Bandits and outlaws.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a ‘Bandit’ as ‘One who is proscribed or outlawed; hence, a lawless desperate marauder, a brigand: usually applied to members of the organized gangs which infest the mountainous districts’.

So it is a fair assumption to make that a Bandit is usually someone who acts above the law, and there have been many ‘bandits’ throughout history that are known to people; Robin Hood, Frank and Jesse James and The Kray Twins to name but a few.

Arguably, the most famous duo are Bonnie and Clyde who terrorized America during the Great Depression and they are perhaps most well known for their bank robberies and the killing of several police officers and civilians during their rampage between 1931 and 1934. Both Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed and killed by police in Louisiana.

It is interesting to consider what exactly drives people to think they are above the law. In the case of Robin Hood, we are all well aware of the story of ‘stealing from the rich, to give to the poor’ and it can be therefore be argued that this ‘bandit’ was in fact right in his morals, if not his actions. However those such as Bonnie and Clyde appear to have carried out their robberies and terrorization for their own personal gain, and by meeting an untimely death, most would probably agree that justice was served.

Bandit is a term which has largely been phased out and we now refer to people who break the law as criminals or offenders, but is there such thing as a modern day bandit?

Colton Harris-Moore is fast becoming a legend in America after evading Police in three different states and appears to have the skill of ‘vanishing into the woods’ each time he gets close to being caught. He has also been described as ‘an amateur criminal – but a master escape artist’, amazing considering he is only 18 years of age. Harris-Moore also has an impressive amount of crimes to his name with Police estimating the theft of two planes, two boats and several cars and has been expected to have broken in to over 50 homes. I personally, would declare Colton as a modern day bandit.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122630422

Like many topics discussed on this blog, there appears to be no significant reason as to why people decide to do certain things. Once again it seems to all fall down to personal choice, however one thing is certain, choosing to be a bandit is one risky hobby!