I visited Helsinki for a week this summer, having come from Russia, which most Americans don't realize shares a border. My tickets never got checked on the train or subway, you weigh your own produce at Stockmann's (though not your own deli items), and I didn't see a single police officer when I was there.

I think it is easy to credit socialism, but that is hard to do credibly with St. Petersburg across the Gulf. My Finnish friends (who speak perfect English and Russian and Swedish and French) thought this was a strange question--why do people behave in a civilized way? The answer they gave seemed so obvious. Money. If you have a social safety net like Finland, the need to steal will be much lower, probably lower than the cost to prevent it. Social norms factor in too; maybe somebody will see you put an extra apple in the bag. Culturally, Finns are very considerate. When people in the trains heard my friends and I speaking English, everyone changed over to speak English in their unrelated conversations. I was floored. Still, I think it has to be money. If there are homeless people in Helsinki, I didn't see any. Finland is such a small country--Helsinki has less than a million people--and such a rich country that they should be the ones expected to act this way.

I basically agree. I think that in the US, this sort of problem is largely due to a desperate fear of poverty and the worship of wealth (which are related). There is much more trust in communities where everyone has a similar income (small towns, and stores that only attract the well-off). There are also a number of folk who don't trust "the system" because it has a history of screwing them over, so they are willing to violate its rules whenever it is to their advantage. This is particularly true for the descendants of slaves in the US.

There are regular reports in the daily newspapers of corporate CEOs cheating their companies and of the government. Haliburton, to cite one example, and Enron, to cite another, have dealt in thievery involving billions of dollars and there are many others. Descendants of former slaves do not seem to be involved.

I don't think it is directly related to money. People on welfare live in the highest crime areas. They need not work and housing is provided to them. But often, very often, they do not take care of what they have.
Then I was in Ecuador taking a tour in Guaquil. At one point a saw a woman siting on the steps of a church leading to the basement and she was working on something. I asked the guide what she was doing and he said she was homeless and she was making something to sell at the market. I pulled out $10 and asked the guide to give the money to the elderly woman in the most humble way possible. He attempted to do so, her response: "Thank you no, I provide for myself". Integrity exists despite money.

What other factors are there?

What values could be developed in a person that would allow them to starve rather than to steal? This is an extreme case, but one to show the strength of conviction.

If you respected your parents and they would never steal. Perhaps you would not at any cost.


In the US, we are bombarded with inconsistant behaviors. People steal on public commercials and we hear laughter in the background. I hear parents telling their kids, do as I say, not as I do. Politicians regularly lie, cheat, and steal with little or no real punishment. Persons with money get away with murder, while the poor who are only accused of murder go to jail.

I believe that teaching Ethical Reasoning at every level of education annually for at least 30 years, world-wide would have the greatest effect upon the quality of life everywhere.

One of the good/bad things of the US "culture" is that we do have a lot of immigrants bringing disparate and sometimes weird points of view with them when they (legally, I hope) immigrate. Others see this behavior on the street, and without a strong moral compass, they sometimes adopt the same behavior / actions. Sad, but true.

Regrettably, ethics are often determined by the lowest common denominator. Then again, Impressions are often made by one encounter alone. I met many nice Germans while there, yet my impression of Germany is based on one extremely rude person who did things I felt were unacceptable socially here even in the US. If I go to New York, in some quarters I would feel that I would be very threatened, others would be very safe. In Los Angeles, the whole culture changes in a few blocks from safe to "don't even think about it".

I have met Russians and Ukrainians I would give my shirt to (and somewhat did, in some respects), and others who would steal me blind if they had a chance. Ever try to get a cab outside of the Moscow airport? Worse than in the US (personal opinion only).

Personal integrity comes from within, based on a foundation that is internal.