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Jeden Monat nähern sich unsere Kolumnisten, die Berliner Filmemacher Dominik und Benjamin Reding, dem jeweiligen Heftthema
auf ihre ganz eigene Art und Weise. Geboren wurden die Zwillinge am 3. Ja nuar 1969 in Dortmund. Während Dominik Architektur
in Aachen und Film in Hamburg studierte, absolvierte Benjamin ein Schauspielstudium in Stuttgart. 1997 begann die Arbeit an ihrem
ersten gemeinsamen Kinofilm „Oi! Warning“. Seitdem arbeiten sie für Fernseh- und Kinofilmprojekte zusammen.

Each month our columnists, Berlin-based filmmakers Dominik and Benjamin Reding, approach the respective issue-specific theme
in their very personal way. The twins were born on January 3, 1969 in Dortmund. Whilst Dominik studied architecture in Aachen
and film in Hamburg, Benjamin graduated in acting studies in Stuttgart. They started working on their first joint motion picture “Oi!
Warning“ in 1997. Since then they have tightly collaborated for TV and cinema film projects.

L et’s keep it short; let’s be honest; let’s tell it straight away: I shoplifted once. A with it.” Clarissa (radio presenter, 54 years old): “Yes, as a child, a roll of adhesive
tape; later, as a teenager, yellow plastic earrings; and as an adult, a ginger tuber. The
sweater, V-neck, cotton, light-grey. Retail price: 29.95 DM. Yes, Deutschmarks, it
was all quite a while ago. What the store looked like where I shoplifted? I don’t know adhesive tape was a dare, the earrings attracted me but they were too expensive,
that anymore. I only remember my high pulse rate and the stale stink of cold sweat. and for the tiny ginger tuber I didn’t want to pay. I thought I was doing the store a
It was a test of courage, not to prove myself to others, the mates, the school class or favour since nobody would have bought the tiny thing after all.” Nora (musician, 31
the members of a youth movement but for my own benefit. To at least have stolen years old): “It sometimes happens to me that I find something in the street and could
once if one didn’t manage to be a freak, a hulk, a rock star, superman or a world make an effort to find the owner but then prefer to keep it because it is beautiful, a
ruler. Of course, it went wrong. Two store detectives ran after me all the way out into scarf or a sweater or a bracelet. ... In most cases, I then lose something in return
the street. They took back the sweater damp from my hands. And despite the angry shortly afterwards, so I hope it balances out as regards Karma. Pens sometimes also
looks and all kinds of strong announcements: police, banned from entering the store, end up in my bag. Or I steal clever sayings I like and pass them on as my own! Ot-
criminal law, juvenile prison and, how I added to myself: solitary confinement, sleep herwise, I am quite an honest sort, I’m afraid.”
deprivation, forced labour in a quarry, denied high-school graduation. They let me Today, there is consensus: Nicking, stealing pilfering, purloining is not only morally
go and let the matter rest. Thereafter, I never went back into that part of the city and reprehensive, it is an offence according to § 242 StGB and is punished with up to five
hated V-neck sweaters, particularly those in light-grey. “Thou shalt not steal.” Thus years in prison. This used to be different. No, not the punishment as such, but the
it is carved in stone in the Ten Command- view on the whole affair. In 1840, the econo-
ments and written in printer’s ink in the penal mist and philosopher Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
code. But I did it. And others are also doing it. wrote in his book entitled Qu’est ce que la
Are you doing it? I don’t know any thief. Not propriété?: “Property is theft! If 40 thalers are
among the people I know, not personally. But sufficient to ensure our livelihood, then
then I have never asked around. Have you sto- owning 200,000 thalers is an obvious theft, an
len? That’s after all a somewhat improper injustice.” The socialists reacted to this inju-
question since it already implies the faint su- stice with the almost unearthly-noble idea of
spicion, statement, presumption that the per- a communist society where everything be-
son asked might somewhere, somehow, so- longs to everyone and theft would exactly for
metime, maybe, a little bit, have done it. And this reason become impossible. The illegalists
if so, I ponder, why had there been a theft? Is (what a word!) close to anarchism, however,
this not even the more painful question? Why took theft by the horns and stole offensively
does one simply override God’s command- and as good publicity from the rich in order to
ment and the penal code and one’s own mo- then just as offensively and as good publicity
rals? Oh well, courage, now I am going to start distribute the loot among the poor – in the
asking the question: lead the trained typesetter Marius Jacob, who
Marie (graphic designer, 38 years old): “Yes, paid for his own illegal selflessness with 24
once, when I was twelve, 20 German marks years in a penal colony, and Clément Duval,
from my mother’s purse. My father, with who first became incapacitated for work as a
whom I got on well, died when I was eight Foto: Benjamin Reding soldier after being injured in a grenade explo-
years old. My mother, who was very strict, sion which then made him become a thief
very religious, didn’t give me any pocket and, after decades in prison, finally a re-
money. Always, whenever I needed a little money, I had to precisely explain to her nowned writer, with sentences such as this: “Thieves only exist due to the exploita-
what it was for. That started to get on my nerves. Of course, I was caught. She slap- tion of human beings by human beings. Whenever society denies us the right to exi-
ped me in the face and then didn’t talk to me for two weeks. That was bad.” Jan (in- stence, we have to take it by force.”
surance employee, 55 years old): “No, really, I never stole anything because I find I shoplifted just once more. It would go too far to explain here all the circumstances
that mean and inconsiderate towards others. In the end, it is not the business people that led up to it, just this much: I had not eaten anything for a long time, had no
who have to pay but the ordinary, honest customers … and yes, I am also a coward.” money, no courage and my body signalled with cold sweat and shaking lower legs
Ruben (technician, 29 years old): “Yes, I frequently stole something. Particularly it would soon fail me. Then I discovered a pear displayed outside a fruit shop. A sim-
when I was between ten and 15 years old. In total, I was caught three times and ple, juicy, ripe pear. I walked faster, didn’t look into the shop, snatched the pear and
twice I had to go to the police station. At first, it was sweets and later alcohol and devoured it, around the next street corner, greedily, drooling, trembling. What I did
CDs above all. Often together with my mates. Why? Well, there are always such at- would, when it happened, have remained unpunished. At the time, the paragraph
tractive things one would like to have and if there is then a chance to get them for of petty theft (formerly § 248a, 1st and 2nd StGB, the so-called consumables theft)
free, then it is all the better, of course. Pocket money was also always scarce. And if was still valid, as a last reminder of the fact that people also commit thefts from ne-
you were successful several times, there is no real reason to stop. Getting caught is cessity. After the government declared that such situations no longer existed in Ger-
bitter, of course, but as time goes by the bad feeling disappears and you just go on many, it was abolished and considered as a punishable theft.

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