A Victim Treats his Mugger to Dinner

1. Geekazoid
   March 28th, 2008 at 7:17 pm

   I think Mr. Diaz has been watching one too many movies. I am all for compassion and understanding, and I am sure he meant well, but who's to say this mugger won't be doing the same thing to another person? In that case he has failed to turn in this criminal. I am not too compassionate over others who violate the rights of others with potential harm.

2. VonSkippy
   March 28th, 2008 at 7:25 pm

   I love stories where the sheeple line up willingly to be slaughtered. Renews my faith in Darwinism.

3. Matt
   March 28th, 2008 at 7:44 pm

   I note that this story somehow made the media.
   Read the linked story - this is just self promotion. No corroboration whatsoever.
   Well at least he's not the complete idiot he first looked.

4. bean
   March 28th, 2008 at 8:09 pm

   I can't believe anyone actually believes this guy isn't lying.

5. ted
   March 28th, 2008 at 9:06 pm

   Sounds bogus.

6. stacyj
   March 28th, 2008 at 10:07 pm

   I dunno, I love the idea behind the story, and a lot of it makes sense to me. I for one really hope it's true, because it's rather beautiful.

7. Miss Cellania
   March 28th, 2008 at 10:23 pm

   A blogger who works with Story Corps left a few comments about whether this is a true story at Boing Boing.

   http://dynamic.boingboing.net/profile/daltonrooney

8. Christophe
   March 28th, 2008 at 11:17 pm

   Good parable.
   If true (and I don't have any reason to doubt it, we've seen weirder things happen), this guy has some balls.

9. emptyminded
   March 28th, 2008 at 11:22 pm

   I heard this story on NPR Friday morning. It seems to be true with corroboration available from the people at the diner where Mr. Diaz eats dinner.

   His mother made the comment that, as a child, if someone asked Julio what time it was, "he'd give them his watch".

   It sounded to me as though Mr. Diaz had made a potentially tremendous impact on the other man's life. At least more so than that offered by the criminal justice system.

10. Shervin
    March 28th, 2008 at 11:34 pm

    I don't agree with Geekazoid. I think treating the mugger to dinner and talking things over is much better therapy than going to jail. If I were a teenage mugger this would certainly change my perspective (certainly its hard to say for sure).

11. Lasse
    March 29th, 2008 at 2:36 am

    This approach also enables you to get in a better position for gaining information about the mugger. His name, where he lives, etc. etc. That information you could either give to the police, or to get even in some other way, by fucking his life up.

12. artbot
    March 29th, 2008 at 2:52 am

    It's not such an amazing story when you consider all the people who might have offered to hand over more or ask their assailant to dinner and were then shot or stabbed. Those stories don't usually make the news as there's no one alive or willing to talk about them.

13. Chris Johnston
    March 29th, 2008 at 7:55 am

    If true, it's like an episode of "Due South" come to life!
    I always wished there might actually be people like Our Favorite Mountie in the real world.
    Can't believe all the negativity I'm seeing here.
    Breaks the heart.

14. mattytiz
    March 29th, 2008 at 8:21 am

    Seriously people. Of course a situation like this could potentially turn out worse, but that's not a reason to turn down an opportunity to do some real good. Real or fake, it's a great example or how people can use hope to help improve the world.

    Mthw 5:40

15. Ola Amigo
    March 29th, 2008 at 2:05 pm

    One thing I noticed, the dude looks pretty big, so that might have given him some confidence. Plus, if he's a social worker, or whatever, he might be able to gauge the relative nastiness of the hoodlum.

    Also, the Miss Cellanis' link made a decent case for the fact checking.

    I'll buy it. Good hustle Mr. Diaz. Nice to hear a positive story.

16. just a guy
    March 29th, 2008 at 2:17 pm

    I don't think the average person would do this - it seems that self-preservation would be a much more common reaction - and lack of compassion for someone taking from you (your money, sense of security, etc) is certainly more 'human nature.'

    Which is why I think an action like this is wonderful (if true). Yes, he took a risk, and perhaps the kid didn't learn anything. But, perhaps finding person in the world who 'wasn't a b_stard' (or something) made the difference for him.

    In any case, this is a great example of what can redeem my faith in people, which is nice once in a while, given all the horrible things we hear of humans usually doing.

17. roger
    March 29th, 2008 at 3:08 pm

    I was expecting:

    "After they ate, Diaz told the teen he’d have to pay for dinner, since he didn’t have his wallet. The teen handed the wallet back, and Diaz gave him twenty dollars, although he did ask for the knife, which the teen handed over. Then Diaz promptly thrust the knife into the teen's neck, and declared 'thanks for dinner, sucker' "

18. ted
    March 29th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

    So he does this wonderful deed and then tells everybody about it, to the point that it gets in the news?

    Here's a different spin: drugged-out teenager tries to mug big social worker. Social worker instead talks the teen into going for dinner, with the hopes of getting a little more money. During dinner, social worker steers the conversation over to how the teen can earn some extra cash if he just goes back to the social worker's house to pose for a few photographs. Teen agrees, goes back to social worker's place, social worker puts on a little Barry White. Afterwards, teen gets nervous, threatens to blackmail social worker. Social worker kicks him out, panics, makes up a story to head off any suspicion.

    How's that for heartwarming?

19. AlaskaErik
    March 30th, 2008 at 2:36 pm

    This story sounds about as credible as Hillary dodging sniper fire in Bosnia. Come at me with a knife and I'll give you some Hydra Shok therapy...185 grains per "dose".

20. Fsmarch
    March 31st, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    And Snow White, the waitress, hooked teen mugger up with Dopey, the bus-boy, who was out on parole, for employment.

    And they all lived happily ever after.

21. b33
    April 1st, 2008 at 3:01 am

    wow.. lots of sad, negative people in here.

22. the lord
    April 1st, 2008 at 12:29 pm

    Eat and run bitch

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