Cheating –behaving in a dishonest way in order to get an advantage in economic, work or social relationships- seems to be a frequent practice in many countries.

Some people think that cheating is on the rise in societies where it used to be rare. In the book The Cheating Culture (2004), David Callahan refers to an “epidemic of cheating” in the US. He defines this kind of behavior as “breaking the rules to get ahead academically, professionally, or financially.”

The author says that people “are not only cheating more in many areas but are also feeling less guilty about it. When ‘everybody does it,’ or imagines that everybody does it, a cheating culture has emerged.” Cheating by students and athletes, corporate scandals, tax evasion, plagiarism by journalists or scientists, are some examples. 

In some Latin American countries, people perceive cheating as a widespread, cultural problem, and give it specific names. In Argentina, since late nineteenth century, it is called “viveza criolla” or “native trickiness”. In Colombia, they say “malicia indígena” or “indigenous maliciousness”.

Do you think that cheating is something common in your country? Can you give some examples? What are the effects of this kind of behavior?

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