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A Culture of Cheaters -- Invitation to Write #38

For Writers:

We live in a cheating culture; cheating might not be openingly accepted, but it seems pretty clear that cheating infects all areas of society. In baseball, it's steriods; in college, it's plagiarism; and in business, it's fixing the books. Simply put, doing your best isn't enough. The stakes are too high, and the competition is now global.

Moreover, people seem to have the mindset that they will never get caught, and even if they do get caught, the punishment will be minor.

Some have gone as far as to call the problem an "epidemic." And even the very definition of what it means to cheat is changing. According to one researcher, 47% of high school students believe it is okay to find out information about a test from others that have already taken it; even more shocking is the fact that 75% admitted to cheating on assignments and over 50% admitted to plagiarizing papers.

Describe a time when you cheated -- on a test, on a spouse, whatever. Why did you decide to cheat, and what were the costs (or payoffs)? Or, if you are one of the few non-cheaters out there, what would you do if you witnessed someone cheating? Under what circumstances would you report what you saw?

"Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat." -- Jesse Ventura

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