ENTERING THE CONVERSATION

1. Christopher Bergland in “Cheaters Never Win” (p. 498), Chuck Klosterman in “Why We Look the Other Way” (p. 492), and Brad Allenby in “Is Human Enhancement Cheating?” (p. 502) address cheating in sports. What are the similarities and differences in the authors’ attitudes toward the role of cheating in sports?

2. How would David Callahan, author of The Cheating Culture (p. 510), likely respond to the case of Nayeem Ahsan, the teenager profiled in “Cheating Upwards” (p. 481)? To what extent would he condemn his actions and/or condemn the culture that taught or caused him to cheat? Write your answer in the form of a dialogue or a transcript of a conversation between Callahan and Ahsan.

3. Mia Consalvo (p. 506) identifies four reasons why people cheat in video games. Similarly, David Callahan gives reasons why people cheat in real life. Compare at least one of the reasons Consalvo presents to a real-life example Callahan presents. To what extent does the reason apply or not in the real world outside video games?

1. In recent years there have been a number of high-profile cases of cheating in sports, often through the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). If an athlete is an adult, is aware of the consequences of using PEDs, and knows that his or her competition is also using those drugs, why shouldn’t he or she be allowed to use any PEDs he or she wants? If the spectators also know about the PEDs, who is being cheated? Support your position by referring to at least two of the texts in the Conversation.

2. Is cheating an inevitable part of human society? Is it impossible, or even desirable, to completely eliminate cheating? Use your own experiences and references to at least two texts in the Conversation to support your response.

3. Describe the extent of the problem with cheating that happens at your school, propose a solution to the problem, and explain how you would implement that solution. Refer to at least two of the texts from the Conversation to support your response.

4. Many of the texts in this Conversation try to explain why a particular action—using video game cheat codes, copying homework, taking PEDs, and so on—is either cheating or not cheating. Using the various scenarios presented in these texts—sports, school, video games, etc.—write a definition of cheating that covers as many of the situations as possible. Be sure to address the questions of who is cheating whom and for what purpose. Refer to at least two texts from the Conversation in your response.

5. There appear to be generational differences in what is considered to be cheating. One survey, for instance, claims that almost 90 percent of teenagers do not see anything wrong with practices that could be defined as music piracy or illegal downloading, while another shows that almost 50 percent of adults disagree with the idea that you should be able to download media from the Internet free of charge. Identify a practice that you believe could be considered cheating and conduct interviews or surveys to see if there is a generational difference in opinion. In your explanation, be sure to refer to at least two texts from the Conversation that support or counter your results.