Cheating our youth out of ethics

In an ever increasing competitive world, a recent poll conducted by Junior Achievement Worldwide and Deloitte & Touche reveals an unsurprising trend among today's youth. Nearly 30% of 13-18 year olds polled found it acceptable in some form to cheat in school to achieve success. Even more disturbing, 43% of those polled felt it was acceptable to cheat, steal, lie or behave violently to some degree if it meant succeeding academically. While some are extremely shocked by these numbers, I'm surprised the percentages are not greater.

http://www.ja.org/files/2007_Teen_Ethics_Survey_Cross_Tabs_Data.pdf

In an ideal world, success would come by honesty, hard work and determination, but that is not the reality of 21st century capitalist America. That's why we have the term "nice guys finish last". In reality, to get the upper hand, one must rise above the competition, and when the competition is cheating, one is at a disadvantage following the rules. That's what the era of steroids in baseball has been all about. The sluggers weren't the only ones cheating, nor was it solely hitters, many times it was the unproven role player, pitchers included, trying to separate himself from the rest of the pack, using steroids to gain an upper hand. This is the example that today's youth follow, and they see these athletes rewarded handsomely, earning millions playing a game.

Cheating breeds cheating and it is the reality of the world we live in. Look at the politicians our children look up to. Our whole political structure is one giant deception. Special interests is cheating, regardless if it is legal. It's a form of manipulation and how our congress is run.

Speaking of manipulation, our president and vice-president manipulated intelligence reports and lied directly to the world in selling this war. There were never any Weapons of Mass Destruction, only lies. And there have been no consequences for these individuals, only economic and political rewards that have furthered their agendas. So why should we be shocked by this poll of our youth?

And there are so many more examples. Our entire legal system is composed of liars and cheats. That's what for profit defense firms and frivolous prosecutors subsist on. That's why O.J Simpson never went to jail for killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, found liable for their deaths in civil court but not in criminal court. He had a lot of money and could afford the best legal defense, who used all their might and abilities to keep a murderer out of jail. I think it's safe to say Robert Shapiro and the rest of Simpson's defense team cheated the legal system, but it happens to be their job so capitalism approves.

I could go on as corporate accounting firms and CEO's deserve a whole posting to themselves considering Enron and Arthur Anderson, but the point has been made. Today's children are just more aware of business politics than of previous generations. So instead of panicking over the ethical beliefs of today's youth, point the finger at the individuals setting the precedent and hold them accountable. It's the system and political structure supporting it at fault. Our children are inheriting these values.