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A show of hands, please: How many out there will be fudging on their taxes this year?
What makes otherwise honest and upstanding citizens cheaters? What does it take to push them "over the edge?" And how do they justify their actions?
David Callahan examines these and other questions in THE CHEATING CULTURE.
Cheating begins from the cradle and goes beyond the grave. It has practically become the norm, and those who don't adhere to its "bizzaro" precepts are scoffed at as naïve or teased as a "goody-two-shoes."
People cheat to get into the "proper" preschool. They cheat to get into the proper college. They cheat to gain advancement on the job. And at the end of days, they cheat to avoid various "death" taxes.
Blame it on the yuppie mentality, Callahan bemoans. Although it's well within the realm of acceptable behavior to try to get an edge by legitimate means whether at work, in school or on the ball field, he claims such moral dilemmas have been more prevalent since the Reagan years and the movie Wall Street told viewers "Greed is good."
Take as an example the parents of a little leaguer. "Bobby" might be a star shortstop, head and shoulders above the rest of his teammates. But the coach's philosophy, in a proper display of sportsmanship, is that everyone gets a chance. The parents decide that this misguided altruism might deprive little Bobby of a college scholarship or even professional opportunities. So what are their options? Dad might decide to become a coach himself, using his position of authority to advance his own child. Or even worse, they might decide to sue the coach, the league, the town ...
Callahan, co-founder of the public policy center Demos, discusses the phenomena of "law abiding lawbreakers," those who steal cable TV signals or download music without proper compensation. Their justification is that "everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn't I?" This attitude perpetuates itself through the generations since it's difficult to teach "the right thing to do" in a society in which pressures to succeed, almost at any cost, are so pervasive.
Cheating starts young, and like many other characteristics, kids learn from their parents. Students reflect on ways to get around the system, perhaps by taking their tougher classes later in the day so they can discuss the exams with others who have taken them in an earlier hour. Many see the whole process as a game. "New technological gadgets have introduced fresh legends into . . . cheating folklore," the author observes. "Handheld text-messaging devices allow students to shoot answers across the school, or even across a class, in seconds. Calculators, which students can often bring into math tests, are programmed in advance to contain answers." And don't forget the Internet, which makes plagiarism easier than ever. Ain't progress wonderful?
Callahan returns to his criticism of those in the "winning class," the financially well-to-do who think nothing of donating millions of dollars to a university to influence admission for their children who would otherwise not make the grade academically. But what is a conscientious parent to do? Should they instruct their kids to follow these examples, knowing that to do otherwise might put them at a disadvantage? Unfortunately, the author doesn't offer convincing answers. He concludes his contemplative treatise with simplistic suggestions (like "don't cheat") that could be considered Pollyanna-ish by many cynical readers.
THE CHEATING CULTURE is certainly food for thought. One would hope that enough readers find it palatable enough to change their personal philosophies and ultimately improve the human condition.
--- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan (RonKaplanNJ@comcast.net)
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