Cheating is Stupid

Marcus Varner — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:08:42 +0000

Wait, let me rephrase that: cheaters are stupid. You go to school to learn and to gain credibility through attainment of a diploma, so you can hold it up to a prospective employer and say, “Yeah, I’m legit.” Post-high school, people actually pay money for this opportunity. So it doesn’t make any sense when you hear of cheating becoming so prevalent in today’s universities. That’s like buying lunch, throwing it in the trash without eating it, and then showing off the receipt just to show that you ate there. Like I said: stupid.

There are a thousand sorry excuses out there about why cheating is happening and even why it is more acceptable now. So-called experts will claim that it shows a greater level of intelligence when students find “shortcuts.” Relativists will assert that constructs like test rules are outdated and that kids can’t be expected to obey those archaic things.

Just to show how foolish these arguments are, let us take a quantum leap into the future where these kids are running the businesses, homes, and government of America. Imagine, if you will, these kids finding “shortcuts” to providing for their families. Imagine them deciding that the laws of our society, like driving on the right side of the road, selling drugs, and not hurting others, are outdated and that they shouldn’t have to follow them anymore. Pretty scary.

Picture them at the workplace without even a foundational knowledge of the concepts they will need to be successful. When it comes to cheaters, you really have no guarantee that they will do anything they say they will do or that they will follow any rules.

Given the frightening consequences of tolerating cheating, schools and parents need to take action now to teach the valuable lesson that cheaters never prosper.

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“Misspeaking” is Dishonesty

Marcus Varner — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:06:47 +0000

Hillary sought to beef up her foreign affairs credibility by telling a story of her visit to war-torn Bosnia. She said they were under sniper fire and had to forego a planned greeting ceremony, dashing across the tarmac with heads down and speeding away in military jeeps. Wow, that sounds like the trenches of foreign relations experience if I ever heard it. Too bad it’s not true. News footage clearly shows her walking calmly off the plane with Chelsea in tow, smiling and greeting people, cameras flashing, and then, you guessed it, Hillary spoke at the greeting ceremony that supposedly didn’t happen.

Not too long ago, this sort of thing was called lying. When Hillary got called on it, however, she said she “misspoke.” Amazingly, Hillary’s supporters still cheered and waved their flags, and this represents a most troubling trend.

Lying is becoming acceptable. Honesty is considered peculiar, even impossible by some. This problem- let’s call it what it is- transcends every part of our lives, from the Oval Office to the corporate office to the playing field to the classroom to the bedroom. Widespread dishonesty threatens the glue that holds together any organization, namely trust and confidence.

Think about it this way, every nation, company, and family depends on certain social contracts. These contracts are, in fact, promises. For instance, as U.S. citizens, we promise to obey the laws of the land in return for the privilege of living free in this country. Our trust in one another is the only thing that keeps us sure that everyone is going to abide by these promises and that things will remain peaceful and free. In other words, if we can’t trust each other, things will unravel very quickly.

Lying is unacceptable because it destroys that trust. If people can’t be sure that you speak the truth, how can they trust anything you say?

Consider schools that tolerate cheating. That school is putting out students that might or might not have cheated in obtaining their degrees. Suddenly, grades cease to be an adequate measure of a student’s achievement. Magna cum laude means nothing at these schools. Recruiters cannot with any degree of confidence hire students into their organization. The school’s reputation is ruined.

Consider businesses that tolerate dishonest practices. They are constantly at risk of being discovered by regulatory bodies (think Enron). One dishonest practice must be covered up using more dishonest practices. Having promoted a dishonest environment, how can managers then expect their employees to be honest with them, to not fudge their hours, take office supplies home, or sell their secrets? They can’t, plain and simple.

Lastly, consider countries that tolerate dishonesty, especially from their leaders. With a single lie, a presidential candidate negates every promise or claim they have made along the campaign trail. Maybe they were telling the truth this time and that time; but how would we know the difference between when they were or weren’t? We wouldn’t.

How do you feel about Hillary’s “misspeaking”? How does it change your view of her as a candidate? How do you feel about dishonesty?

Education & Careers » cheating

Cheating is Stupid

“Misspeaking” is Dishonesty