Spring Break
Cheating on rise as American morals decline
Robert Bell and Caitlin Street, Staff Writers
Issue date: 2/17/06 Section: News
And this trend isn't just limited to corporations, Callahan said. Athletes nowadays make much more money than they ever have before, which tempts some players to use steroids, he said.
"Sluggers today make more money in a single year than somebody like Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays made in an entire lifetime," Callahan said.
The top one percent of Americans today makes more money than the bottom 100 million Americans put together, he said. Therefore it isn't surprising that so many people are cutting corners to get ahead, he said.
There has been a tendency to demonize CEOs after financial scandals such as those at Worldcom and Enron, but Callahan doesn't think that those involved in the corruption are necessarily bad people.
"I don't think they're that much different from anybody else," he said. "I think that, for the most part, they are ordinary people who were subjected to extraordinary temptation."
The second reason that cheating is more tempting these days is that people are afraid, Callahan said. "People are afraid of falling behind and seeing those hopes for a secure and comfortable life slip away," he said. "And they are afraid for some pretty good reasons."
Workers are under a great deal more pressure than ever before, while pensions are becoming a thing of the past and 47 million Americans don't have health insurance, he said.
"These days, there are a lot of people who did everything right, who are feeling pretty anxious about having that American dream, that comfortable life and bringing home the bacon," Callahan said.
Callahan used the example of baseball again, citing players who weren't necessarily stars, but rookies and average players. Many of them felt the temptation to use steroids to keep ahead of the rest, out of fear of getting dropped from teams, Callahan said.
In years past, failed players could at least have the security of getting a middle-class union job with a pension and health care if baseball didn't work out, Callahan said. But that isn't the case anymore.
"Sluggers today make more money in a single year than somebody like Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays made in an entire lifetime," Callahan said.
The top one percent of Americans today makes more money than the bottom 100 million Americans put together, he said. Therefore it isn't surprising that so many people are cutting corners to get ahead, he said.
There has been a tendency to demonize CEOs after financial scandals such as those at Worldcom and Enron, but Callahan doesn't think that those involved in the corruption are necessarily bad people.
"I don't think they're that much different from anybody else," he said. "I think that, for the most part, they are ordinary people who were subjected to extraordinary temptation."
The second reason that cheating is more tempting these days is that people are afraid, Callahan said. "People are afraid of falling behind and seeing those hopes for a secure and comfortable life slip away," he said. "And they are afraid for some pretty good reasons."
Workers are under a great deal more pressure than ever before, while pensions are becoming a thing of the past and 47 million Americans don't have health insurance, he said.
"These days, there are a lot of people who did everything right, who are feeling pretty anxious about having that American dream, that comfortable life and bringing home the bacon," Callahan said.
Callahan used the example of baseball again, citing players who weren't necessarily stars, but rookies and average players. Many of them felt the temptation to use steroids to keep ahead of the rest, out of fear of getting dropped from teams, Callahan said.
In years past, failed players could at least have the security of getting a middle-class union job with a pension and health care if baseball didn't work out, Callahan said. But that isn't the case anymore.
