My first crime was shoplifting some rolling papers when I was 12 years old. The security and cashier knew my older brother so I was only warned. I never stole from a store again.
I started smoking pot when I was 12, and over the course of my teens and twenties bought and sold a variety of illicit drugs. I committed arson, me and my best friend catching his back yard on fire when were about 11. I trespassed at a several community pools after hours of operation and at golf courses while participating in underage drinking. I have evaded taxes by working under the table. I have driven on a suspended license and driven without insurance. I’ve smoked marijuana in foreign countries where it was legal and was actually caught once when in Denmark, but released on my own recognizance. I once worked for a company where I fabricated receipts to be reimbursed for petty cash expenses.
I am 50 now and although I sound like a recalcitrant criminal, I am respected in my commuity and admired for my integrity and compassion.
My privilege of whiteness, good looks, and education have facilitated my brazen disregard for rules and law which would have been much more difficult had I been born in another skin or set of circumstances.