Local, state, federal, and whatever other applicable laws permitting, you should definitely learn to open easy locks with paper clips (optionally a pair of pliers and a screwdriver as well). We did it on the last day of the graduate-level security course I took, and I will definitely never take the security of locks for granted again.
They have their use, they ensure that only sophisticated thief get away with your loot. Makes for more impressive local news coverage than this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQqk-x7dD0Abest quote is at 1:40. Skilled practice a throwing bricks.
Purchasing and using a bump key (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_bumping) is not particularly sophisticated.
Also, if you're attempting to criticize the activity of lock picking in general, realize that it is a long standing tradition in the hacker community. Sergey Brin is a prominent example of a "non-evil" person who tinkered with it [1].
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/10/technology/10google.html