Consumer Safety & Awareness Part 2

The Honesty Factor

Most people would be dishonest if they knew they could get away with it. According to an AP release on November 30, 64% of students have cheated on tests. That is dishonesty. Add to that 30% of high school students have admitted shoplifting. Most likely there are others who will not admit it.

Is it only society’s morality checks that keep more people from being crooks? If not for the fear of being caught, of the social stigma associated with it, the consequences both through the criminal justice system and through the loss of “face,” would more people act dishonestly? In many social circles, dishonesty is admired. Many teenagers look up to those who beat the system, even when they do so in ways that are contrary to their upbringing and their religion

Are these people reacting to the examples they see around them – sports figures and popular singers carrying guns around, abusing drugs, ignoring sexual morality, and generally flaunting their ability to do improper things and get away with insignificant punishments? Does our society now look up to the CEOs who make millions while driving their companies into bankruptcy? Then, after their business tanks, they are hired to run another company.

Honesty seems to have several meanings. People want others to be honest in their dealings, but they do not always seem to think that they need to be honest with others. We see people, public figures, accused of crimes, refusing to accept any blame, decrying any thought that they may have done something wrong, only to plead guilty a few weeks later.

Perhaps it is this jaded attitude that has opened the door to so many scammers, thieves, white-collar criminals, and other crooks. From President Clinton’s denial of sexual wrongdoing, to Vice President Gore’s supposed invention of the Internet, to president Bush’s many twists of truth in order to convince Congress and the American people that we needed to go to war in Iraq, from the top down honesty is no longer policy.

Alaska’s recently convicted Senator, Ted Stevens, totally denied any wrong-doing. He was convicted of seven counts of failing to disclose more than $250,000 in gifts and home renovations. Yet he refuses to believe he did anything wrong. He admits to having all these things done for him, yet states that since he did not formally accept the gifts, that he was just keeping them temporarily, he was not guilty of any impropriety.

Humans have been raised for thousands of years to accept the honesty of our religious leaders. In fact, since faith is the cornerstone of religion, and those who set church policy also set morality standards, how can our society maintain an appreciation of honesty when so many religious leaders have lied, stolen, ignored their vows, and committed horrendous crimes?

We also accept society’s ills as an excuse when a crime is committed. The accused did commit the crime, but it was not her fault because she was pregnant, or had just given birth, or because he had a poor childhood, or because he saw the same thing done on television. We scoff at some of the trials that result in huge settlements for seemingly little things, yet “we” are the people who are on those juries who determine the outcome. We wonder why a minor violation can result in a huge jail sentence when major criminals get off with probation or less.

All this opens the door to scammers. These people, who have purposefully set out to rob, whether through overt act or deception, rarely see any harm in their acts. It is their job. The marks or pigeons are simply there as aspects of their work.

Next week we will examine why scams work. Just how is it that such people can stay in business, in fact rack up billions each year?