[ CYPHER CODE #1288 ]
The internet doesn’t just show behavior. It teaches it.

[ CYPHER CODE #1289 ]
What gets shared gets repeated.

[ CYPHER CODE #1290 ]
Small actions scale when they’re easy to copy.

BRIEFING

Grant here. You know shoplifting and stealing are things that have existed since the beginning of time, but in recent years it seems that these acts have moved from being shameful to being something that actually feels justified. Let’s break it down.

There are two short videos showing people literally stealing from grocery stores and restaurants. It's bizarre because these actions are portrayed as completely nonchalant. These people are showing themselves literally taking things without paying and uploading the footage to social media like it's nothing. And putting these two videos side by side shows that there's a bigger pattern emerging.

In one clip, two young women at Chipotle are seen at the condiment area, feverishly filling a bag with anything they can possibly steal, including things like hot sauce, napkins, and plastic cutlery. There's absolutely no hesitation or attempt to hide it. Just grab what’s there and go.

SOURCE

Then in another video, a woman walks through Walmart explaining how to eat for free. The method is simple: you just go and pick up hot food from the prepared section, walk around the store, and finish it before leaving. It's literally like a dine-and-dash situation, but even more untraceable.

SOURCE

DEBRIEFING

What really stands out here is that the tone in both clips is almost identical.

They're super casual, matter-of-fact, and even a little instructional.

That second video, in particular, doesn’t just show them stealing, but they literally explain how to do it step by step. Like a tip you might share with friends.

And that's the shift...

Not long ago, something like stealing hot sauce from Chipotle or eating stolen chicken tenders at Walmart would've been something a little shameful, done in private. But now it broadcasted and normalized.

This behavior is now filmed, posted, and explained.

And once it’s explained, it becomes something anyone can replicate.

And when enough people see the same thing presented the same way, it starts to feel normalized. Less risky and less like a line being crossed.

The rules around stealing haven't changed, but the perception of the behavior clearly has.

NOW YOU KNOW

The more people see it, the more normal it feels.