Sociology, True Crime, and Fame: Colton Harris-Moore

Colton Harris-Moore, or “The Barefoot Bandit” ran away from a halfway house when he was 19, beginning a crime spree of thefts and break-ins that included multiple planes, boats, and cars. As his crimes escalated and he continued to evade the police, the media coverage of his story increased and he began to garner a fan-base that viewed him as a sort of Robin Hood type folk hero. However, did Colton Harris-Moore’s actions really live up to this reputation?

It’s safe to say that Colton Harris Moore was not just the average kid criminal. He was able to evade law enforcement for over 2 years, all while stealing cars, boats, and planes and breaking into multiple homes. While this is true, he was also less than deserving of his folk hero status, though it’s understandable why some might see him this way. When someone like him— he’s a bit of an underdog— is able to pull off the things that he did, it’s hard not to be impressed by him. However, recognizing his intelligence is not the same as idolizing him as a person. Still, many people might look up to him (if he can learn to fly a plane, imagine what I could do!).

A folk hero is just that: a hero of sorts. It seems clear to me that Colton Harris-Moore didn’t have any selfless intentions. Nobody was benefiting from his actions but him, and many were hurt by them. The people who thought he was doing good were only reveling in losses of others, they were not benefited in any way. The “steal from the rich, give to the poor” narrative that some attributed to him was simply untrue. Many of his crimes were against people who weren’t wealthy. That being said, he was reported to have left money at a veterinary clinic, but the signed note he left makes me wonder if it wasn’t purely an act of compassion (I’m sure he did care about the animals, but he also liked the attention he was getting). And while I don’t think Colton Harris-Moore set out with the intention of becoming a folk hero, he certainly didn’t seem to shy away from this characterization of himself.

His folk hero persona was ideated by his fans on the internet. People became aware of Colton Harris-Moore through the media coverage of him, but the internet allowed his fans’ fascination with him to grow in the midst of like-minded people. By reporting about his folk hero status, the media played a part in perpetuating it, but without the talk of fans online, his story would have been much different. Moore took advantage of his newfound fame, craving the rush that came with his game of cat and mouse with the authorities, and added fuel to the fire, taking and posting pictures of himself online and leaving messages at crime scenes signed with his alias “The Barefoot Bandit.”

The story of his victims was never really explored in the documentary about him. When they did speak, they seemed to be the ones more empathetic towards him than critical of him. If I was a victim of him, although I might not have suffered any great material loss, I think that the psychological trauma involved with someone breaking into your home can be hard. Just because he didn’t take much doesn’t mean that people weren’t affected.

I also notice that the documentary shows a lot of his actions without providing his motivation. They briefly touched on his childhood by asking neighbours about him, but all that was really said was that he had a bad childhood and an alcoholic mother which, while it allows us to empathize with him, doesn’t fully explain his criminality. This fact, coupled with the animation of certain events, makes him seem a lot more adventurous and a lot less sad.