The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

The photo you're looking at is that of Paddy Mitchell, dubbed my many as the Gentleman Bandit, born and raised in my town of Ottawa. He was the leader of a group called the "Stopwatch Gang". All of his bank robberies were done with skill, precision & timeliness, and not one person ever got injured or killed. He stole millions of dollars during his career as a criminal, and yesterday he died of cancer behind bars where he was serving a 60+ year sentence with no chance of parole. He tried to get extradited to Canada, but that didn't happen. He successfully escaped from prison more than once in his lifetime, and I'm sure that may be one of many reasons he didn't get too many requests granted.

Anyway, I'm reading a couple of articles about his death, and to me it was quite alarming how many people think this guy is the cat's meow. I mean, HE'S A CRIMINAL! He STOLE! "But he didn't hurt anybody!" you might say. So what? I'll agree if someone is going to turn to a life of crime, it'd be nice if no one got hurt along the way. But the bottom line is, he deserved to be in jail and his actions should not be glorified. He took things that didn't belong to him. That's a crime. Disagree with me? Well, I'll come by your house with a large sack and take everything of value to you, but I'll be sure to shake your hand & say thank you when I'm done. Would you hold the door open for me as I leave? That sack I'm carrying is pretty heavy.

His son called him a hero. A hero?! What for? How does stealing give you the "hero" label? His son also went on to say that Paddy viewed banks as evil because they foreclosed people's houses and destroyed futures, so he was justified in stealing from them. Maybe there's some truth to that, but it's not like he was taking from the rich and giving to the poor. He wanted to live a millionaire's lifestyle but didn't want to hold down a job. He wanted the money without putting in a hard effort. So it took the shortcut called crime, pocketed every cent he stole and definitely didn't help anyone who got foreclosed on their mortgage.

We have a fascination with the famous. If they've been on TV or in the newspaper, we hold them in a different light and think of them as God-like or whatnot. It doesn't make any sense. They are people just like you & me, the only difference is that their face has been splashed across a magazine cover. They are not above the law, nor do they have some form of higher thinking that will bring society to bliss.

This is a criminal who politely stole money. It's an interesting story, but he's no hero.