Double-standardized tests

If you tote your cell phone to class, make sure it's only for the sake of staying connected to gossip and booty calls. Some University of Maryland students decided to use their phones for a more academic-oriented reason, and now they suffer the consequences of automatic failing grades and permanent notations on their transcripts indicating that they cheated.\nSix of the 12 students accused of a cell phone text-messaging scam admitted they had allies outside the class aiding them during tests. Because the professor posted the answer sheet after the class had started, the outside friends were able to view it while the exam was being administered. The clever professor caught the bandits by posting fake answers and waiting for the students to replicate them from their message partners. Justice was served, right?\nOf course. Even as children, we knew cheating and lying were wrong because our parents drilled it in our brains. We knew on the playground not to deceive our peers or we would be scarlet-lettered as the "cheater-cheater-pumpkin-eaters" or the liars with their "pants on fire." We were fed spoonfuls of the nourishing anecdote about little George Washington chopping down a cherry tree and how he bravely took responsibility for it when his parents asked him for the truth. Unfortunately, when we grew up, we found out that the account of the cherry tree incident was a complete fabrication. Isn't it amusing that we were told a lie to teach us the virtue of honesty?\nIt's not surprising at all. In a capitalist society where we are constantly competing to rise to the top of the economic pool or just keeping from sinking to its bottom, lying and cheating can help us survive. To prepare ourselves for the market, we begin by doctoring our resumes and brushing up on our interviewing skills. One of the most routinely asked questions in an interview is "What is your greatest flaw?" The odds are pretty high that the interviewee will answer dogmatically, "Well, I'm a perfectionist." It isn't that employers really want us to confess our habits of not washing our hands after we leave the restroom or even our relationship commitment problems. The point of the exercise is to test how well we can manipulate the question to work in our favor. The more we are skilled in this area, the more likely we are to be hired. Today, it's not enough to have qualifications, we have to sell them. When our parents wanted to teach us the value of integrity, it was a nice gesture, but perhaps they should have showed us how to vacuum-seal ourselves in cellophane as commercial items instead.\n Mom and Dad had the best intentions when they told us, "honesty is the best policy," yet they didn't even know the fine print of the adage states, ". . . but dishonesty makes the best policy maker." We like to grumble that our politicians are scheming liars, though we expect them to charm our own flaming pants off with a charismatic presence. Charisma, although not defined as dishonesty, certainly has the elusive ability to influence us with a little deception. We beg our leaders to make us promises about the benefits we deserve or the tax cut we crave. When our concerns are never addressed or the economy backfires from a tax refund, suddenly, we feel conned, cheated and abused. It's a pathetic double standard. \nIt should disturb us that hard work and merit aren't automatically rewarded with success. People often regret sacrificing their values, but more than that, people regret overlooking an easy promotion to the top. The 12 accused students aren't evil scum for the choices they made; they were just following the poor example our society continually sets.