Cheating Editorial
Cheaters never prosper. But do they really suffer? Experience would have us believe otherwise.
From early on, we are taught that the honest path is the only path. Hard work and a tenacious ability to overcome may not enable us to succeed, but they at least allow us to fail with integrity and pride.
This then prompts the question “Is cheating irrational behavior?” The very notion of taking advantage of someone else for personal gain initially appears repulsive, a tactic used by those with nothing left to lose. Cheating, when viewed through modern economic analysis, however, inherently makes sense. Sometimes, the benefits of cheating simply outweigh the potential costs.
Nowadays, societal pressures corner us against a wall, edging us to act fast or be left behind; an unforseen consequence of this rapid lifestyle is the emergence of unplanned forced decisions we may never have otherwise made.
A surreptitious glance at a neighbor’s exam, a quick exchange of pop-quiz material, a sly wink, nudge or gesture—these are the means by which we cave into the capricious wants of this world. The whims of such a civilized savagery would dictate that every project, test and deadline is but a slightly varied manifestation of the same race to succeed.
Which prompts another question: what serves as the catalyst for cheating? Is it the result of extreme desperation or perhaps the influence of a competitive world? Either way, one thing is certain: we all try to dupe our moral compass into pointing north, but it inevitably begins to waver southward. Granted, we are not a society comprised of entirely degenerate individuals, but it is indisputable that we all, some time in our lives, experience an urge to cheat.
And the guilt that comes as a result is more than a side effect—it’s the primary symptom. It begins as a slim stream of regret that grows into a pounding torrential deluge flooding our stricken consciouses.
Although we try otherwise, it is all too easy to rationalize cheating. I need that A! But what is the point of the prize without the chase? What is success without the struggle, the strife, the suffering?
Last month’s blatant cheating incidents regarding certain AP US History students revived these questions. Were those students wrong in trying to measure up to external pressures? Yes. But are they wholly to blame? Perhaps they simply succumbed to an all-too human desire to get ahead at any cost.
