like Mike's idea about keeping it in case of false accusation, but if I ever would want to use it for something premeditated, I would definitely spend it on the punishment for reckless driving. I'd "test drive" a (very) fast car, find a deserted enough road on which to evaluate its full capabilities, and go. If I wasn't worried about hitting somebody, I think this would be the only act that the law (as opposed to other deterrents) would actually keep me from committing.

Matt said...

Yeah Mike, good call.

I would love to put together a bank heist to see if I could come up with a flawless plan. I'd have the card if caught, and if not, I could "redistribute" the spoils.

Really though, I don't know if I could go through with it. Plus, I wouldn't want to do something that would involve others who wouldn't have their own cards.

I'd probably just keep it without any real plan, or do something driving related like Holly mentioned.

Paul said...

I'd enjoy pulling the fire alarm of some large public building. A simple pleasure, and this card will allow me to indulge.

Perhaps lacking in ambition or scope, but I don't feel I have to shoot for the moon everytime I try something.

This one would bring a happy little smile to my face for the rest of my days.