The arrest of the "Barefoot Bandit" and the fact that some see him as a folk hero raises
issues about the nature of fame, the moral foundation we grow up with and how we take the
gospel into the unchurched parts of our community.
"Barefoot Bandit": Captured after Crime Spree
The Wired Word for July 18, 2010
In the News
This week, Colton Harris-Moore, 19, the "Barefoot Bandit," who has been on a two-year
crime spree after escaping from a juvenile detention center in Washington state, was
apprehended by police in the Bahamas. He has since been returned to the United States
where he faces a host of charges ranging from home burglaries and credit-card theft to
stealing cars, boats and airplanes.
Harris-Moore, who began his life of crime at age 12, gained his nickname by allegedly
breaking into homes barefoot and by leaving chalk drawings of bare footprints on the floors,
as though taunting police to catch him.
While many, including authorities, view him as a common criminal, others see him as a kind
of folk hero -- or antihero -- who has made his fame by thumbing his nose at authorities.
More than 80,000 people have joined a Facebook page about him. Thousands of "tweets"
praising him have been broadcast via Twitter. And the movie rights to his story have been
optioned.
Unlike the legends of Robin Hood of old, however, there's no evidence that this 6-foot, 5-
inch school drop-out attempted to do any good for others with the things he stole. In fact,
many of his victims were ordinary people whose lives were negatively impacted by his
actions.
According to his attorney, now that he has been caught, Harris-Moore says he intends to give
up his outlaw ways and turn his life around. "He says that if he had come from a stable home,
he may not have done the things he did," his attorney said. "He said to me he intends to
change his life."
Reportedly, Harris-Moore's home life was indeed unstable. His father abandoned the family
when he was a toddler, his stepfather died when he was 7, and his mother became abusive
when she was drinking.
Back in 2009, after her son stole airplanes that he learned to fly by playing video games,
Harris-Moore's mother told a reporter, "I hope to hell he stole those airplanes -- I would be so
proud. But put in there that I want him to wear a parachute next time."
Writing for the Web site of the British newspaper The Guardian, Colin Horgan said that the
large following Harris-Moore has gained, which is mostly among teens and young adults, is
not surprising given that a goal for many in the Generation Y group (those born in the latter
decades of the 20th century) is to become famous. According to one 2006 poll, 51 percent of
18- to 25-year-olds said that "becoming famous" was an important goal of their generation.
Horgan, who himself belongs to that generation, said, "The story of a criminal teenager from
a broken family, trained only on his video-game console, and railing against seemingly very
little while causing minor damage, struck a chord. As far as Generation Y was concerned, the
Barefoot Bandit was undoubtedly one of us -- so we put him on the Internet."
After one member of The Wired Word team suggested this story as the basis for this week's
lesson, the team got into a discussion of what responsibility Christians have to convey
Christian principles to others, including those who may be receiving no Christian direction at
home. As another team member put it, "What about the teachers, churches, random people of
faith -- where were they when this boy was forming his moral code?"
This led another member to say, "I see this story as an example of two issues: making
criminals into celebrities, as Americans trivialize the real consequences to real people and
ignore the real cost to society; and highlighting again the apparent absence of religious moral
teaching in parents, who can't pass it on to their children. I see this as pointing to the
decreasing role and relevance of the church in America."
But another member responded, "I don’t think we can blame church people for not teaching
morals to the kid if his family never darkened the door of the church. There’s only so much
'going out to get nonattenders' that works."
More on this story can be found at these links:
Barefoot Bandit: Folk Hero or Crook? CNN
'Barefoot Bandit' Hometown Welcomes Capture. Time
Barefoot Bandit Is an Antihero for Generation Y. The Guardian
The Big Questions
1. What do we mean by "a folk hero"? What conduct or attributes qualify someone to
be a folk hero?
2. While the sweeping generalization about Generation Y having the goal to be
famous may or may not be accurate, the desire to be widely recognized and praised
does drive some people in every generation. Even people who have no wish to be
famous appreciate being recognized for their good deeds and accomplishments. But is
being a celebrity a meaningful end in itself? Explain your answer. Is being driven by
a desire for fame better or worse than being driven by a desire for wealth? Why?
3. If it is true that a significant percentage of Generation Y wishes to be famous, how
can the church use that drive as an opening to reach members of that generation with
the gospel?
4. How much credence do you give Harris-Moore's statement that if he had come
from a stable home, he may not have done the things he did? Why?
5. To what degree is the church responsible for the moral training of those who do
involve themselves in a church? To what degree are we responsible for reaching out
to the unchurched?
Confronting the News with Scripture
2 Samuel 7:1-17
2 Chronicles 9:1-9
1 Samuel 23:1-14
Proverbs 22:5-6
Matthew 10:5-31