I guess it depends.
Video Games: Yes, I cheat. Doesn’t mar my enjoyment of the game at all.
School: I tried to once in the first grade. I hid the list of spelling words so I can look at them during the test. I waited for it all day, but the test was postponed. I figured Iwasn’t going to push my luck a seocnd time.
In Geometry, 9th grade, I blatantly cheated off of my friends. My teacher really didn’t care, and I jst wanted to get the fuck out of there with a passing grade. I actually didn’t start “cheating” until the 2nd trimester of class because in the 1st I tried to be honest and I did horribly.
Never felt guilt about it at all. Never regretted it either.
I’ve been thinking about what I said, and it isn’t true. I wouldn’t ever cheat, but I lie all the time. Never on official things like my taxes, and never in order to gain material wealth, and never to defame anyone else. But I have no problem telling a complete stranger that I’m an adept skier, even though I’ve never been skiing. I think I would make a good spy in this regard, since I can easily assume another identity. Does that make me dishonest?
This isn’t really the same thing, but…
It’s a cliche in sports like football that “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.”
Meaning? Well, suppose you’re an offensive lineman, and Warren Sapp is pushing you around, sacking your quarterback at will. Are you going to shrug and say “Oh well, he’s much better than me, he’s beating me fair and square, so I guess my quarterback will just have to take his lumps.” No! You’re going to hold him, and hope the refs don’t see it. Or you and a teamate will chop block him (go for his knees) and hope you get away with it. And if he knocks you aside, and you see he’s got a clear shot at your quarterback, you’re going to leg-whip him, and hope the refs don’t catch you.
I don’t like seeing this, but if the alternative is to lose a game (and, ultimately, to lose your job), I understand all too well why players DO cheat. If you’re REALLY good at your job, you don’t have to cheat. But if you’re not, it may not pay to follow the rules.
Mind you, my understanding is NOT sympathy. Even though I understand why offensive linemen chop block, it’s STILL illegal, it’s STILL disgusting, it’s STILL immoral, and guys who do it should be punished severely.
And while I understand perfectly why students cheat on tests, I STILL want them punished severely when they’re caught.
When people like Jeffrey Skilling make millions of dollars by cheating (and presumably many more do it without getting caught and having to testify before Congress), it’s not hard to understand why high school students think they should be able to get away with a relatively insignifigant cheat on a test. It’s no justification, but I can see how it would affect them.
For me it’s mostly the little stuff. Like accepting credit for someone else’s work, or agreeing with the boss when you don’tagree, especially during a performance review. Like that and like that, eh Crocker.
When I was going to community college, the worse cheaters were those taking transferable courses before going on to a four year.
And those football players mentioned by astorian would be foolish not to do what they do. They’d be ridiculed by their teammates and the fans.
The same kind of thing happen’s in the corporate world too. If the boss doesn’t catch you, you win. If the boss does catch you, and you’re good at the game, you “Turn Over a New Leaf” with his/her counsel and win anyway.
Peace,
mangeorge
Cheating wouldn’t bring me any satisfaction. It never occurred to me to cheat in school, because I would have been cheating myself. I still won’t do it, even though it’s rampant.
They’re pretty tough on plagiarism and all other forms of fraud and deception at one of my college campuses. We’ve been busting plagiarists all over the place, at least in the English Department–and a lot more lately since it’s Finals week. And many of them are repeat offenders. :rolleyes:
The college even had to undertake a massive sting to find all the students who were forging registration dates and times so they could add into classes (taking spaces away from those who had legitimate cards). I sure wouldn’t want to be in their shoes.
Okay, two things here from me:
One – walking past my old high school last year, I saw a meesage crawl across the new digital message board (like the ones in ballparks): “character counts!” I bust out laughing right there in the streets. When I graduated, one guy wasn’t allowed to be a valedictorian because he got caught trying to cheat on a national test. (The AP English Language test, for those of you familiar with it.) I also know that several more of the people in the honors range had cheated, somewhat regularly. (I had some classes with the honors students, so I got to hear all about it before and after class.) And secondly, I started yelling at the sign, “Exactly where does character count???” I mean, let’s face it, there’s no notation on the high school transcripts that says “cheated, but got away with it” or “has poor character.” The grades are the only thing that counts, and most people believe that the end justifies the means. That goes for a lot of things in life, not jsut school, but school is where it’s most apparent: we’re indoctrinated with the belief that our grades in high school will define the rest of our lives, that good grades will get us into a good college and a good college will mean a life of prosperity and happiness. <coughbullshitcough>
And two – I don’t cheat. Tried it a few times, never liked it. Especially video games. I’ve always seen video games as something that requires skill, and that the skill is what’s important, not the win. cheating usually means no skill, and cheating certainly doesn’t improve your skill at the game.
Just my two cents. Well, four cents maybe, two cents on two things. 
Vengeant