We’re not entirely sure we’d call Michael Rapaport a comedian but the bigger piece of this tweet is that Judd Legum is trying to claim shoplifting and theft really aren’t that big of a deal, and that it’s evil corporations who are putting themselves out of business … not liberal governments who protect the criminal over the victim.
Take a look at this hot mess:
1. Comedian @MichaelRapaport posted a viral video of a man stealing items from @riteaid
He claimed the store was closing due to thefts
His claims were repeated by @nypost, @axios, and other outlets
But it was all a lie
Follow along if interestedhttps://t.co/kDmvTyikA8
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 14, 2022
IT WAS A LIE.
Even though we saw the video of the guy literally shoplifting.
Ok, this oughta be good, and by good, we mean really stupid.
2. @MichaelRapaport said the man in his video stole shampoo and condoms
Rapaport's video and his claim that NYC Rite Aids were closing due to a recent surge and thefts were featured six articles in the @nypost alonehttps://t.co/kDmvTyikA8 pic.twitter.com/LG8QlymfIk
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 14, 2022
OMG IT’S ALL A PLOT!
He continued.
3. But the claim wasn't limited to right-wing media outlets controlled by Rupert Murdoch. It was echoed by @axios, which presented Rapaport's claims as fact, citing the @nypost's "reporting."
Axios said it was proof of a "crisis"https://t.co/kDmvTyikA8 pic.twitter.com/EIyh1J0L12
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 14, 2022
New York Post is right-wing?
Huh?
He does realize Rapaport isn’t right-wing, yes?
Keep going …
4. None of this was true. @riteaid created a list of 63 stores across the country it was closing to reduce costs in 2021. Those stores began closing last November. It was part of an effort to "reduce costs" and "drive improved profitability." https://t.co/kDmvTyikA8
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 14, 2022
And these stores were being ransacked and robbed anyway.
*sigh*
5. @riteaid did not attribute any of the store closures to shoplifting. And the reduction in stores is part of a larger trend in the industry.
CVS also announced last November that "it would shutter 900 locations over three years"https://t.co/kDmvTyikA8
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 14, 2022
So it’s not shoplifting! Or something.
6. Why are drugstores closing? They rely on foot traffic from people picking up prescriptions to sell higher-margin products like OTC drugs and cosmetics
But more people are getting their prescriptions online
So there are too many drugstores in the UShttps://t.co/kDmvTyikA8
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 14, 2022
Because people don’t want to go into their stores and be robbed, ya’ dolt.
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1493218157082955781?s=20&t=5xdwGhS2Jq24lYcqIhmymQ
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
It’s like the idiots who claimed it was ok to burn down small businesses because they had insurance.
9. Retail theft is up modestly in NYC — about 15% since 2019. But overall crime levels, especially violent crime, are way down since 2000 and even more dramatically since 1990.
There is no "crime wave" in NYChttps://t.co/kDmvTyikA8 pic.twitter.com/J1EI7Bd68I
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 14, 2022
Retail theft being up 15% seems like a crime wave to us but hey, what do we know?
10. @riteaid, on the other hand, has been repeatedly accused of stealing millions from its employees.
It has paid over $50 million in the last five years to settle accusations of wage theft for its employees, which make an average of $33,212 annuallyhttps://t.co/kDmvTyikA8
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 14, 2022
THERE IT IS.
It’s Rite Aid’s own fault they’re being robbed.
11. @RiteAid's alleged wage theft from its employees has received essentially no media attention, outside of subscription-only trade publications
Meanwhile, the media is focused on a guy who stole shampoo and condoms from one store.https://t.co/kDmvTyikA8
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 14, 2022
BECAUSE IT’S A CRIME TO STEAL.
Holy shazbot.
12. Companies steal an estimated $15 billion in wages from their employees each year
That exceeds the value of all stolen goods each year and the bulk of that is stolen cars
Yet wage theft is not treated as a crisis or even a storyhttps://t.co/kDmvTyikA8
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 14, 2022
So he turned a thread about retail theft into wage left by evil corporations … alrighty then.
And he wonders why we all point and laugh.
https://twitter.com/chloethemilf/status/1493245464434540548?s=20&t=rkJTV2xdJrbhnVgZcQw0Hg
Give it time, it’s early yet.
I’ll save you the trouble of reading this brainless thread…”Blah blah…shoplifting is perfectly OK because lefty stuff and other lefty stuff, and besides, store owners and employees are the actual bad-nasty thiefses…blah blah. https://t.co/1IVE9ceMEf
— SG Hupp (@SGHupp) February 14, 2022
This 🤡 is legit insane ⤵️ https://t.co/v0ZoWEatGt
— Sally Tomato (@MrSallyTomato) February 14, 2022
When even Rapaport isn't progressive enough… https://t.co/t6ZB1livLJ
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) February 14, 2022
Right?!
https://twitter.com/unvaxxedistan/status/1493235930441957378?s=20&t=rkJTV2xdJrbhnVgZcQw0Hg
Protect the criminal, ignore the victim.
It’s the progressive way.
***
Related:
Join the conversation as a VIP Member