MovieChat Forums > Lonesome Dove (1989) Discussion > One thing I don't get, about their stanc...

One thing I don't get, about their stance on stealing....(spoilers).

posted 8 years ago by Stiler
1 reply | jump to latest

Throughout the series Woodrow/Gus and the others are shown to have a very clear stance against horse thieves, etc.

Going as far as to hang Jake even though he didn't ever hurt anyone or anything.

However the thing that always seemed strange to me is that at the start of the series they are literally riding into Mexico and stealing horses themselves (and seem to enjoy it even), it comes off a bit hypocritical to me that they'd have such a hard stance against it when they themselves do it. Even if the horses they were stealing were also stolen as it shows.

[–] MAGolding (1228) 5 years ago

Woodrow and Gus believe that stealing from them is wrong, but are not so opposed to themselves stealing for other people.

Actually many people believe that something is always wrong, but have a set of one or more types of persons that rule doesn't apply to, even though it should. Robbery is wrong, unless you steal from ______. Murder is wrong, unless you kill ______. and so on.

So apparently Woodrow and Gus, as Texians, hate Mexicans and believe that robbing Mexicans and possibly killing some in the process is right. Or maybe they only believe it is right to steal from one particular Mexican, the one whose livestock they rustled.

Making exceptions to rules that should protect everyone is a common ethical flaw among humans.